When artists swipe...

[Bronty]

good call!!

[spider9698]

This one is one of my favorites. FIrst, the original:

 

 

 

Then the swipe:

 

 

 

I guess you have to cut Wrightson some slack. He did so many plates for the book that he must have tired of figuring out the backgrounds. When a long tme collector showed me the original a few years back I was stunned.

 

[Nexus]

That's not a swipe so much as an homage. I don't think the artist of the Cap cover is thinking he'll get away with anything...he's clearly referencing and paying tribute to a classic Kirby cover. Much like the aforementioned ASM 252 and AF 15.

[Mister Trent]

Al Williamson swiped from British artists Frank Hampson and Frank Bellamy.

 

I've seen lots of 'classic' Williamson strips where I've immediately recognised the original source material . . . things like DAN DARE (Hampson and Bellamy), HEROS THE SPARTAN and MONTGOMERY OF ALEMEIN (both Bellamy).

 

If I think on over the next day or two, I'll try to locate some examples to show everyone . . .

 

Which reminds me . . .

 

Here's a page of Williamson FLASH GORDON art (1960s):

 

 

Now here's a page of (full-color painted art) DAN DARE from 1959 (couldn't squeeze all of the page onto my scanner):

 

 

Okay, one panel is swiped by Willaimson from the DARE page . . . but the more of Williamson's work I see from this time period - the more swipes I see from British artists Frank Bellamy and Frank Hampson.

 

Interestingly, Williamson inscribed his page, "After Alex Raymond". Forgetting to acknowledge Mr Bellamy for a direct swipe of one of the panels . . .

 

 

[Mephisto]

 

[*paull*]

Al Williamson swiped from British artists Frank Hampson and Frank Bellamy.

 

I've seen lots of 'classic' Williamson strips where I've immediately recognised the original source material . . . things like DAN DARE (Hampson and Bellamy), HEROS THE SPARTAN and MONTGOMERY OF ALEMEIN (both Bellamy).

 

Wow, good eye!

[malvin]

 

 

OK, that one is a long reach. How many ways can you show a head emerging from water? That isn't a swipe IMHO.

 

Malvin

[Mephisto]

 

 

OK, that one is a long reach. How many ways can you show a head emerging from water? That isn't a swipe IMHO.

 

Malvin

 

WOW! Look at everything else. The mist on the water. The shafts of light. The small tree sticking out of the similar vegetation. The yellow fire burning in the top edge of both images. Wolverine's eye's and hair. In fact I showed just the Wolverine to FLU one night and he promptly stated Apocalypse Now.

 

Now this would fit the bill as not being a swipe of Apocalypse Now and merely be someones head coming out of the water.

 

[Mister Trent]

Looks like a direct swipe of Martin Sheen from APOCALYPSE NOW to me.

[mrpunch0]

The Wrightson isn't a swipe. The piece you show with it clearly inspired the background. But the proportions are entirely different, everything has been redrawn. There is zero tracing there. The work that went into the creation of that piece is still through the roof.

 

As for the Wolverine cover - it's clearly an homage. Did anyone who was familiar with the movie NOT think of it when they saw that cover? (Besides – again – there was no tracing involved. There's a different angle on the head, the background is different, even the rays of light aren't the same.) the Next, why don't you tell me that Kaare Andrews' Incredible Hulk covers ripped off the Apocalypse Now movie poster, Norman Rockwell and a cereal box?

 

 

If you REALLY want to point the finger when it comes to swiping you need to point the finger back at Mack. Not content to just trace Durex ads and pass them off as covers, Mack rips off other artist's layouts. Now THAT'S low.

 

 

[Mephisto]

FLU included the term homage in the first sentence of his thread...

[mrpunch0]

That's fine – but I still think there is a HUGE difference between an homage and a swipe. And I think it's wrong to lump them into the same category.

 

Sure an homage might be the easy way out on occasion – but (if done well) it's not the stealing of someone else's work that we often refer to as swiping.

[Mephisto]

Let's play with this one.

 

I say that Bruce Campbell's face is a direct swipe from this still (and used for a cover for the same series) and not an homage. All he did was ripe off the sleeve on his shirt. And we all know how infamous this artist is for swiping.

 

[Nexus]

FLU included the term homage in the first sentence of his thread...

 

Sorry to confuse the matter, but what I meant is that there's a difference between an homage and an "homage" (in quotes). The former being the Cap cover where it's an obvious tribute and the latter being someone like Mack, who claims "homage" only after he's been busted.

[*paull*]

In my opinion, Mack is a thief and be should not be allowed to work in comics. I'm surprised that there has never been any outrage by the artists who are being swiped or by the publishers. This is an industry with a limited number of jobs and losers like Mack keep their job only by stealing from others.

[mrpunch0]

This one is tricky - I could go either way on it.

 

For this cover, the artist NEEDS to use a likeness of the actor. (But personally, I don't think he did a very good job. Especially for tracing.) He did just trace from a still - but he also added the body and background.

 

Now if you can show me where he lifted the body and backgounds I'll fry foul.

 

But I do lean more toward the swipe side on this one - simply because of the artist's history.

[mrpunch0]

In my opinion, Mack is a thief and be should not be allowed to work in comics. I'm surprised that there has never been any outrage by the artists who are being swiped or by the publishers. This is an industry with a limited number of jobs and losers like Mack keep their job only by stealing from others.

 

Personally, I'll NEVER buy another comic Mack has a hand in. I don't care who writes it or what the content is – I won't own it.

 

Same goes for his original art – which really pains me, because I would LOVE to own some of his early mixed media work from Daredevil.

[*paull*]

Don't worry, you're not missing out on anything. Sharp-eyed comic fans just haven't _yet_ determined what magazine/comic/catalog/advertisement Mack swiped that Daredevil stuff from yet!