Rank and File: A Comic Art Hall of Fame...

Redartz:  Greetings once again! We're back at it again with a fun poser for you to consider, regarding your favorite comic covers. But first, a quick update for you. 

Several of you have inquired about the circumstances of my power outage and consequent general absence from this space last week. Well, the circuit breaker box on the side of our house literally melted; it's truly miraculous we had no fire. Obviously the power had to be cut, and between awaiting repairs, local safety inspectors and utility officials, we were stuck in the 'dark ages' for about 8 days. Not an experience I'd recommend for anyone, but we made it through. Fortunately the temperatures were mild for the most part. No longer will I take air conditioning and lights for granted!

Anyway, on to our topic. The premise: you have been selected to choose the artwork for a big exhibition. More specifically, this show will showcase comic cover artists throughout the medium's history. And with such a wide possibility of artists to choose from, space allows only 1 cover per artist. So, your task is to pick the artists, and choose a great representative cover for each artist,one that highlights their talent and impact.  As I'm a framer by trade, I'll see that your picks are safely framed, of course! 

Our gallery has several wings, so we can have a section for Golden age, Silver age, Bronze and Modern if you so choose. And while you begin your careful consideration, I'll submit a few nominations to  get the show started. Feel free to improve upon my picks as you see fit. As the week goes on, I'll try to post some more nominees based upon your comments; the better to fill our gallery.  See you at the opening!

My preliminary nominations:

Jack Kirby

Neal Adams

Dave Cockrum

John  Byrne

John Romita, Sr

Barry Smith

Walter Simonson

George Perez

Carmine Infantino

Joe Kubert

More to Come...

A bit late, but here are some of the nominated covers, presented for the appreciation and illumination of one and all. Thanks everyone for each response! And as suggested by our friend HB, you can look forward to seeing 'Hall of Fame Cover' pop up periodically on a single artist basis. Salutations!

Dave Cockrum

Jim Aparo

Steve Ditko

Rich Buckler

Nick Cardy

Mike Ploog

Herb Trimpe

John Byrne

John Buscema

Frank Frazetta

Mike Kaluta

Alan Davis

 

Panel Discussion: Spotlight on Neal Adams!

Redartz:  This week we're discussing, and looking at, one of the Bronze age's most noted artists (actually, one of the greatest figures in the comics industry): Neal Adams. Phenomenal artist, talented writer, creator's rights activist- Neal has been quite busy over the last several decades. Few comic companies over that time span have missed out on presenting at least a few examples of Neal Adams work. And few comic fans there are who don't admire his fine pencils and inks. 

Now most of the discussing is going to be up to you all. Neal is providing the visual inspiration, and I will set the stage. Some of these will be familiar to you, a couple perhaps less so. Enjoy...

 Neal Adams inks over John Buscema pencils

 

Conan the Barbarian  #44

         Painted cover by Neal Adams

Emergency! #1

          Neal Adams inks over Gil Kane pencils

Savage Tales #4

     Neal Adams pencils and inks 

Strange Adventures 215

       Neal Adams inks over Michael Golden pencils

Micronauts #7

      Neal Adams pencils and inks

House of Mystery #190

     Neal Adams pencils, Dick Giordano inks

Detective Comics #404

                                                                                     Neal Adams pencils and inks

Tower of Shadows Special #1

                                                                             Neal Adams pencils and inks

Ms. Mystic #1

                                                                         Neal Adams pencils, Tom Palmer inks

Avengers #93

 And finally, here's something many of you may not have seen . This is an example of Neal's work , early in his career, at Archie comics. This page dates from 1959. I wondered for years what his Archie work looked like, and I recently broke down and picked up this book off ebay, just to satisfy my curiosity.

Laugh Comics #107

Hope you found these images interesting. Neal has a pretty large body of work, including many classic runs: Green Lantern/Green Arrow, Avengers, X-Men, Batman, and so on. What are your favorite Adams books? Which pencillers do you think he complements best? What inkers are most appealing over Neal's pencils?  Time for you to chime in with all your thoughts about one of comicdom's greats.

This & That: Micronauts 7; Micronauts and Man-Things...

Micronauts 7;  July 1979

Cover by Michael Golden and Neal Adams

Writer: Bill Mantlo, Pencils Michael Golden, Inks Josef Rubinstein

Redartz:  Hey folks! For many months we have planned to do a review of a Micronauts issue, and in this Halloween season, what better issue to feature than one guest starring the macabre Man-Thing? So what are we waiting for, let's get started!

To begin with, here's the capsule summary of the action (there's so much going on in here, I don't think a 100-word review will suffice). 

 

The main storyline opens with the Micronauts (Commander Arcturus Rann, Marionette, Prince Acroyear, Biotron, Microtron and Bug) in the company of young Steve Coffin, the son of former astronaut Ray Coffin. Long story short, they are fishing at the Coffin's Everglades retreat while hiding out after escaping from H.E.L.L.(the Human Engineering Life Laboratory) at Cape Canaveral. Steve's father worked there and fell into the Promethius Pit (a dimensional interface) and disappeared. Take my word for it.








