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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 14, 2015 13:33:49 GMT -5
Also available in black and white.  Okay, that's a seriously gorgeous book... What edition is it? I gotta hunt it down!!! (Please tell me it's not the über-expensive Artist's Edition...)  |
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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 14, 2015 14:07:12 GMT -5
#11 Robert MinorThe highwater mark of the editorial cartoonist has passed, alas, but I have and always will retain a special admiration and reverence for these most poetic of cartoonists, who cannot afford to waste a word or a brushstroke in their attempt to capture and convey information, emotion, and opinion. I chose for this spot one of the most skillful of this unique breed, Robert Minor (1884-1952), whose career as a cartoonist was spent in the service of the common man and antagonism toward the forces that wore him down: militarism, nationalism, capitalism, greed, injustice, prejudice. An unabashed revolutionary, Minor several times ran for office, supported the Soviets, was one of the organizers of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion during the Spanish Civil War, and was spared persecution and arrest during Joseph McCarthy’s reign of terror only because he was a dying invalid for several years until his death. Minor forsook his grease crayon and paper for the world of politics, a decision most wish he had not made, because he was so perfectly suited for the one and not the other. Even so, his cartoons will long survive as powerful appeals to both emotion and reason. He was an odd duck, a middle-class kid who nevertheless had to work at all kinds of jobs to help his family. Minor saved his money and went to Paris and L’Ecole des Beaux Arts, but it wasn’t for him, and he left to study art on his own. Back in New York when the First World war broke out, Minor started drawing cartoons for the New York World, but his anti-imperialist beliefs and his attacks against the ruling class and the plutocracy meant he was not long for Joseph Pulitzer’s employ and he took his talent and his passion to The Call, a Socialist paper and The Masses, the legendary radical magazine. Minor covered the Mexican Revolution, worked as a war correspondent in Europe, and eventually joined the Communist party as he gradually made his move into the party leadership. Bureaucracy’s gain, art’s loss. Here’s a sampling of Minor’s work: On women's rights...  On the Anthony Bimba case, which involved a Lithuanian editor who in a speech in Brockton MA, spoke in a way that Ted Cruz would not like: "People have built churches for the last 2,000 years, and we have sweated under Christian rule for 2,000 years. And what have we got? The government is in control of the priests and bishops, clerics and capitalists. They tell us there is a God. Where is he? Bimba was arrested for violating the state law against blasphemy, a law that dated back to the late 1600s.  On the Westinghouse strike, 1916, during which 3 workers were killed and over 50 wounded when they were fired upon by company guards:  On child labor:   His most famous cartoon is probably this one:  Medical Examiner: 'At last! The perfect soldier!'I can only wonder how eloquently and how vividly Minor’s righteous sense of justice would depict the travesties of our society today.
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Post by Pharozonk on Dec 14, 2015 14:07:50 GMT -5
#11. Ray Billingsley This choice begins a trend in my list of comic strips based around young child protagonists. Ray Billingsley, to me, is one of the quintessential "young boy life" cartoonists out there based on his work on Curtis. What's most refreshing about this strip was that Billingsley was adept at switching between humor and social commentary between strips and sometimes within in the same strip itself! It should also be noted that this one of the few mainstream strips out there to feature an almost entirely African-American cast, which Billingsley uses to humorous effect. One running gag is Curtis commenting on the often ostentatious hats that women wear to church on Sundays.  I imagine that Billingsley's work paved the way for Aaron McGruder's work on The Boondocks and many African-American cartoonists after him.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2015 14:38:52 GMT -5
Okay, that's a seriously gorgeous book... What edition is it? I gotta hunt it down!!! (Please tell me it's not the über-expensive Artist's Edition...) 
