shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Oct 3, 2015 5:57:41 GMT -5
Marato was definitely on my short list.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,860
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Post by shaxper on Oct 3, 2015 6:02:04 GMT -5
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Post by DubipR on Oct 3, 2015 13:43:06 GMT -5
WEEK ONE- Number 5: PABLO MARCOSI first discovered Pablo Marcos' work with Tales of the Zombie, Vampire Tales and Dracula Lives! back in my late teens. I've seen him prior in a Tomb of Dracula Annual but the sheer black and white of Pablo's monsters were so creepy and scary, especially his Zombie stories, they remain of my favorites. Also his vampires, especially his Lilith were sexy and scary at the same time.    |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Oct 3, 2015 16:00:12 GMT -5
Pablo Marcos on Tales of the Zombie. DEFINITELY was on my short list!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2015 7:45:17 GMT -5
Pablo is one of my honorable mentions - and I had grave difficulty to take him out in the top 5 ... Man, his work was impeccable!
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 4, 2015 10:51:40 GMT -5
Week One: Scott Hampton Usually I tend to believe that the best horror comics feature heavily stylized art, as that tends to favor mood over substance which is the key to a good horror story but like any rule there is always the exception; and in this cast Hampton is it. He has this intense, photo-realistic look to his art that seems like it would be a perfect fit for some old cover of the Saturday Evening Post, only to throw in some dark twist.
And I think that's the key really, you have these Norman Rockwell looking figures that evoke a sense of nostalgia but it's coupled with a much darker pallet and that dissonance creates a serious sense of unease. His awesome hand painted art has been featured in a lot of places but my favorite will always be his art from his story, "The Up Turned Stone" from Heavy Metal. It has a beauty to it that's haunting and the imagery just sticks with you.   The little girl at the end of the bed is one that still gets me occasionally in my dreams, even 15 years after having first seen it. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 4, 2015 11:32:55 GMT -5
Marato was definitely on my short list. Yeah, great pick Dupont, if we were doing ten or even six Marato would have made my list. He just has that wild look to his art that your imagination just can't help but run away with. |
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Post by Arthur Gordon Scratch on Oct 4, 2015 13:09:23 GMT -5
Marato was definitely on my short list. Yeah, great pick Dupont, if we were doing ten or even six Marato would have made my list. He just has that wild look to his art that your imagination just can't help but run away with. If I had a top 15, Hampton would deffo have been in my list. I almost considered him for the runners up alongside Simon Bisley and Alex Nino... |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,860
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Post by shaxper on Oct 4, 2015 13:21:23 GMT -5
Week One: Scott HamptonUsually I tend to believe that the best horror comics feature heavily stylized art, as that tends to favor mood over substance which is the key to a good horror story but like any rule there is always the exception; and in this cast Hampton is it. He has this intense, photo-realistic look to his art that seems like it would be a perfect fit for some old cover of the Saturday Evening Post, only to throw in some dark twist.
And I think that's the key really, you have these Norman Rockwell looking figures that evoke a sense of nostalgia but it's coupled with a much darker pallet and that dissonance creates a serious sense of unease. His awesome hand painted art has been featured in a lot of places but my favorite will always be his art from his story, "The Up Turned Stone" from Heavy Metal. It has a beauty to it that's haunting and the imagery just sticks with you. The little girl at the end of the bed is one that still gets me occasionally in my dreams, even 15 years after having first seen it. This is amazing. I've never seen his work before. I definitely see what you mean about the girl at the end of the bed! |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 4, 2015 13:28:14 GMT -5
It taps into one of those primal fears, you wake up and you think someone is watching you out there in the dark, which is the fuel for some of my favorite horror stories.
