Grant Geissman – författare

In 1947, Bill Gaines inherited EC Comics, a new venture founded by his legendary father M. C. Gaines, who was responsible for midwifing the birth of the comic book as we know it during his tenure at All-American Comics, bringing the likes of Wonder Woman and Green Lantern to the world. Over the next eight years, Bill Gaines and a “who’s who” of the era including Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman, and Wally Wood would reinvent the very notion of the comic book with titles like Tales from the Crypt, Crime SuspenStories, Weird Science, and MAD. EC delighted in publishing gory, morbid horror and crime comics that had snap, ironic endings—but they also pioneered the first true-to-life war comics, the first “real” science-fiction stories, and a series of tales about such then-taboo subjects as racism, bigotry, vigilantism, drug addiction, police corruption, and anti-Semitism. Too good to last, they were eventually caught up by various 1950s guardians of morality, who were convinced that EC’s often over-the-top content was causing juvenile delinquency. A year or so after a full inquiry investigating horror and crime comics, the incredible EC Comics were no more. TASCHEN presents the full, fascinating story of this fabled company, written and expertly curated by EC-authority Grant Geissman. Even the most die-hard EC Fan-Addicts will find something new within these pages, with the Gaines family archives providing more than 100 rarities that have never seen print. Many of the cover images are reproduced from Gaines File Copies, which are widely regarded as the best surviving copies of the EC Comics. Gathering more than 1,000 illustrations that include the rarest and most notorious covers, interior pages and panels, photos, vintage original artwork, and some of the most celebrated stories ever to be printed in four colors for a dime, this is the ultimate EC Comics compendium and a must-have for any comics enthusiast or pop culture historian.

When Bill Gaines inherited EC Comics from his father, the legendary publisher M. C. Gaines, at just 25 years old, no one could predict the impact he would have—not only on comics, but on global pop culture at large.Inspired by the pulp sci-fi stories and weird fiction of their youth, Bill Gaines and artist Al Feldstein drafted the initial issues of what would become the first true serialized science fiction magazine, delivering stories, creatures, and worlds unlike anything readers had ever seen.Far from the simplistic space adventures of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, the high-concept, morally ambiguous, and often-chilling tales of Weird Science resonated deeply with readers growing up in the Atomic Age under the shadow of the mushroom cloud. Nuclear threats, the ravages of science unshackled from ethics, and the creeping authority of world governments locked in a Cold War had begun seeping into the fabric of American life.The first issue of Weird Science appeared on newsstands in the spring of 1950, its cover boldly daring readers to pick it up. Subsequent bimonthly releases pulled audiences into an ever-changing kaleidoscope of “Scientific SuspenStories,” featuring Martian invasions, murderous androids, time travel gone awry, planets inhabited entirely by women, and more.Bolstered by a growing stable of soon-to-be comic art legends like Harvey Kurtzman, Wally Wood, and Joe Orlando, Weird Science shaped the collective imagination of a generation. Gaines and Feldstein boldly tackled themes that were rarely addressed in serialized comics, while visionary artists like Wood went on to define the aesthetic and societal impact of the genre, depicting futuristic vistas and impossible technology with a level of detail as if not merely imagining them, but glimpsing into the very future itself. In Volume 1, TASCHEN presents the first eleven issues of Weird Science, meticulously recreating the comics in their original glory. Rather than recolor the artwork, this edition works with super-high-resolution photographs of each page as it was printed more than half a century ago, using modern retouching techniques to correct problems with the era’s inexpensive, imperfect printing. The result is a pristine product, keeping the character and feel of the classic pulp comic magazines, but freshly printed by a world-class press, produced without the economic or time constraints of the past.Complete with an introductory essay by EC authority Grant Geissman, which illustrates the historical, cultural, and artistic context of the stories and their creators, this collection is a must-have for fans of the weird, the strange, and the fantastical.Also available in a Collector’s Edition of 1,000 numbered copies

In 1947, Bill Gaines inherited EC Comics, a new venture founded by his legendary father M. C. Gaines, who was responsible for midwifing the birth of the comic book as we know it during his tenure at All-American Comics, bringing the likes of Wonder Woman and Green Lantern to the world. Over the next eight years, Bill Gaines and a “who’s who” of the era including Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman, and Wally Wood would reinvent the very notion of the comic book with titles like Tales from the Crypt, Crime SuspenStories, Weird Science, and MAD. EC delighted in publishing gory, morbid horror and crime comics that had snap, ironic endings—but they also pioneered the first true-to-life war comics, the first “real” science-fiction stories, and a series of tales about such then-taboo subjects as racism, bigotry, vigilantism, drug addiction, police corruption, and anti-Semitism. Too good to last, they were eventually caught up by various 1950s guardians of morality, who were convinced that EC’s often over-the-top content was causing juvenile delinquency. A year or so after a full inquiry investigating horror and crime comics, the incredible EC Comics were no more. After publishing the full, fascinating story behind this fabled company in XXL size in 2020, TASCHEN now presents in full the story of what is considered to be EC's prime period, the New Trend, plus the complete covers of that era—including those of Tales from the Crypt and The Haunt of Fear, Weird Science and Weird Fantasy, Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat, Panic and MAD. Many of the cover images are reproduced from Gaines File Copies, which are widely regarded as the best surviving copies of the EC Comics. Also included are interior pages and panels, photos, vintage original artwork, and some of the most celebrated stories ever to be printed in four colors for a dime. In short, this is a must-have for any comics enthusiast or pop culture historian.