(May-June 1951)

EC, 1950 Series
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Volume
1
Price
0.10 USD
Pages
36
Indicia Frequency
bi-monthly
On-sale Date
1951-01-25
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
Fables Publishing Co. Inc.
Brand
EC An Entertaining Comic
Editing
Harvey Kurtzman (credited) (associate editor); Bill Gaines (credited as William M. Gaines) (managing editor)

Issue Notes

The on-sale date is the publication date reported in U. S. Copyright Office filings.
Parts of this issue are reprinted:

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

cover / 1 page (report information)

Script
Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils
Harvey Kurtzman
Inks
Harvey Kurtzman
Colors
Harvey Kurtzman (see notes)
Letters
Ben Oda
Genre
war
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.

According to Marie Severin (1995), “[Harvey] Kurtzman colored his own art, especially on covers....”
_________
References:

Cassell, Dewey, with Aaron Sultan. 2012. “The Artists of EC Comics” (reprinting Severin 1995). In Marie Severin: The Mirthful Mistress of Comics. 46–47. Raleigh: TwoMorrows Publishing.

Severin, Marie (John Province, transcriber [uncredited]). 1995. “Mostly About Color.” In CFA-APA 36, January.

Cover Thumbnail for Two-Fisted Tales (EC, 1950 series) #21
Edit cover
Cover gallery

Ambush! (Table of Contents: 1)

comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script
Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils
Jack Davis (signed)
Inks
Jack Davis (signed)
Colors
? (see notes)
Letters
Ben Oda
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Across the border of the Yalu River, the Korean War still festers...
Genre
war
Characters
U.S. Captain Boyle (death); U.S. soldiers [Lucky; Manny Elizondo (death); Crouse (death); Sgt. Cannon (death); Sonny (death); "Pretty Boy" Winiarski (death); Tex (death]; North Koreans (villains, some die)
Synopsis
The North Koreans are chasing an American Army unit, but Lucky tells the others that he has a lucky kewpie doll in his helmet and there is nothing to worry about. Until, that is, the North Koreans attack. Lucky alone survives thinking his kewpie doll has done it again and saved his life, then discovers that he is wearing Winiarski's helmet!
Reprints
Keywords
Korean War; United Nations; Yalu River

Indexer Notes

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin, but it is unlikely that Severin had begun coloring at EC when this issue was colored (Cassell 2012, 33–34 and 171).
_________
Reference:

Cassell, Dewey, with Aaron Sultan. 2012. Marie Severin: The Mirthful Mistress of Comics. Raleigh: TwoMorrows Publishing.

Cover story.

Pigs of the Roman Empire (Table of Contents: 2)

comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script
Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils
John Severin (signed as Severin)
Inks
Bill Elder (signed as Elder)
Colors
? (see notes)
Letters
Ben Oda
First Line of Dialogue or Text
This story began in Carthage on the coast of Africa, opposite the Italian boot!
Genre
adventure; historical
Characters
Commander Decius (death); Decius' un-named slave (death); Brennus (slave of Decius and Wise Man, death); Genseric (King of the Vandals); the Vandals
Synopsis
After watching his slave fight gallantly against a gladiator and lose, Decius fails to spare the man's life. Soon after, he is told that the Vandals are marching on his position and so he goes out to lead his troops against them. He will soon pay the ultimate price for not having any feelings for his fellow man.
Reprints
Keywords
Carthage; Rome

Indexer Notes

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for “Ambush!,” above).

Hero (Table of Contents: 3)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
? (masthead illustration)
Inks
? (masthead illustration)
Colors
? (see notes)
Letters
typeset
Genre
military
Characters
unnamed submarine crew member narrator; unnamed submarine commander (death); submarine crew [Rocco; Williams; Bryant; Macknowski] (all die)
Synopsis
A submarine lies hundreds of feet below the surface of the water, dead in the water, and all of the crew except one seem resigned to their fate. That one suggests that each of the crew members draw a card, and the highest card drawn will earmark the man who will be shot out through the torpedo tube. And that one man wins the draw, but balks that he will be the one to be shot out and possibly saved.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for “Ambush!,” above).

Dig, You Mutinous Cur! (Table of Contents: 4)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
? (masthead illustration)
Inks
? (masthead illustration)
Colors
? (see notes)
Letters
typeset
First Line of Dialogue or Text
This whole crazy quest started when...
Genre
adventure
Characters
Jim Maynard (ship master); [Silas; Eben; Issac] (Blackbeard's crew, all dead); Blackbeard [Edward Teach] [aka Edward Thatch]
Synopsis
Jim Maynard finally had a taker to rent out his schooner, the "Aegir," but he smelled something fishy when Mr. Thatch came aboard with a yellowed parchment in his hand, then began to issue directives to Maynard. Then they came upon the island that Thatch was looking for, and they rowed ashore and Thatch began to force the old seafarer to dig. Uncovering a cutlass, coins and skulls, it was then old Maynard discovered his passenger was Blackbeard the Pirate. Unfortunately for Blackbeard, Maynard was the direct descendant of British Lt. Maynard, who killed Blackbeard.
Reprints
Keywords
"Aegir" (a schooner); Charleston

Indexer Notes

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for “Ambush!,” above).

The Murmansk Run! (Table of Contents: 5)

comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script
Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils
Wally Wood
Inks
Wally Wood
Colors
? (see notes)
Letters
Ben Oda
First Line of Dialogue or Text
It was the beginning of a December night in 1940!
Genre
war
Characters
Uriah Bragg (seaman, death); Cavendish (crew member, death); Whispy (crew member, death); ship's Captain (death); ship's Steward (death)
Synopsis
The Murmansk run was considered the most treacherous and dangerous run for any ship to make, but the "Bunker Hill" vowed to make it nonetheless. One seaman, named Bragg, was a real pain to the other crew members, always complaining of being tired and cold, and when he took over watch one night, he decided to find a comfy place and have a cigarette. Unfortunately for all aboard, an enemy submarine spotted the glow of his cigarette and torpedoed the ship.
Reprints
Keywords
Murmansk

Indexer Notes

Story occurs in December of 1940.

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for “Ambush!,” above).

Search! (Table of Contents: 6)

comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script
Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils
Harvey Kurtzman
Inks
Harvey Kurtzman
Colors
Harvey Kurtzman ? (see notes)
Letters
Ben Oda
First Line of Dialogue or Text
How many of you can remember 1943?
Genre
war
Characters
Joe Angliosani (a soldier); "The Kid" (a soldier, death); Mario Angliosani (Joe's brother, death); The Nazis (villains, many die)
Synopsis
Joe, born in Italy but now living in America, is back in his home nation during the Italian Campaign, seeking out his brother Mario who never got the chance to go to America. He moves on from Anzio, never realizing that he found his brother......but never knew it!
Reprints
Keywords
Anzio; Volturno River

Indexer Notes

Story occurs in 1943.

Marie Severin’s statement that “[Harvey] Kurtzman colored his own art, especially on covers...” (see Indexer Notes for this issue’s cover) suggests that Kurtzman colored stories that he drew, albeit perhaps less consistently than he colored his cover art.

Editing
Issue at my.comics.org
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. [no title indexed]
  2. 1. Ambush!
  3. 2. Pigs of the Roman Empire
  4. 3. Hero
  5. 4. Dig, You Mutinous Cur!
  6. 5. The Murmansk Run!
  7. 6. Search!
This issue was modified by, among others
  • David B
  • Chris Boyko
  • Craig Delich
  • Jerry Hillegas (R.I.P.)
  • R. S. Martin
  • Mike Nielsen
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Jason Sacks
  • Mike White
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