Kurtzman began to work on the New Trend line of comic books at EC Comics in 1950. He wrote and edited the "Two-Fisted Tales" and "Frontline Combat" war comic books, where he also drew many of the carefully researched stories, before he created his most-remembered comic book, "Mad", in 1952. Kurtzman scripted the stories and had them drawn by top EC cartoonists, most frequently Will Elder, Wally Wood, and Jack Davis; the early "Mad" was noted for its social critique and parodies of pop culture. The comic book switched to a magazine format in 1955, and Kurtzman left it in 1956 over a dispute with EC's owner William Gaines over financial control. Following his departure, he did a variety of cartooning work, including editing the short-lived "Trump" and the self-published "Humbug". In 1959, he produced the first book-length work of original comics, the adult-oriented, satirical "Jungle Book". He edited the low-budget "Help!" from 1960 to 1965, a humor magazine which featured work by future Monty Python member and film director Terry Gilliam and the earliest work of underground cartoonists such as Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton. He brought "Help!" to an end after the success of the risqué "Playboy" feature "Little Annie Fanny" began to take up his time. While "Annie Fanny" provided much of his income for the rest of his career, he continued to produce an eclectic body of work, including screenwriting the animated "Mad Monster Party?" in 1967 and directing, writing and designing several shorts for "Sesame Street" in 1969.