Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

Darwyn Cooke — Captures The Spirit

Original Art and The Artists

Continuing our celebration of “Will Eisner Week” and the 80th anniversary of The Spirit, with other creators’ takes on the beloved and influential character.

The late Darwyn Cooke?  The closest thing to Will Eisner this modern generation of talent had seen. Visionary storyteller, writer, illustrator, letterer and more. Not only could he do it all, Darwyn could do it well. VERY well.

He was the logical choice for an ongoing series of Spirit stories — the first since Eisner’s run ended in 1952.

DC launched the series with a Batman Sprit crossover, and this terrific splash is the final page of that story. Inked by J. Bone, this issue, and the subsequent ones of the ongoing series are the closet in spirit (ahem) to Eisner’s vision more than 50 years prior.

Darwyn, we miss you.

“I think everybody who is consumed by storytelling within this medium has had some profound schooling from Will…

I can remember it was one of those days when I was thirteen, and I was in a comic store, and there was nothing that I wanted to get. On the wall was a copy of Warren’s Spirit magazine. I think it’s number three, where he is running down the elevated track straight at you, and the train is behind him. It’s just one of the most exciting images I have ever seen…”

-Darwyn Cooke interview From Will Eisner: A Spirited Life by Bob Andelman

Young Darwyn Cooke found a copy of Warren’s Spirit #3 and the world was never the same. Also pictured, his cover for the first issue and collection of DC comics stories.

Will Eisner — Peak Spirit

Original Art and The Artists

The Spirt, Register and Tribune Syndicate, September 12, 1948

2020 marks the 80th Anniversary of the Will Eisner’s Spirit, a comic series that ultimately became a game changer in the medium. This week is also celebrated annually as “Will Eisner Week,” dedicated top one of comics’ most influential legacies. So let’s dive in…

This cool page is from “Cache McStash”, and is from Eisner’s peak period on the Spirit. In fact, it is published just one week after his own personal favorite story, “The Story of Gerhard Shnobble,” perhaps the most perfect film noir ever created for the comics.

And don’t let the misleading credits on the otherwise great Grand Comics Database fool you. This story is all Eisner — script, pencils, inks, and letters — as confirmed by Denis Kitchen.

I was fortunate enough to be asked write the intro for the Spirit story “Sound” featured in the hot-off-the-presses Spirit 80th celebration from Clover Press.  No spoilers, but, I love the way Eisner integrated sound effects into his storytelling, and, on this page the simple ticking of the clock enhances tension and movement.

Like everything else he did, he found a way to make his two dimensional comics cinematic in scope.

“I grew up on the movies, that’s what I lived with. The movies always influenced me… Doing the Spirit strip was like making movies. It gave me a chance to be an actor, producer, author and cameraman all at once.”

— Will Eisner, quoted in Jim Steranko’s History of The Comics, Volume 2

Clover Press has just published an 80th Anniversary celebration of Will Eisner’s Spirit, available directly from the publisher or in comic book stores and other traditional outlets.
Color me alive — three different color takes of the Spirit’s origin from 1966: The original, possibly colored by Jules Feiffer; The 1975 Warren magazine reprint, possibly colored by Richard Corben; and the brand new Clover Press version, definitely colored by Jeremy Cox.

Giorgio Comolo — Across The Universe

Original Art and The Artists

Thor #168 (September 1969), Cover Re-creation, 2006

Today wraps our special remembrance to Jack Kirby with a third piece by Giorgio Comolo, an Italian artist who worships the King  — and expresses his adoration with unique and lovely homages and recreations.

“It is your understanding I seek — and not your enmity!” —Galactus

Galactus reveals his origin to Thor (and to us) in this story arc, after Thor, at Odin’s insistence, tracks down the planet devourer in the far reaches of the universe.

Kirby is doing some of his wildest Marvel science fiction in these issues — a small hint of what will come just a short time later in his “Fourth World” comic books at DC.

Apparently, Galactus is not a bad guy. Despite the fact that he devours worlds and galaxies, destroys trillions of lives, he’s misunderstood. That’s all.

