GA BEST ARTIST SURVIVOR SERIES POLL: RD.9

[tth2]

Many of Barks stories had to do with Oregon.When he would talk about Duckburg that is Eugene.He also drew a lot of inspiration from his home in Grants Pass Or.

Impossible. His stories rarely show it raining in Duckburg!

[Bronty]

Barks and Fine

 

Sir, you are a cad!

 

I'm going with Eisner/Wood.

[Bronty]

Sad that Barks has lasted this long. He is a very important creator/writer, but to compare his body of work to some of the others left, and those who have gone before him, in my opinion leaves him wanting.

 

There! Some debate.

 

Bill I have to say, no comics have made me smile more then Barks. And yes, part of that is the writing of course, but there are panels & Sequences, that have never been topped IMHO. Reading Barks is like a window into the average man's soul, his longings & aspirations. And sometimes it's just the expression in a panel.

 

Well said!!

[JohnT]

Schomburg (again) and Everett (again). Maybe Fine next to go.

 

Observation regarding Barks. Drew AND wrote Ducks for yonks but the important thing to remember is WHO was buying the Duck books.

 

It wasn't kids. It was Mums and Dads buying the comics FOR the chillun. Why this distinction?

 

As one gets older and given more latitude especially with regard to purchases the "kid stuff" is the first to go. Ducks are abandoned for "cool" superheroes at that critical point of self-awareness and growing independence.

 

Was anyone here buying Ducks at 13?

 

My point is that an appreciation of Barks and his work as a rule only happens once reviewed later in life. In the "here and now", when reading them at age 7, it just doesn't register how good they are.

 

Just my 12c

 

I go to bed and all this great debate ensues...

 

I totally disagree with this assessment of who bought Barks and why. When I started buying comics at around the age of 10 Barks ducks where instant favorites (reprints), even though I also started buying superhero stuff. And I kept buying ducks throughout. My best friend at the time was the same way...he was older than me and got into cool Marvel superhero stuff before me, but he kept right on buying Uncle Scrooge and WDCS.

 

Why? Because Barks' stories appealed to all ages.

 

Even as a kid, before I knew anything about Barks, I knew that there were "good" duck stories and "bad" duck stories. When I started going to conventions as a teen, I bought back issues and learned to look for the slits in the eyes that meant Barks had drawn the story. I also learned that I had to pay more for Barks stories!

 

So...I appreciated Barks as a kid, as a teen, and now as an adult. And I agree with that desert island comment...I'd have to say I'd take Barks over any artist, because you can read those stories over and over.

 

And as far as whether Barks should be considered one of the best artists or just a great storyteller, his artwork is definitely a big part of why his storytelling is so great. His ability to draw every setting in the world (literally), his brilliance with facial expressions, his mastery of slapstick gags, his flawless pacing and panel flow, all make the story work every bit as much as the events he dreamed up and the dialogue he created.

 

 

 

[Norrin_Radd]

Schomburg must live!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[-cryptkeeper-]

Eisner and Fine

[1koko]

Wood and Everett

[rjpb]

Many of Barks stories had to do with Oregon.When he would talk about Duckburg that is Eugene.He also drew a lot of inspiration from his home in Grants Pass Or.

 

I'm guessing Duckburg is like the Simpson's Springfield - its climate and geography in relation to swamps, mountains, deserts and beaches varies with whatever suites the story.

[selegue]

Many of Barks stories had to do with Oregon.When he would talk about Duckburg that is Eugene.He also drew a lot of inspiration from his home in Grants Pass Or.

Impossible. His stories rarely show it raining in Duckburg!

 

Terrible weather for Ducks, ain'it?

 

Jack

[Dick Pontoon]

I can't believe Bill Everett is taking such a beating. He made scores of great amazing covers and schloads of inventive, distinctive stories. Likewise, I can't believe Frazetta is showing so strongly.

[Norrin_Radd]

Everyone here is gay for Frazetta. Didn't you know?

[Dick Pontoon]

Everyone here is gay for Frazetta. Didn't you know?

 

I guess so! His comic work is great, but Best GA Artist? He only did a fraction of books compared to everybody else.

[TheShadowKnows]

Many of Barks stories had to do with Oregon.When he would talk about Duckburg that is Eugene.He also drew a lot of inspiration from his home in Grants Pass Or.

Impossible. His stories rarely show it raining in Duckburg!

Well it does rain a lot in Eugene.I think he was just being kind.

Dennis

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Eisner and Schomburg.

 

Eisner- cause I'm still pissed about Heath being voted off.

 

Schomburg- for his Mr. Potato Head drawings.

