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!

Chew the Fat: A Treasury of "Batman's Strangest Cases"

Limited Collector's Edition C-59, 1978

Batman's Strangest Cases

Redartz:  Ever since I first started collecting comics, I've been a Marvel Zuvembie. And this is reflected, no doubt, in the many Marvel-themed posts you've seen from this aging fanboy. But today it's time to give DC a little love. Specifically, a spectacular issue of the "Limited Collector's Editon" featuring everyone's favorite Darknight Detective. DC's treasury-sized books predated the "Marvel Treasury Editions" , but I had never sampled them. I'd focused entirely on the Marvel giants. Until this one, that is. 

 



"Batman's Strangest Cases"; from the striking Neal  Adams wrap-around cover to the all-star lineup of creators, this treasury offered a wealth of pleasures. And as for the story selection- wonderful; most of the included tales, it turned out, I'd never read. So finding this gem at a flea market for two dollars was an irresistible temptation. Oh, a couple notes regarding that cover: according to the Grand Comic Book Database (and many thanks are due those folks for some of the information in this post), the cover was pencilled by Adams and inked by Bernie Wrightson. That may be the first time I've encountered that creative teaming. Also, Robin is featured prominently on this cover, but never appears inside. Ah well...

The lineup included:

"Red Water Crimson Death" by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams
This is an eerie tale of ghosts, plots and menace. Originally presented in  Brave and the Bold 93, featuring Batman and the House of Mystery (or more specifically, Cain from the House of Mystery, who narrated the story). This story starts the treasury off beautifully, with some truly fine artwork. That first page is really sharp...






















 Here's the final spread from the story; the colors here are spectacular and quite effective (and are credited, incidentally, to Bob LeRose).
 

 "Night of the Bat" by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson
This story, from Swamp Thing 7, was the only story I'd previously read in this collection. A classic, made all the better by the larger size of the artwork (a big advantage to the Treasury-size format).  

 

  
"The Batman Nobody Knows" by Frank Robbins and Dick Giordano
This was a novel little short, with Bruce Wayne chaperoning a group of kids at a campout. But rather than ghost stories, the group shared their impressions of Batman. Reprinted from Batman 250.

 
"The Demon of Gothos Mansion" by Denny O'Neil, Irv Novick and Dick Giordano
 Another ghost story, with the added threat of a group of cultists. As with the first story in this book, Denny O'Neil delivers a good one, nicely illustrated by Novick and Giordano. Batman seems well-suited for these somewhat more macabre tales; a nice change of pace from super-villains. This first appeared in Batman 227.

 
"A Vow From the Grave" by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams and Dick Giordano 
I remembered the cover from this story, showing the 'boy with flippers', but this marks the first time I've actually read it. Batman follows a killer, and the trail leads him to meet some rather unusual folks. First seen in Detective Comics 410, this story concludes the collection with yet another entertaining yarn; and with typically striking art from Adams/Giordano. Again colored by Bob LeRose; he does some nice work. By the way, that opening page seems a bit evocative of Joe Kubert. Not that that's any fault; far from it!

This treasury ends with an informative write-up, by Mike W. Barr,  of some other 'strange tales of Batman' (occupying the inside back cover) . He discusses several other notable stories from several points in Batman's lengthy history, and summarizes each nicely. It makes for compelling finish to a full package of comic entertainment. The 2 dollar price for this edition would have been well worth it in 1978. Much, much more so as a lucky find in this day and age!

Panel Discussion: Inkers Who Leave Their Mark

Redartz:  Hello, folks! Our topic today is brought to us courtesy of our good friend and mentor, Doug! He suggested a look at inkers who have become associated with a given title. As pencillers are often the subject of discussion here, it seems very appropriate to give the embellishers some love. With that in mind, we present a selection of samples, with the responsible inkers noted (and a comment or two, of course). 

Joe Sinnott, over Rich Buckler

Klaus Janson, over Frank Miller

 Joe Sinnott and the Fantastic Four: almost synonymous with the Fantastic Four. Whether over Kirby, Buscema, Buckler or Byrne, Joe kept the FF looking just right.

Klaus Janson and Daredevil: the legendary Frank Miller run on Daredevil owes much to Klaus' beautiful inks. 

Larry Mahlstedt, over Kieth Giffen

Bob Layton, over John Romita Jr.

Larry Mahlstedt and the Legion: Mahlstedt finished Kieth Giffen's pencils with style, and gave the book a futuristic sheen...

Bob Layton and Iron Man: One look at the shining Golden Avenger on this cover says all that needs to be said.  

Terry Austin and the X-Men: Although Terry turns anything he touches into purest gold, his perfect inks over John Byrne made this book the iconic masterpiece it remains today.

Tom Palmer and Dr. Strange / Tomb of Dracula: Here we get to see Tom's elegant inks over Gene Colan on both of these characters. Palmer added a detail and finish that made Gene's pencils even more cinematic.

Romeo Tanghal over George Perez

 Romeo Tanghal and New Teen Titans: Romeo's fine inks were a perfect match for Perez' intricate pencilling. He helped give the title a clean, consistent polish.

Dick Giordano, over Neal Adams

Dick Giordano, over Neal Adams

Dick Giordano and Green Lantern / Batman: Both of these books, and characters, were the beneficiaries of some magnificent art by the team of Adams and Giordano. Dick's tight finishes mesh with Neal's pencils so well they might be one man.




 That's only a small sample; to limit things a bit I kept it to Bronze age images. But you aren't limited in this respect, let us know what you think of these choices, and all the others not shown here today. Hats off to the inkers, and may their pens never clog...