EDD CARTIER

Curiosity Corner No. 1

EDD CARTIER’S WEEKLY THRILLERS

Edward Daniel “Edd” Cartier (1914-2008) è giustamente famoso per le illustrazioni realizzate per i pulp magazines e per le riviste di fantascienza. Dopo aver debuttato su titoli dell’editrice Street & Smith quali Wild West Weekly, The Wizard, The Whisperer, Movie Action e Detective Story Magazine, diviene il principale illustratore per The Shadow Magazine, eseguendo oltre ottocento disegni. Negli anni Cinquanta Cartier diviene un prolifico illustratore di pulps di fantascienza quali Planet Stories e Astounding Science Fiction, poi contribuisce a digests e paperbacks dello stesso genere. Per anni è il principale illustratore in forza alle editrici Fantasy Press e Gnome Press.

Una parte meno nota e breve della carriera di Cartier viene trascorsa eseguendo illustrazioni che accompagnano la pubblicazione di romanzi gialli e polizieschi completi sui quotidiani americani e canadesi da parte del King Features Syndicate e della Lang Co., Inc. con la denominazione King Features Syndicate Library. Ogni settimana, nel 1948-49, appare un nuovo romanzo, il cui titolo inizia quasi sempre con The Case of…, per il quale Cartier realizza 5-6 illustrazioni. Di seguito elenchiamo i titoli conosciuti ed offriamo una selezione di quelle interessanti ed evocative immagini.

Edward Daniel “Edd” Cartier (1914-2008) is deservedly famous for his pulp magazine and S-F illustrations. After drawing for such Street & Smith pulps as Wild West Weekly, The Wizard, The Whisperer, Movie Action, and Detective Story Magazine, he became the resident artist on The Shadow magazine, doing over eight hundred illustrations. In the 1950s Cartier became a prolific illustrator for S-F pulps like Planet Stories and Astounding Science Fiction, then for S-F digests and paperbacks. He was the main artist working for the publishers Fantasy Press and Gnome Press.

A shorter and lesser-known part of Cartier’s career was spent drawing illustrations which accompanied the publication of complete mystery and thriller novels on US and Canadian newspapers on part of King Features Syndicate and Lang Co., Inc. under the King Features Syndicate Library title. Every week, from 1948-49, there was a new novel, whose title usually began with The Case of…, and Cartier provided 5-6 illustrations to go with it. We are here listing the known titles and offering a selection of those interesting, evocative pictures.

1948

And the Deep Blue Sea

The Case of the Deadly Dance (by Milton K. Ozacki)

The Case of the Laughing Buddha

The Case of the Odd Fingerprints

The Case of the Two-Timing Wife

The Case of the Vanished Bride

Modern Jekyll-Hyde Murders

Murder in the Shower Bath (by Carl G. Hodges)

Silent Death

1949

The Blonde in the Bay

The Case of the Catacombs of Death

The Case of the Frame-Up

The Case of the House of Hate

The Case of the Lukewarm Lips

The Case of the Man with Four Hands

The Case of the Missing Twelve Days (by Brett Halliday)

The Case of the Plaster Cat 1949 (by Q. Patrick, Sept 3)

The Case of the Red Headed Girls (by Harry Whittington, Mar 14)

The Case of the 7^th Cat (by Philip Ketchum)

The Case of the Wayward Husband

The Corpse in the Santa Claus Suit (by Carl G. Hodges, Dec 5)

Framed for Murder (by Frank Norris)

Hit and Run

Murder of the Funny Man

The Rightful Heir

Set-Up for Murder