Uh-huh.

Comolo homages the cool Kirby cover image and fleshes out the background with cosmic details. And again, he employs that very specific neon-like palate. He also makes Thor’s face a bit more visible — a nice touch. (Although he keeps Thor’s somewhat wonky hand from Jack’s original.)

Oh, and he gives Galactus pants and full sleeves. Galactus should always have pants and full sleeves.

No one has (yet) published a book –or even a portfolio — of Comolo’s Kirby homages. I hope that is rectified in the near future.

Or hey, at a minimum, how about celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Fantastic Four next year by doing Kirby cover homages all year long. Who wouldn’t want to contribute to that?

Meanwhile, Thor #168 itself?:

Kirby. Thor. Odin. Galactus. The Watcher. Balder. The Warriors Three. The Thermal Man…

A pretty good deal at 15 cents.

Galactus gets emo… Thor struggles with cosmic ethics… The universe will never be the same.
1971 blacklight posters repurposed existing panels & pages from Marvel comics, adding a rich cosmic feel to the art.

Giorgio Comolo — Clash Of The Titans

Original Art and The Artists

Fantastic Four #73 (April 1968) Re-creation, 2008

We continue to remember Jack Kirby with the help of Giorgio Comolo, an Italian artist who worships the King  — and expresses his adoration with unique and lovely homages and recreations.

Thor vs. Thing? Come on, no contest. The Thing is powerful, but Thor is a GOD, right?

In this one-off issue of Fantastic Four (#73), Thor (with diminished powers) helps Spider-Man, who in turn is helping Daredevil, who recently had a mind transference with Doctor Doom who… never mind. The FF think Daredevil is still Doc Doom. Chaos ensues. Read the comic yourself and catch back up with us later.

Pretty much the entire issue is a battle royale, and Comolo captures the power of this terrific Kirby splash with his own specific style and palate.

Good thing Thor is having power problems… or Thing would be a pile of rocks on the next page.

Also, FYI, in this issue Thing calls Thor “Curly” “Goldilocks” and “Cornball” at various times, and Spider-Man calls him an “Asgardian Hippie.” I know that was Stan’s style, but we are perilously close to Not Brand Echh territory at this point.

Fortunately for us, Galactus and the Silver Surfer return in the next issue. More operatic than comedy.

Giorgio Comolo — In The King’s Court

Original Art and The Artists

Fantastic Four #77 (August 1968), Cover Re-creation, 2008

This week we remember Jack Kirby with an artist who worships the King  — and expresses his adoration with unique and lovely homages and recreations.

Giorgio Comolo speaks no English. None. Niente.

That makes speaking to him about his art challenging if, like me, you don’t speak Italian. (I don’t include the handful of words I learned in my childhood neighborhood. Those are not very useful for polite conversation.)

Thankfully, his brother speaks some, and his sister-in-law a bit more, so roughly translated, I was able to tell him last year how much I enjoy his work when I met the whole family in Italy.

And fortunately, King Kirby is a universal language, and Comolo speaks Kirby fluently. The Italian artist recreates many Kirby covers and scenes as paintings, using a specific palate that utilizes cooler color tones and hues. It might be a stretch to some, but his cosmic paintings often remind me of those wild blacklight posters published in 1971 by a long defunct company called Third Eye.

Of course Comolo’s paintings are not Day-Glo — but they definitely pop. His palette creates a very distinctive look to his homages.

And he focuses on Jack’s later works at Marvel (and some of the Fourth World material at DC), so there’s plenty of cosmic material to work with.

Like this cover recreation of FF 77. It’s a trippy composition to begin with, and in Comolo’s hands, becomes… even trippier.

Kirby — and much more Marvel — in Day-Glo. Posters, puzzles and greeting cards from Third Eye, now defunct, in 1971.

Jerry Ordway — Shazam!

Original Art and The Artists

Power of Shazam #42, September 1998

Sometimes the stars and planets line up harmoniously.