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Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 14, 2015 14:55:20 GMT -5
I have a feeling we'll be seeing this gentleman again: 11. Don RosaMy exposure to Don Rosa consists entirely of The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. That's enough to land him on any top 12 list, though. I'm in the vast minority on this one, but while I adore Life & Times (Don will make my list for the same reason), I'm generally not impressed by his other work on the Ducks. Really? I've been really enjoying going through it in order via the new hardcovers (just got vol. 4 a couple weeks ago), I haven't really found one I didn't like yet. Incidently, Crimebuster very nearly wrote the same thing I intended to when we get it to him on my list..too funny. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 14, 2015 14:58:14 GMT -5
11. Eric Shanower...for his work on Age of Bronze Age of Bronze is a truly excellent retelling of the Trojan War, combining history and myth, which at this point has taken longer to tell than the war itself. Shanower is also known for his work on a variety of Oz stories, but I have not read enough of those. Age of Bronze is awesome. Dutifully researched, intricately drawn, he works very hard to make all the characters seem like characters of their time. This can best be seen in his lovely rendition of the most beautiful woman in the world, taking her look not from modern supermodels but classical standards of beauty. It boasts an ensemble cast, and Shanower gives everybody a unique look and voice, enough to keep you engaged in each of their stories, even as you wait years between volumes... I ended up cutting him from my list at the end, mostly due to the delays... great stuff, though, what there is of it  |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2015 15:32:29 GMT -5
Day #11: Eric ShanowerAge of Bronze seems to have been on hiatus for a while, now... I sincerely hope that it will resume regular publication in the future, because it is a cyclopean task (pun intended) that deserves to be completed. It's not sure it so much on hiatus as it is he can only do issues when he can afford to lose a few thousand dollars. The singles do not sell enough to turn a profit. He does his other work to fund his passion for doing this book, and he can make some money back on the trades, but the singles lose money. But he couldn't afford to do the trades without at least some of the revenue that the singles make. This has become very much a labor of love for him, but in today's market it doesn't sell enough to justify its existence, so he does issues when he salts away enough money where he can take the time to produce it and lose money for that time and on the printing publishing costs. It's one of the few series I will buy in both singles and trade just because of that. He last got an issue out (33) in 2013, which was Betrayal part 14 and then collected in trade 3B which came out in November of that year. The market has only gotten tougher since them and printing costs gone up, so it gets harder and harder for him to find ways to put this book out and not go broke. With needing to do 6 or 7 issues until the next trade, it's a daunting proposition to sink money into. -M PS The Oz graphic novels her did for First (and later reprinted b other publishers) are also well worth checking out if you like Shanower's cartooning. |
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Post by hondobrode on Dec 14, 2015 16:13:36 GMT -5
On the second day of Christmas, comics, my true love gave to me... Dylan Horrocks and Hicksville  I was turned on to Hicksville at a time when I was starting to burn out on mainstream super-hero stuff altogether and wanting to experiment more. I had already been reading Moore, Ellis, and other "avante garde" mainstream stuff (a cognitive dissonance I know) but I needed/wanted more. I had just read McCloud's Understanding Comics for the first time and was open to a lot of possibilities, and my friend Brian who ran the lcs I went to turned me on to Rick Veitch's Comicon.com (now a pale shadow of what it was) and I started exploring a lot of stuff there (and many of the creators I discovered there have gotten serious consideration for this list) and several of the comments form creators there led me to a little book called Hicksville by New Zealand cartoonist Dylan Horrocks-collecting some semi-underground stuff he did for a book called Pickles. Horrocks loves comics in all forms form mini-comics to super-hero epics but he has a healthy disdain for the business of comics, the way it chews up creators, denigrates the art of comics in favor of lowest common denominator content that sells, and crushes the artistic creative dreams of those caught in the cogs of its machine. That passion and disdain are clearly on display in Hicksville, a fictional town I would love to visit if possible, a place where everyone loves and reads comics, a place where the local library has multiple copies of Action Comics #1 for people to read...  because no one there cars about the collectibility or value of comics but about the stories told and the joy of making and reading comics. Except for the black sheep of the town, a man named Dick Burger (a name that makes me think of Coldwater and Pharazonk now every time I see it). Horrocks writing encapsulates a love of comics in a way that I consider him a kindred spirit. His cartooning style is simple, versatile, functional and beautifully ugly, a style you'd be more likely to find in the mini-comics I see at small pres cons than in a mainstream comic (though Horrocks did go one to do some writing for DC/Vertigo). He varies his style at times in the comic as part of the narrative need... his normal style...  his mini-comic style for the Moxie and Toxie bits...  or mashing up the two for certain bits as seen here...  or emulating a more mainstream comic style when doing Burger's super-hero stuff...  or again a fusion of styles on the same page...  and similar to his normal style but slightly different is his mystery comic featuring Captain Cook that apears all through this tale as a kind of magic realism guide to the rest of the story...  and while his figures are simple and cartoony, his landscape art is breathtaking at times...  The work is textured, layered and thoughtful. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me rage, it became a part of me. -M I'm definitely going to check his stuff out now. I've heard the name but haven't specifically read any of his works, but now thanks to your post, I will. |
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Post by Action Ace on Dec 14, 2015 16:31:21 GMT -5
