Questions & Suggestions re. Underappreciated Artists threads

[Lone Ranger]

Hey everyone

As you may have notice, I did the first Underappreciated Artist Spotlight thread for the first time in a long time. I haven't had as much time to assemble artwork samples lately so they've fallen a bit by the wayside.

I was hoping that people could make suggestions as to whom they like to see featured, and whether they'd like to write the thread themselves for any particular artist.

I was trying to remember everyone we've featured here, and I was hoping that people could help refresh my memory. Here is a list of those that I can remember covering. Let me know if I've forgotten anyone, or if I've added someone to the list that has not actually been featured yet:

Dick Dillin
Don Heck
Mike Sekowsky
George Tuska
Marie Severin
Ross Andru
Sal Buscema
Frank Robbins
Pablo Marcos
Ramon Fradon
Joe Staton
Mort Meskin

I have a feeling that I am missing some names, or that some names are on the list because I thought of featuring them, but never got around to actually doing it.

[Nate C.]

Scott,

I'd love to see one on Rich Butler. I don't know that I have the time or the expertise, so I'm offering it as a suggestion, not asking for the opportunity myself.

[Slam_Bradley]

Scott, didn't you do Don Newton? If not...we need to do Don Newton.

[Lone Ranger]

Scott,

I'd love to see one on Rich Butler. I don't know that I have the time or the expertise, so I'm offering it as a suggestion, not asking for the opportunity myself.

Nate - I assume you mean Rich Buckler. We can add him to the 'to do' list for sure.

I believe ROK had a thread praising his work a while back.

As for these threads, there is no expertise involved:D.

A bit of time, certainly - but no expertise.

[Lone Ranger]

Scott, didn't you do Don Newton? If not...we need to do Don Newton.

I think you're right.

Initially I leaned heavily towards artists where I had a sample of their original art. Newton falls into that category. I imagine I would have included a Shazam and Phantom scan as well.

I am 99% sure we did him now that you've mentioned it.

[Nate C.]

Nate - I assume you mean Rich Buckler. We can add him to the 'to do' list for sure.

I believe ROK had a thread praising his work a while back.

As for these threads, there is no expertise involved:D.

A bit of time, certainly - but no expertise.

woops. I knew that didn't sound right.

When I started reading comics in 1984 (Superhero, anyway) he just stuck out. I loved his style. Marvel House with a twist.

[Lone Ranger]

For those who may not have been around where we started these threads - the initial concept of the Spotlights was to discuss an artist who has not been the subject of a million biographies, magazine articles, websites and threads.

The likes of Kirby, Kane, Toth, Adams and Kubert are all wonderful - but this was a way of discussing those who are often overlooked.

I always tried to include a few art samples and welcomed any contributions from any other fans.

[benday-dot]

Hey Lone Ranger... am I misinterpreting, but does your list represent those artists of which a splotlight thread already exists somewhere on CBR, and your call is for new names... I ask because I would like read more about the great Dick Dillin if such a bio is indeed already archived and floating around. Gene Day is another underated artist, and who was with us much too briefly, that I'd love to read more about.

[Sir Tim Drake]

Gene Day is an excellent suggestion. I think one of the earliest Underappreciated Artist threads was about Dick Dillin, though I'm not sure.

[Lone Ranger]

Hey Lone Ranger... am I misinterpreting, but does your list represent those artists of which a splotlight thread already exists somewhere on CBR, and your call is for new names... I ask because I would like read more about the great Dick Dillon if such a bio is indeed already archived and floating around. Gene Day is another underated artist, and who was with us much to briefly, that I'd love too read more about.

The list is of artists we've already covered.

I'm sure Dillin was first since he's a personal fave of mine. Many of these were on the previous board, so I think they are lost.

Gene Day is duly noted.

I also remebered last night that we covered Lee Elias as well.

[MichikoS]

I'd like to know more about these three underappreciated talents:

1. Fred Kida

2. Bob Fujitani

3. Frank Bolle


Michi

[MDG]

I don't know if he's underappreciated anymore, but Kurt Schaffenberger. Also Angelo Torres and Bob Lubbers.

[Cei-U!]

Howzabout Frank Thorne?

