Panic (comics)

Panic was part of the EC Comics line during the early 1950s. The bi-monthly humor comic, published by Bill Gaines as a companion to Harvey Kurtzman's Mad. Panic was edited by Al Feldstein (who became the editor of Mad a few years later). Beginning with its first issue (February–March 1954), Panic had a 12-issue run for two years. The last in the series was dated December 1955/January 1956.

Feldstein was the cover artist, with Jack Davis cartooning the cover for the final issue. Stories were illustrated by Davis, Will Elder, Jack Kamen, Joe Orlando, Basil Wolverton and Wally Wood.

The publication was controversial, as detailed by Steve Stiles in his article,"It's a Panic!":^[1]

What Panic also earned was a storm of indignation that burst over Gaines' head with the very first issue, and all over the holiday of "Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men." It's strange that Gaines didn't see it coming, but some people got very annoyed with a satire of "The Night Before Christmas." To put it mildly.^[1]

Some aspects of Panic's negative Santa depiction resurfaced a half-century later in Terry Zwigoff's Bad Santa (2003).

EC called Panic the "only authorized imitation of Mad." Some story ideas were by Nick Meglin, later the editor of Mad. Scripts were by Feldstein, Elder and Jack Mendelsohn, later a co-screenwriter of Yellow Submarine (1968) and an Emmy-nominated TV comedy writer.

Reprints

Panic has been reprinted by publisher Russ Cochran several times. In 1985, it formed part of his Complete EC Library , published (in black and white) as a slipcased hardcover two-volume set. Panic was also reprinted issue-by-issue between March 1997 and December 1999 by Cochran (in association with Gemstone Publishing). This complete run was later rebound, with covers included, in three softcover EC Annuals.

Issue guide

References

External links

• Christmas @ Ground Zero
• RIP Lyle Stuart
• Time (April 29, 2004): "The Glory and Horror of EC Comics" by Richard Corliss