Original Art and The Artists – Page 54 – Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

John Byrne — “Gronk”

April 14, 2020 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Jurassic Park: The Devils in the Desert #1, January 2011

I have no memory of how I acquired a few pieces of art. A chance dealer transaction at a convention perhaps … or possibly a last minute sweetener in a trade? Too much art probably, too many years definitely, and as they say…. hard drive almost full.

But this art’s provenance I remember very well.

NYCC about 5 years ago. I had heard a lot about John Byrne’s house and all the various art collectibles that made up some of the décor, but hadn’t had a chance to get up to the wilds of Connecticut to check it out.

This time I was determined. So, one rainy day at the end of the convention day, Chris Ryall and I trudged our way through monsoon-like rain (no exaggeration) to the train station, missed our connection, but eventually made it up to John’s town. After a nice Chinese meal, we headed back to John’s house.

It was everything as described. Great collectibles and memorabilia, and some great art hanging in his studio by comic book legends John admired. (No surprise, lots of Jack Kirby.)

Chris had already a direct working relationship with John, and in fact had been to his house previously. But I had actually not seen John since the early 90s, and he had no memory of our meeting, nor should he.

As many colleagues can share, John can be reserved at times. Regardless, he was gracious to his publisher, and he definitely warmed up a bit as we discussed art in detail while I enjoyed the tour.

At the end of the night, He pointed us to his flat files of art and told us to each take something. These file were a potpourri of recent projects, pieces he had yet to give to his art representative Jim Warden to sell for him.

Chris found a page from DC’s OMAC series that John was especially proud of. I was a bit more interested in something that we had published at IDW, and after some deep digging, I came up with this great Jurassic Park double-page spread from the mini-series John created for us.

He was delighted that I admired it, and I, of course, was delighted with his generosity. It is a great piece, and to date, I walk past it every day and smile. Permanent collection, for certain.

Getting it back to California from New York wasn’t easy, but that’s a story for another day.

Thanks again, JB!

*I love the way the covers link up, especially issues #1 and #2.*

Gil Kane — Jurassic Jeopardy

April 11, 2020 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Jurassic Park #4, August 1993

Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park novel turns 30 this year, so the next few posts pay tribute to the book that became a blockbuster film franchise.

Gil Kane and George Perez teamed up on artistic chores for the original Topps Jurassic Park film adaption. (with writing by Walter Simonson). It was an unique pairing suggested by EIC Jim Salicrup, and for the most part, worked very well. All four issues came out on the predetermined schedule, not an easy feat, especially in those days with newsstand distribution considerations. But the schedule was… tight.

I was delighted to pick up the original art for Gil’s variant cover for issue #4 a few years ago at auction.

The scene is from the climax of the film where our young heroes are menaced in the commissary kitchen by the crafty velociraptors. It’s a cool composition that captures the terror of the moment.

Here’s the rub — Is that a chubby raptor missing a neck? Or a deformed T-Rex? I mean, what the hell kind of dino did Gil actually draw?

You can’t tell from the scan, but there’s an art patch on the dino’s face. Clearly some of it absolutely, positively needed to be altered to be approved overnight. But someone in Universal’s licensing department must have ultimately taken pity on our harrowing schedule, and us, because the final version is definitely not on model.

Since this is technically not the “main” cover, which is by Dave Cockrum, maybe they gave us a pass. (I don’t remember who did the art patch — George, our production department or for that matter, Gil.)

Ah, Gil. We sent him lots of photo reference. I can’t recall if we sent this exact scene specifically, but regardless, he had reference. Like I said, lots of it. Only problem is, as I found out later on, Gil didn’t have much use for reference.

It doesn’t matter. He was one of the best. I consider myself fortunate to know him professionally, albeit briefly. Stories about him were legendary by the time I met him in 1993.

And, I got at least one “Greg, my boy…” out of him, so I could cross that off the list. Whew.

