Harvey Kurtzman

Infobox Comics creator


imagesize = 100
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = birth date|1924|10|3|mf=y
location = Brooklyn, New York
deathdate = death date and age|1993|02|21|1924|10|31
deathplace =
nationality = American
area = Writer, Editor
alias =
notable works = "Mad"
awards =

Harvey Kurtzman (October 3, 1924, Brooklyn, New York – February 21, 1993) was a U.S. cartoonist and magazine editor. In 1952, he was the founding editor of the comic book "Mad." Kurtzman was also known for the long-running "Little Annie Fanny" stories in "Playboy" (1962-88), parodying the very attitudes that "Playboy" promoted.

Because "Mad" had a considerable impact on popular culture, Kurtzman was later described by the "New York Times" as having been "one of the most important figures in postwar America." [Bradford W. Wright. "Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America". Johns Hopkins University Press. 2003]

Biography

As a child he drew "Ikey and Mikey," a regular comic strip done in chalk on sidewalks. In 1939, Kurtzman won a contest in "Tip Top Comics", the prize for which was the publication of a drawing and one dollar. As a freelance writer-artist during his early years in the comic book industry, his most notable output was a series of humorous one-page fillers called "Hey Look!" Kurtzman often signed his name "H. Kurtz [male stick figure] " (i.e., "H. Kurtz-Man"). Kurtzman found his niche at Bill Gaines' EC Comics, editing the war comics "Frontline Combat" and "Two-Fisted Tales". Kurtzman was known for a painstaking attention to detail, typically sketching full layouts and breakdowns for the stories he assigned to artists and insisting they not deviate from his instructions. [Sadowski, Greg (editor). 2006. The Comics Journal Library Vol. 7: Harvey Kurtzman. Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics] [http://www.instantwonder.com/artist-kurtzman.html All About Comix - allaboutcomix.com via InstantWonder Harvey Kurtzman ] ] Despite (or because of) his autocratic ways, Kurtzman's early 1950s work is still considered among the medium's finest. [ [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1485560 The Comic Journal's Top 100 English-Language Comics of the [e-mail] ] ] [ [http://www.readyourselfraw.com/profiles/kurtzman/profile_kurtzman.htm read yourself RAW - Profile: Harvey Kurtzman ] ]

The evolution of "Mad" was marked by Kurtzman's recognition of his own value and talents. The comic book owed its existence to Kurtzman's complaint to publisher Gaines that EC's two editors — himself and Al Feldstein — were being paid substantially different salaries. Gaines pointed out that Feldstein produced more titles for EC and did so more swiftly. The men then agreed that if Kurtzman could create a humor publication, Gaines would raise his pay substantially.

Four years later, amid an industry crackdown on the comic books that EC was producing, Kurtzman received an offer to join the staff of "Pageant". When Gaines agreed to expand "Mad" from a ten-cent comic book to a 25-cent magazine, Kurtzman stayed with EC. Although retaining Kurtzman was Gaines' prime motivation, this revamp completely removed "Mad" from the Comics Code Authority's censorious overview, thereby assuring its survival.

Kurtzman remained at the helm of the magazine for only a few issues, but it was long enough to introduce the image soon named Alfred E. Neuman, the publication's famous mascot. The character had appeared, unidentified, in one of the comic book issues. He was also responsible, in 1955, for turning the publication from a comic book into a full-size magazine. [ [http://www.toonopedia.com/kurtzman.htm Harvey Kurtzman Toonopedia Entry] ]

During the 1950s, Kurtzman was also one of the writers for the relaunched "Flash Gordon" daily comic strip which had previously been one of Kurtzman's "Mad" targets, when he created the "Flesh Garden!" parody, illustrated by Wally Wood in 1954.

Departure from "Mad"

In April 1956, with "Mad" sales increasing and all of EC's other titles cancelled, Kurtzman demanded a 51% share of Gaines' business. Gaines balked and hired Feldstein to replace Kurtzman as editor [Jacobs, Frank. 1972. "The MAD World of William M. Gaines". New York, Lyle Stuart Inc.] . The incident has been a source of controversy ever since. There are some who feel the magazine critically peaked under Kurtzman and never again regained its magic, settling into a predictable formula. There are others who think Kurtzman's own formulaic tendencies would have worn out their welcome more obviously, if not for his early and sudden exit. Kurtzman's departure may have allowed his fans to fantasize about a magazine-format "Mad" that never was, in which his satiric eye never fogged, as it did outside of "Mad".