Case in point: Jerry Ordway on Shazam, who managed to keep the spirit of the original Captain Marvel intact, while making the character more relatable to contemporary late 20th century audiences. Not an easy feat.

Ordway launched the Captain Marvel “reboot” with a brilliant Graphic Novel in 1994 that he wrote drew and colored entirely himself. Shortly thereafter, Ordway wrote a new ongoing series, the Power of Shazam, and then drew a few stories at the end of its run five years later.

This brilliant splash page is from the first issue that he penciled, and is inked lovingly by the late, great Dick Giordano. It’s a textbook example of storytelling and composition, and it’s contrasting use of light and dark brings the entire scene together in an extraordinary way.

I love the use of the art deco design on the movie theater as well. The “7 Arts” name is likely an easter egg. Seven Arts acquired Warner Brothers in 1967, setting up the initial steps that led to the Warner / DC conglomerate that exists today.

Every once in a while we have to remind ourselves that nearly all art is essentially an illusion — three dimensional narrative on a two dimensional plane. This illusion? Pretty great.

Fun fact: With few exceptions, Jerry keeps his published art, so pretty much the only way to acquire something he’s created is from his collaborator — if there is one. That makes acquiring such a cool page even more challenging.

The original graphic novel, that captured the spirit of Captain Marvel for a contemporary audience.
As a marketing gimmick for Blackest Night in 2009, DC brought back Ordway’s Shazam (and a handful of others) for one “final” issue. Above, Ordway’s original black and white in washtones, color and final with trade dress.

Kurt Schaffenberger — Still Marvelous

Original Art and The Artists

Shazam #26, December 1976

We continue to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the original Captain Marvel, now known as Shazam.

In 1972, with a nostalgia craze in full swing in the US, DC shocked the fan world by announcing that they had acquired the rights to the original Fawcett Comics characters. So… after 20 years, the Captain was back. Unfortunately for DC, a little company called Marvel had added its own Captain Marvel character and title to its line-up, and so at first the DC comic’s title was called Shazam. Ultimately, the character himself became named after his own magic word to avoid additional legal battles.

Title aside, Shazam presented a challenge for DC. The audience that had grown up on 50s and 60s comic book stories had in fact… grown up. And in a universe of Kirby, Steranko, Adams, et al, the golden age Captain Marvel was simply too quaint. Shazam #1 sold like proverbial hotcakes, because of the nostalgia craze and curiosity factor — and the burgeoning collectors’ market — but it was clear that the struggle to keep the character true to his roots AND somehow contemporize him created enormous editorial and commercial challenges. (One that’s challenged DC for nearly 50 years.)

In this terrific page by Schaffenberger, we see the classic Captain Marvel art style, only updated very slightly from the stories that Kurt had drawn 20 years previously.  Although Schaffenberger was a more accomplished artist at this point, his clean and uncluttered style is still his trademark.

Fun fact: As you can see from the inscription, this page was originally acquired from Kurt by my friend and former colleague Len Brown (Mars Attacks, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents). Len ultimately sold it, and it made its way through the collectors market until I spotted it about 10 year ago and purchased it. I offered it to Len in case he had any regrets, but he doesn’t collect art anymore, so he declined.

Leaving it in my hands, with some interesting provenance as a bonus.

DC made a major marketing effort for Captain Marvel — announcing the title at the 1972 NYCC in July, and working closely with fanzines for support, including Jim Steranko’s Comixscence (Ultimately Mediascene).
Schaffenberger provided the cover for the first issue of the Isis spinoff, showcasing both his spot-on anatomy and his willingness to borrow inspiration from a previous DC comic — the first appearance of Green Lantern (by Gil Kane) about 15 years prior.
Shazam and Isis — remembered fondly by many — in their television incarnations.

Kurt Schaffenberger — Golden Age Marvel

Original Art and The Artists

Whiz Comics # 129, January 1951

This week we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the original Captain Marvel, (cover dated in 1940, although the issue likely appeared on most newsstands in late 1939) now known as Shazam.

