Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

Author: Greg Goldstein

Greg Goldstein is a veteran publishing and media executive; most recently, he was the Chief Operating Officer, President and Publisher of IDW Publishing, managing all aspects of the company’s book and games business from 2008 to 2019. Throughout his career, Greg has developed creative and profitable publishing programs for dozens of the world’s best-known entertainment brands including Star Wars, Transformers, Star Trek, James Bond, TMNT, Spider-Man, Batman and Godzilla. In 2013, Greg led IDW’s acquisition of Top Shelf, an independent publisher best known for Congressman John Lewis’ March trilogy, which has become the most lauded non-fiction graphic novel series in the history of the medium. In 2011, Greg won an Eisner award for his editing on the first-ever collection of Bob Montana’s Archie newspaper comic strips. (Published under IDW’s Library of American Comics imprint.) Prior to joining IDW, Greg was VP of Entertainment and Gaming for Upper Deck, responsible for the company’s blockbuster slate of games, including Yu-Gi-Oh, World of Warcraft and The VS Superhero system. During his tenure, he created Marvel Ultimate Battles, the first-ever trading card game that focused exclusively on Marvel’s popular mass media characters. As VP of Brand Development for Activision from 2000-2002, Greg established strategic partnerships with the largest Hollywood studios, and worked closely with Marvel Entertainment to successfully develop Spider-man into one of the biggest blockbuster licensed videogame brands in interactive history. Greg’s career has also included a successful stint at Topps, where he helped launch and manage Topps Comics in the mid 1990s. Additionally, Greg serves as an adviser for to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBDLF). He is also a frequent guest lecturer at San Diego Sate University and has presented at dozens of panels and conferences throughout the US. He is also a well-known collector of original comic book art and rues the day he sold his collection the first time around in the late 1990s.

Jim Balkie — Empire’s End

Original Art and The Artists

Star Wars: Empire’s End #2, November 1995

Here’s a stunning Jim Balkie page from the Dark Horse mini-series, Star Wars: Empire’s End, a fitting sequel to the acclaimed Dark Empire saga.  

Both stories feature the writing of the talented Tom Veitch, although Cam Kennedy illustrated the Dark Empire series.

Each page — by either artist — is fully painted, and most of the originals I’ve seen, including this one, are terrific.

Nice Star Wars iconography on this page too, featuring Han and Leia, a great action shot of the Millennium Falcon, and of course the Emperor frying one of his officers who displeased him.

How did the Empire ever get anyone to sign up for the officer’s school?

Fun fact: The Emperor “lives” in this 90s saga because of — you guessed it — clones. If this storyline didn’t influence at least some of The Rise of Skywalker, well, we can chalk up to: “Great minds think alike.”

Ryan Kelly & Dan Parsons — Leia Flies In

Original Art and The Artists

Star Wars #8, August 2013

Once again, Leia takes control in this terrific page from the art team of Ryan Kelly and Dan Parsons.

The Princess grabs a ship and heads off on her own in this final classic saga series from Dark Horse (written by Brian Wood) before the rights reverted back to Marvel. 

Even If Lucas retconned his own work in the making of the original Trilogy, and decided that Leia was Luke’s sister after the fact, she’s the baddest ass of the bunch. She’s not to be taken for granted or trifled with, even if she doesn’t have “Force Powers.”

But I will say this: Her resistance to Vader’s torture droid on the Death Star makes more sense if she does.

Back here next week with more Star Wars.

Fun (or not-so fun) fact: We never actually see Leia pilot a ship in the classic trilogy, and we never see her Mom Padme fly on her own in the prequels either. But I guess Princesses typically have drivers?

Marvel rebrands the original Dark Horse comics with its own trade dress for print and digital collections.

Carmine Infantino & Gene Day — Leia & Luke, Buried Alive!

Original Art and The Artists

Star Wars Weekly #109 (UK), March 1980

Here’s a classic era Star Wars page featuring pencils from Carmine Infantino with inks from Gene Day. 

