Harvey Kurtzman

Harvey Kurtzman created Mad, and Mad revolutionized humor in America. Kurtzman was the original editor, artist, and sole writer of Mad, one of the greatest publishing successes of the 20th century. But how did Kurtzman invent Mad, and why did he leave it shortly after it burst, nova-like, onto the American scene? For this heavily researched biography, Bill Schelly conducted new interviews with Kurtzman's colleagues, friends and family, including Hugh Hefner, R. Crumb, Jack Davis, and many others, and examined Kurtzman's personal archives. The result is the true story of one the 20th century's greatest humorists: Kurtzman's family life, the details of the FBI's investigation during the McCarthy Era, his legal battles with William M. Gaines (publisher of Mad), are all revealed for the first time. Rich with anecdotes, this book traces Kurtzman's life from his Brooklyn beginnings to his post-Mad years, when his ceaseless creativity produced more innovations: new magazines, a graphic novel, and Little Annie Fanny in Playboy.

Audience
adult
Length
epic · 642 pages

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These suit anyone who liked Harvey Kurtzman. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. Humorous Illustration Shares pictorial, cartoonists, humor
  2. R. Crumb sketchbook Shares pictorial, cartoonists, humor
  3. Politics, Ink Shares pictorial, cartoonists, humor
  4. Lyonel Feininger Shares pictorial, humor, american

“If you want more of the same (humor), start with these.”

  1. Fearless: A Cartoonist's Guide to Life
  2. Sex, Lies, and Cookies: An Unrated Memoir
  3. Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys
  4. It's Not Easy Bein' Me: A Lifetime of No Respect but Plenty of Sex and Drugs

“If it was the pictorial that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. Here's to You, Mom!
  2. ALWAYS KISS WITH YOUR WHISKERS: LOVE ADVICE FROM MY CAT: ALWAYS KISS WITH YOUR WHISKERS: LOVE ADVICE FROM MY CAT
  3. Whitewater Tales of Terror
  4. Inside MAD

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. Humbug
  2. Max Perkins: Editor of Genius
  3. The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics
  4. Steve Jobs