Reed Crandall
Reed Crandall | |
---|---|
Born | Reed Leonard Crandall February 22, 1917 Winslow, Indiana |
Died | September 13, 1982 | (aged 65)
Nationality | American |
Area(s) | Penciller, Inker |
Pseudonym(s) | E. Lectron |
Notable works | Blackhawk, EC Comics |
Awards | Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame Inkwell Awards SASRA (2023) |
Reed Leonard Crandall (February 22, 1917 – September 13, 1982)[1][2] was an American illustrator and penciller of comic books and magazines. He was best known for the 1940s Quality Comics' Blackhawk and for stories in EC Comics during the 1950s. Crandall was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2009.
Biography
Early life and career
Reed Crandall was born in
Another classmate, the son of the president of the Cleveland-based
Quality Comics
Crandall drew for comic books from 1939 until 1973. His first work appears in comics from publisher
With
EC Comics and afterward
Crandall went on to become a mainstay of EC Comics, whose line of hit horror and science fiction titles would become as influential to future generations of comics creators as they were controversial in their own time due to their often graphic nature and mature themes. Joining a group that included artists Johnny Craig, Jack Davis, Will Elder, Frank Frazetta, Graham Ingels, Jack Kamen, Bernard Krigstein and Wally Wood, Crandall made his debut there with the six-page story "Bloody Sure", written by Al Feldstein, in The Haunt of Fear #20 (August 1953).
He drew dozens of stories across a variety of genres for the EC anthologies Crime SuspenStories, Shock SuspenStories, Tales from the Crypt, Two-Fisted Tales, The Vault of Horror, Extra!, Impact, Piracy, and Weird Fantasy and its sequel series, Weird Science-Fantasy.
Following the demise of EC in the wake of the
In 1960, he went under contract[
In June 1970, Crandall and
Final years
Crandall, who had left New York City in the 1960s in order to care for his ailing mother in Wichita, Kansas, had developed alcoholism.[6][19] Recovering by the time of his mother's death, he nonetheless suffered debilitated health and left art in 1974 to work as a night watchman and janitor for the Pizza Hut general headquarters in Wichita.[6] After suffering a stroke that year, he spent his remaining life in a nursing home and died in 1982 of a heart attack.[6] One of his last published stories, "This Graveyard Is Not Deserted", appeared in Creepy #54 (July 1973).[6] Creepy #58 contained "Soul and Shadow", possibly his last published comic book work.[20]
Family
Crandall married artist Martha Hamilton, and they had two children.[9] Their daughter, artist Cathy Crandall, had three children. Their son, Navy veteran Reed L. "Spike" Crandall (Sept. 8, 1945-July 2, 2005), an artist who owned and operated Crandall's Creations (Clarkesville, Georgia), had a daughter, Samantha Pledger, and three grandchildren.[21]
Awards and tributes
Crandall was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2009.[22]
He is referenced in
References
- ^ Reed Crandall at the Social Security Death Index, via GenealogyBank.com; and via FamilySearch.org, citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing. Retrieved on 22 February 2013. Neither gives specific day of death. First cite archived from the original on 22 February 2013; second cite archived from the original on 22 February 2013.
- ^ Reed Leonard Crandall gravestone (photo) at FindAGrave.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012.
- ^ Lambiek Comiclopedia. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Root, Vincent C. (1933). "Exceptional Newton, Kan., Art Student Wins High Honors in National Art Department Contest". The Santa Fe Magazine. 28–29. Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company. Full article reprinted at Jay, Alex (February 20, 2012). "Creator: Reed Crandall".
- ^ ISBN 1-893905-43-8.
- ^ a b c d e f g Stiles, Steve (n.d.). "A Look at EC Great Reed Crandall". SteveStiles.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2005.
- ^ Root, pp. 35, 58.
- ^ a b c Interview with art-school classmate and lifelong friend Frank Borth, in Cooke, p. 66
- ^ a b c Borth, in Cooke, p. 67
- ^ Smash Comics #24 (July 1941) at the Grand Comics Database.
- ^ Fight Comics #12 (April 1941) at the Grand Comics Database.
- ^ Captain America Comics #2 (April 1941) at the Grand Comics Database.
- ^ Captain America Comics #3 (May 1941) at the Grand Comics Database.
- ISBN 978-0-374-18767-5
- ^ Jones, William B., Jr., Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, Second Edition(McFarland, 2011), pp. 320, 321, 326, 334.
- ^ Bails, Jerry; Ware, Hames. "Crandall, Reed". Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928-1999. Archived from the original on November 24, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
- ISBN 0-87833-659-1.
- Amarillo Globe-Times. June 16, 1970.
- ^ Borth, in Cooke, p. 68
- ^ "Creepy #58 pg 02 title splash, in kelly b's Reed Crandall Comic Art Gallery Room".
- ^ The Times, Gainesville, Georgia. July 4, 2005.
- ^ Comic-Con.org: 2009 Eisner Award winners Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0-679-45004-1.[page needed]
- ^ "Major Spoilers - Frazetta and Shores announced as Inkwell Awards’ 2023 Lifetime Achievement
- ^ "Pop Culture Podium - Frazetta & Shores Win Inkwell Lifetime Achievement Award"
- ^ "First Comics News - Inkwell Awards’ 2023 Lifetime Achievement Winners Announced"
External links
- "Tower Comics Checklist", Comic Book Artist #14 (July 2001)
- "Crandall, Reed", at the Social Security Death Index
- Reed Crandall at Library of Congress, with 24 library catalog records