IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
03-18-12, 07:16 AM
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IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
Wow! First Wally Wood,now this,Cannot Wait.
EXCLUSIVE: Sergio Aragones' Groo the Wanderer receives the Artist's Edition treatment in July
In what has become a staple of IDW Publishing's convention programming, the publisher revealed the next two titles in its Artist's Edition series Friday evening at WonderCon. "Sergio Aragones' Groo the Wanderer: Artist's Edition" will debut in July 2012 and "Jack Davis EC Comics Stories: Artist's Edition" will follow later in the year. The Artist's Edition books reproduce original, black and white, uncorrected artwork at full size in a deluxe 12" x 17" hardcover format. The series debuted in 2010 with "Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer: Artist's Edition," a book so impressive, Marvel Comics enlisted IDW to produce editions dedicated to Walter Simonson's "Mighty Thor" and John Romita's "Amazing Spider-Man.".
Comic Book Resources spoke with IDW editor Scott Dunbier, who created and shepherds the Artist's Edition line, about the two newest additions.
Before WonderCon got underway, news broke that IDW's most recent title in the line, "Wally Wood's EC Stories: Artist's Edition," had sold out and was going back to press to meet demand, marking the first reprint for the prestige series. "I knew there would be a strong demand," Dunbier told CBR News. "Wally Wood is one of the greatest artists ever to work in comics, and EC in particular is, I feel, his strongest work. We were lucky enough to get good scans of some of his truly best stories. It's a great book and I'm glad people are out there who recognize how wonderful he is."
Dunbier said the idea for the Aragones Artist's Edition came from "Groo" writer Mark Evanier, who pitched the book at last year's Comic-Con International in San Diego. "I thought it was a great suggestion," Dunbier said, "so after the show I spoke to Sergio a couple of times, sent him a copy of the Simonson 'Thor' book and it was pretty easy to convince him. He said, 'Great, this looks perfect, I love it, let's do it!' Sergio's a very affable, friendly, gregarious guy. He loves seeing these books come together." The book will collect the four-part storyline "The Wager of the Gods," which originally appeared in "Groo the Wanderer" #96-99.
The Artist's Edition books require Dunbier and IDW to have access to the original pages, which can be tricky if artists have sold their work or the art has otherwise become difficult to locate. Each of the Artist's Editions to date have had different circumstances as to the state of the artwork, its handling and its accessibility. "It was tough, you know. It took a lot of time to get Sergio to go to the closet where it was and send it to me," Dunbier joked when asked about the upcoming volume. "Sergio generally keeps his originals, which makes my job a lot easier. He was kind enough to send them down to me. It took a little bit longer to scan than usual because I kept on stopping to look at the pages. They are just so much fun to look at."
Aragones' art is intriguing in that it appears simple at first glance, but is deceptively detailed, and packed with little sight gags. "It's very well-thought out stuff," Dunbier said. "And very spontaneous, too." The editor noted that the larger size of the Artist's Edition will allow for closer look at the sometimes tiny scenes taking place in the background of each page. "They're actually some of my favorite comics," Dunbier said. "But there are so many little tiny details that, looking at it shrunk down and in color, you do miss some things that are there in the background. So when you see them blown up -- actually, not blown up, but actual size -- in black and white but scanned in color, you can see all those little details almost for the first time."
EXCLUSIVE: Jack Davis' EC work joins IDW's Artist's Edition lineup later this year
While the Aragones volume will collect one complete "Groo" story, Jack Davis' book, like the just-released Wally Wood, will contain a collection of shorter works, though Dunbier said the lineup has not yet been solidified. "It is sort of a movable thing. There will be a selection of really great stories, but I have to be a little bit cagey because I don't want to disappoint people by telling them something's going to be in it and then it gets bumped," he said. "I can tell you one story that will be in is 'Foul Play,' the famous baseball story." That story, which first appeared in "The Haunt of Fear" #19 in 1953, was one of the tales specifically cited by Frederic Wertham in "Seduction of the Innocent," placing it at the center of the censorship and morality debate that would ultimately lead to the creation of the Comics Code Authority.
