HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK KAMEN!
Jack Kamen was born on May 29, 1920. He is best known for his work with EC Comics, though he is not usually mentioned alongside some of the more celebrated EC artists like Wally Wood, Jack Davis, Harvey Kurtzman, or Johnny Craig.
Kamen was a consummate professional—he never missed a deadline and consistently delivered solid work. His reliability and quality were so valued that publisher William Gaines offered him exclusive work for EC and paid him at the top of the market.
Kamen was particularly known for his skill in drawing attractive women. Describing Kamen's subtle artistic style, EC editor Al Feldstein said:
“We gave Kamen those stories where the All-American girl and guy are married and then chop each other to pieces.”
In Tales from the Crypt #31, Kamen drew a semi-autobiographical satire titled "Kamen’s Kalamity", which was later adapted into AN Episode of Tales from the Crypt TV series as "Korman’s Kalamity". Kamen called it “my favorite story”, as it portrayed his shift from romance comics to horror.
After EC Comics fell victim to industry censorship in 1954–55, it was Kamen who proposed that the company sidestep the strict Comics Code Authority by launching a more upscale magazine format, which he dubbed Picto-Fiction. Unfortunately, these titles were under-distributed and short-lived.
After leaving EC, Kamen transitioned into commercial art, creating Sunday supplement illustrations and advertising work for clients such as Esquire Shoe Polish, Mack Trucks, Pan American Airlines, Playtex, RCA, Smith Corona, and Sylvania.
In 1982, he contributed to the horror anthology film Creepshow, created by Stephen King and George A. Romero as an homage to EC Comics. While Berni Wrightson did most of the artwork for the graphic novel adaptation, Kamen illustrated the cover.
Later in life, Kamen drew the patent renderings for the Segway, an invention by his son, Dean Kamen. He also designed the logo for Dean’s FIRST program, a robotics and education initiative.
Jack Kamen died in 2008 from complications related to cancer. He was 88 years old.