It’s from a Star Wars story written by fan-favorite Chris Claremont, which ended up without a logical place in the timeline, as Marvel couldn’t fully predict when Lucasfilm would permit story insight and scheduling approval related to events of Empire Strikes Back.

Infantino drew many of the Star wars stories that appeared in between New Hope and ESB, and many after as well, but this odd continuity duck” didn’t make into the U.S. comics.

Instead, it ends up in Marvels Star Wars Weekly, a combination of  “new” and reprint material. 

The weekly format featured shorter stories, more serialized, making them even closer in spirit to Lucas’ favorite SF, the classic Flash Gordon serials. Perfect for titles like “Molten Doom!” and “Buried Alive!”

And, except for a slot in an oddball licensed Marvel book collection, the story remained un-reprinted for more than 30 years, until Dark Horse included it in one of its Omnibus collections. (And now, it’s been reprinted twice by Marvel, so it’s a bit easier to find.)

Terry & Rachel Dodson — Leia Steps Up

Original Art and The Artists

Princess Leia #5, September 2015

Of all the characters in the classic (original trilogy) Star Wars Universe, Leia is the most intriguing.

Nearly all of the other characters in the saga are archetypes found in dozens, if not hundreds of myths, fables and tales. George Lucas revered the late author Joseph Campbell who dissects these concepts ad nauseum in in his brilliant and well-known tomes on mythology.

But Leia… She’s a bit off model, certainly from a Hollywood depiction of a damsel in distress. (Possibly with the exception of Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, who gets her act together in similar but less assertive fashion.)

As one pop culture podcaster put it recently: “She (Leia) hijacked her own rescue.”

And from there, it only gets better. She’s clearly the smartest, most pragmatic member of the Star Wars gang.  She’s also strong, decisive and strategic. And she can out wise-ass Han, no easy feat.

After Alderaan goes boom, Leia is the one holding entire rebellion together. No offense, Mon Mothma, Admiral Ackbar, or anyone else in the rebellion ruling class. It’s pretty clear Leia is a — pun intended — driving force of the story.

Here we have a knockout Star Wars page from Terry and Rachel Dodson featuring a lovely half splash of Leia. It’s from the eponymous — and terrific — Mark Waid-authored series, published not long after the franchise reverted back to Marvel from Dark Horse.

More on Leia on Thursday and Saturday.

See you then.

John Cassaday — May The 4th Be With You

Original Art and The Artists

Star Wars #2, April 2015

Well, it’s May, that time of year when thoughts turn to… Star Wars.

Here we have a great page by superstar artist John Cassaday, depicting the very first time Luke and Darth Vader confront each other in the “new”(current) Star Wars continuity. 

This story takes place shortly after the (first) Death Star is blown to bits in “A New Hope.” Luke does not know that Vader is his pop, and Vader does not realize that Luke is the rebel that was responsible for said Death Star going “boom.”

Heh. Much to learn, they both have.

It’s the 45th anniversary of Star Wars this month, and perhaps more significantly, the release of yet some more backstory revision with the launch of the new Obi-Wan Television series later this month.

That’s really more of an observation than a knock, but I really hope the show is narratively clever. Because no one (honestly, no one) thought that Obi-Wan would have logically fought Vader yet again. One of them should have been not just toasted, but complete toast.

But of course, let’s see how this all plays out.

In the meantime, we’ve got a full slate of Star Wars posts for the rest of the month.

May The 4th be with you.

Dan Adkins — Was It Nightmare All Along?

Original Art and The Artists

Doctor Strange #170, July 1968

Nightmare prepares to reveal himself to a fallen Doctor Strange in the second issue of the Sorcerer Supreme’s solo title.

Ever since Marvel Films announced that Sam Raimi was going to direct the Doctor Strange sequel, I’ve thoroughly convinced myself that Nightmare would be a (or “the”) nemesis of the film. Horror, darkness and weirdness? Bring on Nightmare.

And then, we had a Scarlet Witch (w/Vision) TV series, where it appeared that Agatha Harkness was the big bad? C’mon, there’s more to that than meets the Eye of Agamotto, right?