Renowned for his talents in both the horror and humor genres -- not to mention nearly every other type of illustration to which he tried his hand -- Davis was also known for his ability to draw very quickly, not that it affected the quality of his work. "The stories are just gorgeous. The man is one of the most easily recognized artists ever, one of the greatest illustrators of the last forty, fifty years. He's done 'TV Guide' covers, he's done movie posters -- the poster he did for 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World' is breathtaking," Dunbier said. "He's a fantastic artist. And you look at this stuff, especially from this point in his career, the brush strokes he puts in, the use of various tools like razor blades, to get an effect in the art -- you're looking at a guy who's very, very sure of himself, and who you can tell is working very fast, but it's just gorgeous stuff."
The studio culture of the time, coupled with the extraordinary talents working for EC and EC owner William Gaines' MAD Magazine, magnified Davis' influence even as it furthered his own talent. "Artists are influenced by each other, and tend to be very competitive. If you have one guy doing great stuff, then it brings up the average round," Dunbier said. "It's like, if you want to be a good tennis player, you play somebody who's better than you. And EC was like that to the Nth degree. They had so many great artists and they were all in competition. They were doing these great stories and really trying to match what Wally Wood was doing, what Al Williamson was doing, what Harvey Kurtzman was doing. All these different styles, all these great talents, that's how you influence somebody, by just doing marvelous work. Jack Davis, like so many of his peers, influenced a generation of artists."
"Sergio Aragones' Groo: The Artist's Edition" will be released in July 2012. "Jack Davis' EC Stories: The Artist's Edition" will arrive late 2012.
EXCLUSIVE: Sergio Aragones' Groo the Wanderer receives the Artist's Edition treatment in July
In what has become a staple of IDW Publishing's convention programming, the publisher revealed the next two titles in its Artist's Edition series Friday evening at WonderCon. "Sergio Aragones' Groo the Wanderer: Artist's Edition" will debut in July 2012 and "Jack Davis EC Comics Stories: Artist's Edition" will follow later in the year. The Artist's Edition books reproduce original, black and white, uncorrected artwork at full size in a deluxe 12" x 17" hardcover format. The series debuted in 2010 with "Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer: Artist's Edition," a book so impressive, Marvel Comics enlisted IDW to produce editions dedicated to Walter Simonson's "Mighty Thor" and John Romita's "Amazing Spider-Man.".
Comic Book Resources spoke with IDW editor Scott Dunbier, who created and shepherds the Artist's Edition line, about the two newest additions.
Before WonderCon got underway, news broke that IDW's most recent title in the line, "Wally Wood's EC Stories: Artist's Edition," had sold out and was going back to press to meet demand, marking the first reprint for the prestige series. "I knew there would be a strong demand," Dunbier told CBR News. "Wally Wood is one of the greatest artists ever to work in comics, and EC in particular is, I feel, his strongest work. We were lucky enough to get good scans of some of his truly best stories. It's a great book and I'm glad people are out there who recognize how wonderful he is."
Dunbier said the idea for the Aragones Artist's Edition came from "Groo" writer Mark Evanier, who pitched the book at last year's Comic-Con International in San Diego. "I thought it was a great suggestion," Dunbier said, "so after the show I spoke to Sergio a couple of times, sent him a copy of the Simonson 'Thor' book and it was pretty easy to convince him. He said, 'Great, this looks perfect, I love it, let's do it!' Sergio's a very affable, friendly, gregarious guy. He loves seeing these books come together." The book will collect the four-part storyline "The Wager of the Gods," which originally appeared in "Groo the Wanderer" #96-99.
The Artist's Edition books require Dunbier and IDW to have access to the original pages, which can be tricky if artists have sold their work or the art has otherwise become difficult to locate. Each of the Artist's Editions to date have had different circumstances as to the state of the artwork, its handling and its accessibility. "It was tough, you know. It took a lot of time to get Sergio to go to the closet where it was and send it to me," Dunbier joked when asked about the upcoming volume. "Sergio generally keeps his originals, which makes my job a lot easier. He was kind enough to send them down to me. It took a little bit longer to scan than usual because I kept on stopping to look at the pages. They are just so much fun to look at."