Cei-U!
I summon a personal favorite!

[MWGallaher]

Thorne's a good candidate, but I think Herb Trimpe is much more overdue for attention.
Additional suggestions: Tony DeZuniga, Tom Sutton, Val Mayerick, and Bob Brown all had extensive bodies of work than haven't garnered the respect I think they deserve. Brown and Mayerick especially have barely been discussed; Sutton got some attention when he died, and DeZuniga's been wowing them again with the Hex Showcase and fill-ins for the new Hex series, but Bob & Val have gotten the shaft despite Brown's long-time work on Challengers of the Unknown, his stint on Superboy, a shot at the Avengers, and Mayerick's plentiful Marvel work on Man-Thing and lots of intriguing below-the-radar series like the Living Mummy, Frankenstein, and Void Indigo.

[dan bailey]

i think both franks -- thorne & bolling -- are especially excellent suggestions, as is gene day.

i love schaffenberger, but anyone with a book devoted to him (i own it -- hero gets girl, i believe it's called) probably doesn't qualify for inclusion. then again, there's a book devoted to george tuska, too ...

[dan bailey]

i second the nomination for val mayerik as well -- one of my favorite bronze age artists.

others i'm curious about include gerald mccann (the predominant artist in the first few issues of dell's ghost story), alden mcwilliams, pat broderick (mentioned in another forum earlier today, i believe ... i really liked his atlas-seaboard work, which probably marked my initial exposure to him, but a few days ago i was shocked to check the gcd for a credit on the appallingly poor cover of a newly ebay-won copy of best of dc blue ribbon digest #57 & was startled to see he'd done it) & billy graham.

were i to go digging through my '70s short boxes in particular, i'm sure i could come up with dozens more ...

[dan bailey]

... like rudy nebres ...

[Lone Ranger]

Good suggestions folks - keep 'em rolling in.

I'm not sure how many examples I'd have of some of the artists, but I'll see what I can dig up.

I actually had a page of Frank Thorne original art from a late 60s Our Fighting Forces, but I donated it to an ACTOR auction a couple of years back, so I can't include that one.

If anyone wants to do a thread for one of the artists they cited, please be my guest. Otherwise, I'll get to most of them eventually.

[Lone Ranger]

We definitely covered Tom Sutton already.

MDG - I think Schaffenberger is sufficiently underappreciated, that bio (along with Tuska's) was published after I came up with the idea. I guess it's not a real rule, but thought it was a pretty good starting point, but we'll have to reconsider it as more and more bios are published.

[Kan-Man]

Sad to say I missed these threads the first time around. I'm sure they made for some entertaining reads.

I'm not sure how to judge what constitutes underappreciated, so I'll just throw out some names that came to mind...

Irv Novick - I think I appreciate him more now than I did in my collecting years. I was a huge Batman fan and frankly I got bored when it was the same artist year after year. Plus he always seemed to be paired with Frank McLaughlin so I don't know which one was more responsible for the look of the art.

Mike Kaluta - I remember seeing those Shadow covers and thinking they were unlike anything I had seen at the time.

Keith Pollard - not a personal fave, but I thought he might spark some interest for others. He kind of disappeared after doing a ton of Marvel work.

Mike Zeck - too current?

[Lone Ranger]

Sad to say I missed these threads the first time around. I'm sure they made for some entertaining reads.

I'm not sure how to judge what constitutes underappreciated, so I'll just throw out some names that came to mind...

Irv Novick - I think I appreciate him more now than I did in my collecting years. I was a huge Batman fan and frankly I got bored when it was the same artist year after year. Plus he always seemed to be paired with Frank McLaughlin so I don't know which one was more responsible for the look of the art.

Mike Kaluta - I remember seeing those Shadow covers and thinking they were unlike anything I had seen at the time.

Keith Pollard - not a personal fave, but I thought he might spark some interest for others. He kind of disappeared after doing a ton of Marvel work.

Mike Zeck - too current?

Irv Novick is another one I forgot on my initial list.

I am 100% sure we did him, as I have 2 pages of Flash art and would have posted them. I believe we covered him prior to his passing.

The other 3 are good choices.

