Just to be pedantic: the late Brett Ewins was not an American comics artist. He did some work for the US market, but he was from London.

Yeah, I think you're spot on about the Frank Miller influence. Maybe that's why I associate backgroundless fight panels like this so closely with late Bronze Age comics.

For the record, I'm not a huge Milgrom fanboy or anything, but I think he was a dependable, good all-rounder and when he was flying, his stuff was really rather nice.

Thanks for noting that. I appreciate that kind of pedantry, because it reminds me to write clearly. What I meant was "artists drawing for mainstream American comics, particularly in the dramatic superhero genres".  I said "American comics artists" because I've seen plenty of examples in the Japanese comics markets where the artists have no problems drawing people holding phones. They also seem to be much better at drawing people wearing realistic clothes--superhero artists tend to be especially terrible at drawing men in suits, maybe because they're trying to draw the suits on top of body-builder physiques?

Probably drew him as Superman, then drew in the glasses.  I've never seen a picture of Boring; but, I would bet he didn't wear glasses.  It's one of those details that would be correct from an artist who wore them.

Speaking of things many artists can't draw:  a suit.  At least, modern comic artists.  The guys in the Golden and Silver Age could knock them out left and right; just about every adult male wore them, in some capacity (daily or on Sundays).  The Bronze Age seems to be a bit of a dividing line.  A ton of later artists draw them like they are skin tight and then add a badly placed lapel.  You get the sense that a lot of them have never wore anything but blue jeans and t-shirts.  Then, there are guys like Chaykin, who actually look at fashion design and incorporate it in their work.  His books were filled with people dressed to the nines (and undressed, quite often, without being nude).  

And things like architecture and industrial design.  Every building looks the same, every car, furniture, appliances.  It really stands out when you read something like Dean Motter's Mister X and Terminal City, where architecture and design are elements of the story.  It really stands out when you look and Francois Schuiten's Cities of the Fantastic, where architecture is a character.  Chaykin gets that, Mike Kaluta is adept at it.  Look at The Shadow, Starstruck, and his illustrated Metropolis.  Kaluta can make it look like the art deco of the 30s, art nouveau, or something beyond.

Great example.  Schuiten was also trained as an architect, like his father, as well as an illustrator, like his mother.  Motter worked in graphic design, producing album covers, as well as working with Marshall McLuhan.  Motter produced the artwork for Triumph's Never Surrender album, which always reminded me of Magneto...



Ken Steacy is another who brought industrial design into his work.  Paul Rivoche is another.  Lot of Canadians there.  Must be something in the Molson!