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Harvey Kurtzman
- Author
- Bill Schelly
- Narrator
- Jim Meskimen
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 27 September 2022
- Run Time
- 21 hours 37 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
This biography reveals the true story of Mad creator Harvey Kurtzman—the man who revolutionized humor in America.
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 twentieth 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 of the twentieth 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.
Critics Review
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“Thoroughly researched…Devoted fans will welcome this exhaustive study.”
Library Journal
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“From award-winning comic book historian Bill Schelly, [Harvey Kurtzman] is a thorough, loving chronicle of Kurtzman’s life, struggles, art, and influence. I didn’t want to place it on the shelves alongside my beloved Mad and EC Comics archives. It made me want to take them off the shelves and sit on the floor surrounded by them, giving every page a fresh look.”
Seattle Weekly
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“With this book, Schelly emerges as a first-rate comics historian, writer, and critic…Schelly’s superb marshaling of the bits and pieces of Kurtzmania extant into a highly readable narrative allows one to fully grasp the life and career of the genius behind some of the funniest comics ever made.”
The Comics Journal
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Details
- Author
- Bill Schelly
- Narrator
- Jim Meskimen
- Duration
- 21 hours 37 minutes
- Release Date
- 27 September 2022
- ISBN
- 9798212043144
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Biography: general, Individual artists, art monographs, Individual architects and architectural firms, Individual photographers
Synopsis
This biography reveals the true story of Mad creator Harvey Kurtzman—the man who revolutionized humor in America.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 twentieth 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 of the twentieth 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.
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