Bernard Krigstein
He transformed comic book art into a sophisticated visual language, using panel layouts to manipulate time and emotion.
1919–1990 (age 71)·20th-century American comics artist·Birthday: March 22·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Bernard Krigstein was a Brooklyn-born artist who brought a restless, formal intelligence to the pulp pages of 1950s comic books. After studying at the Art Students League and serving in World War II, he entered the comics field, initially working on genre stories. His creative breakthrough came at EC Comics, where he treated the short story not as disposable entertainment but as a canvas for radical experimentation. Krigstein famously stretched and fractured comic book time, using a mosaic of small, sequential panels to slow down moments of psychological tension or action, most famously in the Holocaust-themed story 'Master Race.' His meticulous, illustrative style and cinematic pacing felt utterly alien to the medium at the time, pushing against its constraints. Though his mainstream comics career was brief, his work became a foundational text for later generations of graphic novelists who saw in his pages the untapped artistic potential of sequential art.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Bernard was born in 1919, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bernard Was Born
The biggest hits of 1919
Bernard's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1919Born
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Started school
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1932Became a teenager
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1935Could drive
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1937Could vote
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1940Turned 21
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1949Turned 30
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 40
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 50
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 60
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 70
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1990Died at 71
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
Key Achievements
- Created the visually groundbreaking eight-page story 'Master Race' for EC Comics' Impact #1 in 1955.
- Pioneered the use of segmented, rapid-fire panel sequences to depict elongated moments of time and heightened drama.
- His innovative layouts and storytelling techniques influenced the development of the modern graphic novel.
- Maintained a successful second career as a fine art painter and teacher after leaving the comic book industry.
Did You Know?
He legally changed his first name from 'Bernard' to 'Berni' later in life.
Krigstein was a vocal critic of the Comics Code Authority, which contributed to his departure from the field.
He taught art at the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan for many years.
A complete collection of his comic work, 'B. Krigstein, Vol. 1,' was published by Fantagraphics Books in 2004.
“I saw in the comic page a potential for a new kind of literature, a poetry of visual rhythm and timing.”