Anyway, Steve is grieving for his missing, and feared dead, father. But recall, this is the Everglades, and therein lurks a denizen particularly sensitive to such strong emotions: the Man-Thing. Manny is attracted by Steve's grieving, and makes his way to the fishing shack. Steve, emotionally distraught, runs from the shack right into the presence of the Man-Thing. 

Of course his first reaction is terror, and as we all know, "whatever knows fear burns at the touch of the Man-Thing". The Micronauts rush to Steve's defense, but prove pretty ineffectual against the walking slime bog. 

 


Steve finally pulls himself together and is determined to make a stand; he fires up the swamp buggy and essentially puts the Man-Thing through a blender. Of course this doesn't harm the creature, but he feels Steve's courage and wanders off into the swamp.

Oh, and there is also a brief retelling of the Micronauts' origin...

 


We also follow up on Ray Coffin, who fell into the Microverse with Dr. Promethius. Promethius has gone nuts and is discovered by the villainous Baron Karza who plans to possess Promethius' body in order to invade Earth in search of the Micronauts. Also, Ray himself has been transported to the presence of the mysterious Enigma Force. Then we catch up with the rebels on Commander Rann's home world, Homeworld.  And finally, it appears Baron Karza has succeeded in reaching Earth!

Yes, all this in a  32-page comic. This would require a six issue arc, these days...
Martinex1: I could not agree more Red.  One of the things that made The Micronauts one of my favorite books was the complexity of the storytelling.  It may not be Shakespeare, but Bill Mantlo and the artistic teams sure piled a lot into every issue.  I really wish comics were still like this.  At the very least it gave me a good long read; at best it drew me into the detailed plots and intricate characterizations.   I know that the book does not carry the cache of The Avengers or The X-Men, but back in the Bronze Age this book was on par with the greats.

The Cover:

Redartz: One of the biggest attractions to this comic. This is a truly incredible cover, rich with detail and swampy moodiness. Golden's art is wonderful to begin with, and having Neal Adams inks just puts 'extra sprinkles on the frosting'. Man-Thing looks great, and that snake in the foreground could slither right off the cover.
Martinex1: I agree.  How could this not be a "must buy book?"  Golden's style has changed a bit over the years, but I really liked this era in his career.   His characters had a style that was distinct and there were always levels to the detail. Both here and on ROM Spaceknight covers, his work stood out for me.

The Story:

Redartz: First off, I love the title "Adventure into Fear." An homage to Man-Thing's first 32-page comic series. A nice touch.

As noted above, there's a lot of material in this story. Mantlo does a fine job interweaving the myriad storylines together, and there are several. Karza's pursuit of the Micronauts, Ray Coffin's disappearance, the revolt on Homeworld, and the teaming of Steve with the Micronauts themselves. 

Speaking of which, Mantlo also succeeds nicely at giving voice to each unique character. Acroyear's dignity, Bug's wit, Microtron's subtle humor. What's more, Mantlo portrays the character of teenage Steve with sensitivity and perception. 

Another feature of Mantlo's writing here is the gradual exposition of the Micronaut's back story. The origin is revealed over the course of several issues, here Princess Mari (Marionette) learns some of that background from Rann's android friend Biotron (with whom Rann shares a mental link). One interesting feature of the Micro's tale is the depiction of Homeworld as a chain molecule. 
Martinex1: I love that molecular detail.  In later chapters we find that each world has a different climate, nature, or theme.  It was a very creative touch.
Redartz::This tale has just about everything: some humorous bits. The climactic scene of Steve putting Man-Thing through the swamp buggy could have come from an old issue of "Mad", when it still had that EC edginess. Of course there's plenty of drama and character development, and a generous helping of horror. That scene (shown above) of Bug trapped beneath Man-Thing's hand, burning alive with fear, is grimly chilling. Then there's that perfectly ominous final panel of Baron Karza emerging to Earth from the Promethius Pit; much stated in that single frame.
Martinex1: For those that don't know the Micronauts' lore, part of the story took place on their molecular homewold(s) and other sections occurred on Earth as the heroes traversed through a breach in the spacewall.  On Earth, the Micronauts were always about 6 inches tall.  In an early issue when they first arrived on our planet, the team marveled at a playground swing set.   They were trying to figure out what the structure was and they supposed it was perhaps a religious monument.  It was touches like that - their bewilderment of Earth - that expanded the entertainment for me.


The Artwork: 

Redartz: What is there to say? Michael Golden is phenomenal, and Joe Rubinstein's a premier inker. They make a very attractive, effective team here. 
Golden really shines at facial expressions, as seen in the panels above with Ray and Steve Coffin. With so much going on in this issue, it would be easy for things to get muddled; but Golden keeps the story moving with clear design and intricate (but not too-detailed) rendering. And speaking of rendering, Golden's depiction of the Man-Thing strikes me as very reminiscent of Mike Ploog's. And that is definitely a good thing. 