Aragones' art is intriguing in that it appears simple at first glance, but is deceptively detailed, and packed with little sight gags. "It's very well-thought out stuff," Dunbier said. "And very spontaneous, too." The editor noted that the larger size of the Artist's Edition will allow for closer look at the sometimes tiny scenes taking place in the background of each page. "They're actually some of my favorite comics," Dunbier said. "But there are so many little tiny details that, looking at it shrunk down and in color, you do miss some things that are there in the background. So when you see them blown up -- actually, not blown up, but actual size -- in black and white but scanned in color, you can see all those little details almost for the first time."
EXCLUSIVE: Jack Davis' EC work joins IDW's Artist's Edition lineup later this year
While the Aragones volume will collect one complete "Groo" story, Jack Davis' book, like the just-released Wally Wood, will contain a collection of shorter works, though Dunbier said the lineup has not yet been solidified. "It is sort of a movable thing. There will be a selection of really great stories, but I have to be a little bit cagey because I don't want to disappoint people by telling them something's going to be in it and then it gets bumped," he said. "I can tell you one story that will be in is 'Foul Play,' the famous baseball story." That story, which first appeared in "The Haunt of Fear" #19 in 1953, was one of the tales specifically cited by Frederic Wertham in "Seduction of the Innocent," placing it at the center of the censorship and morality debate that would ultimately lead to the creation of the Comics Code Authority.
Renowned for his talents in both the horror and humor genres -- not to mention nearly every other type of illustration to which he tried his hand -- Davis was also known for his ability to draw very quickly, not that it affected the quality of his work. "The stories are just gorgeous. The man is one of the most easily recognized artists ever, one of the greatest illustrators of the last forty, fifty years. He's done 'TV Guide' covers, he's done movie posters -- the poster he did for 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World' is breathtaking," Dunbier said. "He's a fantastic artist. And you look at this stuff, especially from this point in his career, the brush strokes he puts in, the use of various tools like razor blades, to get an effect in the art -- you're looking at a guy who's very, very sure of himself, and who you can tell is working very fast, but it's just gorgeous stuff."
The studio culture of the time, coupled with the extraordinary talents working for EC and EC owner William Gaines' MAD Magazine, magnified Davis' influence even as it furthered his own talent. "Artists are influenced by each other, and tend to be very competitive. If you have one guy doing great stuff, then it brings up the average round," Dunbier said. "It's like, if you want to be a good tennis player, you play somebody who's better than you. And EC was like that to the Nth degree. They had so many great artists and they were all in competition. They were doing these great stories and really trying to match what Wally Wood was doing, what Al Williamson was doing, what Harvey Kurtzman was doing. All these different styles, all these great talents, that's how you influence somebody, by just doing marvelous work. Jack Davis, like so many of his peers, influenced a generation of artists."
"Sergio Aragones' Groo: The Artist's Edition" will be released in July 2012. "Jack Davis' EC Stories: The Artist's Edition" will arrive late 2012.
04-09-12, 09:14 PM
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Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
I love Jack Davis, just got a book of his work and would snap up anything else I could find.
I wish (thinking of the MAD connection) that someone would put out a collection of Dave Berg. I have a Don Martin, Sergio Aragones, Harvey Kurtzman. They all get proper treatment as artists. you can get spy-vs-spy, even a delux box set of the fold-in. but no Dave Berg.
I wish (thinking of the MAD connection) that someone would put out a collection of Dave Berg. I have a Don Martin, Sergio Aragones, Harvey Kurtzman. They all get proper treatment as artists. you can get spy-vs-spy, even a delux box set of the fold-in. but no Dave Berg.
04-10-12, 06:53 AM
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Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
If I had every graphic novel or comic book-related book I wanted, I'd need a house the size of a medium city's library. Where the heck am I going to put these two collections.....
04-11-12, 10:52 AM
#5
Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
I have been very lucky with my Jack Davis art appreciation. My in-laws happen to know him and two years ago for a Christmas gift, I received an original colored portrait he did of my two children. It now hangs in the house where it can be seen and enjoyed everyday. The in-laws also have older portraits he did of them, my wife, and my brother-in-law...but we won't get those for awhile 
05-09-13, 10:16 AM
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Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
Wow!
