Peter David – Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

Dale Keown — Mind Games

December 18, 2021 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Incredible Hulk #371, July 1990

Previously, on the blog…

Our 12 Days of Hulk special has featured some great splash paged from the likes of Gabe Hardman, Gary Frank, Ed McGuiness and others.

To change things up a bit, day six features a terrific panel page form Dale Keown, who imaginatively utilizes a variety of panel sizes and “camera angles” to keep things fresh for writer Peter David — and the audience.

I love this page — in addition to the feature listed above, it uses lettering and sound effects to maximum effect. Also, it features some terrific lighting, especially on that first panel of a freaked out Hulk.

Plus, a Defenders reunion.

David’s astonishing 12-year run on the Incredible Hulk title featured great art from the likes of Todd McFarlane, Jeff Purves, Liam Sharp and others, but I confess a certain bias towards Keown’s work on the title. As evidenced here, he has an artistic wit that complemented David’s stories perfectly.

Back here on Tuesday… with Day 7 of “12 Days of Hulk.”

Gary Frank — Dead Wrong

December 16, 2021 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Incredible Hulk #416, April 1994

Day 5 of “12 Days of Hulk.”

Some days, you smash.

Some days, you get smashed.

Like here, for instance, on this great splash page by the talented Gray Frank from Peter David’s epic run as writer on the main Hulk title.

Nice clear art from Frank (and inker Cam Smith), plus balloons and sound effects on the board. Merry Christmas, indeed.

Ken Steacy — This Man…

January 30, 2021 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Marvel Portraits #2, April 1995

The masterful Ken Steacy transforms an important scene from the one-shot story “This Man… This Monster!” (Fantastic Four #51) into a dramatic painting for the inventive Marvel Portraits mini-series in 1995.

That’s not actually Ben Grimm, but rather a villain who ends his own life with this heroic act near the end of the offbeat tale.

Peter David wrote the excellent commentaries for these re-creations of classic Marvel moments in this specific issue, so I think will let him finish telling the story below.

Lee Weeks — FOOM!

October 19, 2019 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Incredible Hulk #78, April 2005

Continuing a two-week series celebrating Halloween with the best in monsters, mystery and mayhem.

Lee Weeks drawing the Incredible Hulk? Excellent.

Lee Weeks drawing a Hulk splash in which our hero is about to be clobbered by Lee and Kirby’s Fin Fang Foom? Feels like a must-have page.

Weeks… Hulk…Fin Fang Foom… Monster Island. Not much more to add here about this cool and surreal page. It’s from the Peter David multi–issue story “Tempest Fugit”, that seems very influenced by the “Lost” television show, which was then in its first season.

This story arc, marking David’s return to the character, definitely has some detractors (spoiler alert — it’s essentially a dream story) but Weeks art, with inks by the amazing Tom Palmer, definitely transcends whatever story issues might exist.

Fin Fang Foom, one of the many great giant creatures created at the dawn of the silver age, appeared just shortly after the birth of Fantastic Four #1, whose debut would ironically herald the end of the age of Marvel Monsters.

He resurfaces from time to time — including a one-shot with the Hulk shortly after this story — but his appearances are too infrequent for my own taste.

Fun fact: His surname became the name of the Marvel -run fan club magazine in the 70s. Friends of ‘Ol Marvel indeed!