Type
Text
Type
Thesis
Advisor
Bogart, Michele H | Uroskie, Andrew V
Date
2017-05-01
Keywords
Kurtzman, MAD magazine | Art history
Department
Department of Art History and Criticism
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/76649
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
Harvey Kurtzman was an American cartoonist and editor. He is most famous for writing and editing the parodic comic book MAD from 1952 until 1956 and writing the “Little Annie Fanny†strips for Playboy magazine from 1962 to 1988. Kurtzman is known for his satirical display of popular culture, social critique, and his meticulous work methodologies through satirical engagement. Kurtzman critiqued, denounced and ridiculed cultural figures, politicians, and out of control consumerism. This essay will explore Kurtzman’s work through published examples and interviews. I will explore his early works, his work with MAD and several publications following his tenure with EC comics. In particular, in October of 2016, previously unpublished works for TRUMP magazine became available. TRUMP: The Complete Collection, contains never-before-seen art, including the surviving contents of the third issue. TRUMP was a satire magazine that Kurtzman created for Hugh Hefner, after leaving MAD magazine in 1956. TRUMP was expected to be a success but for financial reasons, Hefner cancelled the publication while the third issue was in production. Throughout his career, Kurtzman regularly expressed his desire for full editorial control over his work. Although his work as a writer and illustrator is widely seen as successful, his work as an editor shows varying degrees of success. This thesis aims to examine the relationship of success versus editorial control in Kurtzman’s work. In short, I intend to show that, to Kurtzman’s dismay, his work was more successful when he was unburdened with the task of editorial control. | 32 pages
Recommended Citation
Cole, Timothy E., "Beyond MAD: The Works of Harvey Kurtzman" (2017). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 2536.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/2536