11. Eric Shanower...for his work on Age of Bronze Age of Bronze is a truly excellent retelling of the Trojan War, combining history and myth, which at this point has taken longer to tell than the war itself. Shanower is also known for his work on a variety of Oz stories, but I have not read enough of those. Age of Bronze is awesome. Dutifully researched, intricately drawn, he works very hard to make all the characters seem like characters of their time. This can best be seen in his lovely rendition of the most beautiful woman in the world, taking her look not from modern supermodels but classical standards of beauty. It boasts an ensemble cast, and Shanower gives everybody a unique look and voice, enough to keep you engaged in each of their stories, even as you wait years between volumes... I ended up cutting him from my list at the end, mostly due to the delays... great stuff, though, what there is of it In my first draft he was also #11, but failed to make the final cut. |
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Post by hondobrode on Dec 14, 2015 16:52:17 GMT -5
Day #11: Eric ShanowerAge of Bronze seems to have been on hiatus for a while, now... I sincerely hope that it will resume regular publication in the future, because it is a cyclopean task (pun intended) that deserves to be completed. It's not sure it so much on hiatus as it is he can only do issues when he can afford to lose a few thousand dollars. The singles do not sell enough to turn a profit. He does his other work to fund his passion for doing this book, and he can make some money back on the trades, but the singles lose money. But he couldn't afford to do the trades without at least some of the revenue that the singles make. This has become very much a labor of love for him, but in today's market it doesn't sell enough to justify its existence, so he does issues when he salts away enough money where he can take the time to produce it and lose money for that time and on the printing publishing costs. It's one of the few series I will buy in both singles and trade just because of that. He last got an issue out (33) in 2013, which was Betrayal part 14 and then collected in trade 3B which came out in November of that year. The market has only gotten tougher since them and printing costs gone up, so it gets harder and harder for him to find ways to put this book out and not go broke. With needing to do 6 or 7 issues until the next trade, it's a daunting proposition to sink money into. -M PS The Oz graphic novels her did for First (and later reprinted b other publishers) are also well worth checking out if you like Shanower's cartooning. Very nice gentleman, and he's quite tall. I'm 6'3" and he was taller than me ! I hadn't seen his Age of Bronze until I met him and was very impressed. Thanks to what you posted, I'll be getting this sooner than later, to help out Shanower. Yes, his Oz graphic novels were excellent as well. I gave them as gifts to my younger siblings years ago. |
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 14, 2015 17:09:08 GMT -5
11. John Byrne
I know that John is a very divisive figure in our refined circles, but in the prime of my collecting he was one of the most sought after creators by fans and publishers. For 10 - 15 years he delivered, usually twice a month, firstly as a penciller only, then as the great writer/artist he was. Being there as X-Men started to explode was an interesting time, I was just starting to get more discerning in what I liked(I still bought and read everything I could, but hated half of it) and remembered his few issues on the Avengers and how I hadnt liked some of that work. You know what its like, judging a mans career based on 2 covers he had done 2 years before, which you thought looked awkward(sounds like I was ready for the Internet back then). Anyhoo, back to the point. My love for John Byrne starts with his great run on Captain America, his partnership with Roger Stern was the best writing on the book in 3-4 years since the King had left. I had read X-Men, and seen some of the Marvel Team-Up books but this is where I started to take notice. Then there is his run on the first family of Marvel where the reverence he holds for the characters is evident. I loved this, loved his inclusion of She-Hulk, and the changes he tried to make. Ive been rereading these of late, and while not all still impress, plenty still do. Finally(amongst many other fine examples) there is his work on redefining the aging Superman at DC for 2 years. I know he also goes on to do Namor, She-Hulk, Alpha Flight and some other stuff I never got to at the time, but I still see him as a great cartoonist. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 14, 2015 18:12:41 GMT -5
I've never heard of Eric Shanower before today so a huge thank you to you guys for opening my eyes as Age of Bronze seems like it's right up my ally.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 14, 2015 18:32:26 GMT -5
Day #11: Eric ShanowerAge of Bronze seems to have been on hiatus for a while, now... I sincerely hope that it will resume regular publication in the future, because it is a cyclopean task (pun intended) that deserves to be completed. It's not sure it so much on hiatus as it is he can only do issues when he can afford to lose a few thousand dollars. The singles do not sell enough to turn a profit. ... and as this economic reality prevents a master cartoonist from continuing a truly great work, Time-displaced teenage rebooted ninja X-mutants, volume 3 sells tens of thousands of copies every month. Sometimes I despair of humanity!!! |
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Post by Arthur Gordon Scratch on Dec 14, 2015 19:09:43 GMT -5
I've never heard of Eric Shanower before today so a huge thank you to you guys for opening my eyes as Age of Bronze seems like it's right up my ally. He's one of Ed Brubaker's best friend and got him his first pro gigs. They did a Prez one-shot together for Vertigo 20 years ago. |
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Post by Action Ace on Dec 14, 2015 19:40:55 GMT -5
#11 Dan Jurgens
When I came back into comics in 1990, the Superman line was into a run of enjoyable comics week after week. And the man whose work I enjoyed the most, as a writer and penciller, was Dan Jurgens. His Superman may not have been as powerful as the one I remembered from Pre-Crisis days, but his Superman was a worthy descendant. I enjoyed every Superman story he did for years and he did a very credible job on Justice League: America as well. It was about the point of Zero Hour that his writing lost more than a step for me, but his art still looks every bit as good today as it did a quarter of a century ago. I also enjoyed his work with Booster Gold and his 1996 Teen Titans series. His superhero art is very appealing to me and the man was a workhorse churning out enjoyable comics. He often pencilled two titles a month (occasionally three) in the early 1990s and he wrote many of those as well. Among my most fondly remembered Jurgens stories were from this time of year focusing on the Holidays.
up next...I had to include one editorial cartoonist and #10 is my favorite (and still working!)
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