Captain Marvel (Shazam to you kids) appears in every panel in this ebullient page pencilled and inked by Kurt Schaffenberger.

Schaffenberger went to work as an assistant in the Jack Binder studio in 1941 just as Fawcett’s Captain Marvel was soaring, eventually outselling DC’s Superman. When Schaffenberger returned from World War 2 military service, he ultimately penciled and inked complete stories.

His wholesome, uncluttered and often whimsical style was a perfect fit for Captain Marvel, who was nothing if not wholesome and whimsical.

Schaffenberger drew many of the stories that capped the end Captain Marvel’s amazing run — and 10 years of legal battles with DC.

In fact, despite the seemingly never-ending copyright lawsuit that alleged that the Big Red Cheese was a knockoff of Superman, The Captain outlasted many of his spandex-attired peers, publishing longer than most competitive superhero titles.

But, by 1954, declining sales meant that Fawcett no longer had the will to fight. They settled with DC, and called it a day for Captain Marvel.

As they say…  To Be Continued.

Fun Fact: After Fawcett left the superhero business, Schaffenberger ultimately went to work for DC, and became best known for his 10-year run on the Lois Lane series, setting the DC house style for the character for much of the silver age.

From the first issues to the last, Captain Marvel proved to be an immensely popular character.
Schaffenberger’s well-remembered run on Lois Lane includes the 1966 return of Catwoman (still wearing her Golden Age costume) to the DC Universe, (She was immensely popular on the Batman TV show at that point.) It’s a wild and wooly story with Lois hypnotized into thinking she’s Catwoman, and Superman transformed into a… black cat. No, really.
How far was DC behind Marvel editorially in 1966? Across town, the Fantastic Four had already tangled with the Silver Surfer, The Inhumans, Galactus, and oh, introduced a black cat of their own. A princely superhero from Wakanda called the Black Panther. Nuff said.
Captain Marvel became the very first superhero to appear on the silver screen, edging out Superman, Batman and others for the honor. It’s a pretty good serial featuring Tom Tyler and still very watchable today.

Curt Swan — Sportsman

Original Art and The Artists

Strange Sports #3, February 1974

Today is the 100th birthday of the late, great Curt Swan, one of DC’s all-time storytellers. And while the internet is blowing up with great Swan Superman images, (and there are literally thousands of those) let’s instead pull this splash out of left field. (Ouch, wrong sport.)

It’s a Hall of Fame page from this fun 70s series, with story by Frank Robbins, inks by Dick Giordano and the whole shebang edited by Julie Schwartz.

Merlin? King Arthur? Knights playing football against contemporary players? Somehow the whole thing made perfect sense — to me, at least.

Thanks for all the magic Curt — here and everywhere else.

Ok, so we can’t resist ONE Superman family image…

Hal Foster — Legend

Original Art and The Artists

Prince Valiant, February 14, 1960

Hal Foster’s draftsmanship and vivid detail are, as the Library Journal exclaimed, “breathtaking.” He and Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon) are the two most important creators in adventure comics’ storytelling.

There is absolutely nothing — nothing! — I can add to the legend of Hal Foster that hasn’t been said before. It’s like trying to discuss the importance of Elvis Presley. Or why Ernest Hemingway is such an outstanding writer. It’s been done previously, and better.

So, instead, I’m going to let one picture do the job of a gazillion words.

February 14, 1960. Exactly 60 years ago. The 23rd year of the strip (out of the 33 that Foster wrote and drew himself.) It’s a great example from Foster’s latter era, which focussed less on mythology and fantasy, and more on a “realistic” depiction of the Arthurian legend. The second to last panel is so near perfect in its detail, elegance and clarity, that it appeared as a full cover of a foreign book collection.

When I was a little kid, I would read The Sunday “Funnies” (as they say) each week, but I would stare endlessly at Foster’s Prince Valiant.

I still do.

Fantagraphics has done an excellent job reprinting Foster’s Valiant series. Like many publishers, they changed the cover from solicitation to publication, both of which appear above. Also above is the European reprint with the cover created from the panel of the strip.