 

I don't get it...what Potato head drawings?

 

The man drew what he was instructed to draw by his employers, sometimes cartoony, sometimes realistic. His penchant for realism didn't always surface on his Timely or Standard covers, simply because that's not what the publishers wanted. Imagine if some of Schomburg's most violent covers (like Human Torch # 12) were depicted realistically.....even for war time, it would have been deemed way too inappropriate for kids.

 

Let me go out on a limb and suggest that Schomburg covers sold more comics and magazines in the Golden Age then everyone else left on the list combined!(Actually, I have no numbers to support that claim, but the sheer breadth of his work from 1940-1949 makes it entirely likely). That's something to take into consideration.

 

If you want realism for Schomburg, check out some of his work on the often neglected Real Life comics series, or from any of the painted war covers he did for a variety of magazines (like Radiocraft) during WWII,....now there's some good stuff. His painted depictions of US military equipment, especially bombers and fighters, was top notch. Those covers are just so hard to come by, even finding scans online to share here is difficult.

 

I have no problem when and if Schomy gets voted off, but I hope its not because people believe him to have been a niche artist with limited range.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[topofthetotem]

Everyone here is gay for Frazetta. Didn't you know?

 

I guess so! His comic work is great, but Best GA Artist? He only did a fraction of books compared to everybody else.

Quality over quantity.

[TheShadowKnows]

Many of Barks stories had to do with Oregon.When he would talk about Duckburg that is Eugene.He also drew a lot of inspiration from his home in Grants Pass Or.

Impossible. His stories rarely show it raining in Duckburg!

Well it does rain a lot in Eugene.I think he was just being kind.

Dennis

I can't believe Bill Everett is taking such a beating. He made scores of great amazing covers and schloads of inventive, distinctive stories. Likewise, I can't believe Frazetta is showing so strongly.

Along with Everett ,to me anyway,Frazettas cover work was just outstanding.The famous funnies,wsf 29, thunda are simply some of the best artwork ever.

[Norrin_Radd]

I have no problem when and if Schomy gets voted off, but I hope its not because people believe him to have been a niche artist with limited range.

 

(thumbs u

[Dick Pontoon]

Everyone here is gay for Frazetta. Didn't you know?

 

I guess so! His comic work is great, but Best GA Artist? He only did a fraction of books compared to everybody else.

Quality over quantity.

 

Feh! As great an illustrator as he was, his overall contribution doesn't warrant classification as best GA Comic Book Artist.

[selegue]

....

Let me go out on a limb and suggest that Schomburg covers sold more comics and magazines in the Golden Age then everyone else left on the list combined!(Actually, I have no numbers to support that claim, but the sheer breadth of his work from 1940-1949 makes it entirely likely). That's something to take into consideration.

...

 

I'd seriously doubt that claim!

 

Maybe if you modified it to, "Let me go out on a limb and suggest that Schomburg covers sold more comics and magazines to old-Fudd Golden-Age collectors 60 years later then everyone else left on the list combined!" I could consider it.

 

Regardless, I don't want to equate "best selling" with "best artist", but for the sake of discussion, here's the result of a very quick www search for Golden-Age circulation figures:

 

1942

 

Captain Marvel 1,000,000 plus

Superman 1,000,000 plus

Walt Disney Comics and Stories 1,000,000

Batman 913,000

Captain America (peak sales, circa 1942) 900,000

All-Star Comics 440,800

Shadow (1941) 400,000

Ace Comics 279,163

King Comics 256,653

Blue Bolt Comics 200,490

 

1946

 

Walt Disney Comics and Stories circa 1,800,000

Superman 1,672,169

Batman 1,451,053

Archie Comics (1947) 1,135,324

Captain Marvel 873,820

Crime Does Not Pay 811,087

Whiz Comics 674,106

Topix 600,000

Suzie 586,780

True Comics 572,753

 

Jack

 

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Keep in my mind, my really rough estimation also factored in the painted war time Magazines Schomburg did the covers for, in addition to all the GA titles he worked on for both Timely and Nedor/Standard/Better (Human Torch, Captain America, Marvel Mystery, Daring Mystery, Mystic Comics, Submariner Comics, Young Allies, USA Comics, Daring Comics, Thrilling Comics, Fighting Yank, Exciting Comics, Black Terror, Startling comics, America's Best, not to mention all the 2nd tier teen/romance books he also did covers for)

 

Seriously, if you added up the circulation of all the comics and magazines the man did a cover for between 1940-1949, I think the number would astound most people.

 

But you are right, prolific doesn't neccessarily mean best.....but he was certainly the former, and in my mind, pretty darn close to being the latter as well.