Some of the most influential artists in comics enjoyed only a brief tenure in the industry before moving on to other things. One thinks of Noel Sickles,Lou Fine, Jim Steranko and, of course, Bernie Krigstein. Each of these artists brought their own personal interests to the comics form and Krigstein's was storytelling, specifically pacing. As a true artist, Krigstein often fell foul of his editors by insisting on breaking 'house' formats in the service of telling stories as he believed they should be told. Add to this a reputation for being a 'troublemaker' in trying to unionize his colleagues in a notoriously exploitative industry and you have all the ingredients for a volatile relationship. Krigstein's stay in comics was short but quite productive. Stories such as 'Master Race' 'More Blessed to Give' 'Key Chain' and 'Last Bullet' stand as lasting testament to his career. For those interested in finding out more, author Greg Sadowski has written several fine books on Bernie Krigstein published by Fantagraphics.
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