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John Thomas Alexis Craig (April 25, 1926 – September 13, 2001), John T. Craig at the Social Security Death Index was an American comic book artist notable for his work with the EC Comics line of the 1950s. He sometimes used the Jay Taycee and F. C. Aljohn.
Craig later brought a clean, crisp, naturalistic approach to EC's legendary horror series— The Crypt of Terror, The Vault of Horror and The Haunt of Fear — plus Crime SuspenStories and Two-Fisted Tales. Wally Wood once said Craig drew "the cleanest horror stories you ever saw". His first EC horror work came with the cover art for The Crypt of Terror #17 (May 1950) and both the art and script for that issue's seven-page story "Curse of the Full Moon".
In being a writer as well as an artist, Craig differed from the majority of EC artists. He was responsible for the stories hosted by the Vault-Keeper, and he also drew that horror host in the framing sequences of stories by other EC illustrators. He eventually concentrated on The Vault of Horror and Crime SuspenStories, doing the lead story in each of these bimonthly titles.
Craig became the editor of The Vault of Horror early in 1954, giving up his work for Crime SuspenStories at that time. Later that year, he created the Vault Keeper's attractive assistant, Drusilla. After the EC horror books came to an end, Craig edited EC's Extra! in 1955, writing and drawing two stories in each bimonthly issue.
Craig's story "... And All Through the House" in Vault of Horror #35 (March 1954) was adapted for the Joan Collins segment of the 1972 omnibus film Tales from the Crypt.
Craig's many covers included that of the infamous Crime SuspenStories #22, shown during the 1950s Senate hearings on juvenile delinquency. U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver asked EC publisher Bill Gaines whether he thought the cover, depicting an ax-wielding man holding a woman's severed head, was in good taste. Gaines responded, "Yes, sir, I do, for the cover of a horror comic"—a remark that became an oft-quoted example of comic books' alleged depravity.Amy Kiste Nyberg (1998). 9780878059751, University Press of Mississippi via Crimeboss.com. . ISBN 9780878059751 Ironically, Craig was one of the more wholesome EC artists, frequently choosing to show the reactions of characters rather than the horrific event itself.
One critic wrote of his work:
His resurfacing prompted Warren Publishing editor Archie Goodwin to have Craig draw for Warren's magazines from 1966 to 1968, during which time Craig (who still worked in advertising) used the pseudonym Jay Taycee, a phonetic pronunciation of his four initials. Of his attempts to work for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, however, comics historian Mark Evanier wrote,
Evanier wrote that Goodwin, by now writing for Marvel, said that, "Every so often, we'd try having him penciler an Iron Man or something, but it never worked out. He couldn't draw superheroes the way they wanted, and he couldn't hit the deadlines of a monthly book". After penciling and inking Iron Man #2 and a supernatural story in Tower of Shadows #1, heavily retouched by John Romita Sr., Craig became primarily an inker. He did however complete Iron Man #2–4, 14, 24 and 25, the latter inked by Sam Grainger.
By the early 1980s, Craig stopped drawing for comics and was semi-retired until his death in 2001. He did do many paintings of the Vault-Keeper, Drusilla and other E.C. horror themes, for private commissions, E.C. fanzines and other publications, and these works showed excellent technique in oils. His last known residences were Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, and Shiremanstown, Pennsylvania.
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