The Brave or the Bold: "...Tragedy Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight!"

Redartz:  Good day, and welcome! One of the great strengths of the medium of comics is the versatility it displays. No less than film, books or television, comics can entertain, educate, shock, inspire, tug at the heart and tickle the funny bone. It's the last two that we are dealing with this time.

More specifically, the subject is to consider the ability of our favorite characters to star in both stories  of drama and stories of humor (hence our title above, with a nod to Steven Sondheim). I'm sure that all of us could , given a character, come up with a stirring dramatic story featuring said character. The challenge is to also recall an entertainingly humorous tale as well! As an example, I'll start off. And the subject of my picks are my old favorite, Spider-man.

Spider-man is ideally suited for this subject. At various times, and by different creators, the character has ranged from comic to tragic, usually blending both in the same story. Some of you may bring up other examples from Spidey's backstory, but I'm going with "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man" as my dramatic entry. A short story, half of ASM 248; but with volumes of impact. Without spoiling anything (in case any of you haven't read it), the story tells of Spider-man's meeting with a young fan. The tale, by Roger Stern , Ron Frenz and Terry Austin, perfectly captures the essence of Peter Parker's heroism and humanity. And I defy you to read it without getting a lump in the throat before you're through.









 
On the other hand, my humorous pick is a comical gem. "Untold Tales of Spider-Man" Annual from 1996, by Kurt Busiek, Mike Allred and Joe Sinnott, is a perfect example of Spidey's capacity for fun. The story of Peter's date with Sue Storm caps a hilarious battle of egos between Pete and his friendly nemesis, the Human Torch. Some of you might recall that I did a full review of this book some time ago; the book is worth another mention. Brilliantly written, and perfectly illustrated, "A  Night on the Town" is guaranteed to give the reader a giant size dose of laughs.
And that's just one (two, actually) example of a character who carries tears and laughter equally well. What others can you think of?

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!

Panel Discussion / Brave or the Bold: Two Bronze Age Greats: Byrne and Perez!

Martinex1: We have another double-header for you today with a topic that straddles both Panel Discussion and The Brave or the Bold.  Our headliners today are John Byrne and George Perez, obviously two of the most prolific and outstanding artists of our favored era.  A couple of weeks ago in a comment section I asked a question regarding the work of these artists on a particular image from Avengers #181, and it sparked an idea.   Let's compare and contrast these greats.  Who was the better cover artist, group artist, and all-around story teller? 

I assume it will be difficult to decide so I've supplied a number of pieces below with George Perez' work on the left and John Byrne's art on the right.   Their careers followed similar patterns and they often worked on the same books.  Sometimes they traded off penciling covers from issue to issue as in Avengers, Marvel Two-In-One, and even the Uncanny X-Men.  Terry Austin, a great artist in his own right, inked both on occasion.  They worked with many other famous inkers as well like Sinnott, Giacoia, and Thangal.    Both artists evolved over time.  It should be fun today contrasting the work and we will enjoy hearing your comments as we discuss the men, the art, and the ties to the Bronze Age!  Cheers!

George Perez

John Byrne

Perez (cover)  - The table scene in Avengers #181 -   Byrne (interior)

Perez - Wundagore Covers - Byrne

Perez (1985) - Pieta Covers - Byrne (1980)

Perez - Confrontation with Proteus - Byrne

Perez (and Austin)  - Project Pegasus - Byrne (and Austin)

Perez - Captain Britain Team-Up - Byrne

Perez - First Marvel Cover Work - Byrne

Perez - Super-Teams Defeated - Byrne

Perez - Famous Covers / Tragic Events - Byrne

George Perez - The Avengers and the Titans (Whoa!)

John Byrne - The X-Men and the Titans (Holy Moly!)

Perez - Fantastic Four - Byrne

Perez  - Team Work - Byrne

Perez - All Out Action - Byrne

Perez - And More Avengers - Byrne

George Perez -  Two Page Spread

John Byrne - Spreading it out with the X-Men

Perez - And let's not forget the DC stars like Superman - Byrne

Perez - and Wonder Woman - Byrne

There is so much to consider in the art and output (that has lasted for decades) that each of these gentlemen could get a dedicated week on BitBA.   I suspect that this may just be Part 1 of the Perez / Byrne comparison; I will come back to this in future months and explore so much more - but let's hear your comments on the talented duo and their Bronze Age influence.