Why is Erik Larsen considered so great?

[de Sosa]

I hear him talked about alot as an alltime great creator but then I look at his art like on savage dragon, and then some spiderman covers and it doesnt look that special to me, just typical Rob Liefeld-esque 90s super hero comics style



Why is Erik Larsen so popular and esteemed? Is he a really good writer?

[CromagnonMan]

i think he's just got a popular cult following rather than being considered an all-time great. even Liefeld has his own cult following.

[sonicx1977]

His own book, Savage Dragon is what really makes him. Good ideas, not decompressed and always going foreward the straight way. He doesnt waste time with uninteresting things and he kills off characters without ressurecting them. Pretty wacky super villains and heroes. Its just a great book and set in real time, characters age and get older. His style works best for his own book, but i like it anyway.

[CromagnonMan]

agreed, Savage Dragon is a good book, if you like larger than life action,

also you know Erik Larsen will look at this thread, so dont be too harsh

[de Sosa]

He's alot better than me, with anatomy and dynamicism and pretty much everything he does, not to mention all the great things he's accomplished, don't get me wrong I'm not trying to say he's a scrub or even worse, Rob Liefeld-level.

I just didn't know what stands out about him, I have read lots of interviews where creators point to him as huge inspiration, and then I google pages or art he's done and it doesn't stick out to me, guess I should check out some savage dragon before I form an opinion of anything, never read any of his writing so how can I have an opinion

[sonicx1977]

You should check out Savage Dragon from the first mini series. From the start, its one heck of a ride, and things really change from there.

[dan bailey]

I hear him talked about alot as an alltime great creator but then I look at his art like on savage dragon, and then some spiderman covers and it doesnt look that special to me, just typical Rob Liefeld-esque 90s super hero comics style

In fairness, from the vantage point of 2012, pretty much everyone's work looked ghastly 20 years or so ago. As I've noted before, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been out of comics more than a decade before the hideous likes of Liefeld became ultra-popular; it's as if fandom & the comics industry lost its collective mind for several years.

[sonicx1977]

Sometimes i like the old stuff more than the new stuff. The picture above looks great.

[Scott Harris]

It's interesting, when he first took over for McFarlane on ASM, I was not a fan at all. At the time, I thought his stuff looked like a McFarlane ripoff and that they had just brought him in to try and copy McFarlane's style.

Now, however, when I look back at his work I think it's superior to McFarlane's in just about every way. Funny thing that.

And I'll echo the others: Savage Dragon is where it's at with Larson. And other creators are no doubt referring not just to Larsen's artwork -- or his writing -- but to his work as a co-founder of Image, as a creator who follows his own vision and does his own thing and as someone who respects the history of the medium as shown in projects like the Next Issue Project, which is a great thing.

[destro]

I'm not really a big fan of Erik honestly, but it's unfair to compare him to Rob Liefeld. Erik knows how to lay out a page, tell a story and is consistent with his stylized way of drawing anatomy. He is a very talented artist, just not really my cup of tea.

[Dizzy D]

It's interesting, when he first took over for McFarlane on ASM, I was not a fan at all. At the time, I thought his stuff looked like a McFarlane ripoff and that they had just brought him in to try and copy McFarlane's style.

Now, however, when I look back at his work I think it's superior to McFarlane's in just about every way. Funny thing that.

And I'll echo the others: Savage Dragon is where it's at with Larson. And other creators are no doubt referring not just to Larsen's artwork -- or his writing -- but to his work as a co-founder of Image, as a creator who follows his own vision and does his own thing and as someone who respects the history of the medium as shown in projects like the Next Issue Project, which is a great thing.

I was thinking of how to answer this question, but you basically nailed it right on the head. I've tried Savage Dragon several times and it's not for me, but I do think that Larsen has shown incredible vision (not afraid to change things around whenever he wants to) and dedication (of all the Image Founders, he is the one who will get his titles out on time, every time. ) with this title.

[Superboy Sr]

Yeah he's so great he was the reason Aquaman got cancelled!!!!!!!!

[Slam_Bradley]

Yeah he's so great he was the reason Aquaman got cancelled!!!!!!!!

Which time. Aquaman has never been able to sustain a title no matter the creators.

[Phil Maurice]

I thoroughly enjoyed the 2001 Defenders 12-issue series Larsen produced along with Kurt Busiek. A really great run, hilariously written and beautifully drawn. I thought it was the best take on the Non-Team since the Gerber days.

[dan bailey]

I thoroughly enjoyed the 2001 Defenders 12-issue series Larsen produced along with Kurt Busiek. A really great run, hilariously written and beautifully drawn. I thought it was the best take on the Non-Team since the Gerber days.

Geez -- I was unaware of that one till now; sounds right up my alley. (Really liked the Giffen-DeMatteis/Maguire mini from '05 & enjoyed the first issue of the current incarnation, too, though not having found a cheap copy of #2 yet I haven't read any additional issues.)

From poking around on the 'net, I guess (a) a TPB collection or (b) dirt-cheap back issues would be too much to ask. *sigh*