After that, Shuma-Gorath (the giant one-eyed creature) appears in the Doctor Strange trailer? The same Shuma-Gorath (now called Gargantos because of legal reasons) who once “employed” Nightmare in the comics? 

And the same trailer where both Strange and Wanda talk about…Nightmares?

Yep, I’m a Nightmare conspiracy theorist, apparently.

I have zero inside information. 

I don’t even read most of the spoiler “news” on-line.

I am just convinced that some time before those last post-credit scenes in Doctor Strange 2 are finished rolling, Nightmare will have raised his hallucinogenic head. And I guess by this time next week, most of us will know whether I’m right, or I’m the one hallucinating.

And one more thought on the subject of hallucinogens and impersonations:

Who says that was actually “our” Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home?

Just sayin…

Agatha all along? Maybe, maybe not.

Neal Adams — R.I.P.

Original Art and The Artists

I’m still processing the loss of the legendary Neal Adams, who truly was a one-of-kind artist and person. Dozens of stories and anecdotes come to mind, and at some point in the near future, I will post one or two of my favorites.

Which leads me to one of the most quoted lines of dialogue in film history, from the classic John Ford western, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance:

 “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend” 

In Neal’s case, the legend and the fact are pretty much the same thing. Any story you’ve heard — you can safely believe it.

Or, to quote from another film: (Harrison Ford/Han Solo in The Force Awakens)

“Its true… All of it.”

Thanks for everything Neal. Godspeed.

https://greggoldsteincomicartgallery.com/?s=neal+adams

All our posts on Neal Adams and his arts in the link above.

Ron Frenz — Lost In The Negative Zone?

Original Art and The Artists

Thor #405, Original “Lost” Cover, July 1989

Legend has it that this is the “lost” original cover for Thor #405. 

As the story goes, Ron sent the pencils to Marvel, and it was misplaced before Marvel could send it to Joe Sinnott for inking.

So Ron quickly redrew the cover and sent the replacement off just in time for deadline.

Eventually, this “first” original surfaced and Marvel returned it to Ron. 

Ron ultimately sold it, and the purchaser had Bob McLeod finish it up.

I also think its entirely possible that Thor editor Ralph Macchio (or EIC Tom DeFalco) simply decided he wanted to change Thor’s positioning on the cover, which is pretty much the only material difference between the two versions.

Thor appears to be in more trouble in the published version, although that change could have come from Ron himself. (I like the figure positioning slightly better in the “original” version.)

It’s a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

Or, just a fun story, take your pick.  Either way, it is a nice piece of cover art.

The actual published version with its original as well.

Chris Sprouse & Karl Story — Thor Vs. Thor

Original Art and The Artists

Thors #3, November 2015

Rune Thor decks Ultimate Thor in the Secret Wars spinoff, “Thors.”

Chris Sprouse and Karl Story deliver a cool action splash from this series where members of the Thor Corps investigate the deaths of many, many Jane Fosters.

If you Google “Rune Thor,” you’ll find a close-up of this page used as the “bio-pic” on the Marvel Fandom Wiki.

Cool indeed.

Thor vs. Thor, the first time, courtesy of Walter Simonson from 1983 in the Wayback Machine. (With contemporary coloring.)

Sal Buscema — Chanelling Walter

Original Art and The Artists

Thor #373, November 1986

Sal Buscema gamely takes over the art chores on Thor, as Walter Simonson prepares to conclude his legendary run as writer/artist on the character. This is some of my favorite Sal Buscema art from this era. He manages to channel Walter’s art without aping it, while keeping core elements from his own style, and the results are terrific.

The issue, like all the Marvel comics that month, celebrates the 25th anniversary of the launch of the “Marvel Age Comics” with the original August 1961(November cover date) publication of Fantastic Four #1.

And speaking of anniversaries, it’s Thor’s 60th anniversary this year, so we still have a few more upcoming posts lined up to celebrate Marvel’s God of Thunder. (Of course, technically, the Thor legend is eon’s old, but, as always, we digress.)