Panel Discussion: Joe Kubert, Artistic Ace!

 

Redartz:  The subject of our tribute and discussion this week is a man perhaps less familiar to Marvel zuvembies,  but certainly revered by DC fans, and the comics world in general. Joe Kubert's career began back in the Golden Age of comics, and spanned every subsequent decade until his passing in 2012. His work was seen at practically every publisher you could name- MLJ/Archie, Quality, Atlas/Marvel, EC, and St. John (where Kubert and Norman Maurer introduced the world to 3-D comics).

But Kubert is probably best known for his brilliant work at DC, where he worked for many years . Here's an example of Joe's earlier work from Eerie #9, 1952 (Avon Publications).

Kubert created, or was involved in the creation of many characters,  including Viking Prince, Tor, Thorn, Enemy Ace; and was part of the team that started the Silver Age with the Flash in Showcase 4. He handled a huge share of DC's noted war comics, his years on Sgt. Rock positively iconic. On many of those war tales Kubert worked with Robert Kanigher, weaving the adventures of Rock, The Losers, Unknown Soldier, Haunted Tank and Enemy Ace. He also handled the art on DC's "Tarzan", and gave us the classic look for Hawkman. And although he was mostly associated with 'adventurous' titles,  Kubert also rendered most of DC's heroic stable: Batman, Superman,  Flash, and the Justice League.  Indeed, as often as Gil Kane's work could be seen on Marvel covers, Kubert's shined on DC covers.

On a personal note,  my first exposure to Joe's art was on the great covers for "Rima the Jungle Girl".
Those books were a visual treat both inside ( gorgeous work by Nestor Redondo) and outside, with Kubert's dramatic covers. Years later I further came to appreciate Kubert's skills when I became intrigued by his "Enemy Ace" strip. His magnificent,  gritty, powerful rendering is unmistakable. And those aerial dogfights and vintage planes- Kubert was a master. 

Speaking of mastery, his eye for drama was second to none. You'll see this on display below in another BitBA Gallery of Great Covers. But first we must mention another of Kubert's contributions to the industry: the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. Founded in 1976, the Kubert School has produced many new professional talents for the comics world.  Just another way in which Joe Kubert's influence continues to this day, and on into the future. 

And now, time to look over some covers (something I always enjoy, anyway). Hope you enjoy them too, and that they inspire you to share your thoughts on this giant of the comics industry...

 

                                  Love the three-part design of the cover on the left below...

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

This may be my favorite comic cover of all time...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

Saw this on the racks in 1974 and couldn't pass it up...

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Kubert really had a knack for rendering piercingly powerful expressions, as on the right below...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Some dramatic perspective, here...

 

 

 More recently, here's the cover from Joe's Graphic Novel treatment of Viet Nam...

 

 

 

And how better to conclude this tour of Kubert's work than with his take on the Bible?

In response to HB's request, here is the cover for Justice Inc. #4. Another impressive Kubert...

Short Cuts: The Fun and Foibles of Fast Food!

 

Redartz:  One facet of Bronze Age life (and life today, as well) that loomed large for kids was the phenomenon of Fast Food. Few of us were immune to the appeal of a cheeseburger and french fries, courtesy of Ronald McDonald, the Burger King, or some other purveyor of prefab cuisine. It may have been a weekly family meal. It may have been a trip to get a cone after a ball game. It may even have been an afterschool job (my first real job was flipping burgers at McDonalds). Whatever the origin, most of us have some experience, and hence some memories, of these restaurants. 

 

 

Most prominent, and most frequently visited by our family, was McDonald's. I couldn't resist those fries. And  to this day I've a fondness for the Filet-O-Fish sandwich. Just keep Ronald at a distance, please; clowns can be...discomforting.

One standout memory of McDonald's for me actually stems from my brief period of employment therein. One summer's day I went out with a friend to play tennis all afternoon, foolishly forgetting about any sunscreen. That night I was scheduled to work the grill, and all was fine at first. But as the evening wore on, my sunburn became more and more evident, and painful. It got to the point I was almost feverish standing in front of that grill, so I found some relief by ducking back into the freezer repeatedly until my shift ended. Not a pleasant night. 

