Joe Kubert is one of the greatest American comic-book cartoonists of all time; his Sgt. Rock of Easy Company, Enemy Ace, and Tarzan comics, all done for DC Comics during the 1960s and 1970s, are already the subject of archival editions. In the 1940s, young Kubert developed his design sense and realistic art style by freelancing for a variety of comic-book publishers in a glorious variety of non-superhero genres: horror, crime, science fiction, western, romance, humor, and more. For the first time, 33 of the best of these stories have been collected in one full-color volume, Weird Horrors and Daring Adventures: The Joe Kubert Archives Vol. 1 with a special emphasis on horror and crime … more violent and sexy (by contemporary standards) than much of his later, Code-constrained work. Kubert is best known for his lengthy stint at DC Comics beginning in the mid-1950s, where he drew such iconic characters as Sgt. Rock, Hawkman, and Tarzan. But before that, he cut his teeth at a variety of small publishers, working in every genre the field had to offer. The generous sampling of his early work collected in this hardcover volume demonstrates the diversity of Kubert’s work in this period, from horror and science fiction to westerns, crime, and even humor. The earliest, from 1944 (when Kubert was only 17), are competent but crude, although no more unpolished than most comics from the era. Within a few years, however, he developed into one of the medium’s leading stylists, with a distinctively recognizable style marked by dramatic compositions and strategic use of solid-black areas to create atmosphere. Kubert would continue to draw comics steadily right up to his death last year at age 85; these early tales lay the foundation for that enduring and productive career. --Gordon Flagg Approaching the middle of his ninth decade, Joe Kubert draws with more vigor than most cartoonists one third his age. Bill Schelly (1951-2019) was an Eisner Award-winning biographer and chronicler of comics fandom, who wrote books about comics luminaries Harvey Kurtzman, Joe Kubert, John Stanley, Otto Binder, and comedic silent film star Harry Langdon. His final book was the expanded edition of his autobiography, Sense of Wonder , in 2018.