Panel Discussion: The Art of Barry Smith!

 

Redartz:  Quite recently I was taking a leisurely tour through some comics websites and happened to see something that grabbed my attention. It seemed Barry Windsor Smith's decades-awaited book "Monsters" was being released by Fantagraphics. Out of curiosity I looked into the availability of a signed edition, and lo, there it was; a signed vellum page included in this special edition. Essentially forty dollars more than the standard edition. Well, I decided to think about it a bit. Next morning, I logged back in to pull the trigger on it, and discovered it was no longer available. The entire signed edition had sold out overnight.!Ah well, so then I ordered the regular edition . I'm currently about 100 pages into it and am most impressed.  Long story made short: Barry's newest work prompted the decision to open a discussion of his career and art in general. 

Before we look at his more familiar work, here's a few pages from "Monsters"; just to give you a sample.  I don't see the 'art deco' styling we know from his "Conan" work, However, Barry's trademark detail and intricate linework is evidenced everywhere. Literally, everywhere across 365 pages of fully illustrated story. Oh, and sorry for the skew images, this book is impossible to fit into a scanner...

Now, here's a sampling of Barry's black/white work. Personally, I enjoy his art in this format more than in color, but it's a visual treat either way. Not many can render with the finesse that he can, and still  maintain solid storytelling quality. And aside from the pen work, his sense of basic design and dramatic highlighting is superb. I could look at this print all day...

 

 

 

Here's the classic cover from Conan Annual 1. Better in color or b/w?  A tough call, what do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

And another fine image...

 

 

 

 

This is a set of bookmarks featuring a familiar scarlet haired warrior woman; a convention pickup back in 1975...

 

 

 

 

Then there's this incredible page from "Worms of the Earth" as presented in Savage Sword of Conan 16-17. Man, wish I'd kept those.

Inks by Tim Conrad

 

 

Finally, we present a selection of Barry's color work, in roughly chronological order. Talk about artistic development! There's some real gems here; Conan 16 reprinting "The Frost Giant's Daughter" in color ; with Barry himself handling the brush. And that Marvel Presents with the Thing is both gorgeous and a  hoot. Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inks by Frank Giacoia

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inks by Dan Adkins

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Now that you've seen the evidence, time for you to make your judgement calls. What do you think of Barry and his work?  Which books are your favorites?  Granted, his work in comics has been intermittent, but what he's done has been pretty remarkable. Share your thoughts about the imagery and imagination of Barry Windsor Smith...

 

 

Two Questions: "You Can't Go Home Again"...But.......

 

 Redartz: Hello gang; hope you're up for a little introspection. I'll try to keep things light, never fear! This week's post was prompted by an experience I had over the past weekend. Being Mother's Day on Sunday, I went back North to my hometown to visit my Mom (having moved around some, she has ended up back where we started). The visit was great, had a good time visiting with her and with other family members. When the event ended, I had a little extra time available before I needed to hit the highway for home. So on a whim, I decided to take a little drive around the old haunts and see how things had changed. 

As it turned out, much had. Sadly, my hometown fell victim to the worst effects of recession and loss of industry. I knew that going in, but it kind of struck me more intently; seeing so many familiar sights gone. There were a few businesses actually remaining that I recalled from, well, forty years ago. And there were some signs that there was still some life in the town, despite the omnipresent empty buildings and abandoned lots. But perhaps what hit me hardest was my stop at a local park; one I visited very frequently as a youth (indeed, among my very earliest memories is a trip to said park with my family and cousins, drinking Kool-Aid and swinging on the swingsets). Long story short, the park was being eliminated. All the swings and attractions were gone. Picnic tables gone. Even the trees were being cut down. It was.....disappointing. 

But, as I said above, I don't want to get too down here. As they say, the only constant in life is change. Which brings us to our questions. After I left town and was on the three hour drive home, I had the radio (Sirius XM) going full bore.  The music, all 70's and 80's, perked me up quickly, as did the knowledge that some of the changes I witnessed would work for the good. So,  our questions:

1.  How has your 'origin town' changed! Have you visited recently; or perhaps even still live there? Is there much remaining that would have been familiar to young you? 

2.  If you are needing a little 'blast from the past', how do you achieve it? We surely have many ways, in this day of internet availability. Additionally, where do you find elements of optimism, signs of improvement, as you look around you physically and culturally? If you were a teen today, what would you look back on fondly? 

Again, hope this isn't too...navel-contemplative. Just kind of put me in a thoughtful state of mind this week. At any rate, here's a sneak preview hint for next week: a look at BWS...

Short Cuts: Comic Book Oddities and Obscurities !

 

 Redartz:  Throughout their history, comics have been published in a variety of formats, shapes and sizes. There have been digests, magazine size issues, mini comics, promotional comics, giveaway comics, book-and-record comics, and so on. If you're like me and enjoy variety, you find these variations to be a lot of fun. Sometimes tough to read (those Marvel Mini-Books from the gumball machines could only be opened for reading by separating the pages, essentially), but certainly a cool offshoot from standard comics fandom..All of the below illustrated examples are items I've encountered, some of which I've owned.  The Spider-Man vs. Prodigy giveaway is....rather odd. A sex education pamphlet from Planned Parenthood; it did have art by Ross Andru.

The Jonny Quest mini came packaged with VHS tapes of the original tv series; there were four each adapting an episode of the program.

The Justice League/Secret Origins mini was sold at candy counters in the late 70's. As were the Marvel Amurol mini's, which actually came with a piece of gum.

The Simpsons mini is identical to the regular standard size release but doesn't contain the fake newspaper insert.

