Johnny Craig

Is there any EC artist that wasn't stellar in one way or another? Well, maybe a couple weren't quite on the same level as the others, but even those one or two guys were comparatively superior to most everyone else in the comic book world of the 1950s. Johnny Craig was, in my opinion, one of the top dogs. He wasn't a fast artist, like Jack Davis or Wally Wood, but every image Johnny Craig produced was a calculated piece of art. Craig was methodical and calculated, evaluating every image he produced to hold up to his personal standard of quality, which is why his covers are arguably the most memorable and gripping of the entire EC library. Guys like Jack Davis and Wood were quick and loose, which gives a more organic feel to their work. Drawing was almost an instinctual process for those guys which is why their work has more of an organic feel. Craig on the other hand approached each frame almost as if they were a standalone composition, which at times can give a bit of a stilted look to his figures as if they are posing instead of moving, perhaps being too perfect? Regardless, Johnny Craig had a level of ability and an eye for composition that very few in the history of comic art could ever come close to.