Two-Fisted Tales #25

(January-February 1952)

Jack Davis (Table of Contents: 1)

The EC "Artist of the Issue" / text article / 1 page (report information)

Script

Al Feldstein

Pencils

? (photo)

Inks

? (photo)

Letters

typeset

Genre

biography

Reprints

• in Den store skrækbog (Williams, 1974 series) ([1974])
• in Two-Fisted Tales (Russ Cochran, 1980 series) #2 (1980)
• in Tales Calculated to Drive You Mad (EC, 1997 series) #7 (Fall 1999)
• in EC Archives: Two-Fisted Tales (Gemstone, 2007 series) #2 ([August] 2007)

Indexer Notes

Profile of EC Artist of the Issue on inside front cover.

Mud! (Table of Contents: 2)

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

'April showers bring May flowers!'

Genre

war

Characters

Sergeant Shadburn; unnamed U.S. Army Lieutenant (cameo); "Duck Butt" (U.S. Army soldier); North Korean soldiers (villains, many die)

Synopsis

It is April of 1951 and the rains have started in Korea, creating a major difficulty the soldiers call "General Mud". And the soldiers are none too pleased that Sergeant Shadburn is making them march through the stuff, and they have a few choice names for him. But when the enemy pillbox opens up on them, it is Shadburn who leads the way with a bag of grenades, gets wounded and is saved by a soldier only known as Duck Butt.

Reprints

• in Two-Fisted Tales (Russ Cochran, 1980 series) #2 (1980)
• in Two-Fisted Tales (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #8 (July 1994)
• in EC Archives: Two-Fisted Tales (Gemstone, 2007 series) #2 ([August] 2007)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #22 - Death Stand and Other Stories (August 2018) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Keywords

Korean War

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.

Bunker Hill! (Table of Contents: 3)

comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

Harvey Kurtzman

Pencils

Wally Wood (signed as Wood)

Inks

Wally Wood (signed as Wood)

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

Ben Oda

First Line of Dialogue or Text

June 16, 1775!

Genre

non-fiction; war

Characters

Colonial soldiers [Jeb; Abell; rest unnamed] (many die); General William Howe (villain); British soldiers [Frothingham (death); rest unnamed] (villains, many die)

Synopsis

Colonial troops from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut gather atop Breed's Hill in order to meet the challenge of the British Redcoats, who seek to defeat the Yankee soldiers. Although the colonials lose the battle, two British soldiers die for every American life lost.

Reprints

• in Two-Fisted Tales (Russ Cochran, 1980 series) #2 (1980)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #7/1989 (uke 42 1989)
• in Two-Fisted Tales (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #8 (July 1994)
• in EC Archives: Two-Fisted Tales (Gemstone, 2007 series) #2 ([August] 2007)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #26 - Atom Bomb and Other Stories (2019) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Keywords

Boston; Boston Harbor; Breed's Hill; Charlestown Cape

Indexer Notes

Story occurs on June 16, 1775.

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

SuspenStory Fans! (Table of Contents: 4)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Johnny Craig (signed)

Inks

Johnny Craig (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Indexer Notes

left hand side of page

One More Mission (Table of Contents: 5)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Radioman Eric Williams turned his wet face away from the wind-fanned rain.

Genre

war

Reprints

• in Two-Fisted Tales (Russ Cochran, 1980 series) #2 (1980)
• in EC Archives: Two-Fisted Tales (Gemstone, 2007 series) #2 ([August] 2007)

Indexer Notes

Half-page story per page on pages 18 & 19 of book.

[untitled] (Table of Contents: 6)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Synopsis

order form for Stories From the Bible

Indexer Notes

right hand side of page

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 7)

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

Script

Harvey Kurtzman

Letters

typeset

Reprints

• in Two-Fisted Tales (Russ Cochran, 1980 series) #2 (1980)
• in EC Archives: Two-Fisted Tales (Gemstone, 2007 series) #2 ([August] 2007)

Indexer Notes

Letters from Sheila Nichols, Margaret Spenner, William Wishart, John Yuille, Robert Clifton, Henry R. Lovenson, Ernie Blunk, Mickey Lambert, Bobby Kingston, James A. Brackett, Lowell Largent.

Corpse on the Imjin! (Table of Contents: 8)

comic story / 6 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

It is a dark day in May!

Genre

war

Characters

American soldier; North Korean soldier (villain, death)

Synopsis

An American soldier muses about the corpses of soldiers floating down the Imjin River and how they may have died, when he is suddenly attacked by an enemy........and one of the two becomes the next corpse floating down the river.

Reprints

• in Two-Fisted Tales (Russ Cochran, 1980 series) #2 (1980)
• in A Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics (Smithsonian Institution / Harry N Abrams, 1981 series) (1981)
• in Les Meilleures Histoires de... (Les Humanoïdes Associés, 1983 series) #[4] - Guerre - Corée (janvier 1984) [N&B [B&W]]
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #7/1989 (uke 42 1989)
• in The New Two-Fisted Tales (Dark Horse, 1993 series) #1 (1993)
• in Two-Fisted Tales (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #8 (July 1994)
• in Foul Play! The Art and Artists of the Notorious E.C. Comics! (HarperCollins, 2005 series) (2005)
• in EC Archives: Two-Fisted Tales (Gemstone, 2007 series) #2 ([August] 2007)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #1 - Corpse on the Imjin and Other Stories (August 2012) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics (Dark Horse, 2019 series) (2019)

Keywords

Imjin River; 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.

Buzz Bomb! (Table of Contents: 9)

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

Turn your ear to the east!

Genre

war

Characters

American lieutenant; The Nazis [Wolf (death); Eric (death); Heinrich] (villains)

Synopsis

As Americans make their way into Germany, the Nazis are sending buzz bombs over their heads. Farther east are German troops, coming in the opposite direction, and, they too, experience buzz bombs flying over their heads. However, one German paratrooper senses the bombs are actually heading in their direction instead of at the enemy. For once, he is right, and the bomb kills his two friends, and when the Americans catch up with the lone survivor, he has literally gone insane from fear.

Reprints

• in Two-Fisted Tales (Russ Cochran, 1980 series) #2 (1980)
• in Two-Fisted Tales (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #8 (July 1994)
• in EC Archives: Two-Fisted Tales (Gemstone, 2007 series) #2 ([August] 2007)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #10 - Bomb Run and Other Stories (August 2014) [page 4, panel 1], #10 - Bomb Run and Other Stories (August 2014) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Indexer Notes

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