One minor negative, artwise: the art does suffer a bit from muddy printing. It may just be my copy, but some of the linework tends to get a bit lost. I'd love to see the original artwork from this book...
Martinex1: As would I.  When Michael Golden's work appeared in the first two issues of Marvel Fanfare, it was so apparent how a better printing process benefitted his details and lines. 

The Good:
Redartz: The artwork From the Microverse to the Everglades, each scene is unique and finely rendered. 
Martinex1: Also I think Mantlo must have enjoyed working on this title, because I feel that his characterizations and plots here were among his best.

The Bad: 
Redartz: Nothing really bad, but one little note: In the scene, shown above, where Marionette emotes concern over Bug's fiery fate, Commander Rann gets pretty wordy about his parent's background. It would seem more appropriate for a simple 'Holy Mackeral' as they rush to Bug's rather urgent need.
Martinex1:  Hah!  I agree, but that is also conversely what I so loved about the Bronze Age!

The Ugly:
Redartz: Once again, that panel of a burning Bug. It got to me the first time I read this, and it still creeps me out.
Martinex1: I have nothing here. 

Redartz: To sum up, a very good, solid Bronze age tale, well told and well illustrated. I would note that it might have been somewhat tough for someone starting the book with this issue, as so much is taking place and there's not much time for rehashing. But I'd recommend this comic, and indeed this title, to anyone. One of the Bronze Age's finest 'B' series. 
Martinex1: I think you already know where I stand, but to your point I would recommend that if you read this title that you start with issue #1 and definitely take in the first twelve issues.  That first year is really spectacular and tells an epic story.  It is too bad that this series does not get collected.  Later issues are great too as Pat Broderick takes on the art chores.  All in all, it was a great read with fantastic art.  I am anxious to hear what our frequent commentators have to say.  Cheers all!

Panel Discussion: Great Penciller / Inker Teams of the Bronze Age!

Redartz: The annals of the Bronze age are filled with comic tales illustrated by immensely talented creators. Many of those creators worked at times as solo artists, laying down pencils and then inking over their own work. Names like John Buscema, Barry Smith, Joe Kubert, John Byrne- all did notable work in this manner. But more often, a penciller was paired up with another artist, an inker; who would enhance  the pencilled art with inked lines in a blending of two individual artistic styles. Some pairings, predictably, were more successful than others. 

Today we will consider  the more effective examples. Which pencillers worked the best with which inkers?  Some teams have become iconic over the course of comics history; but that can be a subjective question. Here are four of my top teams, just to get things started.

Neal Adams / Dick Giordano

Talk about a history-making combination. Adams and Giordano were the hands behind many of DC's best stories and characters, producing truly classic tales of Batman, Deadman, Green Lantern and others. Here's a dramatic opening page from one of the Green Lantern solo back-ups in Flash comics, circa 1974...

Flash 226

John Byrne / Terry Austin

This could be, possibly, the single greatest artistic team in comic art history. In my opinion, it very well may be. Byrne and Austin made magic out of whatever they worked on together. Their art styles were flawlessly matched. Many of my top favorite comic stories came from their drawing boards, including this incredible panel with Kitty Pryde and Wolverine.  

Uncanny X-Men 131

Sal Buscema / Klaus Janson

Sorry about the black/white reproduction, the "Essential Defenders" doesn't feature color. But it does feature some fabulous stories, several of which are by Sal and Klaus. Janson's heavy shadows and detailed linework add solidity to Sal's pencils, and the results are spectacular.

Marvel Treasury Edition 12

Gene Colan / Tom  Palmer

These two have been paired many times, on many books; due doubtlessly to their absolutely perfect melding of styles. Palmer's polish beautifully enhances Gene's cinematic pencils, anytime, anywhere. And this page highlights two characters intimately associated with them...

Dr. Strange 14

Next, here's two examples of rather unusual pairings that  I found appealing...


 Carmine Infantino and Klaus Janson

Infantino seems to channel a bit of his old Silver age Flash skill here, showing off DD's aerial technique. And speaking of technique, you can't beat Janson's moody inks here. A different look, but very solid. 

Daredevil 152

Barry Smith and Frank Brunner

Two excellent artists, known for highly detailed work. One might think they wouldn't quite blend visually, but this page is excellent. You get Smith's design sense and Brunner's finesse. That last  panel close-up is incredible.

Marvel Premiere 4

Each of the above-mentioned artists also did phenomenal work with other artists, and there are dozens of others to add to the list. That's where you come in. What other great combos can you name? How would you rank them? Which pencillers do you feel looked better with their own inks?  Which inkers most effectively meshed with a variety of pencillers? What unorthodox pairings of pencil and ink found approval in your eyes? Sharpen your pencils, open that ink bottle and let's talk art!