Panel Discussion: The Best Single Panels, Fantastic Four edition!

Redartz:  Greetings, art lovers! Today we shall look at some panels of Bronze age goodness as presented in the pages of everyone's favorite Marvel family, the Fantastic Four. There were numerous prominent artists featured on the title during the 70's and 80's, each with stylistic elements all their own. But on this book, a famous inker gave the artwork a consistency in appearance unlike most other books published at the time. Yes, we're talking about Joltin' Joe Sinnott. 

Joe inked most of the panels you'll see today, so it sort of becomes an exercise in spotting the fundamental differences in pencilling style showing through Joe's fantastic (of course) inks.

And there are, of course, several examples we'll see of FF art as inked by others as well. So with no further delay, let's see some of what made the FF "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine". In chronological order, more or less...

Jack Kirby pencils, Joe Sinnott inks (Fantastic Four 91)

Where else would we start, but with the King? His reign on the FF  ended early in the Bronze age, but here are a couple panels from a late issue with his pencils. Everything just Looks Right. And very few can render the Torch like he does. Also, note the tight influence of Joe Sinnott's inks. He sets a standard early on that he will maintain for a long while.

John Buscema pencils, Joe Sinnott inks (Fantastic Four 120)

After a brief stint by John Romita Sr., Big John Buscema took over the pencilling chores on the FF. And they were in very capable hands, indeed. Buscema gave the figures a classic, noble look while plainly exhibiting the power of Kirby. Just check out the Thing's (literally) jarring knockout of Annhilus below. Oh, and this full pager of Gabriel is spectacular. Normally I try to avoid full pagers on these panel posts, but as you'll see, some here were irresistable.

Also, the overall look of the book remains consistent, thanks to Sinnott's flawless inks. We see a pattern emerging here.

(Fantastic Four 141)

John Buscema pencils and inks (Fantastic Four 175)

Here we  have a rare example of John inking his own pencils. Different, but very nice.

Rich Buckler pencils, Joe Sinnott inks

Rich Buckler came on late in 1973, and brought a very Kirby-esque look to the book. That said, I always felt Buckler had a fine dramatic sense and could design a killer composition, He was pencilling the book when I started reading it, so he's a personal favorite. 

From FF 157 

This page from issue 157 is a beaut. Incredible use of the borders; incidentally making it impossible to select a single panel from the page. Buckler's Mephisto is a vision of malevolence.

From FF 150

One of my favorite FF stories. From the pageantry of the wedding to the action against Ultron , Buckler handles it flawlessly (with, of course, the continuing eloquence of Sinnott's inking).

From FF 148

Another fine issue, spectacular battle scenes choreographed effectively . Sandman sure looks potent here. And I always felt Buckler drew a perfect Ben Grimm.

George Perez pencils, Pablo Marcos inks (Fantastic Four Annual 14)

I recall being disappointed upon learning that Rich Buckler was leaving the Fantastic Four. But that disappointment was short-lived. The incomparable George Perez came on and gave the book his famous detail.

In these first panels we see the solid inks of Pablo Marcos. He did some very nice work over Perez on the Avengers, and it works again well here.  Love that monochrome panel of Ben and Johnny. And that panel with the possessed FF, with their blanked eyes- creepy. Sort of like Little Orphan Annie...

George Perez pencils, Joe Sinnott inks 

From FF 176 

Here we get the great Perez teamed with the FF's perennial inker Sinnott. And a wonderful team it is. Perez puts so much into a panel, it's incomprehensible. The Impossible Man as a pair of dangling booties is positively inspired. And, you have to enjoy the fun with the Marvel offices...

 

 From FF 187

Another great issue; Klaw never looked better. And that twin panel of Blue-Eyed Benjy is magnificent. Blue-eyed, indeed.

From FF 175

One more set of examples with the Perez/Sinnott combo. Again, Perez can handle a crowd like nobody else. And that panel of the Brute is monstrous.

Keith Pollard pencils, Joe Sinnott inks

Keith Pollard joined the annals of FF-dom and quickly made a name for himself. He had a great knack for facial expressions and composition.His pleading Doom, shown below, is wonderful. As is that fine panel of a pensive Ben recalling his past encounter with Desmond Pitt, aka Darkoth.

And, as we've seen, Joe Sinnott keeps the book looking like the FF we all know and love.

First two from FF 199, second two from FF 193

 

Bill Sienkewicz pencils, Joe Sinnott inks (Fantastic Four 230)

Bill Sienkewicz seemed a bit of a departure for the look of the Fantastic Four. It was moodier, perhaps more 'linear'. I was ambivalent at the time, but find it very attractive now.  This black hole page was another case where selecting an individual panel was too difficult. Beautifully dramatic, almost abstract. And Sinnott's inks keep it comfortable.

Sienkewicz also had a talent for expressions. That panel with Sue and Ben is excellent; their faces speak volumes.

John Byrne pencils, Joe Sinnott inks (Fantastic Four 218)

Finally, we come to the incomparable John Byrne. Initially we have a panel inked by Joe, from Byrne's first run on the title. It looks good, but personally I found Sinnott's inks somewhat less satisfying over Byrne. 

