The Neal Adams Tribute thread
May 1, 2022 7:56:12 GMT -5
Roquefort Raider, Mister Spaceman, and 2 more like this
Post by kirby101 on May 1, 2022 7:56:12 GMT -5
A couple of tributes from Facebook.
Walt Simonson
First, I just want to say that it’s been difficult to realize that I’m sitting at my desk in a world without Neal Adams out there somewhere. That said, here’s a Neal story – so clearly, he IS out there somewhere.
Many many years ago, I dropped by a comic convention in NYC. Probably at the old Penta Hotel across from Madison Square Garden. The artists were in some very large room with rather dim lighting. There were a series of tables arranged in hollow squares across the floor with the artists sitinng inside the squares facing outward to sketch and talk to fans. Neal and his daughter, Kris, were there. This was before Neal had rearranged his convention presence with a booth that was only a little smaller than a battleship. There were small ‘aisles’ here and there in the squares that you could slip in and out of the square as necessary. I slipped inside and went and stood behind Neal as he was sketching. Kris was sitting just to his right. It was a Batman sketch and as was Neal’s wont, it was high rendered and really cool. After a few moments, I leaned over and whispered in his ear that he was putting far too much work into a con sketch. He needed to simplify his approach. He looked up over his right shoulder, saw me, and gave his Neal Adams chuckle of amusement. It was good to see him. Then he reached over and elbowed Kris a couple of times and said, “Ask him. Go on. Ask him.” I said, “Ask me what. I’m right here.” Kris, who I had known pretty much since I had gotten into comics, looked up at me, rolled her eyes, and said in a singsong voice, “Neal wants me to ask you if you want to work for Continuity Comics.” I laughed and said to Neal, “I can’t do any work for Continuity Comics.” He said, “Why not?” and I said, “Because I can’t draw like you.” Neal’s eyes narrowed and he growled, “That’s cold. That’s really cold.” And Kris dissolved into a gale of laughter as she said between outbursts, “I told you! I told you!”
Now, I kinda wish I had done a little work for Continuity Comics. I’m sure I would have learned something new. All my love, pal. Godspeed
First, I just want to say that it’s been difficult to realize that I’m sitting at my desk in a world without Neal Adams out there somewhere. That said, here’s a Neal story – so clearly, he IS out there somewhere.
Many many years ago, I dropped by a comic convention in NYC. Probably at the old Penta Hotel across from Madison Square Garden. The artists were in some very large room with rather dim lighting. There were a series of tables arranged in hollow squares across the floor with the artists sitinng inside the squares facing outward to sketch and talk to fans. Neal and his daughter, Kris, were there. This was before Neal had rearranged his convention presence with a booth that was only a little smaller than a battleship. There were small ‘aisles’ here and there in the squares that you could slip in and out of the square as necessary. I slipped inside and went and stood behind Neal as he was sketching. Kris was sitting just to his right. It was a Batman sketch and as was Neal’s wont, it was high rendered and really cool. After a few moments, I leaned over and whispered in his ear that he was putting far too much work into a con sketch. He needed to simplify his approach. He looked up over his right shoulder, saw me, and gave his Neal Adams chuckle of amusement. It was good to see him. Then he reached over and elbowed Kris a couple of times and said, “Ask him. Go on. Ask him.” I said, “Ask me what. I’m right here.” Kris, who I had known pretty much since I had gotten into comics, looked up at me, rolled her eyes, and said in a singsong voice, “Neal wants me to ask you if you want to work for Continuity Comics.” I laughed and said to Neal, “I can’t do any work for Continuity Comics.” He said, “Why not?” and I said, “Because I can’t draw like you.” Neal’s eyes narrowed and he growled, “That’s cold. That’s really cold.” And Kris dissolved into a gale of laughter as she said between outbursts, “I told you! I told you!”
Now, I kinda wish I had done a little work for Continuity Comics. I’m sure I would have learned something new. All my love, pal. Godspeed
REST IN PEACE NEAL ADAMS
Frank Brunner: "After Neal did Deadman, I used to visit him a lot, and he would go over my drawings, and show me how to improve them. It was kind of like a father-son relationship, which was nice. He was a very idealistic person. The newer artists from both Marvel and DC would meet on the first Friday of every month and party! And later we'd perhaps go to an all-night café in New York. We'd be sitting there and Neal would say something like, 'You're supposed to be artists, so look at everything with an artist's eyes. Observe the world around you, even, say, a telephone—how is it shaped, what is unique about the cord? Look at the trees and people—especially people; they're all different!' Neal made me more observant of the environment and everything, so when I was drawing, I'd have a better idea of what I was drawing.
"Later, when I was doing Doctor Strange, there were no good inkers available at Marvel. I ran ran over to Neal and begged him to do a Crusty Bunkers job until I could find a regular inker. It was kind of inconsistent but better than anybody else could do, especially the bits Neal inked. Dick Giordano became the inker as he started on it as a Bunker. On the Bunker jobs, Neal would go through all the pencils, and he'd pick out all the best panels, and say, 'This is mine.' And I'd just stand there and happily nod, 'Whatever you say.'"
"We lost touch for many years after I moved to California and was working in animation. But J. David Spurlock got us together in Las Vegas in 2016 and we saw each other again at Heroes in Charlotte in 2018. It was really nice. I told him in Vegas and I'll repeat here, Thank you, Neal"
Frank Brunner: "After Neal did Deadman, I used to visit him a lot, and he would go over my drawings, and show me how to improve them. It was kind of like a father-son relationship, which was nice. He was a very idealistic person. The newer artists from both Marvel and DC would meet on the first Friday of every month and party! And later we'd perhaps go to an all-night café in New York. We'd be sitting there and Neal would say something like, 'You're supposed to be artists, so look at everything with an artist's eyes. Observe the world around you, even, say, a telephone—how is it shaped, what is unique about the cord? Look at the trees and people—especially people; they're all different!' Neal made me more observant of the environment and everything, so when I was drawing, I'd have a better idea of what I was drawing.
"Later, when I was doing Doctor Strange, there were no good inkers available at Marvel. I ran ran over to Neal and begged him to do a Crusty Bunkers job until I could find a regular inker. It was kind of inconsistent but better than anybody else could do, especially the bits Neal inked. Dick Giordano became the inker as he started on it as a Bunker. On the Bunker jobs, Neal would go through all the pencils, and he'd pick out all the best panels, and say, 'This is mine.' And I'd just stand there and happily nod, 'Whatever you say.'"
"We lost touch for many years after I moved to California and was working in animation. But J. David Spurlock got us together in Las Vegas in 2016 and we saw each other again at Heroes in Charlotte in 2018. It was really nice. I told him in Vegas and I'll repeat here, Thank you, Neal"