The "art vs. commerce" showdown between Kurtzman and Gaines (in which Kurtzman gets the hero's role of David while Gaines plays the vulgarian Goliath) has long been a compelling characterization for some. But it's likely that no 1950s publisher other than Bill Gaines would ever have printed "Mad" in the first place. Even so, when Kurtzman and Feldstein were producing humor comics at the same time (Feldstein edited EC's lesser sister humor publication "Panic"), it is generally recognized that the difference in quality was vast. Thus, Feldstein got a reputation as the craftsman who replaced the genius.

However, it's inarguable that "Mad"'s greatest heights of circulation and influence came under Feldstein, while Kurtzman never again recaptured his share of the zeitgeist or edited another magazine of equal success. Kurtzman's supporters say luck was against him, and there is evidence for this. But it's also true that nothing Kurtzman produced after his original "Mad" run approached it for bite or observational wit. In the end, and for all his substantial achievements, Kurtzman's career was forever colored by a sense of "what might have been."

Kurtzman was also the editor of "Trump", published by Hugh Hefner in 1957. It presented Kurtzman's "Mad" sensibilities in a glossy, upscale magazine format. Trump only lasted for two issues. They reportedly sold well, but were expensive to produce, and publisher Hugh Hefner shut down the project during a costcutting crunch. Kurtzman later led an artists' collective of himself, Will Elder, Jack Davis, Al Jaffee and Arnold Roth in publishing "Humbug." Despite their efforts, and those of business manager Harry Chester, "Humbug" failed to overcome distribution and financial problems. [Neil Genzlinger, "A Veteran Mad Man Remains in the Fold," "New York Times, "Arts and Leisure," 25, March 30, 2008] It folded after 11 issues.

After the demise of "Humbug", Kurtzman spent a few years as a freelance contributor to various magazines, including "Playboy", "Esquire", "The Saturday Evening Post", "TV Guide" and "Pageant", the magazine that had made a fateful job offer to Kurtzman in 1955.

Kurtzman's last regular editorial position of note was at the helm of Warren Publishing's "Help!" from 1962 to 1966. Though relying heavily on photography, "Help!" gave the first national exposure to certain artists and writers who would dominate underground comix later on, such as Robert Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, Jay Lynch and Skip Williamson. The magazine also provided a brief forum for John Cleese and Terry Gilliam, who first worked together under Kurtzman's direction, years before Monty Python (in his 1985 film "Brazil", Gilliam gave Ian Holm's character, the boss of protagonist Sam Lowry, the name "Kurtzmann"). The most notorious article to appear in "Help!" was "Goodman Beaver Goes Playboy!", a ribald parody of Archie Comics that resulted in a lawsuit from Archie's publisher. Despite a talented roster of friends and contributors including Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Gloria Steinem and Gahan Wilson, along with the above names, the magazine folded after 26 issues.

Kurtzman's career remained eclectic. His "Little Annie Fanny" began its 26-year run in "Playboy" in 1962. He co-scripted the animated film "Mad Monster Party," which was released in 1967. In 1972, Kurtzman produced several animated shorts for "Sesame Street". A series of reprint projects and one-shot efforts appeared in the 1970s and 1980s.

Later years and legacy

In his later years, Kurtzman continued to work on anthologies and various other projects, as well as teaching a cartooning class at the School of Visual Arts. Beginning in 1988, the Harvey Awards, named for Kurtzman, were first given to the year's outstanding comics and creators. In the years before his death, Kurtzman returned to "Mad" for a brief stint, along with long-time collaborator Will Elder. Their pages were simply signed "WEHK".

In the end, Kurtzman's critical reputation has outlasted his career valleys and the formulaic or disappointing projects. He is routinely celebrated for his visual verve and artistic successes and is often cited as a key influence by many leading cartoonists. In its much-critiqued 2000 list of the century's Top 100 comics, "The Comics Journal" awarded Kurtzman five of the slots:
* 8. "Mad" comics by Harvey Kurtzman and various
*12. EC's "New Trend" war comics by Harvey Kurtzman and various
*26. "The Jungle Book" by Harvey Kurtzman
*63. "Hey Look!" by Harvey Kurtzman
*64. "Goodman Beaver" by Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder

Awards and honors

Along with Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Robert Crumb, Gary Panter and Chris Ware, Kurtzman was among the artists honored in the exhibition "Masters of American Comics" at the Jewish Museum in Manhattan from September 16, 2006 to January 28, 2007.

Audio

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References

External links

* [http://www.toonopedia.com/kurtzman.htm Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Harvey Kurtzman]
* [http://www.bpib.com/illustra2/kurtzman.htm Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. profile: Harvey Kurtzman]
* [http://www.kitchenandlind.com/harv.html Kitchen, Lind & Associates: Harvey Kurtzman]