Over a year since my original post.
Just got my email from IDW that my preorder for The Jack Davis AE has finally shipped!
Cannot wait,I LOVE these AE books,they are awesome! Closest thing possible to owning original art.Like holding history in your hands.Such a high qaulity product too,the production value of these books is top-notch,
This will make my fifth one:
John Romita's The Amazing Spider-Man: Artist's Edition
Gil Kane’s The Amazing Spider-Man: Artist's Edition
MAD: Artist's Edition HC
Wally Wood’s EC Stories Artist's Edition
And now:Jack Davis' EC Stories Artist's Edition PRE-ORDER
If you have ANY interest whatsover in Comics and/or Comic bok Art and history,snag these up before they go oop.
(I do not work for IDW or anything like that) I just don't post often,but am super passionate when it comes to these books,they kinda rekindled my interest in my old comics,and all the great EC Comics and books like "Tales of Terror" and "Foul Play" THE best books about the old EC Comics-If you like the EC Comics and are interested in their history and the Comic book industry/United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency and the comics code authority,they are well worth seeking out as well.good luck trying to get them.
Over a year since my original post.
Just got my email from IDW that my preorder for The Jack Davis AE has finally shipped!
Cannot wait,I LOVE these AE books,they are awesome! Closest thing possible to owning original art.Like holding history in your hands.Such a high qaulity product too,the production value of these books is top-notch,
This will make my fifth one:
John Romita's The Amazing Spider-Man: Artist's Edition
Gil Kane’s The Amazing Spider-Man: Artist's Edition
MAD: Artist's Edition HC
Wally Wood’s EC Stories Artist's Edition
And now:Jack Davis' EC Stories Artist's Edition PRE-ORDER
If you have ANY interest whatsover in Comics and/or Comic bok Art and history,snag these up before they go oop.
(I do not work for IDW or anything like that) I just don't post often,but am super passionate when it comes to these books,they kinda rekindled my interest in my old comics,and all the great EC Comics and books like "Tales of Terror" and "Foul Play" THE best books about the old EC Comics-If you like the EC Comics and are interested in their history and the Comic book industry/United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency and the comics code authority,they are well worth seeking out as well.good luck trying to get them.
05-09-13, 11:24 PM
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Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
Those Artist's Editions are gorgeous, but if you're on a budget and still interested in EC, Fantagraphics has been putting out a great series of collections of EC stuff, each themed around a different creator. There is a volume of Jack Davis stuff, entitled "Taint the Meat ... It's the Humanity." There are also volumes for Harvey Kurtzman, Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood, and, forthcoming, Johnny Craig and three Al Feldstein volumes (one volume with various stories, and one each reflecting his collaborations with Graham Ingles and Jack Kamen). They are black and white and slightly smaller than original publication size, but they showcase the art and the stories beautifully.
05-10-13, 06:04 AM
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Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
Almost as soon as they announced the first volume with Dave Stevens, i ordered it. It's remarkable that no one thought of doing this before now. Since then, I've only picked up the Wally Wood one. The EC ones, and Eisner Spirit as well, are freaking HUGE. I had the Wood one out for a few months leaning up against a bookcase, but finally had to box it up and put it back in the closet. It will be fun to pull out every few years and flip through, but I just don't have the space to keep it displayed.
Had contemplated getting the Davis book- but as nice as I'm sure it is, I think the small Fantagraphics volume will be sufficient for me. I've got the Wood one and it's a nice presentation of the material. The EC stuff works much better for me in B&W.
If they kicked out a Feldstein or Kamen AE, I would probably cave though. I've always liked both their styles and for my money Kamen drew the most beautiful women of any of the EC stable. I'm leaning against getting the EC compilation one, but it might be worth it for the Frazetta WS-F cover alone.
Had contemplated getting the Davis book- but as nice as I'm sure it is, I think the small Fantagraphics volume will be sufficient for me. I've got the Wood one and it's a nice presentation of the material. The EC stuff works much better for me in B&W.
