Kurtzman Flash Gordon Layout

Harvey Kurtzman is responsible for many of my favorite comics. He's also been a huge influence on me, as an artist and a writer. I don't think comics have ever been done much better than Harvey's EC war comics. The over-sized bound editions of Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat are constant sources of inspiration. Harvey writing concise, poignant historical fiction and providing crystal clear layouts, and then handing those layouts to some of the finest draftsmen in the history of American commercial art.

Anyway, while I love all aspects of Harvey's talents, it is his graphic storytelling that really blows me away. I don't think you could do better as an artist than to have Harvey Kurtzman provide you with thumbnails.

The great (and fucking insane, by the way... I could tell some stories!) Dan Barry was one of those blessed souls who got to work over the layouts of Harvey Kurtzman. The two did a celebrated run on the Flash Gordon comics strip. They were a great team, complimenting each other perfectly.

So, here's an example of what Harvey would provide to Dan. This would be accompanied by a written script, I assume. My pal Phil Hester uses this method quite effectively today, providing both written dialogue and drawn thumbnails.

Enjoy!

Anj