Martinex1: We have all kinds of new posts in store for you this coming week. Get ready for a Labor Day holiday on Monday, a Follow the Leader episode on Tuesday, and a great DC debate on Wednesday. Redartz and I are planning far out in advance so buckle up and get ready.
And remember, even though we have been running some repeats on Sundays, we always welcome recommendations from your reading and viewing experiences is the comment section. Share what you have been enjoying in terms of comics, novels, non-fiction, movies, television, and even food in this shared space today.
If you have any topics you want to suggest please reach out to us at backinthebronzeage@gmail.com. We welcome your ideas and if you would like to guest post, we would be glad to help you out.
Today we have an old $1 Challenge from December 3rd, 2015. It originally appeared over at the Bronze Age Babies site where we got our start. Have a great Sunday ... cheers!
Martinex1: Here is a simple question… has the color of a comic cover ever caused you to buy it? For me, I know the answer has been “yes.” So I have ravaged my collection and offer these covers for you to choose in a game of “If I Had a Buck”.
I think colorists are underrated in the impact of comic art. I really enjoy looking at original comic line art like the samples Doug has shared from various IDW offerings. When I see those pencils and inks and imagine how they might look in finished form, colored and printed, sometimes my expectations are met and exceeded with the actual production and sometimes the finished work falls flat.
Speaking for myself, I am attracted to certain aspects of coloring on cover art. Here are some things that attract me:
- Secondary colors. Superhero comic characters (particularly heroes) tend to bathe in the primary colors. So many costumes are heavy in blues and reds. When a cover instead emphasizes oranges and purples and greens and pinks, they stand out. I think you will see some of that below.
- Monotones. Less color is sometimes more. I like when a single color floods the landscape or fills the cover; those books always attract me. In Moon Knight’s first series, many covers limited the color use. I think that is because the hero’s costume is essentially black and white, and too much garishness around it caused the figure to “disappear”. A graphic designer might need to comment, but whatever the reason the effect was dramatic.
- Tying all elements together. When the logo and corner box all match the cover color scheme, it seems like coherent art. I believe that when John Byrne designed the famous Alpha Flight #3 cover (with Aurora in a background of black and white rods) he wanted the logo and marketing points to be in black and white also; instead they were colored yellow. orange, and pink. Mistake or not, I think complete consistency helps.
- Pastels. I noticed that I enjoy pastel colors in contrast to bold solid colors. DC seemed to master this technique. Aquaman in the late ‘60s used a nice color palette that offered varied hues. DC’s coloring at the time seemed more experimental.
- Unexpected choices. I originally saw the Mike Zeck art for the Captain America issue (below) in black and white form. I expected it to be a nighttime or stormy scene (because of the cloud and the dreariness and bleakness of the action). When I saw the actual cover, I was taken aback. It was not dark greys and deep sea blues like I expected. Instead, it was perhaps “dawn’s early light”. Nice. Plus the orange really contrasted well with Cap’s costume colors and the logo.
Unfortunately, I cannot find credits for who colored the twelve samples below. And I don’t want to assume that the interior colorist handled the cover art or that the penciler had any input to the color scheme (although that may be the case). So any input about that topic is appreciated.
What draws your eye to a comic on the stands? Is it all content or are there subtleties in color or technique that catch your fancy? Make your choices from below, and if you have any comments about particular storylines, artists, layouts, and design please share that as well. I appreciate all commentary (and it only costs you an imaginary dollar). I’ll throw in some dialogue balloons for free.
Aquaman #37. Cover Price $0.12. Aquaman: “Hang on Ariel! I see Mickey, he’ll know what to do!”
Avengers #85. Cover Price $0.15. Wanda: “Why does that say ‘Sinister’? What kind of strange alternate world is this”?
Captain America #224. Cover Price $0.35. Cap: “BLUUURFFFF!”
Defenders #103. Cover Price $0.60. Casper: “Will you be my friend”?
Doom Patrol #119. Cover Price $0.12. Robotman: “If he steals my mind, there’s really not much left!”
Flash #286. Cover Price $0.40. Flash: “I taste lemons, cherries and oranges! Curse you Fruit Stripe Zebra!”
Iron Man #152. Cover Price $0.50. Iron Man: “Shhhh!”
Metal Men #33. Cover Price $0.12. Iron: “That headline’s a little on the nose, isn’t it?”