 

Another chain that we patronized fairly often was Burger Chef: pretty similar to McD's overall, but with a more local flavor. "Burger Chef and Jeff" were the animated spokesmen who enticed kids to drag their families in for a "Fun Meal". This combo of a sandwich, fries and drink also included a toy, which MeDonald's soon 'borrowed' in the form of the "Happy Meal". One fond memory of  Burger Chef is the sight across the midwest of birdhouses in the shape of a Burger Chef store. They can still be seen on occasion, usually with the old logo long faded away. Burger Chef itself faded away in the 1980's, as it was absorbed by Hardee's. 

That's two stories from two fast food places. How many more stories await from you, and how many other such restaurants attracted your patronage? Did you go for the big national chains, or prefer smaller local outfits? Who made the best burgers? Who had the worst commercials? Who watered down the Cokes ? It's all to go this week...

Follow the Leader: Potential Marvel Video!

 

Redartz: Hi gang! Your humble host is rather sidetracked and occupied this week, so it seemed a perfect opportunity to bring out the Leader. You all are quite experienced in this practice, so our weekly discussion is in good hands! As always, the first commenter to chime in gets to set the agenda. Soooo, carry on!

Sound and the Fury: Perfect 'Headphones' Music- Art Rock!

 

Redartz:  If you were like me 'back in the Bronze Age', you spent some time (possibly a great deal of time) sitting in your room, headphones on, eyes closed, just listening to some fantastic lp. And not just listening: absorbing, experiencing, FEELING it. The best music lends itself to such activity, it grabs you on numerous levels. Music offers many styles, many genres, capable of appealing to any taste. But one particular genre, Art Rock, seemed ideally suited. to Serious Listening. 

Art Rock (or Progressive Rock, or Symphonic Rock: labels and genres can be rather fluid things)  arose in the 60's with the experimental work of such acts as the Beatles, Velvet Underground, and even the Beach Boys. Psychedelia also no doubt lent a hand. Albums became 'concepts', the music itself more complex. Yes, it sometimes edged into pomposity or self-indulgence, but the best experimental music led the way to the genre's popularity  peak in the 70's. 

There were many bands active in Art Rock, some exclusively and others just dabbling. This is the crux of our discussion this time; what were your favorite progressive bands? Which left you bleary eyed? What were the best albums, best songs, and conversely, which were the worst? What later acts do you feel owe a debt to Art Rock and it's practitioners?

To give you a starting point, here are three examples by three of my favorite Art Rockers. All three of these bands filled my youthful headphones often, and indeed still do.  

 

 Emerson, Lake and  Palmer:  "From the Beginning:

 

 

The Moody Blues:  "Tuesday Afternoon"

 

 

The Alan Parsons Project:  "The Raven"

 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm grabbing my headphones and a comfortable chair...

Chew the Fat: A Simple Summer Survey of Style and Sentiment!

 

Redartz:  Almost done with June already; seems as if this year just started. And late June means that we are in the heady days of High Summer! This time of year is nice, as generally the scorching heat of later Summer hasn't arrived yet (although where I live, the heat and humidity is already pretty oppressive). At any rate, it seemed a good time to offer a salute to those lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer (a bonus hat tip to the first to identify that old chestnut's performer). Plus, it's been awhile since we did a quiz, so here we go with a little Summer Survey. Pour yourself an iced tea and let's get started...

1. Name your favorite "Summer Song". Yes, a challenge to start off with. There are sooooo many perfect possibilities for this, but my pick will be Bananarama and "Cruel Summer". A great song, and it always evokes that art school Summer of 1984; burgers grilling in the lot between our apartment houses while that song played on somebody's boombox. Oh yeah...

 

 

2. Share a comic that has specific Summer memories for you. For me, this one's easy. Amazing Spider-Man 161 (you remember, the issue with Nightcrawler). That Summer of 1976, I was taking Driver's Education at school. Our High School was located near downtown, a short walk from the store where I got my weekly fix of comics. The day that book came out I had class scheduled, so I stopped and picked it up on the way to DE. I subsequently sat and read it , sitting in the shade of the school building while waiting for class to begin (perhaps not the coolest image amongst the other future drivers, but hey, it was Spider-Man. Nuff Said).

3. Name your favorite Summer Blockbuster film. Here's another possibly challenging question, but I'll have to go with "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Perfect fun, perfect adventure, perfect music, perfect cast. And a perfect way for a pack of college students to spend a Summer night in air-conditioned comfort (our apartment building had no A/C, so we loved to get out on those sultry evenings).