If they kicked out a Feldstein or Kamen AE, I would probably cave though. I've always liked both their styles and for my money Kamen drew the most beautiful women of any of the EC stable. I'm leaning against getting the EC compilation one, but it might be worth it for the Frazetta WS-F cover alone.
05-10-13, 07:20 AM
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Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
Paul,
You might be interested in this book that's being released next month:
FELDSTEIN: The Mad Life and Fantastic Art of Al Feldstein! by Al Feldstein and Grant Geissman (Jun 18, 2013)
Geissman is the author of the two other books about EC that I mentioned,so if this is anything like those books,it's certain to be Fantastic!
You might be interested in this book that's being released next month:
FELDSTEIN: The Mad Life and Fantastic Art of Al Feldstein! by Al Feldstein and Grant Geissman (Jun 18, 2013)
Geissman is the author of the two other books about EC that I mentioned,so if this is anything like those books,it's certain to be Fantastic!
05-10-13, 12:10 PM
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Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
yeah, that one caught my attention. I haven't read anything by Geissman, so it's good to know he's done quality books in the past.
I've got some store credit with Cheap Graphic Novels so I was either going to order that (along with the upcoming Manning Tarzan dallies) or go for the Best Of EC AE. Would like to see a firm list of the contents in the latter first. There are a couple stories and covers that would sway me all by themselves.
I've got some store credit with Cheap Graphic Novels so I was either going to order that (along with the upcoming Manning Tarzan dallies) or go for the Best Of EC AE. Would like to see a firm list of the contents in the latter first. There are a couple stories and covers that would sway me all by themselves.
05-11-13, 08:54 PM
#11
Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
I wish I got the Wallace Wood one but I didn't know about it. While looking at the Jack Davis one mentioned here i saw and ordered the Mad Magazine variant.
05-12-13, 08:23 AM
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Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
You can still get the Wood edition (although it's the 2nd printing with a pretty bad choice of cover art, IMHO)
That one is my favorite AE,followed very closely by the Mad edition.
You will love it,so much great art!
That one is my favorite AE,followed very closely by the Mad edition.
You will love it,so much great art!
05-12-13, 01:34 PM
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Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
Thanks. I'm looking forward to it. I'll double check the Wood AE. I thought it said out of stock but I may have misread it.
05-12-13, 03:37 PM
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Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
I have a deluxe Rocketeer collection from IDW, not sure if it's the artist's edition or a reprint, but it's very nice. Still, I think I'll stick to the Fanta stuff for both saving money and space.
05-12-13, 04:04 PM
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Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
The Fanta books are nice,however,the actual page size is smaller than the comic page that it's reprinting and the art suffers because of the small size I feel.
The AE are so huge because they are reprinting the art at the actual size the artist drew them at.
" While appearing to be in black and white, each page was scanned in color to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art—for instance, corrections, blue pencils, paste-overs, all the little nuances that make original art unique. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board."
And the EC library collections are super nice and also oversized,but they're pricey on ebay because they're all oop,and they reprint all the stories in b&w (the covers are in color) b&w is the best way to view the EC art IMHO.
The AE are so huge because they are reprinting the art at the actual size the artist drew them at.
" While appearing to be in black and white, each page was scanned in color to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art—for instance, corrections, blue pencils, paste-overs, all the little nuances that make original art unique. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board."
And the EC library collections are super nice and also oversized,but they're pricey on ebay because they're all oop,and they reprint all the stories in b&w (the covers are in color) b&w is the best way to view the EC art IMHO.
06-08-13, 09:43 AM
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Re: IDW Artist's Edition-Jack Davis EC Stories!!!
Yea, I can't wait for the best of EC book.
Some good news regarding that is-someone on another board asked Scott(IDW) if there was going to be any Graham Ingels stories in the book,to which he replied:
[/quote] No Ingels stories in the best of books... saving them for next years Graham Ingels' EC Stories Artist's Edition 8-) [/quote]
Some good news regarding that is-someone on another board asked Scott(IDW) if there was going to be any Graham Ingels stories in the book,to which he replied:
[/quote] No Ingels stories in the best of books... saving them for next years Graham Ingels' EC Stories Artist's Edition 8-) [/quote]