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Post by Arthur Gordon Scratch on Oct 4, 2015 14:49:35 GMT -5
I've collected Hampton for some time and am lucky enough to have sketch from him of the Joker. EVen in his early Swamp Thing issues you'd see he was a master in the making (which didn't take that long actually). But I just wanted to ask you guys one thing that has been bugging me a little : is the use of the word "photo-realistic" different in english/american from the way it is used in french or swedish? I ask because Hampton's art is indeed heavy stylized in so many ways and absolutely not photo-realistic, nor does it even attempt to be. Les Edwards is an artist who dabbled with comics and horror and really worked towards a photo-realistic syle.    Phil Hale who did some comics for Epic Illustrated and some Vertigo covers ia good mix of both with a strong photo-realistic technique with some heavyly stylized strokes.  |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 4, 2015 15:50:03 GMT -5
There are definitely artists that are more photo-realistic than Hampton, but I'd definitely put him in that category and I wouldn't say his art had a stylized look at all.
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Post by Arthur Gordon Scratch on Oct 4, 2015 16:28:13 GMT -5
Well, some artists you recognise because of the type of subjects they chose and their color preferences, some you recognize because of the way they draw, which is IMHO the case of Scott Hampton and why I like him as well  His human figures almost always look more like unpolished statues and his faces are almost always a tad cartoony. He's got a very strong unique visual style, in my book kind of antinomic to photo-realism. And he definitively is coming from the Frazetta school! But again, maybe it's used a different way in the US... BTW, he had an interesting collaboration on a horror story with another horror master : John Van Fleet    That one probably look more photo-realistic, but i's probably due to the use of photocopies by Van Fleet. |
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Oct 5, 2015 12:49:27 GMT -5
When approaching this Halloween selection, I knew that my collection of horror comics to draw from is pretty measly. That being said, I do know my covers because in my spare time I do a LOT of looking at covers. To me, that is part of the main selling point of a comic. Forget knowing much about artists or even the characters being portrayed. If the cover is interesting enough, regardless of who you are, chances are if you enjoy artwork you would be inclined to pick it up. Part of why I collect is the cover art. I love anything that grabs my attention. And even if the story/stories inside are not the best, if the cover art is at least a winner, then I am satisfied. So my selections here will be based purely on cover artwork instead of interiors because they are what I know best. The second aspect that I am taking into consideration here is selecting “forgotten” horror artists. Okay, so they may not all be forgotten but in general, I feel most of my choices would be left out of most top 10 lists. And while they may not be juggernauts like your Wrightsons, they all created covers that are as good or better. And with that, let’s begin! My number five pick will probably be my most different one. Mainly because I feel most avid comics fans will know the other four when I select them but for this choice, I have to show some love to one John Edmond Sparling aka Jack Sparling (born June 21, 1916, died February 15, 1997). Originally a Canadian boy (represent), he moved to the stated and because a cartoon strip artist in the 40’s. He had a successful strip call Claire Voyant which was about a mysterious female found in the ocean on a lifeboat with no memory of her past. This strip lasted until the end of the 40’s and then from the fifties through until the seventies, Sparling bounced around from company to company, doing a lot of artwork on titles like Classic Illustrated and Charlton comics titles like the Bionic Woman. However, in the early 70’s, he got working with DC and produced a few horror covers that I think stand out among some of the best of the time period. House of Secrets #105  Great attention to detail and the reflections in the water along with the grey colouring add to the greatness of this cover. A simple skull sets the mood and you just know that boy is gonna reel in something strange and disturbing. Love it. House of Secrets #97  Another cover with great detail. The mist, the creepy castle and the face in the clouds really make this a great cover. Plus, there is the element of mystery surrounding the central character. Is he a monster? Someone coming to exact vengeance on the people in the castle? Great overall design! House of Mystery #205  Tops my list of great horror covers from this era. The detail again is amazing. The all black and grey scale colouring is fantastic. I love the cat on the cover, with just the whites of its eyes. The bird on Death's shoulder is fantastic. The moon, the trees, the rippling water. But of course, that flash of purple in the coffin is the selling point for me. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Oct 5, 2015 12:52:40 GMT -5
Tops my list of great horror covers from this era. The detail again is amazing. The all black and grey scale colouring is fantastic. I love the cat on the cover, with just the whites of its eyes. The bird on Death's shoulder is fantastic. The moon, the trees, the rippling water. But of course, that flash of purple in the coffin is the selling point for me. This has always been a favorite cover of mine. Great choice. |
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