Pen Grenades Webcomics

I’d give the man a hand, but he never needed one: nobody drew a joke like Harvey Kurtzman.

With or without collaborators (on his genius creation “Mad” comic/magazine, he had the best), the pacing and timing of Harvey’s humor are fantastic. For understanding Harvey’s genius, nothing beats seeing his words and pacing paired with the directness of his art.

Step #1: Genre

In this example (page 2 from Harvey’s 5-page story “Pot Shot Pete”), Harvey’s doing a genre satire, so the story needs to be rooted in the genre. The language and the costuming do this. “Poopy,” the short sidekick, delivers deadpan Western blather: hittin’ leather, danger on the trail, quicker’n a rattlesnake. Everybody’s got their cowboy hats in place, and Pot-Shot Pete has his full sheriff outfit.

Step #2: Establish the Comic Tone

The cartoony style of the art let us know – it’s OK to laugh. (A realistic style would kill the jokes on delivery.) The art also demonstrates the inflated ego of Pot Shot Pete, flawlessly spinning his gun and sliding it into the holster, begs to be punctured.  And when the punch line hits, Pete’s rubbery legs, the “poof” of air, and the levitating hats all make the joke funnier: the entire comic world reacts to Pete’s cowardice.

The punchline also delivers the comic tone: try saying “McYetnit” in a threatening way. Three quick syllables that sound funny together, and almost sound like a real name.  Following “Mc” with the nonsense name “Yetnit,” defies our expectation of a truly ominous name. Which increases the funny.

Step #3: Serious Build-Up to the Joke

The payoff of the joke is Pot Shot Pete’s slapstick faint in the third panel. A joke depends on surprise. Therefore, Harvey must establish his bravery and the expectations of the others. Notice: there is no joke at all in the Poopy’s dialogue – this is deadly serious!  The crowd is equally committed: wide-eyed with worry, then thrilled with hope in Pete.

Step #4: Focus the Eye on the Star/Joke

Harvey uses stillness to guide our attention. The immobility of Poopy and the identical reactions of the crowd focus us on the only moving object: the cowardly cowboy.

To emphasize a joke, repeat it! Pete claims first that the sun got him, then his old bullet wounds – Harvey changes the story so we know he’s lying (but the other cast members don’t). And, with the villains named again, down goes Pete again!

Harvey pushes the joke even farther: now Pete pathetically claims another identity, making a mustache of his comb. And further: he “tromps” away from the danger. And the final “topper” joke, the only thing this “manly” cowboy fears more than danger is – sex.

And the cast members must never, ever understand their hero is a coward. They’re all playing their farcical roles as drama. We, the readers, thereby feel superior to the entire cast, and are able to laugh at their foolishness.

Bravo, Harvey Kurtzman!