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Post by tonebone on May 13, 2022 11:58:18 GMT -5
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Post by codystarbuck on May 13, 2022 12:16:03 GMT -5
Not underappreciated by artists; but, by the wider audience, I would say Jose Luis Garcia Lopez (PBHN). There is a certain subset that sing his praises (myself included); but, since he didn't have long sustained runs on any feature (a couple of issues here, a couple there, more covers than interiors) I think he gets overlooked. His work for Charlton's romance comics was way beyond the scripts..... Oksner is a good call, as I discovered, re-reading the Shazam! comics for y review thread. His Mary Marvel stories were fantastic and I would have liked to have seen him do the whole comic, maybe alternating with Schaffenberger. Also Steve Epting, as I look for his work, now. I would also add Chris Weston. Loved what he did on Warren Ellis' Ministry of Space. I would ad, in his day, Mike Parobeck, who made everything he touched look great and was a big part in the Batman Adventures comic becoming the best Batman title of the 90s. Ty Templeton, too. Michael Lark is one I really enjoy, but who keeps a lower profile. Terminal City became a must read for me, from the moment I saw the ad copy and sample pages. he and Dean Motter made a great pair (and Motter is another I would cite, as an artist). I would throw out Mike Grell, as a writer. He gets plenty of appreciation, as an artist; but, I don't think he gets enough credit for how good a writer he is. Warlord started out aping everything from Burroughs to Moorcock, yet it had a personality to it that made you smile when you spotted the swipes. By Jon Sable, he had grown extremely confident and sophisticated and was writing truly mature work, both thematically and technically. Ken Steacy I second. I really wish he had been more prolific; I have never seen a panel from him that was less than gorgeous or a story that wasn't interesting and exciting. I'll throw this out, given his profile and exit from comics: Martin Wagner, of Hepcats. he was really adept at both humor and drama, and was crafting a compelling work; but the timing of the market and personal issues stopped it in its tracks. His earlier Collegiate Hepcats material, from the college strip, was hilarious, up there with the best of Berke Breathed, and his extension, into the comic book, showed a real growth and maturity. I'd also say that Eddie Campbell's personal work isn't given the scrutiny that From Hell gets, because of Alan Moore. Bacchus and Alec are both tremendous works, with a small cult following, though more outside the US than inside.
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Post by badwolf on May 13, 2022 13:43:53 GMT -5
George Freeman - he should be a household name, but never was. My first exposure to him was on Captain Canuck #10 (bought off the drug store spinner rack in rural North Carolina?!?!)... and it has always been my single favorite issue of any comic. He later popped up in some Marvel and DC comics, most notably Jack of Hearts. He probably did more inking than pencilling. I mainly know him from the Elric adaptations, and from DC's horror/weird anthology Wasteland.
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Post by chadwilliam on May 13, 2022 14:22:24 GMT -5
Mort Meskin. He worked on a number of A-List characters who are no longer around (or are barely still around) such as The Black Terror, Fighting Yank, and Golden Lad, and some lesser known superheroes for DC such as Johnny Quick, The Vigilante, and Starman, but while certainly appreciated by all those who recognize his name, how many people do recognize it? I think that Jerry Siegel and Bill Finger are underrated as writers. Creators? No, but writers, yes. There's a respect for them given the fact that they gave us Superman and Batman respectively, but sometimes I get the feeling that this is where the admiration readers have for them begins and ends. For perspective, the contributions Bill Finger made to the character of Superman, nevermind Batman, are enough to earn him legendary status. Superman #53 "The Origin of Superman"? The first time the comics really fleshed out his origin? That's a Bill Finger story. Superman # 61 "Superman Returns to Krypton"? Where Superman finally learns that he's an alien? The comic which introduced Kryptonite (previously used on the radio series)? Bill Finger. Superman #87 " The Thing From 40,000 A.D." is one of those typical examples of Bill Finger's older stories popping up again and again when DC went into its past to select the best stories to reprint and revisit. Superman #96 "The Girl Who Didn't Believe in Superman" is such a powerful tale that it was adapted for the George Reeves series and is pretty much guaranteed to make any serious list of greatest Superman stories of all time was penned by Finger. For those who might argue that Lana Lang - also created by Bill Finger - is too much of a Lois Lane knock-off to be regarded as an original creation, Superman #129 "The Girl in Superman's Past" which introduced us to Superman's mermaid love, Lori Lemaris was also created by Bill Finger. Superman #155 " Superman Under the Green Sun" stands out even amongst the many memorable Superman tales we were getting during the Silver Age and is another Bill Finger script. Superman #170 " Superman's Mission for JFK"? Again, Bill Finger and again, these are all things he managed in his off-hours away from Batman. As for Siegel, I think anyone who followed my Spectre thread knows that the guy was more than just the creator of Superman. I wouldn't argue that he was as prolific outside of Superman as Bill Finger was away from Batman, but with stories such as " Superman, Matinee Idol", "Case of the Funny Paper Crimes", "The Mysterious Mr. Mxyztplk", "The Death of Superman", "The Two Faces of Superman", "Superman's Return to Krypton", "When the World Forgot Superman", "The Triumph and Luthor and Brainiac", etc, etc. I don't think you have to.
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Post by tonebone on May 13, 2022 15:34:52 GMT -5
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Post by MWGallaher on May 13, 2022 15:36:20 GMT -5
Jimmy Thompson! Thompson's Robotman in STAR-SPANGLED and DETECTIVE COMICS was never prominent enough to secure him the attention he deserves from comic fandom. It seems like C.C. Beck sucked up all the appreciation for the kind of semi-serious but artful Golden Age work that later fans were willing to dole out, but I much prefer Thompson's work.