John Byrne, pencils and inks

Here we have Byrne pencils and inks. Aside from the inks of Terry Austin, nobody can ink Byrne as nicely as Byrne himself. This panel of Frankie Raye in space is, shall we say, stellar. Just look at the rings of Saturn. Then there is another full-page treat with Galactus and a bunch of others. It doesn't get much better than that.

From FF 244

From FF 241

Yes, here's another full-pager. I couldn't resist. The lighting effect here is magnificent. 

From FF 236

And here's a rare, tender panel that bears presentation. Truly, Byrne could do it all and do it all well. 

John Byrne pencils, Al Gordon inks (Fantastic Four 284)

Later in Byrne's run, he enjoyed the inks of Al Gordon. Less appealing than Byrne's own, but still very attractive. Gordon has nice, tight inks and a fine sense of detail. Love the background here.

And with that, we've surveyed the artistic Bronze Age history of Marvel's First Family. Have we shown any of your favorite pages or stories? What do you think of the various  pencillers, and was Joe Sinnott successful in keeping the book consistent? Who were your picks for the most pleasing pencils? Your comments are eagerly awaited.

The Brave Or The Bold: Spider-Woman Or Dazzler!

Martinex1: We are exploring some new territory today as we compare and contrast some later Bronze Age creations - the heroines Dazzler and Spider-Woman.   While both Jessica Drew and Alison Blaire have their supporters, they never quite made the top tier list at Marvel in the late 70s and early 80s   Alternatively both had their own series that ran for respectable lengths and both had a fair amount of marketing support.  

Dazzler was originally created as a bridge between comics and the burgeoning disco movement; she was originally conceptualized to star in a movie before being repositioned as an X-Men guest star during the Hellfire Club arc. There are versions of the draft and script details pulled together by Jim Shooter around the ill-fated movie that are fun to read (definitely a time capsule in and of itself).  Dazzler was slightly reinvented and her first appearance was in the February 1980 issue of Uncanny X-Men, under the creation of Chris Claremont and John Byrne at their height. The character was a talented singer who could convert music (and other sound) into blasts of light.  She started out using her mutant power as a stage gimmick, but quickly put the talent to defensive use as a reluctant heroine.   The issue was fairly popular and an ongoing series was greenlighted quickly and debuted with a cover date of March 1981.   The series ran for 42 issues and along the way Dazzler fought villains that were significantly above her power class in foes like Doctor Doom and Galactus.  Late in her series she changed from her silvery disco togs and roller skates to a more standard hero look, but her original costume still gets a lot of cosplay attention.   Despite a big push from Marvel marketing the character did not have a lot of staying power.

Marvel of course had one of the most iconic comic characters ever in Spider-Man, and they hoped to capture some protection to the brand as well as some attention in the market with Spider-Woman.  Spider-Woman first appeared in an issue of Marvel Spotlight, and that characterization and origin did not carry into her later representation.  She was conceptualized as an evolved spider with some creepy attributes and ties to Hydra.   When she got her own title in April 1978, Jessica Drew was more stable and had a career as an investigator   She fought a strange group of villains that tended toward the horror genre.  Some of the character's strange attributes, like the eerie feeling she would trigger in men, dissipated.   Back in the day, she had her own cartoon series and often appeared in Marvel's house ads. Her series ran for 50 issues.   In modern times, she has become much more popular and even joined the Avengers.

There are some similarities to the characters and the approach Marvel took with their female leads.   Spider-Woman and Dazzler actually interacted on occasion and had some conflicts along the way.  So let's take a look at their Bronze Age impact, covers, and details. And then you can decide which you prefer and why.

Both characters made their way into mainstream books and onto the covers of X-Men and Avengers!

Both Dazzler and Spider-Woman had an opportunity for photo covers!

And they teamed up in Dazzler's book!

Dazzler's title started out with the creative team of Tom DeFalco and John Romita Jr., but was quickly turned over to Danny Fingeroth and Frank Springer.   That team stayed together for quite a run, with some contribution along the way by Mark Bright, Vince Colletta, Jim Shooter, and others. Archie Goodwin and Paul Chadwick finished the run. Covers along the way were designed by Springer, Romita Jr., Bill Sienkiewicz, and even John Byrne.

On Spider-Woman, Marv Wolfman and Carmine Infantino started the book with a decent run on the first eight issues..  Mark Gruenwald picked up the writing chores and Infantino continued until issue #19 when artists and writers started to rotate.  Frank Springer penciled some issues as did Trevor von Eeden.   Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha had a nice run toward the end from issues #34 to #46.  Leialoha was the artist from issue #28 and following Infantino was the longest tenured artist on the book.  Covers were supplied by Byrne, Cockrum, Sal Buscema, Frank Miller and many others.

So now it is up to you BitBA fans - who did you prefer in the Bronze Age?   Alison Blaire or Jessica Drew?   The reluctant heroine songstress or the powerful arachnid investigator?  Did the down-to-Earth creepy adventures or the other worldly galactic outings attract your attention?  What about the art's impact on the books?   Do these characters have staying power or are they mired in the past?

Feel free to discuss anything related to the characters, their stories, the titles, the era, and your collecting habits today!  Cheers!