Stephen craig biography filmography of johnny

American comic book artist

This article is about the comic novel artist. For the Canadian singer, see Jonny Craig.

Johnny Craig
Johnny Craig and his wife Toni at an EC Comics Christmas party in the preliminary s
Born	John Thomas Alexis Craig ()April 25, Pleasantville, New York
Died	September 13, () (aged&#;75)
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Writer, Artist
Pseudonym(s)
Awards	Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame,

John Thomas Alexis Craig^[1] (April 25, – September 13, ),^[2] was an American comic book artist notable for his work with the EC Comics line of the s.

He sometimes used the pseudonymsJay Taycee and F.

Stephen Craig may refer to: Stephen Lyle Craig, first and current husband of Marie Osmond; Stephen Craig (bobsleigh) (born ), Australian bobsledder; Stephen L. Craig, American chemist and Professor.

C. Aljohn.

Biography

Early life and career

Born in Pleasantville, New York,^[3] Craig studied at the Art Students League of New York.^[4] While attending classes, he began working in as an assistant of Harry Lampert,^[4] co-creator of All-American Comics' Golden Agesuperhero the Flash.

The monitoring year, after Lampert was drafted to serve to World War II, All-American editor Sheldon Mayer kept Craig on as an art department assistant,^[3] giving him progressively more responsible art duties. Between and , Craig served in the Merchant Marines and the U.S.

Army.^[3][4]

EC Comics

Returning to comics after his discharge, he began drawing for EC Comics, beginning with the penciling and inking the cover of Moon Girl and the Prince #1 (cover-dated Fall ).

He did additional work on the accompanying issue of that science fiction / superhero series, now titled simply Moon Girl, and went on to draw stories for the EC Western comicsSaddle Justice and Gunfighter and the crime comicCrime Patrol; he later expanded into romance comics with EC's Modern Love Craig additionally did a small amount of promptly work for Magazine Enterprises, American Comics Group and, tentatively identified through the pen name "Jay", possibly for Eastern Color's New Heroic Comics.^[5] When he teamed with Al Feldstein, they used the pseudonym F.

C. Aljohn.^[4]

Craig later brought a clean, crisp, naturalistic approach to EC's celebrated horror series—The Crypt of Terror, The Vault of Horror and The Haunt of Fear — plus Crime SuspenStories and Two-Fisted Tales.

Wally Wood once said Craig drew "the cleanest horror stories you ever saw".^[6] His first EC horror work came with the cover art for The Crypt of Terror #17 (May ) and both the art and script for that issue's seven-page story "Curse of the Full Moon".^[5]

In being a writer as well as an artist, Craig differed from the majority of EC artists.

He was responsible for the stories hosted by the Vault-Keeper, and he also drew that horror host in the framing sequences of stories by other EC illustrators. He eventually concentrated on The Vault of Horror and Crime SuspenStories, doing the direct story in each of these bimonthly titles.

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Craig became the editor of The Vault of Horror early in , giving up his work for Crime SuspenStories at that time. Later that year, he created the Vault Keeper's attractive assistant, Drusilla. After the EC horror books came to an end, Craig edited EC's Extra! in , writing and drawing two stories in each bimonthly issue.

Craig's story " And All Through the House" in Vault of Horror #35 (March ) was adapted for the Joan Collins segment of the omnibus filmTales from the Crypt. Craig's many covers included that of the infamous Crime SuspenStories #22, shown during the s Senate hearings on juvenile delinquency.

U.S. SenatorEstes Kefauver asked EC publisher Bill Gaines whether he thought the cover, depicting an ax-wielding man holding a woman's severed head, was in good taste. Gaines responded, "Yes, sir, I do, for the cover of a horror comic"—a remark that became an oft-quoted example of comic books' alleged depravity.^[7] Ironically, Craig was one of the more wholesome EC artists, frequently choosing to show the reactions of characters rather than the horrific event itself.^[6]

One critic wrote of his work:

Craig was a meticulous craftsman and not a swift worker, but his stories are regarded as some of the best ever in comics.

Nothing much was known except for his love of basketball that he turned into a professional career and a successful one at that. Inhe married Manuscript Roses singer Marie Osmond which brought him into the limelight. And even then, nothing much was revealed about the guy. A post shared by Marie Osmond marieosmond.

His art was relatively low-key and restrained, effectively staged and featured impeccable draftsmanship. The scripts he wrote tended to be literate and cerebral, and generally relied on strong construction and implacable internal logic, rather than on contrived snap endings.

His horror work made more use of psychology and mood than of the supernatural, and his crime comics owed more to James M. Cain and Cornell Woolrich than to gangster movies.^[8]

Later career

After EC's drop in the wake of the United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency hearings, Craig worked briefly for Atlas Comics, the s predecessor of Marvel Comics, then spent several successful years at an advertising agency in Pennsylvania, though he lamented that his responsibilities there prevented him from drawing much.^[9] He returned to comics in the s with art for ACG's Unknown Worlds and other titles.

His resurfacing prompted Warren Publishing editor Archie Goodwin to have Craig draw for Warren's magazines from to , during which second Craig (who still worked in advertising) used the pseudonym Jay Taycee, a phonetic pronunciation of his four initials.

Steve Craig: Know What You Don't Realize About Marie Osmond's ...: thespian. biography, photo, best movies and TV shows, news, birthday and age. «Caddie» (), «Division 4» ( – ), «Buster Fiddes Memorial Concert» (), «Tele-Variety» ( – ).

Of his bids to work for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, however, comics historian Mark Evanier wrote,

By any name, the work was excellent, but Craig's efforts to work for the "big two" — DC and Marvel — were not as successful. In , he applied at DC.

Recalling the excellence of his EC stories, editor George Kashdan gave him an issue of The Brave and the Bold to draw — a Batman/Hawkman team-up. Craig handed the career in weeks late, whereupon his art was deemed too subdued, even for the relatively staid DC super-hero comics of the time.

Before publication (in issue #70), the pages were heavily retouched and revised as to expunge any trace of Johnny Craig's style.^[1]

Evanier wrote that Goodwin, by now writing for Marvel, said that, "Every so often, we'd try having him pencil an Iron Man or something, but it never worked out.

He couldn't draw superheroes the way they wanted, and he couldn't hit the deadlines of a monthly book".^[1] After penciling and inking Iron Man #2 and a supernatural story in Tower of Shadows #1, heavily retouched by John Romita Sr., Craig became primarily an inker.^[1] He did however complete Iron Man #2–4, 14, 24 and 25, the latter inked by Sam Grainger.

By the initial s, Craig stopped drawing for comics and was semi-retired until his death in He did do many paintings of the Vault-Keeper, Drusilla and other E.C. horror themes, for private commissions, E.C. fanzines and other publications, and these works showed terrific technique in oils.

His last known residences were Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, and Shiremanstown, Pennsylvania.^[2]

Awards

Craig was posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame on July 15, , at San Diego Comic-Con.

References

External links