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Post by tonebone on May 13, 2022 16:30:14 GMT -5
Jimmy Thompson! Thompson's Robotman in STAR-SPANGLED and DETECTIVE COMICS was never prominent enough to secure him the attention he deserves from comic fandom. It seems like C.C. Beck sucked up all the appreciation for the kind of semi-serious but artful Golden Age work that later fans were willing to dole out, but I much prefer Thompson's work. I have never heard of Jimmy Thompson! Thanks for introducing me to such a fantastic artist! His lighting is great!
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Post by commond on May 13, 2022 16:35:49 GMT -5
Michael Fleisher -- his Jonah Hex run is as good as any other run from the Bronze Age and his Spectre run is brilliant. I'm sure there is some other stuff hidden away in his bibliography and I intend to find it.
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Post by kirby101 on May 13, 2022 17:44:14 GMT -5
Two that come to mind are Val Mayerik, did fine work on Man-Thing (created Howard the Duck) and other horror and S&S books for Marvel. I particularly thought his Living Mummy was great, especially when he inked himself.
The other is Jesse Santos, for whom I will do another post.
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Post by codystarbuck on May 13, 2022 18:39:52 GMT -5
Add Don Newton. Those of us who are old enough to have seen his work know how good he was; but, he didn't have the biggest profile in comics. His run on Detective was his most visible; but, this was also not the strongest period for Batman sales. Newton kind of falls into the netherworld of between Englehart & Rogers and Frank Miller (as does Doug Moench); and, yet, he produced fantastic work.
For my money, he was the best Phantom artist of the comic book industry, though I rate Jim Aparo a very close second. Newton just had a bit more atmosphere to his stories and he just loved adventure and it came through, in his work. Aparo was just as dynamic and moody; but, Newton's grabbed me more.
Newton also showed he was adept at sci-fi, with both Star Hunters and Return of the New Gods, where his visuals helped elevate some fair storytelling by Gerry Conway, who couldn't really rise to the epic levels that the series demanded, until the JLA crossover.
Then, there is Captain Marvel, his true love and it just sings, even when the story is just, okay.
Sadly, he died suddenly, of a heart attack, just as he was taking over Infinity, Inc, where I think he could have really strutted a bit. If he couldn't do the JSA, that was a close second. Really a shame that he wasn't tapped for even a fill-in issue of All-Star Squadron.
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Post by badwolf on May 13, 2022 19:07:14 GMT -5
Add Don Newton. Those of us who are old enough to have seen his work know how good he was; but, he didn't have the biggest profile in comics. His run on Detective was his most visible; but, this was also not the strongest period for Batman sales. Newton kind of falls into the netherworld of between Englehart & Rogers and Frank Miller (as does Doug Moench); and, yet, he produced fantastic work. For my money, he was the best Phantom artist of the comic book industry, though I rate Jim Aparo a very close second. Newton just had a bit more atmosphere to his stories and he just loved adventure and it came through, in his work. Aparo was just as dynamic and moody; but, Newton's grabbed me more. Newton also showed he was adept at sci-fi, with both Star Hunters and Return of the New Gods, where his visuals helped elevate some fair storytelling by Gerry Conway, who couldn't really rise to the epic levels that the series demanded, until the JLA crossover. Then, there is Captain Marvel, his true love and it just sings, even when the story is just, okay. Sadly, he died suddenly, of a heart attack, just as he was taking over Infinity, Inc, where I think he could have really strutted a bit. If he couldn't do the JSA, that was a close second. Really a shame that he wasn't tapped for even a fill-in issue of All-Star Squadron. Yes! I know him mainly from the Captain Marvel stories in World's Finest. His realistic faces and expressions struck me.
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Post by berkley on May 13, 2022 19:22:16 GMT -5
Two that come to mind are Val Mayerik, did fine work on Man-Thing (created Howard the Duck) and other horror and S&S books for Marvel. I particularly thought his Living Mummy was great, especially when he inked himself. Yes, he's another guy whose stuff never really looked right unless inked by himself. I remember the Hound of the Baskervilles adaptation he and Moench did in the black and white mag Marvel Preview: the pages and panels inked by Mayerik himself looked fantastic but he must not have been able to finish the job on time, because some pages were inked by someone else - Tony deZuniga, I thinnk - and they completely ruined the effect. Not only did it not look as good aesthetically, but it killed the atmosphere that Mayerik had been able to create with his own inks and that I thought very fitting for a Holmes story.
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Post by spoon on May 13, 2022 20:03:02 GMT -5
George Freeman - he should be a household name, but never was. My first exposure to him was on Captain Canuck #10 (bought off the drug store spinner rack in rural North Carolina?!?!)... and it has always been my single favorite issue of any comic. He later popped up in some Marvel and DC comics, most notably Jack of Hearts. He probably did more inking than pencilling. I really liked the Batman Annual story with Clayface when I was a kid. So memorable. Last year I read a Black Widow graphic novel he drew a few years after that, and I didn't like the art, but it might've been the inking.
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Post by Duragizer on May 15, 2022 2:26:08 GMT -5
I'm gonna say Ron Frenz. I became a fan of his after reading his Spider-Girl work. I like how he draws her with the type of physique appropriate for an athletic teenage girl who plays on the high school basketball team instead of defaulting to the pornstar body type lesser artists love so much.
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Post by Icctrombone on May 15, 2022 6:01:09 GMT -5
Bob Oksner - mainstay at DC in the 60's... no one drew cuter (or more fashionable) girls, anywhere! A thousand times yes. He draws the prettiest women and all his covers are winners. I would love to purchase a collection of his work.
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