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.

This & That: Our Favorite Covers, Simple as That...

Redartz:  Frequently here at BitBA, we consider comic covers. In fact, Marti has bestowed us with countless striking covers under the banner of his "Quarter Bins." And what's not to like about ogling fine comic art, displayed openly on a glossy, eye-catching sheet of cover stock? Indeed, I love looking at covers so much, I have several hundred loaded as images on my tablet: just something to browse through at lunch, if I need some visual stimulation. And it was during one such session, scanning more covers, that I figured, "okay, what would my top ten covers be?". No time frame limitations, they may be old or new; Marvel, DC, or anyone else, any genre.  Just ten covers that you could easily hang on your wall and stare at for years to come. 

So, today we present our picks: our personal top ten covers. After you check out our selections, feel free to comment; and then name your personal favorites. Doesn't matter if the interior art stunk, the story was awful, or the  book was a reprint. If you loved the cover, it's fair game. 

Redartz:  My ten covers are as follows. While making my choices, it quickly dawned upon me how daunting a task it is to select only ten, out of all the covers I've encountered. So these ten might not be my exact picks if you asked tomorrow, but they all would certainly be finalists.

Fantastic Four 45, by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott. A beauty by the FF's prime team.

Amazing Spider-Man 135, by John Romita, Sr.  Spidey's had countless great covers, but this one is near perfect.

Avengers 20, by Jack Kirby and Wally Wood. Wood may be the finest inker I've seen over Kirby. Wish there'd been more such covers.

Sugar and Spike 21, by Sheldon Mayer. Love the b/w cartoon background, and the face-backwards foreground.

Dr. Strange 1, by Frank Brunner. A masterwork of intricacy and mysticism.

Avengers 171, by George Perez and Terry Austin . A very full composition, but incredible in it's detail.

Archie Giant Series 25, by Dan DeCarlo. DeCarlo could have been considered Archie's "Kirby"; he defined the look.

Journey 6, by William Messner Loebs. Wonderful use of the logo, the borders, and the leaves. Poetic visuals indeed.

Adventure Comics 425, by Michael Kaluta. Stunning, magnificent image; Kaluta's simple design here is breathtaking in it's beauty.

Finally, what may be my favorite cover, period: Star Spangled War Stories 138, by Joe Kubert. That cover struck me like a slap in the face the first time I saw it, and is the only comic I ever paid twenty five dollars for JUST for the cover. An absolute masterpiece of composition, color and dramatics.

 

Martinex1: Those are all beautiful examples, and like you my selections are constantly shifting.  Many of my favorites are based not only on style and art but also around a memory as to when I acquired the book and what it meant to me.  So without further ado, here are my top ten...

Avengers 164 is the first comic I purchased (not the first I owned, but the first I bought off of a rack).  It will always have a memorable place in my heart.  Thankfully it was a George Perez masterpiece with a lot of characters and a lot of action.  It also ended up being one of my favorite stories too.  This cover I will remember until I am old and gray. 

Squadron Supreme 11 may seem like an odd choice.  But in 1986 this Paul Ryan cover jumped off the stands to me.  It still strikes me as an unusual layout with interesting and not well-known characters. In my mind, this cover always makes my top ten. I know it is not iconic, but I just admire it.

This Carmine Infantino classic - Flash 174 - was my first experience seeing an artistic interplay with a logo.  I never got over it.  

 I've always been a fan of Nick Cardy and his work at DC.  Unexpected 119 is one of my favorites featuring his pencils.  The use of lights and shadows, the shocked facial expression, and the hint of a horrendous twist just drew me in.  

John Byrne had a myriad of classic covers from his work on Marvel Team-Up, Fantastic Four, many DC books, and of course the X-Men.   So many examples of excellence to choose from, and I am sure others may have picked X-Men 141 (which is indeed a classic), but I have always been enamored with X-Men 138.   Even with a recap story inside and the annoying Toys R Us banner, I still like the simplicity of this moody and moving cover.

George Perez makes my list twice with Marvel Two-In-One 54.  Deathlok and the color scheme have much to do with this choice.  It always seemed to me that a lot of effort was put into this cover and I appreciate that.

 Amazing Spider-Man could have had a top ten list all by itself.  With covers by John Romita alone I could have filled a week of blogs.  But lately this simple cover on ASM 281 by Ron Frenz just appeals to me.  Who can resist floating heads?  Plus Spidey's humorous attitude just seems to shine through.  This is a great example of a little goes a long way.

Frank Miller sure hit the ground running on Daredevil and issue 158 was a monumental kick-off that showcased his talent.  I did not own this issue for a long time, but my desire to have it was driven by the cover.

John Buscema was just fantastic.  Recently I tweeted about his cover talent and I had time selecting which comic that I thought demonstrated his work the best.  I have to go with Silver Surfer #4.  It is just a classic.

 My final choice highlights a lot of favorites.  The first Marvel Sub-Mariner series is an underrated gem if you ask me.  Perhaps Subby's perceived belligerence may keep readers away.  At the very least, the art was top notch with the likes of John Buscema, Sal Buscema, Gene Colan, and Bill Everett involved.  But this particular cover happens to be by the great Marie Severin, and when I was very young I stared at it for hours when I first saw it as a house ad in a Marvel comic.  I love the colors and the drama.  Cheers!

Redartz:  Excellent choices, Marti! Byrne, Buscema, Infantino, Severin- what a lineup of all-stars...

Well, there's our respective 'top ten' lists. You may ask, "how could I devise a list with nothing by John Byrne, Barry Windsor-Smith or Will Eisner?" Ahhh, ask again tomorrow. At any rate, I'd be thrilled to permanently paper my walls with any of these gems. What say you, are these decent choices? And what might your ten picks be (I know, I know, trying to pick only ten is excruciating)...