Comics Thread: Marvel, DC, Darkhorse, etc.....

[Hepcat]

Manji!

I prefer more modern styled artists like Travis Charest, Jim Lee or Pacheco.

I don't like the stylized exaggerated work of the modern fellows at all. I prefer the work of George Perez to the work of these fellows. John Byrne and Tom Grummet would be my favourite "modern" artists.

Neal Adams remains my favourite comic book artist of all time followed by Joe Kubert, Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson. Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson actually defined the DC house style in the early and mid-sixties. Murphy Anderson's inking actually improved the work of many artists. The Adam Strange series in Mystery in Space pencilled by Carmine Infantino and inked by Murphy Anderson was particularly pleasing to the eye.

I'm still stuck in the Silver Age - as my collection would attest. I wish DC had never done the Crisis on Infinite Earths series. I wish that Barry Allen (the Flash) was still alive and I wish that Hal Jordan was still Green Lantern - since he was the quintessential Green Lantern. GL and the Flash were actually the defining characters of DC's Silver Age.

So who's my favourite comic character? It's a toss-up between the Hal Jordan Green Lantern and the Fox and the Crow!

 

[Manji]

Hepcat!!!

I have to admit that I don't really dig the retro look in comics.
I'm one of those guys who just can't go back. I prefer the sleek, detailed modern look (whether its comics, anime or special effects on Star Trek)/

When you say exaggerated work, do you mean like Liefield? The oversized muscles and out or porportion breasts? I hate that style myself. I prefer it when artists draw people like they are actually people and not like body builders and super models.l

However, there of plenty of new artists who really have brought comic art to a whole level and a whole new era.

Sinestro!!!

I agree with Jimenez. But I think Pacheco could have handled the crossover. Remember his work on Avengers Forever; there were plenty of sprawling battle scenes in that series.
Jim Lee would not have been able to handle the series and his style is like how you described in that he is best suit in handling close-ups and cool one or two person action poses.
Travis Charest, with all his talent I would like to think he could handle it but it would have taken him longer than forever to finish it.

 

[Sinestro]

It's like I just said in another thread: the classics never go out of style. The masters, the true masters, produce work that is timeless. Having said that, I'd like to raise a glass to the King, Jack Kirby. Yeah, it's kind of obvious, I know. There's a reason, though, that this man is so revered, his work so venerated. His stuff is just so dynamic, it leaps off the page, comes right at you. Don't believe me? Next time you're at the comic shop, pick up a Fantastic Four Marvel Masterwork Edition. Take a look at the back of it, at the collection of covers for the issues included in the volume. Take a look at those Kirby covers and tell me I'm wrong.
But enough of this Kirby love-fest; there are other greats who deserve to be mentioned...

John Romita Sr. - The Spider-Man artist. And it wasn't just that he was a mean man with a pencil; he also knew the importance of being able to tell the story visually.

Joe Kubert - Not just a master illustrator, he is also unique because of the stories he chose to tell. He helped to revolutionize war comics by injecting a little much-needed reality. Thank you, Joe, for Sgt. Rock...

Will Eisner - Now here's a guy who understood that there was a language to comics, a way of sending a message that was unique to this medium. Long before anyone thought that there was any real value to sequential art, you had Will Eisener...

 

[Manji]

Okay, just out of curiousity, how old is everybody here? Don't have to give your exact age, just provide a rounded number.
Just curious on the average age of our comic collecting and reading audience here. I have noticed that at my comic book shop the readers on the most part are older than younger.

Judging by the opinions of some you guys (in regards to your preference of artists and art styles) it seems that you guys are older than me (not that there is anything wrong with that).

Just that, it makes me wonder with a sense of dread; is the era of reading and collecting comics coming to an end. Are there going to be less and less younger comic readers to sustain the creation, production and proliferation of comics? Or am I being paranoid? Will comic publishers be able to find a new a generation of readers for many years to come? (Please state your opinions)

( By the way I'm in my late twenties.)

 

[Hepcat]

Manji!

I prefer the sleek, detailed modern look....

That's just it! In most cases modern artwork strikes me as being stylized as opposed to detailed i.e. realistic.

When you say exaggerated work, do you mean like Liefield?

He may very well be the worst offender. I hate his stuff.

The oversized muscles and out or porportion breasts?

With respect to the men, the musculature is of steroid users. This is unacceptable. Heroes shouldn't be portrayed as drug users.

With respect to the women, it's not so much the size of their breasts, it's that they're drawn like artificial implants. They're too round and much too high! Heroines shouldn't need breast implants! Almost as bad, the heroines generally have that unnatural long thigh and butt look.

Hdog!

I've not checked Neal's website for six months or so. I'll give it another look.

 

[incognito]

Okay, just out of curiousity, how old is everybody here? Don't have to give your exact age, just provide a rounded number.
Just curious on the average age of our comic collecting and reading audience here. I have noticed that at my comic book shop the readers on the most part are older than younger.

Judging by the opinions of some you guys (in regards to your preference of artists and art styles) it seems that you guys are older than me (not that there is anything wrong with that).