*Gil’s published variant cover, along with Cockrum’s “main” cover.*

*Actual Velociraptors menacing our protagonists in the film.*

William Stout — Creature Feature

April 9, 2020 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Tribute to Ray Harryhausen, 2003

2020 is the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Ray Harryhausen, movie visual effects pioneer who inspired generations of filmmakers. Interestingly, Harryhausen and Ray Bradbury, subject of our previous post, were lifelong best friends.

Harryhausen’s cinema creatures are iconic, including The Cyclops from his first color feature, the 7^th Voyage of Sinbad (1958).

Bill Stout drew this impressive Cyclops (plus a few supporting “characters”) to use as his cover for his tribute book to Haryhaussen in 2003. Stout has done a number of these tribute books, including one appropriately enough for Willis Obrien, Haryhausen’s special effects mentor.

The art ended up in the collection of film director Frank Darabont, and was auctioned off when Darabont sold much of his collection in 2019.

Leading comic art dealer Mike Burkey then acquired it, and I acquired it from Mike.

And now, to paraphrase, the Cyclops stops here.

*The original 1958 US posters featured a hodgepodge of images from the film, but in 1975, the Japanese re-release poster dramatically emphasized the Cyclops.*

William Stout — Thunderous

April 7, 2020 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Ray Bradbury Comics #1, February 1993

The legendary SF author Ray Bradbury would have turned 100 years old this year. He passed away in 2012.

Ray Bradbury’s A Sound of Thunder is my favorite time travel short story.

It’s also the very first time travel short story I ever read. (I had already read HG Wells’ novel, The Time Machine, at that point. Multiple times in fact.)

Thanks to the progressive spirit of my secondary school system, we read the Bradbury short story collection “R is For Rocket” in eighth or ninth grade.

A Sound of Thunder: Time travel. Adventure. Dinosaurs. In other words, for my tastes, perfect.

Nearly 20 years later, Byron Preiss and Topps struck a deal to publish comic book versions of Preiss’ graphic novel series, Ray Bradbury Illustrated. Main feature in the first issue? A Sound of Thunder, cover by the incredibly talented Bill Stout, who is generally in a class by himself when it comes to Dinosaurs.

(The comic features a new adaptation by Richard Corben and the reprint of the classic EC story by Al Feldstein and Al Williamson.)

And 25 years after that? Stout decides to part with the cover, and I literally stumble upon at his booth at SDCC. Hanging in the frame that hung in his studio for many years.

Serendipity at work. Lets call this one a part of the “ permanent collection.”

*Covers for both the Topps comic book version and the Byron Preiss “graphic novel.”*

*Richard Corben did an outstanding job on the “modern” version of Sound, while Al Williamson drew both the cover and the adaptation of the beloved EC Comics version.*

*Ray Bradbury’s intro for the first issue of Topps Bradbury comics, along with the cover of the 70s paperback version of R Is For Rocket, ubiquitous at the time.*

June Brigman And Whilce Portacio — Snik!??

April 4, 2020 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Alpha Flight #52, November 1987

Concluding — for now — our two-week series celebrating a few important X-Men anniversaries in 2020.

A full-page splash of an iconic superhero… on the phone?

Well yes, why not, if done well?

And here in Alpha Flight it’s done very well, by the talented June Brigman and Whilce Portacio.

I love the look on Logan’s face. And, his coif reminds me of the line from great Warren Zevon song “Werewolves of London:”

“His hair was perfect.”

Wolverine is not self-quarantining here. I double-checked. He’s just chilling at the moment. Also, note there are two things you won’t see anymore in a Marvel Comic. A phone cord and a cigar; old technology and a bad influence on kids, in the order.

But Snik?!? Someone apparently forgot the “t” in Snikt? That’s an odd one. Chris Claremont first used “Snikt” way back in X-Men #116. And, apparently it’s become a legit trademark for the sound of Wolverine’ claws.

Fun fact: The story continues — with Wolverine — in Alpha Flight #53 and, while also inked by Whilce, its penciled by none other than Jim Lee, whose very first Marvel work was two issues earlier, in #51. But this time, he draws Wolverine, a sign of things to come.

