Elder & Kurtzman Original Art: Goodman Gets Gun p.139

HARVEY KURTZMAN & WILL ELDER. Page 139, "Goodman Gets a Gun" episode (1962) in Goodman Beaver.

This is one of five hilarious G.B. stories that Kurtzman & Elder created for Help! magazine in the early '60s before Goodman morphed into "Little Annie Fanny" for Playboy. On this page Goodman is trying to impress his crush, Miss Taylbone (Elizabeth Taylor) intellectually, but she is swept away by a more aggressive competitor. (Note: page number is from the Kitchen Sink Press collection, not Help! or the MacFadden paperback, Executive Comic Book.)

Provenance: From the estate of Harvey Kurtzman. Comes with a letter of authenticity upon request.

Size/medium/condition/price: Written by Kurtzman. Drawn by Elder based on pencil layouts by Kurtzman. Pen, brush and ink on heavy illustration board. Board measures 8" wide x 9 3/8" high. Actual image is 4 3/8" x 6". The "original" lettering on all Goodman Beaver art consists of photostats glued to the board with forty year-old rubber cement. Some light staining is visible on most Goodman lettering. The four words from the right balloon this page are missing. (These words could be replaced by photocopies from the Goodman Beaver collection.) There is white tape on three sides of the artwork, registration marks, and printer's handwritten notations outside the image area. All Goodman Beaver originals have these minor flaws to a lesser or greater degree. These can be easily eliminated from view by matting the original. The original comes with a removable acetate overlay (not pictured here) with certain areas blocked in by Elder in red marker. (The red areas were shot by the printer and converted to a 30% "screen," then "double-burned" on to the line art on the film negatives to create the gray tone areas on the published panels.) Exquisite pen and ink work by Elder from the self-described "funniest" work this famous team ever created. Note the classic Elder sight gag in the background (magnifying glass).