Back before there was a Comics Code Authority, Western comics actually had shooting and violence in them. And some of the best pre-code comics,bar none, came from EC. Instead of cropping out panels and making funny comments, I'm just going to let this beautiful piece by Jack Davis speak for itself. Without further ado, here's "Betsy!":
Jack Davis is my absolute favorite artist. Competition is hard, but "Betsy" is probably his masterpiece. At least when it comes to the art. Every single brush stroke and pen line is alive.
ReplyDeletePidde: Thanks for stopping by! Davis IS fantastic and this piece is one of his best, for sure. I especially like that the sheriff is clearly a nod to Gary Cooper in "High Noon"
ReplyDeleteMy exposure to Jack Davis illustrating serious (in this case, downright grim) storylines is so limited, it takes a second read to swallow down. Same wonderful work...but where's the funny? I wonder where his career path might have wandered if Mad Magazine had never existed?
ReplyDeleteBlaze: That's the way I felt the first time I ever saw one of Harvey Kurtzman's war comics! Guys like Davis and Kurtzman drew such great comical figures. I guess all that mastery of emotion and body language translates just as effectively into more realistic violence.
ReplyDeleteThe ability to exaggerate the human form and face and still convey (or even more effectively convey) reality- to touch a nerve in the reader- THAT's what comics are really about. Or should be. Even when they're just for fun.
The story itself is eminently predictable; I guessed the real identity of Betsy on the first page. But the way it is illustrated is breathtaking.
ReplyDeletePat:Well, although EC was known for the "twist" ending, I've never not seen it coming.
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