Before You Ever Saw It, There Were Roughs

Hi, friends! A happy Thursday to you. I'm pretty much going to get out of the way today and let the art do the talking. If you're like me, you not only like to hear alternate takes and rehearsals from your favorite bands - it really gives the listener an inside look at the creative process. Comic art, particularly covers, can also be like that. So what I've gathered today is some before-and-after work from some of the best in the business. Enjoy!

Leading off: Neal Adams and the cover to the Ballantine Paperback edition of Tarzan and the Lion Man.

 Here's something you don't see every day - Jazzy Johnny Romita drawing our favorite Cimmerian!

 Frank Frazetta - The Huntress. Nuff said.

Frazetta again, this time toying with the positioning of Tarzan and the very large bear. I think I like the rough better than the finished product. You?

I actually used to own the rough below and sold it when I liquidated my collection around five years ago. It's from the one-shot Marvel Heroes and Legends; this section of the book was of course penciled by Big John Buscema. That energy comes through even in the loose version, doesn't it?

Everyone has a copy of the Les Daniel coffee table books, right? Mine is a personal treasure, as for years I took it to conventions and had creators sign inside. Among the luminaries who've scratched in it are Stan Lee, John Romita, Sal Buscema, Jim Shooter, George Perez, Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, Rich Buckler, and more! Here's Romita's sketch when he was laying out the cover.

Another Romita layout, this time for a mag in the second go-round for What If?

Ploooooooooggg! Mike Ploog. Master. I love the image at left, as you can see him tinkering with the cover. I think I actually like the rough at top right the best.

And just to show how much I like you and appreciate you taking a couple of minutes out of your day, I'm going to leave you with a couple of gems from Earl Norem. That man was a master on the Marvel magazine covers!

Happy Birthday to Me - Please Allow the Indulgence!

The big 5-3 today (if that's a commemorative birthday, which I think it is not).

I thought today I'd just give myself the present of some art by some of my favorite artists - black & white or otherwise. So I hope you'll allow me to entertain you with some stuff that entertains me. Enjoy!

Neal Adams draws the best of two worlds (for the background on the nifty piece, check out Dan Greenfield's blog, 13th Dimension):

John Buscema Conan sketch. Funny thing is, I used to own this and sold it a few years ago. I found this image laying around the Web! Guess someone else liked it, too!

John Byrne does the Avengers - nuff said!

John Romita's Spider-Man cast - absolutely nothing NOT to love here.

Curt Swan's Superman - the way I "see" the Man of Steel in my mind's eye.

Dave Cockrum drew the X-Men and the Legion of Super-Heroes, launching them to renewed stardom and immediately preceding memorable runs by John Byrne and Mike Grell, respectively.

 

And to round things out today, how about a little Gene Colan Daredevil - with some assorted nasties, no less?

Pablo Marcos, Penciler, Inker... Artist

Pablo Marcos is one of those inkers whose work I can spot a mile away. Similar to Joe Sinnott, Vince Colletta, or Tony DeZuniga, there are just aspects of Marcos's style that speak loudly to me. And I'll admit... as a kid I didn't appreciate Marcos's influence over several pencilers. My apprehension generally centers around the Avengers in the mid-1970s. Spanning penciling runs by Sal Buscema, George Perez, and John Byrne, Marcos did serve to unify the look of the title. However, I found his faces somewhat distinct, and not as pleasing to my young eyes as other inkers might have been over those same pencilers. Now much older and wiser, my appreciation for Marcos and his work has grown. It's still distinct to me, but I've embraced it as uniquely his own style.

Thank you in advance to the collectors and purveyors of comic book art who have been kind enough to post the following images on the Internet so that we can all enjoy.

John Buscema: Under the Influence

If you're not a fan of Big John Buscema, well... I honestly don't know why you wouldn't be! Be that as it may, one thing JB fans often discuss is the "look" of the Master's work when under the pen and brush of various inkers. It's long been known - basically because Buscema said it whenever he saw an "in" - that John Buscema preferred only two inkers ever touch his pencils: his younger brother, Sal, and himself. All others, again according to Buscema, ruined his work. Buried it. Whatever negative you want to throw in here, chances are good that Buscema felt it or said it!

Today we're going to examine several samples of wonderful John Buscema pages, each one with a different inker. A hearty "thanks!" in advance to the great people across the Interwebs who own these pages and have posted them elsewhere online. We all benefit from your generosity!

Here's today's Hall of Fame line-up:

1. John Buscema
2. Dan Adkins
3. Alfredo Alcala
4. Sal Buscema
5. Ernie Chua
6. Tony DeZuniga
7. Frank Giacoia
8. Don Heck
9. Rudy Nebres
10. Tom Palmer
11. George Roussos
12. Joe Sinnott
13. Sonny Trinidad

Your job is to leave some impressions in the comments section, and hopefully a rich conversation develops today. Please also offer suggestions on other inkers I may have missed. My goal was certainly not to slight anyone's work, and I make no claim that my presentation today is comprehensive.

So let's get on with it...

John Buscema inks, from Avengers Annual 24, p. 23

Dan Adkins, from Sub-Mariner 8

Alfredo Alcala, from Savage Sword of Conan 2, page 31

Sal Buscema, from Silver Surfer 7, page 38

Ernie Chua, from Conan the Barbarian 36

Tony DeZuniga, from SSoC 27, page 20

Frank Giacoia, from Sub-Mariner 1

Don Heck, from Our Love Story 3

Rudy Nebres, from SSoC 158

Tom Palmer, from Avengers 81, page 4

George Roussos, from Avengers 42, page 9

Joe Sinnott, from Fantastic Four 121, page 9

Sonny Trinidad, from SSoC 22, page 15