(September-October 1951)

EC, 1950 Series
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Volume
1
Price
0.10 USD
Pages
36
Indicia Frequency
bi-monthly
On-sale Date
1951-05-29
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
Fables Publishing Co. Inc.
Brand
EC An Entertaining Comic
Editing
Harvey Kurtzman (credited) (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.

[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 credits 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) #23
Edit cover
Cover gallery

Death Stand! (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
Genre
war
Characters
Joe Hill (American soldier); Joe's soldier buddies [Sullivan (death); Chintala (death); Wishart (death); Cox (death); Ross (death); Miller (death), one unnamed boy (death)]; rescued pilot (death); Communists (villains, all die)
Synopsis
Joe and his buddies spot a U.S. fighter jet hit and heading to crash, but the pilot bails out and they head for that spot in two jeeps to rescue him. However, an enemy tank comes on the scene and blasts one jeep to pieces. The other take the rescued pilot in the remaining jeep and Joe remains behind with a bag of grenades to face the enemy.
Reprints
Keywords
Korea

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.

Old Soldiers Never Die! (Table of Contents: 2)

comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script
Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils
Wally Wood
Inks
Wally Wood
Colors
? (see notes)
Letters
Ben Oda
Genre
war
Characters
Pappy Davidson; Caruso; unnamed American replacement soldiers (many die); the Germans (villains)
Synopsis
U.S. replacement soldiers have a lot to learn on the battlefield and old Pappy Davidson is trying to teach them. But they make major errors which cost them their lives, but one, Caruso, learns the lessons. However, when the war is finally declared to be over, he searched out Pappy to give him the news and discovers that the veteran soldier has died in the last battle.
Reprints
Keywords
France; Pfalz; World War I

Indexer Notes

Story occurs in the time period of August through November of 1918.

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

The Ditch (Table of Contents: 3)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
? (masthead illustration)
Inks
? (masthead illustration)
Colors
? (see notes)
Letters
typeset
Genre
war
Characters
Lieutenant Ryan (death); tank crew [PFC Glazer (driver); others unnamed] (all but one die); North Koreans (villains)
Synopsis
The M-4 tank, its commander and crew were heading out to aid the First Cavalry in routing the North Korean soldiers when they were attacked and the tank ended up in a ditch. Glazer and another ran for cover, and later heard shots from their original position and surmised all the rest were dead. They were soon captured and marched off when an American group of soldiers closed in. The enemy decided to kill their two prisoners, but one did survive: for a most unusual reason.
Reprints
Keywords
First Cavalry; M-4 tank; Waegwan

Indexer Notes

Page revision and art credits by Craig Delich.

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

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 4)

Combat Correspondence / letters page / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
? (masthead illustration)
Inks
? (masthead illustration)
Colors
?
Letters
typeset
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Letters of comment from Company A Gulf Coast Military Academy, Gulfport, MS; Gene Burnett, USS Thomas F. Nickel; Pfc. W.L. Taylor, 10th Air Rescue Sqdn., AK; Pvt. T.G. Payne, Jr. Camp Gordon, GA; A.K. Altos, Jersey City, NJ; Jimmy Kish, New York City, NY; Duke Thames, Beaumont, TX; Gerald Knokal, Yakima WA; Sonny Somerville, Torrance, CA; Russ Smith, Santa Monica, CA; Alfred Pollack; Grady Chastain, Brownwood, TX; and Alvin Poffenberg, Clinton IA.

Kill! (Table of Contents: 5)

comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script
Harvey Kurtzman
Pencils
Harvey Kurtzman
Inks
Harvey Kurtzman
Colors
Harvey Kurtzman ? (see notes)
Letters
Ben Oda
Genre
war
Characters
Abner (soldier, death); Joe (soldier); North Korean soldiers [Li (death); others unnamed] (villains)
Synopsis
Two opposing soldiers, who truly hate the other side, each prepare in their own ways to meet their foe......the result is not what either expected.
Reprints
Keywords
Korea

Indexer Notes

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.

Dog Fight! (Table of Contents: 6)

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
Genre
aviation; war
Characters
USMC Captain Jacob Strange (pilot); Sergeant J. F. Friday; Bates (pilot); Johnson (pilot); The Japanese (villains, some die)
Synopsis
Fighter pilot Strange, despondent over the perceived loss of his girl, Katherine, really doesn't care whether or not he dies when fighting against the enemy. When the enemy approaches, Strange is told that a whole sack full of mail for him has come in, and he tells Friday to hold them until he comes back. Unsettled weather and fog settles in over the airfield, and the field radio crackles with Jake's plea to give him landing instructions since he can't see the base......but his receiver is out and he heads on out to sea, never seeing the sack full of letters from Katherine.
Reprints
Keywords
Zero

Indexer Notes

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

Editing
Issue at my.comics.org
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. [no title indexed]
  2. 1. Death Stand!
  3. 2. Old Soldiers Never Die!
  4. 3. The Ditch
  5. 4. [no title indexed]
    Combat Correspondence
  6. 5. Kill!
  7. 6. Dog Fight!
This issue was modified by, among others
  • Boris Ammerlaan
  • David B
  • Craig Delich
  • Jerry Hillegas (R.I.P.)
  • Michael Hoskin
  • R. S. Martin
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Jason Sacks
  • Mike White
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