Just that, it makes me wonder with a sense of dread; is the era of reading and collecting comics coming to an end. Are there going to be less and less younger comic readers to sustain the creation, production and proliferation of comics? Or am I being paranoid? Will comic publishers be able to find a new a generation of readers for many years to come? (Please state your opinions)

( By the way I'm in my late twenties.)

I'm in my thirties, as in 30.
Wait, this isn't the anime or sci-fi thread.

 

[knight66]

Early thirties for me.

So who is going to the expo in late august.
Maybe there should be a TERB booth there and then an after party.

 

[Hepcat]

Hdog!

I like the EC artists best.

Jack Davis was my favourite. It's funny that about six years ago I bought a book on the artwork of Jack Davis and shortly thereafter I received a phone call out of the blue from the author of the book! It seems he was writing a revised edition of the book on Jack Davis and he'd seen my ads in the Comics Buyer's Guide for early issues of the Adventures of the Fly. He was wondering whether I thought Jack Davis could have pencilled one of the Fly stories. I told him that I didn't have that specific issue but that Jack Davis was unquestionably the artist who had drawn the cartoons for the backs of the 1960/61 Topps hockey cards.

 

[Hepcat]

A couple of years later I got an even better call/letter. I'd been advertising in the Comics Buyer's Guide for NM copies of Pete Millar's Drag Cartoons which I had read in the mid-sixties. Well Pete Millar himself phoned me wondering whether I had duplicates of a couple of issues. Lo and behold I did and he bought them. Evidently he was putting all his old cartoons on CD!

Unfortunately, it seems that Pete was gathering his work together since he didn't have long to live and he died just over a year ago.

 

[Manji]

Hepcat!!!

hdog!!!

How bout some links to these guy so we know who you guys are talkin about.

 

[Hepcat]

Manji!

Okay, just out of curiousity, how old is everybody here? Don't have to give your exact age, just provide a rounded number.

I bought my first two comic mags, Dell's Cicero's Cat, in the summer of 1959. I clearly recall my father's reaction when he thought I'd bought the same comic mag twice!

The first superhero comic I ever "read", or at least leafed through at the drugstore, was probably Archie's Adventures of the Fly #11 with a fine three-headed hydra on the cover. I clearly recall the wonder I experienced when I saw the in-house ads in The Fly #13 heralding the introduction of Flygirl and the launch of the first issue of The Adventures of the Jaguar.

The first DC superhero comic I ever read was Green Lantern #11, which featured a Sinestro story, and the second was Justice League of America #8, "Justice League for Sale". I was enthralled and went out and bought Justice League of America #14, featuring the Atom's admission into the Justice League. I was hooked.

Here's a cool cover gallery to many Silver Age DC and Marvel titles which includes the Green Lantern and JLA issues I just mentioned:

http://www.geocities.com/marvelsilver/

I now have all these comic mags I've mentioned in at least VF+ condition. My main collecting focus is for very obvious reasons on those comic mags published between 1960 and 1964.

How bout some links to these guy so we know who you guys are talkin about.

Here you go:

The Fly

http://www.mightycrusaders.net/fly.htm

Pete Millar

http://www.laffyerasphalt.com/Welcome.html

Jack Davis

http://www.budplant.com/bio.itml/icOid/9226

 

[Sinestro]

Manji…
In response to your question, I’m 29, though I look a little younger and act a lot older.
As for your fears regarding the future of comic collecting, I would suggest that perhaps the key isn’t to continue drawing young readers in, but rather to make comics more accessible to a broader range of adults. Don’t get me wrong: I think that there should be a greater effort by companies to foster all-ages titles and lines. With mainstream superhero titles becoming increasingly sophisticated, I thank God for the presence of such books as Justice League Adventures, Batman Adventures, and Teen Titans Go!, that ease children into comics reading and the superhero sub-genre in a way that is safe and wholesome, while at the same time taking into account that today’s kids are a lot more savvy than previous generations. .
Having said that, I believe that North America should really look to the examples set by Europe and Japan, and shake off the last restrictions of the Wertham era. Once that lingering self-loathing is finally overcome, maybe the medium can finally start to evolve, and maybe the industry can take chances on new voices. How many people here are of non-North American or European descent? How many feel that they’re well-represented on the comic page? A Spider-Man movie or X-Men movie might make for a fine summer spectacle, and it might even fill Marvel’s coffers, but it won’t convince the son or daughter of South Asian immigrants to invest their time and money in following the adventures of some hard-done-by white guy.
And what about women? Incognito made an interesting point in another thread: how come there haven’t been any female voices in any of the ‘geek’ threads? Because of the long-standing belief that comics are and will only ever be male power fantasies. Time to dispell the notion, gents. Hey…next time you’re with your favourite SP, loan her a couple of your Sandman trades; get her hooked, and maybe you’ll be spending your time debating the finer points of Neil Gaiman’s writing instead of making sweet, sweet love. Wait…let me rethink this…
Anyway, here endeth the rant…

Knight66…
I haven’t decided whether I’m going to the big comic/sf/anime expo in August, though my friends have expressed an interest. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve all been; my monetary situation might just prove to be the deciding factor.
To all the TERBites who’re going: wear pink carnations in your lapels so that I’ll be able to spot you. I will then identify myself by whispering the secret TERB password: BBBJTC. Wait…why are you all backing away? I said I was gonna whisper it, not provide it…! Guys…?
I like the idea of an after-party. Hey, just to spice things up, we should shanghai Patrick Stewart, take him to the nearest peeler bar, get him bombed and buy him lap dances. Who’s with me…?