A while back I wouldn't have considered Kaluta to be underappreciated - but he doesn't seem to come up in conversation much these days. I think of discussion of his work would be great.

I was never a huge Pollard fan either - but I've seen some stuff recently from various late 70s books that have made me rethink my positionbit.

Zeck is also someone who I think would have been 'fully appreciated' once upon a time, but could use a revisiting. I can dig up some of his early Charlton work. I just saw a story drawn by him in the Essential Moon Knight and it looked really good.

Good suggestions.

[Hombre]

On the vein of artists who had some high profile assignments but remain somewhat obscure as a result of the years gone by, my suggestion would be the late Bob Brown.

There's not much about him I can say myself, except that I'm very interested in his work and look forward to read or re-read some of it in the future.

In the mid 70s, he penciled the Avengers, notably around the time of Englehart's intense focus on Mantis, as well as Daredevil, among other things.

His Daredevil work intrigues me particulary, as he was Colan's successor on the series until his untimely death, working with the likes of Steve Gerber and Marv Wolfman and seeming to develop an affinity for the character not unlike Colan's. At one point he also co-wrote an arc with Tony Isabella.

[Slam_Bradley]

Irv Novick is another one I forgot on my initial list.

I am 100% sure we did him, as I have 2 pages of Flash art and would have posted them. I believe we covered him prior to his passing.



I'm pretty sure I remember Novick as well. I loved his work.

[dan bailey]

as it happens, before heading off to work just this a.m. i was wondering whether zeck might fit the "underappreciated" bill. i guess he was on my mind because he drew captain america 289, which i was leafing through a couple of days ago for reasons i'll be touching on in another thread. i really liked his work on that series, but because of my often-cited 2 1/2-decade sojourn from comics i really have no idea of who from the past is properly appreciated (other than the obvious superstars) & who isn't.

i'm pretty sure my initial exposure to zeck was the inside front cover of the first ish of savage sword of conan i ever read, #2. i seem to recall it was wintertime when i picked it up at the piggly wiggly in my hometown, so probably i was wearing shoes (contrary to the arkansan stereotype), in which case my socks were knocked off.

[Rob Allen]

Is Wayne Howard too obscure?

How about Pat Boyette?

[Cei-U!]

How about Pat Boyette?

Ooh, yes, Boyette. Pete "PAM" Morisi, too.

Cei-U!
I summon the Charlton mainstays!

[MDG]

Ooh, yes, Boyette. Pete "PAM" Morisi, too.
Definately both of them. And for (somewhat) newer artists, Terry Beatty and Bill Loebs.

MDG

[Nate C.]

I think Zeck and Pollard are underappreciated too.

Man, Zeck had strong anatomy and line work.

[Lone Ranger]

Ooh, yes, Boyette. Pete "PAM" Morisi, too.

Cei-U!
I summon the Charlton mainstays!

Yup - they are both on my own personal list of guys to cover. I just read an Atlas book with a PAM nice PAM story.

Some others on my list that haven't been mentioned here are:

Ruben Moreira
Jay Scott Pike
Manny Stallman
James Sherman

I've got some Pike and Moreira scans organised already.

[JeffreyWKramer]

I think Zeck and Pollard are underappreciated too.

Man, Zeck had strong anatomy and line work.

Zeck was certainly appreciated in his time (though it took a bit). I remember when he used to be only on high-profile projects. Then he sort of disappeared. No idea why - over-exposure.

Anyhow, yeah, Zeck was quite good. From early on he showed that on MASTER OF KUNG FU - while no Gulacy and no Gene Day, he did a stellar job in between the runs those two spent on the book. His covers during the late 80s were exceptional.

[JeffreyWKramer]

What about Rik Estrada. Does anyone appreciate Rik Estrada?

[Slam_Bradley]

What about Rik Estrada. Does anyone appreciate Rik Estrada?


Only when he's drawing Power Girl's chest.

[dan bailey]

what slam said.

... depending, maybe, on which hand he was using.

to draw with, that is, you dirty-minded individuals! (iirc, estrada is ambidextrous & actually can draw with either hand. i remember wondering some months ago on the old oddball comics board, after coming across that factoid somewhere, whether he could ink his own pencils while they were still fresh.)

[Cei-U!]

