Bernard Krigstein: The Complete Atlas Stories

Already a seasoned comic book veteran when he arrived in mid-1951, Krigstein's two-year tenure at Atlas can be seen as a vital bridge to his artistic maturity.

Story by story, page by page, he stretches and refines the Atlas house style expected of its artists to its outer limits, then defies that convention to forge the personal aesthetic he'll continue to refine at EC.

After EC's collapse in 1956, Krigstein returned to Atlas to create his final body of work in comics: 29 short-form experiments demonstrating the infinite possibilities inherent in the art of graphic narrative. 'I used them as a medium for dramatising the breakdown technique, to show the limitless ways that a comic book story could unfold.

I wanted to show that the form was fluid and dynamic and should not be considered a static form.' Guest editor and Krigstein biographer Greg Sadowski's introductory historical essay traces the arc of Krigstein's development and his efforts to elevate the stature of a medium that was dismissed as disposable juvenile escapism.