Fun fact #2: Whilce and I bumped into each other —- both of us with unscheduled visits — on Free Comic Book Day a few years ago. Pretty fun and random coincidence — its not like San Diego is a small county, or only has one comic book store.

Fun fact #3; If for any odd reason you have not read the Power Pack series by Brigman and Louise Simonson, well, stop what you’re doing and get to it. Brilliant. And fun!

More X-men and Wolverine related posts late in the year. Stay tuned.

*Claremont and Byrne introduce “Snikt” as Wolverine’s trademark claw sound effects in X-Men #116, December 1978*

Paul Pelletier And Ken Lashley (With Mark Morales) — Battle For The Ages

April 2, 2020 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Commission, 2017

It all started with Hulk vs. Wolverine.

Beginning on the last page of Incredible Hulk # 180 and continuing through the now iconic (and ultra–expensive) Incredible Hulk #181 the introduction of Wolverine foreshadowed the “new” X-men a few short months later.

(FYI, he also appears on the first page of #182, where get’s forced to leave by the Canadian authorities he works for. Remember when it was a big deal that Wolverine was “Canadian?” But I digress…)

Since that moment 46 years ago, Hulk and Wolverine have crossed paths more than a few times. And why not? Feels like a reasonable match-up.

This commission jam piece by Ken Lashley on Wolverine, and Paul Pelletier on Hulk — with Mark Morales on inks — captures he dynamics of this battle perfectly.

The original commissioner had a very specific vision in mind —- and obviously realized it — but then chose to sell / trade it shortly thereafter to a comic art dealer. Apparently, the original collector has MANY pieces featuring Hulk vs. Wolverine.

I don’t normally collect commissions (unless it’s a recreation or re-imagination) with some notable exceptions by comic art veterans, but this one called it out to me, and it ended up in my possession as part as a larger acquisition.

All three artists knocked it out of the park.

Which, based on the scene itself, is about to happen to ether Hulk or Wolverine — or both — in a millisecond.

*The commission reminds me of this great cover of World War Hulk by Ed McGuinness* *— up close and personal.*

*It all starts here. The Incredible Hulk #180 and #181. The Wolverine definitely strikes MORE than once.*

*Two different Hulk #181 re-imaginations by John Byrne, and one by Art Adams are among the many versions of this cover in existence.*

Tom Grummett / Sean Chen — He’s Dead, Jim

March 31, 2020 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

X-Men Forever #10, December 2009

As noted earlier, John Byrne had returned to X-Men with X-Men: The Hidden Years.

His original collaborator, writer Chris Claremont, returned much later on in 2010 via a more direct route, in X-Men Forever.

Basically picking up after he left off in 1991 — and then immediately diverging — Claremont quickly killed Wolverine and had the remaining X-Men team deal with the ramifications of his death.

Tom Grummett’s character-packed cover deals with the team laying their fallen comrade to rest. Grummett was the many artists on the Forever series, which also included X-men mainstay Paul Smith on this issue, and others.

It’s an interseting choice — and a good one, commercially — to leave Wolverine’s uniform on top of the coffin. Contextually, of course, it makes little sense.

Sean Chen’s variant cover takes a look at an imaginary one moment later — when “zombie” Wolverine breaks out of his coffin(In uniform). This event is not in the series. Wolverine in fact stays dead. This image seems a tribute to the popular (and multiple) Marvel Zombies series.

It’s a clever set-up, and one of the few times a main cover and a variant are done in this manner. Kudos to editor Mark Paniccia — or whoever came up with the imaginative idea.

John Byrne — Unhidden

March 28, 2020 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

X-Men: The Hidden Years # 17, April 2001 & #20, July 2001

John Byrne returned to the X-Men in 1999. Not his beloved X-Men of Wolverine, Storm, Colossus and Phoenix, however. This time it was the “original” X-Men — in the period between their cancellation and rebirth. The “Hidden Years.”

It’s an often overlooked series and shouldn’t be. John brought great energy — and closed some outstanding story loops — in the 22-issue series.