The Big Boy comic was always a treat to be anticipated when our family dined at "Frisch's", somehow this one avoided food stains.

Those are just a few of the stories behind these eclectic gems . There are many more; and that's where you come in. Did you have any of these unusual, out-of-the-ordinary type comics? What other ones have you encountered? What's the strangest comic form you've come across? This week let's examine these 'obscurities' of the comic world...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chew the Fat: Adventures in Biking!

 

 Redartz:  As we prepare to undertake another week's discussion, once again some thank you credits are due. In this case, the kudos go to HB, for prompting the idea for this topic in a recent comment. Well done, sir; it sure helps to have so many sources for inspiration when it comes to ideas for a post! And now, onward...

In the past, we've discussed bikes, and we've discussed road trips. But we haven't discussed that mainstay  of kid gang movies, the bike trip. Think of "The Sandlot", "It", "Stranger Things"; what is one thing they have in common? The group of friends and their faithful two-wheeled steeds. Even "E.T." had Elliot and crew riding in style (in the sky, actually).

I'd bet  a cold Dr. Pepper that most every one of us had some similar experiences, cruising the streets and trails on our Shwinn's and Huffy's in search of adventure, comics, or bottles to cash in. So now we get to revisit those heady days of speed, comradeship, and the occasional mean, chasing dog..

My adventuring days began once my parents finally lifted my range restrictions. For seeming eons, I was limited to riding from one end our our (rather lengthy) suburban street to the  other end. But when they released me to the streets, I was off. My friends and I would ride to the drug store (for the obvious usuals: comics, baseball cards, candy bars or a Coke). We'd  ride from one kid's house to another to another. We'd ride to school every now and then, passing on the normal daily bus ride. 

In our neighborhood we had access to a great patch of woods along a river, winding to a gravel pit in one direction and downtown in the other. We would drag our bikes down to that trail along the river and ride over roots and rocks. 

Our trail (on foot here, but you get the idea)

And this was years before anyone heard about 'mountain bikes'. It was especially cool to ride towards downtown, as you'd pass by a city park along the river; a perfect place to park the bikes for a rest and go hit the swings. It was even better if you'd packed a lunch ; that made for an epic summer afternoon. lying by the river, watching the sun glisten off the ripples (and off your shiny handlebars), enjoying the breeze, and 'shooting the breeze' with your pals. 

 

My longest ride was with a good friend who lived in the next town. One Saturday morning we took off riding (his Dad was kind enough to cram my bike in their trunk when he picked me up for an overnight visit). We rode out of town, out into the country, and down one County road after another; just exploring, talking, and following nothing in particular. Eventually we made our way back into town, but only after my little mileage meter showed about 25 miles had expired. Looking back, I realize that there's really no better way to wander than on two wheels. Fast enough to actually get somewhere, but slow enough that you genuinely see your surroundings, feel the roadway and the grass, hear the birds. A road trip in a car takes you much farther, but keeps you insulated from that whole world out there. 

But enough mental meanderings from me. What tales do you have of a bike, a buddy and a bit of road?

  

TV Guided: The Golden Age of Sitcoms?

 

 Redartz: It wasn't too long ago that some folks claimed the sitcom to be dead. Turns out they were wrong; there are quite a few comedies on network tv worth the viewing in 2021. But as this is "Back in the Bronze Age" and not "Here in the Netflix Age", we're looking at some earlier programming (so as not to give the impression that I'm totally lost in the past, I think one could make a good argument that we are currently in a Golden Age of television drama, but that's another tale for another day).

Back to the sitcoms (or Situation Comedies, for those sticklers among us). Our title above mentions a Golden age; to what does that refer? Well, in my  humble opinion, to the 1970's. Granted, every decade has had it's share of enjoyable, popular, even classic comedies. You might well choose to argue that my claim for the 70's misses the mark. Well, that is the crux for our topic this week. But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

Consider the decade that opened with "The Brady Bunch", "The Partridge Family", and "The Odd Couple". 

 

 Basically played for laughs, and those were found in abundance. But as the decade progressed, the comedies got more...socially conscious. More introspective. More biting. Think of "All in the Family" and "Maude". 

 

 And the comedies got more diverse; with "The Jeffersons" and "Chico and the Man". 

 

But the world of 70's sitcoms also had it's lighter fare. Nostalgia was a big draw, with "Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley". 

 

 So were 'urban comedies' such as "Taxi" and "Barney Miller". 

 

 And of course the decade ended with the sheer wackiness of Robin Williams in "Mork and Mindy".  Obviously the decade offered a wide choice of comic material...

 

As further evidence, I bring your attention to the CBS schedule for Saturday nights in the 1973 season. "All in the Family", "M*A*S*H", "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", "The Bob Newhart Show", and "The Carol Burnett Show" . Even granting that that last program was technically a variety show, that still must qualify as the greatest single night of televised comedy in broadcast history. Whatta lineup...

Anyway, the sheer abundance of strong comedies (and I have only scratched the surface here) in the 70's pretty much settles my case. Golden Age of Sitcoms? I'm going with the decade of Hawkeye Pierce, Rhoda Morganstern and the Fonz. 

You still disagree? Excellent; that's where our topic gets juicy. What decade, or era, would you say qualifies as a 'Golden Age' of comedy? If you agree with me, fine; why? And if you've other thoughts, then by all means convince us otherwise! 

And for our UK contingent: certainly don't intend to leave you out. Your BBC and ITV certainly offered some comic viewing, what were the best schedules? The best shows? Was there a particular era that stood out for you, programming-wise? The table is wide open to discuss the Greatest Eras of Comedy...