'The Vault of Horror' #35 (February-March 1954).
The American comic creator Johnny Craig was one of the leading artists and writers for the "New Trend" comic book line of EC Comics. Especially known for his work for Crime SuspenStories and The Vault of Horror, his crime noir style drew influences from Will Eisner and Milton Caniff and made him the "master of suggestion". In Craig's stories, the killings, horror and other gruesome acts mostly happened off screen, leaving much to the reader's imagination. His artwork was clean and uncluttered, and gave his stories a spine-chilling Hitchcockian atmosphere. Craig also created the EC Comics horror mascots The Vault Keeper and Drusilla.
Early life and career
Jonathan Monroe Craig was born in 1926 in Pleasantville, New York, and raised in the Washington Heights section of New York City. One of his main graphic influences was Milton Caniff. Craig was twelve years old when he did his first work in the comic book industry. For a mere one dollar a week, he assisted 'The Flash' creator Harry Lampert on his work for All-American Comics, a company co-owned by M.C. Gaines. When Lampert went into the Army in 1941, Craig began working directly for All-American editor Sheldon Mayer, helping on the lettering of the 'Scribbly' feature and doing other paste-up, correction and lettering chores. During World War II, Craig served in the Merchant Marine and then in the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany. After being wounded in battle, he eventually returned to the USA.
'Star Light, Star Bright' (The Vault of Horror #34, December 1953 - January 1954).
EC Comics
Back in civilian life in 1946, Craig started drawing comics again as a freelancer, initially working for comic book companies like Lev Gleason, Magazine Enterprises and Fox Comics. A year later, he joined publisher Max Gaines again in his new company Educational Comics. Craig initially worked in the art department, doing lettering and correcting artwork. When Max Gaines was killed in a boating accident that same year, the company was continued by his son Bill (William M. Gaines) under the name Entertaining Comics (EC). Craig became a regular artist in the western and crime titles 'Gunfighter', 'Saddle Justice', 'Crime Patrol' and 'War Against Crime!', as well as the superhero title 'Moon Girl'. In 1950, publisher Gaines and his main editor Al Feldstein launched a series of groundbreaking horror, crime and science fiction comic books, known as the "New Trend" line. These new stories stood out for their daring subject matter, ironic plot twists and high-quality artwork. Johnny Craig was closely involved in the development of the horror titles 'The Vault of Horror', 'Tales from the Crypt' and 'The Haunt of Fear', and became a regular artist for covers and stories. He was also an essential contributor to 'Crime SuspenStories', launched later in 1950.
'Sweet Dreams!' (Crime SuspenStories #14, December 1952 - January 1953).
Unlike other EC artists, Craig not only drew but also wrote the scripts for his own stories. He became instrumental in the look of 'The Vault of Horror', for which he drew the covers of 29 issues and enhanced Al Feldstein's initial design of the title's mascot character The Vault Keeper. In issue #37 of The Vault of Horror (June 1954), Craig also created the last of EC Comics' ghoulish hosts, the black-haired woman Drusilla. For the later issues of this title, Craig also served as editor. EC's daring new take on comics was not without controversy. Craig's cover of the 11th issue of 'The Vault of Horror' (June 1954), showing a close-up of a man hanging from a gallows, was slandered by psychologist Dr. Fredric Wertham in his anti-comic book 'Seduction of the Innocent' (1954). Another controversial Craig cover, made for 'Crime Suspenstories' issue #22 (April 1954), depicted a man with a bloody axe and a severed woman's head in his hands. At the Senate Subcommittee hearings regarding comics' negative influence on children, this particular cover was presented as "strong evidence".
'The Vault of Horror', issue #30 (April 1953) and 'Crime Suspenstories', issue #22 (April 1954).
By fellow EC artists Al Feldstein, Wallace Wood and Al Williamson, Johnny Craig was considered the company's most talented artist. However, he was a very slow draftsman and highly critical of his own work. While Al Feldstein edited seven titles and scripted up to four stories a week, Craig barely managed to write and draw one story a month. Feldstein tried to help Craig out by making stories together under the joined pen name F.C. Aljohn, with Feldstein penciling and Craig inking. Still, the effort didn't help Craig with his perfectionism, nor with his ongoing struggles with meeting deadlines.
'Dateline: New York City' (Extra! #4, September - October 1955).
Due to the restrictions and censorship imposed by the industry-created Comics Code, most of the "New Trend" were canceled by 1955. To cleanse its reputation, EC launched new, more "educational and wholesome" comic books, known as the short-lived New Direction line, including the titles Impact, Valor, Extra!, Aces High, Psychoanalysis, M.D. and Incredible Science-Fiction. Johnny Craig was the editor of the line's newspaper/adventure comic book 'Extra!'. Besides providing the cover art, he wrote and drew two stories per issue, including the 'Dateline' feature starring newspaper reporter Keith Michaels. Craig also drew the covers for the medical comic book 'M.D.'. Craig was also involved in EC's "Picto-Fiction" books with illustrated stories, where he experimented with hued pencils. However, these new EC titles lasted only a few months, and subsequently Johnny Craig left the comic book industry.
'Eye of the Beholder' (Creepy #19, March 1968).
Later life and career
In the early 1960s, Johnny Craig became art director and later vice president of an advertising agency in Pennsylvania. Still having troubles with making his deadlines, he became a freelancer in 1963. He returned to comic books with 'The People vs. Hendricks!', a critically acclaimed story published in the 36th issue of 'Unknown Worlds' by the American Comics Group. He also returned to the horror genre as a contributor to Eerie and Creepy, two EC-inspired comic magazines published by James Warren. To avoid conflicts with his clients from the advertising field, he used the pen name Jay Taycee, derived from the "Deep South" pronunciation of his initials. He also tried his luck with the superhero titles of DC Comics ('The Brave and the Bold', 1967) and Marvel Comics ('Iron Man', 1968), but quickly discovered the genre didn't suit him. Craig remained an inker for both companies until the early 1980s. He then went into semi-retirement, but continued to paint EC-related artwork by commission of fans, although with a strict demand of no deadline pressure.
Death, legacy and influence
Johnny Craig died on 13 September 2001, at the age of 75. Although Craig has produced less than 150 short stories during his career spanning four decades, he remains one of the quintessential EC artists, whose work is far from forgotten and still influential. Johnny Craig had a strong influence on Charles Burns and Raye Horne.
Cover by Johnny Craig for 'The Vault of Horror' issue #4 (February 1991).