Moon Knight #3. Cover Price $0.50. Freddie Mercury (off panel): “Super powers always fighting. But Mona Lisa keeps on smiling”
Namor, The Sub-Mariner #8. Cover Price $1.00. Head: “When they said ‘Floating Head Cover’, I had something else in mind entirely”.
Teen Titans #14. Cover Price $0.12. Robin: “I know smoking will be the death of me”.
X-Men #138. Cover Price $0.50. Cyclops: “I haven’t washed my civvies since Muir Island!”
10 comments:
Hi All!
Quick question: I was reading Twomorrow's "Back Issue" Magazine which focuses on the Bronze Age every month, at my LCB store (where the former artist on Dick Tracy works!).
Anyhow the whole current issue was focused on a comic from the 80s called Marvel Fanfare. Just glancing through the issue it seems the comic was pretty good. Anyone have an opinion on it?
Cheers, CH-47
CH-47, in my opinion Marvel Fanfare started out extremely strong. It arrived with a lot of fanfare in the early 80s. It was printed on special paper and the first arc was written by Chris Claremont and starred Spider-Man, the Angel, Ka-Zar and the X-Men. The art in the first two issues was by Michael Golden; it was gorgeous. The art that followed was by Dave Cockrum and Paul Smith to finish the X-Men tale in the Savage Land if I recall correctly.
The book was a rotation of different creators and art teams on different characters. But unfortunately it quickly devolved into a place where warehoused stories started filling the pages. But there were some intermittent great moments throughout. And you can pick up issues very cheaply. I pulled about 20 issues from a 50 cent bin recently.
One memorable arc in Fanfare was George Perez' work on Black Widow - those issues are fantastic and worth a look.
It also had some characters show up that I would have liked to see perform better - for example there was a multi-issue arc of the Asgardian Warriors Three. And as much as I like these characters and would like to see their success, I cannot remember anything about the story.
The covers on Fanfare were top notch but sometimes they hid weaknesses beneath. I remember some great painted covers of Shanna the She-Devil only to have some of the interior art created by Carmine Infantino at a time he was not at his best.
Like any book with rotating stars, I think it depended on the attraction of the particular characters and the people behind the art and writing. It was originally I believe intended to be a showcase for the best characters and the best creators, but I don't think they were able to pull that off so it became a glossy Marvel Spotlight.
Charlie, just to confirm what Martinex said: Marvel Fanfare started out really strong, and the first dozen or so issues are well worth reading. (Back in the day when I was a preteen and then early teen who had just discovered his first comic book shop, I was totally in love with the series - and those first 4 issues with the X-men/Savage Land story were pure magic to me). After that, you have to pick and choose, although there's some good stuff in there, like an issue (#15 I think) with a funny Thing story written and drawn by Barry Windsor Smith. There's actually a Marvel Fanfare tpb, called "Strange Tales," that collects the entirety of the first seven issues - it's worth picking up, since it can be found pretty cheaply, I think.
By the way, Martinex, you're right about the Warriors Three stories - which ran over 4 issues if I recall correctly. The art, by Charles Vess, is so beautiful, but the stories are entirely forgettable.
My quest for all things Byrne had me discover Marvel Fanfare #29.
His story has all splash pages!!
I was in heaven.
Thanks Gents!
I truly appreciate the feedback!
Well, sounds like some things to hunt for and some things not to hunt for, LOL.
Funny... in the Back Issue mag, the art they show is absolutely top notch! And I am a sucker for Asgard, Black Widow, and other "minor" Marvel characters, which the mag showed a lot of. So, I was actually going to ebay the Asgardian Warriors ones and the Black Widow ones but now, methinks not, true believers! You saved CH-47 some geech!
(Carmine Infantino on Sheena? Sheesh... I have trouble imagining that! Though, who knows, perhaps he drew a ton of those jungle books in the 40s and 50s that are gorgeous?)
Anyone else have any thoughts? I had punched out of comics around 1975 to 1990 so the 80s is a big void for me.
CH47 - I hope I did not confuse you - the Black Widow 4 issue run is worth getting. Definitely a definitive story for her back in the Bronze Age.
Marti - Cool! I'll be after it! Really loved the way she was portrayed by Colan in those DD stories around issue 90 (around 1972). Also liked some of the initial solo stories in Amazing Adventures (?) in like the first 10 issues. She had half the comic and INhumans (?) had the other half?
Yeah, Charlie, to be more specific: I'd recommend getting the Marvel Fanfare tpb I mentioned above, plus the Black Widow issues (which have also been collected somewhere, I think) and you've got some of the best material from the series.
Awesome Edo! Thanks!
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