EXTRACTS: The Art of Commando (illustrators special) © 2019 The Book Palace (144 PAGES in Full edition)

41 in Europe, and offending public taste seems to produce a universal reaction. The best and worst of comic art and writing can be found in EC comics. The pros and cons are still being argued, but any entertainment medium which seeks commercial success, let alone aspires to become an art form, cannot afford to disregard the public opinion of its time. The lingering odour of EC’s attitude crippled the comic image, and stunted the careers of many artists and writers of real talent. On the brighter side, the emergence of the comic book from the ‘Dark Ages’ owes a great deal to the inspiring craftsmanship of Adams, Goodwin, Maroto, Giordano, Thomas, and the better work of Morrow, de Zuniga, O’Neil and Gene Colan. The industry has more than its share of weirdos, exhibitionists and ragamuffins, but it is very much alive and well. Its problem seems to be a lack of direction rather than energy, despite James Warren’s thunderings to the contrary from the pulpit of the Statler Hilton. My involvement in art for the comic field, at present and for the future, will be through selected fanzines, occasional for Warren magazines, my good friends at Phase (a fanzine that Barr had contributed to) for what they