How about the Hempel/Wheately team? I loved Mars and their work on Comico's Jonny Quest with scripter William Messner-Loebs are a highlight of the '80s.

Cei-U!
I summon the personal favorite!

[dan bailey]

Keith Pollard - not a personal fave, but I thought he might spark some interest for others. He kind of disappeared after doing a ton of Marvel work.


one of the few black artists around in those days (along with another couple of names who've been mentioned in the last day or 2, billy graham & wayne howard ... ron wilson may've come up as well), if memory serves, though i wasn't aware of that till just a few months ago.

another who comes to mind would also, i think, make a good entry for this thread -- trevor von eeden(sp?).

[dan bailey]

Ooh, yes, Boyette. Pete "PAM" Morisi, too.

each of whom -- & tom sutton as well -- has been the focus of an issue of the excellent fanzine charlton spotlight over the last couple of years in the wake of their respective passings. it's enough to make me wonder who'll be the next former charlton great to go to that great drawing board in the sky & give mike ambrose a subject for his next ish. (ummm ... has anyone seen steve ditko around lately? or sam glanzman, warren sattler or sanho kim?)

[Nate C.]

Zeck was certainly appreciated in his time (though it took a bit). I remember when he used to be only on high-profile projects. Then he sort of disappeared. No idea why - over-exposure.

Anyhow, yeah, Zeck was quite good. From early on he showed that on MASTER OF KUNG FU - while no Gulacy and no Gene Day, he did a stellar job in between the runs those two spent on the book. His covers during the late 80s were exceptional.

Yeah, between Amazing Spider-Man and his Drug Wars storyline, the Batman-Ten Nights of the Beast, Punisher Limited Series and I'm missing something, I just know it (Secret Wars, duh) he was rocking and rolling from about 1984-1988, wasn't he?

[Kan-Man]

As long as we're on a bit of a Mike Zeck kick, I just noticed on the DC website that he's done about a half dozen covers recently of both JLA Classified and JSA Classified (all inked by Jerry Ordway). And to further the classic comics connection, all of the issues were written by Steve Englehart.

[Lone Ranger]

Two more that we've covered that slipped my mind:

Sid Greene
Doug Wildey

[MDG]

Jack Sparling

MDG

[dan bailey]

i'll see your jack sparling (who occurred to me, too, btw ... i thought his stuff came off better in b&w in the showcase presents house of mystery collection than it often has in color, for some reason) & raise you frank springer. (as i've mentioned before, springer's nick fury, agent of shield, is the one i grew up on, since i appear never to have looked at a copy until a couple of issues after steranko left, even though sgt fury was already my favorite comic by then).

[joe bloke]

Ralph Reese.
Howard Post. Anthro was just too cool.
Alan Weiss.
And has anyone mentioned Rudy Nebres yet? ( or was that another thread? ). His work on Rima is some of the most beautiful comic art I have EVER seen.

[dan bailey]

And has anyone mentioned Rudy Nebres yet? ( or was that another thread? ). His work on Rima is some of the most beautiful comic art I have EVER seen.

that was me ... who mentioned nebres, that is, about a page ago (as opposed to who drew rima -- as if!). i really liked him back in the mid-'70s, both on pencils & inks. can't cite chapter & verse, but i remember him doing particularly striking work on dr strange & john carter, warlord of mars. wasn't aware he'd ever rendered rima, which title nestor redondo of course did a beautiful job on himself.

[joe bloke]

You are, of course, right, sir. My wires were crossed.

[dan bailey]

You are, of course, right, sir. My wires were crossed.

crossed wires or no, at least they're both excellent artists. it's not like you said frank robbins when you meant frank frazetta ...

[joe bloke]

Frank Robbins! there's a talent that never quite got the appreciation he deserved. Last week, I was trawling through my old Shadow comics, and, man, was Frank Robbins good. Does anyone remember that brilliant monster team thing one-off he did for Marvel? I can't remember whether it was Marvel Spotlight or Marvel Premiere, but it was Ghost Rider, Morbius, Man-Thing, and Werewolf by Night. Ah, yes, now that's good comics!