Hepcat…
Thanks for the link to Jay’s Silver Age Web Page; I would like to take this opportunity to correct a previous statement: the Silver Age Flash did not make his first appearance in the Brave and the Bold, as I’d thought, but rather in Showcase. Apologies all around.
As a Silver Age buff, Hepcat, I’m interested in knowing what you think about the Julius Schwartz tribute comics that DC is releasing. Specifically, what do you think about the classic covers redone by modern artists? Homage or travesty? Or is it an apples and oranges kind of thing? Inquiring minds, and all that…

 

[Hepcat]

Sinestro!

Specifically, what do you think about the classic covers redone by modern artists? Homage or travesty? Or is it an apples and oranges kind of thing?

Apples and oranges. Older fans are those most likely to appreciate the originals - but they also specifically want the originals. The Julius Schwartz tribute comics must therefore be marketed to younger fans if these comics are to be commercially successful - which is probably why DC had the covers redone.

 

[Manji]

hdog!!!

Neal Adams is an amazing artist.
Looks like he would have been comfortable drawing Heavy Metal type stories. Did he do a comic that was similar to Ka-zar or Conan (guessing from the guy in the loincloth who is in a lot of his artwork)?

Still got to take a look at Travis Charest. He ranks up there with the best of them:

http://groups.msn.com/TravisCharest

http://www.travischarestgallery.com/index.cfm?startrow=5&fuseaction=gallery&gallery=wildcats1


By the way; anybody read Heavy Metal?

I find it very inconsistent. Some issues in the magazine have some amazing stories and artwork and other issues are so bad that I regret buying the magazine.
Also don't like the fact that some stories/issues seem to be connected from a previous issues that came out a while back?
Thats sort of a drag ... you know .... getting into a story that has already started.

But how about that Manara? Can he draw women or can he draw women? There's a few artists in Heavy Metal that produce some fantastic artwork. I think most of them are European. The European artists have a different style to them compared to their North American counterparts.
Its all good...
Viva la differance!

Manji

 

[Manji]

Something to think about:
What was the worst decisions/moments in comic book history.
Here's some suggestions, agree or disagree:

* Spiderman's clone; What was that about? Peter Parker's clone Ben Parker. Possibly Marvel's most embarassing mistake

*When Rob Liefield was hired

*Death of Superman; the introduction of the wanna-be Supermen, Steel, Superboy, The Supercyborg (was there one more?)

*Jack Black as Green Lantern

*The crippling of Batman and then having somebody replace him in a cheesy wanna-be Batman costume

*Using anime style art in comic books; Not manga but using art that looks like they took straight from an animation cell. Do you know what I mean? (Will not buy a comic that looks like that....)

*Killing the Punisher then bringing him back and using the Punisher as an agent of God, I can't believe they did that!

*Bringing in Serpentor in GI JOE. What a cheese character; not long after that I stopped collecting GI JOE (and then comics for a long while).

*Making Superman into some Blue Neon Electric Guy! What was that? (Sorry, don't really collect DC but I have see the covers of Superman so I knew it happened)

Well that's all I can think of for now.
Anybody got any!?!?

 

[incognito]

Its called jumping the shark.

 

[Hepcat]

Manji!

Did he(Neal Adams) do a comic that was similar to Ka-zar or Conan (guessing from the guy in the loincloth who is in a lot of his artwork)?

The guy in the loincloth is generally Tarzan. Neal did a whole series of Tarzan covers for Del Ray pocketbooks.

The characters on which Neal has done the most work are Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Deadman and the Spectre at DC and Conan, the X-Men and the Avengers at Marvel.

Hdog!

Would you not agree that some of Neal Adams very best work was the covers he did on House of Secrets and House of Mystery featuring those kids?

 

[Manji]

Trailer and pics for the new Batman movie:

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/...egins,0,325730.story?coll=mmx-movies_features

Hopefully it doesn't suck like Batman 3 and 4 and Catwoman!!!!

 

[Manji]

If anybody has read "Lone Wolf and Cub" and loved it; Dark Horse has just released "Samurai Executioner" (Volume One).

A great read, part historical drama part bloody (very very bloody) samurai tale (as if you couldn't tell by the title...)

 

[incognito]

I couldn't watch the trailer but from what i saw from the pics, it looks pretty good. Well it can't suck worse than batman 3 & 4. C'mon, Val Kilmer?!?!