4. What's your favorite Summertime edible and / or potable?  I'll go with a tasty Hot Dog, red hot, with Cheese and Mustard, preferably with a ballpark around it. And wash it down with an icy cold lemonade, fresh squeezed...

5.  Describe a feature of Summer that is uniquely appealing to you personally. This I can answer in one word: fireflies. Or, as they were called in my neck of the woods, "lightning bugs". Fascinating little insects, fun to watch and they don't bite. In fact, they often like to land on you and crawl down your arm. Seeing a bunch of these little illuminated wonders flickering on a late June night turns me into a ten-year-old all over again...

 

Okay, my survey is done; yours is just beginning! We all await your Summery summations...

Funny Books: Ducks and Covers! Disney's Donald and Scrooge...

 

Redartz:  Some of the first comics I ever read, and loved, were Walt Disney books featuring the adventures of Donald Duck, his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, and Donald's financially obsessed Uncle Scrooge McDuck. These stories grabbed my youthful  imagination, and held me fast even through the teen years and on into adulthood. Indeed, there were times when I stopped buying superhero comics, or dropped Archie comics, yet still maintained interest in these Disney Ducks. And much of the reason for that was the gargantuan influence of Carl Barks. 

Carl Barks was the writer /artist for Donald Duck for decades, and was the creator of many beloved Disney characters, particularly Scrooge McDuck himself. Barks' storytelling skills are the stuff of legend; going way beyond the limited 'gag strips' that were found in some "funny animal" books. Barks told humorous tales, cautionary tales, morality tales, and usually with a hefty dose of adventure. How could any kid resist titles like "Ghost of the Grotto", "The Cave of Ali Baba", or "The Lost Crown of Genghis Khan"? 

And the cast of characters Barks weaved into his 'Duck Tales': the Terrible Beagle Boys, Magica DeSpell, Gyro Gearloose, Flintheart Glomgold, just to name a few. Barks gave each character a unique voice and personality, and gave the world of Disney's Ducks a level of characterization rivaling that used later by Marvel. And that characterization certainly applied to the main cast: manipulative Scrooge, bemused Donald, and the nephews (who generally seemed the most rational and capable of the whole family). 

But there was much more to Carl Barks than just his writing. His artwork is equally legendary; not for nothing was he known as "The Good Artist" (for years there were no credits for Disney creators, but his rendering stood out from the rest earning him that sobriquet). Barks was unparalleled at giving emotive expression to his characters. 

  

He also excelled at , well, basically everything. He could beatifully render dramatic scenery, 

 

 

 animals, 

 bizarre monsters, 

 and intricate architecture.

 There weren't many humor books in which you found artwork that you could pore over and admire, regardless of the story. Barks' work, in that regard, puts him among the greats of the comics genre: Eisner, Kirby, Wood. And I'm not overstating things here; Barks' work has stood the test of time. Each generation rediscovers these great stories. In the bronze age, we had Gold Key and Whitman. In the 80's Gladstone Publishing kept them in the comics shops. Still later Disney itself published the books, and today we have Boom! and Dark Horse.

Don Rosa's first Duck cover

 

And what's more, there's more to it than simply representing the genius of Barks' work. Another artist/writer, Don Rosa, took on the Duck reins (where would one put reins on  a duck?) in 1987 and brought a whole new tradition of excellence to books like Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge and Walt Disney's Comics and Stories. Like Barks before him, Rosa worked with intricate storylines and equally intricate artwork. I've come to love Rosa's work too, to the extent that I'm currently awaiting delivery of a copy of Rosa's magnum opus: "The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck"; a two-volume biography of the famous curmudgeon extrapolated from the whole history weaved by Barks. "Life and Times" won an Eisner for best story some years ago, and I'm finally going to enjoy it. 

 

 

 

Which brings me to one final point: the availability of the Disney Duck stories. One great strength of Gold Key was the variety of formats they used to present these comics. The regular comic series were supplemented by Digests, Giants, and large format collections. This practice has continued to the present day, as we have unprecedented access to finely bound collections of Barks (and Rosa's) works. 

 

 

To sum up: my love for the Disney ducks quite literally continues even today; a common reading thread that took me from childhood to grandparenthood! And chances are many among you are also fans of these books. Which is one way of saying it's time to hear from you; what are your thoughts about Donald, Scrooge, their creators, comics, casts, and all the rest? And while you compose those thoughts, here's some covers from the whole range of Duckdom...