Inks are by the terrific Tom Palmer, which gave the series a classic look, reminiscent of those great original Neal Adams issues, while still keeping it clearly Byrne.

Lots of fun guest appearances in the series as well, including the Fantastic Four — inked in one issue by the legendary Joe Sinnott.

*X-Men: Hidden Years #20 is a Byrne homage to Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four #1. It was the sixth (and final) Marvel-related FF #1 homage that John drew.*

Mike Parobeck — Modern Composition

March 26, 2020 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

X-Men: The Early Years #7, November 1994

Sometimes the reprint cover is just better.

Case in point, Mike Parobeck’s cover of X-Men: Early Years #7, which reprints the original X-Men #7.

Jack’s original cover (below) is overloaded, and a composition mish-mash. Ok, I know it’s by Jack Kirby, and some fans will bristle about anything negative about the King’s work, but sorry, there’s no real comparison between the original and the reprint.

Mike’s cover is strong and focused.

Jack’s original has way too many characters all over the map, with the X-men oddly positioned in the background and The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants voyeuristically up front, awkwardly. Are they watching from a window? Or on a TV screen? A magical portal? Why the heck are they even on this cover? This is a selling point?

Now, just to be clear, this may not be at all Jack’s fault. Maybe Stan Lee art directed it. And overwrote the cover blurbs to death. (Now, the Stan haters can come out of the woodwork.)

As I’ve said on the record many times, I’m a fan of both Stan and Jack, so let’s all calm down. However this original cover developed, it’s simply not a great one. Even legends drop the ball once in a while.

Mike’s solves the problem thirty years later by focusing only on the X-men coordinating — or attempting to — an attack on the Blob.

Simple. Clear. Clean. Powerful. Typical of Parobeck’s work.

But… On the published version, the trade dress is a bit heavy handed, so some of the art is obscured — and the entire image had to be flipped to accommodate said trade dress. And, to add to this litany, why the monochrome coloring? Ah Hell, who knows.

Anyway, the original art is great and Mike’s Marvel work is pretty rare; he is best known for some great looking art on the Batman Animated comic books. I was also a big fan of his Justice Society run.

He unfortunately passed away MUCH too early at the age of 31 (from Diabetes) in 1996.

His is a talent that is sorely missed.

John Byrne — X-Men Redux

March 24, 2020 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

X-Men #115 Re-Imagination, 2006 (Orig. Nov. 1978)

2020 is a big year for X-Men anniversaries.

It’s the 50^th anniversary of the original title’s cancellation (Issue #66). It had struggled to find consistent commercial success or creative direction for much of its original seven-year history.

It’s the 45^th anniversary of the X-Men’s “comeback” with the launch of Giant-Size X-Men #1, possibly the greatest rags to riches story in comics’ history. If anyone else can tell me where a book goes from cancelled to a company’s most popular title in less than 10 years, I’m all ears.

And, perhaps more importantly from a broader pop culture perspective, it’s the 20th anniversary of the X-Men film franchise from Fox, which concludes forever in a short while with the release of the problem-plagued New Mutants. (Postponed many times, it was most recently scheduled for an April 3 theatrical release, and has now been indefinitely delayed because of the COVID-19 outbreak.)

The first X-Men film launched 8 years ahead of the MCU, and in my mind, established what a Marvel film could do in terms of both creativity and commercial success. It paved the way for what was to come.

Meanwhile, we have this great commission by John Byrne.

John Byrne. X-Men. Not much to add here except a few details.

This is a Byrne re-imagination (as John calls them, I believe) of the cover of X-Men # 115 featuring the dinosaur villain Sauron. The re-imagination is more dynamic and dramatic than the original, which was only John’s third cover on the book. Dave Cockrum had a few in the can when Byrne took over art duties on issue #108.

Byrne’s commissions can be found easily through a Google search and there a lot of great ones — at sizes up to 30x 40!

Unfortunately, John’s not doing much if any in the way of commissions right now as he is spending time on his X-Men fan fiction (his phrase) but if you want to keep fingers crossed that he will take them up again, you can contact his art representative, Jim Warden.