And if you want to check out some great Rudy Nebres art, try his Shang-Chi, and Iron Fist, stuff from Deadly Hands of Kung Fu. Also, his Vampirella work for Warren is something joyous to behold.

[dan bailey]

Frank Robbins! there's a talent that never quite got the appreciation he deserved. Last week, I was trawling through my old Shadow comics, and, man, was Frank Robbins good. Does anyone remember that brilliant monster team thing one-off he did for Marvel? I can't remember whether it was Marvel Spotlight or Marvel Premiere, but it was Ghost Rider, Morbius, Man-Thing, and Werewolf by Night. Ah, yes, now that's good comics!


robbins definitely has his fans, but i guess he's just an acquired taste that i ... haven't. oh, well.

[benday-dot]

Frank Robbins! there's a talent that never quite got the appreciation he deserved. Last week, I was trawling through my old Shadow comics, and, man, was Frank Robbins good.


Sorry mate... I know if you don't have something nice to say about someone you should hold your tongue, but Frank Robbins... barf.

Morbius from Adventure into Fear had 7 damn fine books to its credit, and 5 that were a blight... guess who penciled the 5?

To each his own tho' eh?

[joe bloke]

Absolutely. Hey, Frank Robbins ain't to everyone's taste, that's cool, but I really liked his stuff. He did some good Batman stuff, did Frank, and I was a fan of the Invaders, in the day.

[benday-dot]

Absolutely. Hey, Frank Robbins ain't to everyone's taste, that's cool, but I really liked his stuff. He did some good Batman stuff, did Frank, and I was a fan of the Invaders, in the day.

I must admit his rather kinetic (and frenetic) style blitzed you in a not altogether inappropriate way when it came to socking it to the nazis... and having all those spitfires, stukas, motorcycles and ejaculating tommy guns careening and popping about...

[joe bloke]

Yeah, and Vampires!

[MDG]

Robbins, DC stuff is great, though believe me I didn't know anyone who liked it when it first came out. I remember opening an issue of Batman with an Adams Man-Bat cover and actually screaming when I saw Robbins on the inside. And while his style is just as appropriate to the Shadow and Kaluta's, it was jarringly different.

Now though, I love the bold look--his pages really move.

Forget his Marvel stuff.

MDG

[Mike Kuypers]

I never cared for Robbins' Batman work at all. But I liked him on Invaders. You can check out some interior pages here (http://milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=list&title=42725251514&snumber=1).

[Bill Angus]

To really appreciate Robbins you have to check out his newspaper strip work - Johny Hazard. Absolutely gorgeous stuff in the Caniff tradition.

We had an 'underapreciated' thread devoted to him previously (I know, I suggested it) - though I'm not sure what the link is. There were links there to some of that work.

[Ronnigon]

You gotta have Ernie Colon.

Gotta.

"Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld" was a comic book art masterpiece. Colon created visual concepts in that series that I'd never seen anywhere else. He had an obscenely burgeoning imagination.

He also was the single best rotating artist on the Richie Rich and other Harvey Comics. You could always pick out Colon's work, because it was just so elegant and lively, and masterfully done.

[Lone Ranger]

You gotta have Ernie Colon.

Gotta.

"Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld" was a comic book art masterpiece. Colon created visual concepts in that series that I'd never seen anywhere else. He had an obscenely burgeoning imagination.

He also was the single best rotating artist on the Richie Rich and other Harvey Comics. You could always pick out Colon's work, because it was just so elegant and lively, and masterfully done.

Actually, Ernie Colon was one of the first artists featured here waaaay back on the pre-meltdown CBR. There was plenty of good appreciation - but that thread was lost to the CBR vortex.

[Ronnigon]

Lone:

Ah. Well, I didn't know that.

Those damn vortexes...

...or is it "vortices"?

[Lone Ranger]

Lone:

Ah. Well, I didn't know that.

Those damn vortexes...

...or is it "vortices"?

In hinsight - I really wish that I'd kept track of these better - as I had completely forgotten that we'd covered Colon until now. I believe I include pages form Grim Ghost for Atlas/Seaboard, a page of original Batman/Legion art from Brave and Bold and I can't remember what else - probably Amethyst.

I've always been a fan - I really enjoyed that Comic Book Artist interview.