The best Bronze Age artist..who was your favorite?

[rob_react]

Almost inconceivable John Byrne hasn't been mentioned.

While I agree Neal Adams might be the greatest comic artist ever, John Byrne in the 70s(while he was only drawing since 1975) was head and shoulders above everyone else save Neal Adams IMO.

Another oft-overlooked artist that did some amazing stuff was Michael Golden.

Honorable mention - Michael Kaluta.

 

I should have mentioned Byrne. I love that guy's stuff. I don't agree that he's head and shoulders above everyone but Adams- I'd take the three Studio guys that did comics (Wrightson Smith and Kaluta) ahead of him without blinking an eye, but he did his thing. He's definitely one of my "favorites."

[shiverbones]

i guess the thread is asking two different questions - who is best & who is your favorite. I don't disagree that adams is the most influential & incredibly gifted, but i do think he is pre bronze to a degree, in fact he is part of what ended the silver & that age of ideals and turned it to bronze & realism & cynacism. However i get way more joy pouring over toth's bronze work, i just love it to death. And Wrightson has done so much jaw dropping work, and came in with the bronze age, so he gets my vote.

[Zonker]

And Wrightson has done so much jaw dropping work, and came in with the bronze age, so he gets my vote.

 

Hmm, so maybe then "Nightmaster" was the first bronze age book?

 

 

Once you get past the Kubert cover, this is early Bernie Wrightson artwork from 1969. GCD Link

 

Seriously, although both BWS and Wrightson did some 1960s comics work, I absolutely agree they came into their own in the 1970s. But then again, I'd same the same of Neal Adams!

 

 

[shiverbones]

a wise guy eeehhhh? ok, that book came out 1 year prior to GL76 (Where i start the bronze age) but wrightson's work was minimal in 1969 (a few homs, spectre 9 & the showcase issues) and NO covers. Adams had already begun taking over DC's covers & their entire house look by mid 1968, & had been working for a bit before that here & there. Its all splitting hairs. who cares anyway they are all great artists!

[shiverbones]

on a side note, even though you were joking, i do think Nightmaster is a very bronze style book, and you can't tell me marvel may not have gotten the idea for conan from that......and since GL76 & conan #1 are considered the beginning of bronze by most, maybe this has some merit?

[currincomics]

I would also like to add Colan's "Tomb of Dracula" work into the mix, he and Wolfman were rolling on that book for awhile, and is considered Marvels flagship series of the Bronze Age by many who collect and love the BA.

[minutekev@50]

I would also like to add Colan's "Tomb of Dracula" work into the mix, he and Wolfman were rolling on that book for awhile, and is considered Marvels flagship series of the Bronze Age by many who collect and love the BA.

 

Good choice...I don't think Colan gets the props he deserves a lot of times...but man, did that guy's art go perfect with the TOD stories...

[Foolkiller]

Neal Adams, hands down. Byrne should be on the list, but outside of his x-men work, I didn't find his work on team up or iron fist to be all that great... he did a bunch of other books (like champions) that I thought were just ok.

 

Perez didn't really develop til the 80s on teen titans for my taste. I loved Jim Starlin's work as well, but as someone else mentioned some of it was a little spotty (not warlock or capt. marvel though).

 

 

[Zonker]

on a side note, even though you were joking, i do think Nightmaster is a very bronze style book, and you can't tell me marvel may not have gotten the idea for conan from that......and since GL76 & conan #1 are considered the beginning of bronze by most, maybe this has some merit?

 

Some of the Marvel-ites here will have an absolute fit if we start promoting Nightmaster as the first BA book, as well as the inspiration for Marvel's Conan. (Hey, JC, are ya still out there?)

 

Hmm, come to think of it, that might be some fun!

 

Seriously, I'd hafta say Conan #1 must have been inspired much more by the 1960s success of the REH paperback reprints with Frazetta covers than a failed DC Showcase tryout, albeit one that featured a couple of issues of gorgeous early Wrightson art.

[shiverbones]

good point about the paperbacks, but you still have to wonder....

[duncan36]

I think people bag on Adams a bit because his work wasnt consistent, his work on the Avengers was kind of while his work on Batman was phenomenal.

Byrne was pretty darn good though all his characters tend to look the same.

As a career its hard to do much better than Jim Aparo, dynamic, consistent, and his work improved over time.

[COI]

I'll answer your question with a cover:

 

[Zonker]

As a career its hard to do much better than Jim Aparo, dynamic, consistent, and his work improved over time.

 

I like Aparo, but not sure I'd say his work improved over time. Maybe it was just the inkers they gave him (Mike Decarlo comes to mind...), but I thought once he was put on the main Batman title his best days were behind him. For me, the classic Aparo work is Aquaman in the late 60s, Phantom Stranger, Brave & Bold, and of course....

 

[Foolkiller]

aparo is definitely underrated and had a long career drawing... his art wasn't that dynamic... but it was a smooth consistent style. I really liked it.

[delekkerste]

I would also like to add Colan's "Tomb of Dracula" work into the mix, he and Wolfman were rolling on that book for awhile, and is considered Marvels flagship series of the Bronze Age by many who collect and love the BA.

 

I'll second that one...I was never a big fan of Colan's outside of TOD, but his work on that run was spectacular. Speaking of vampire artists from the Bronze Age, no one drew a finer Vampirella than Jose Gonzalez in the 1970s.

 

Gene

[dam60]

I'll answer your question with a cover:

 

 

[mr_highgrade]

Bob Larkin

 

See Attachment

[herc2000]

We have the obvious, Neal Adams, Wrightson, BWS, Ploog, but growing up reading them, I love my 70's Herbe Trimp Hulk's!

[clobberintime]

Will second Happy Herb - one of the best hulk runs ever from 159 to 186 or so. Had all the classic villians, great fights - not to mention the most famous Canadian hero to date. Also loved Buchler on the FF from about 142 to 157 - great Doom, Namor and Surfer stuff. Buckler did a bunch for Marvel during that time frame and it was all pretty good. Of course the Buscemas were pretty awesome on the Avengers, Thor, FF in the early 70s. But I think Hulk 171 and FF 143 and 155 are some of my all time favorite covers and would love recreations or the originals!

[read_em-migration]

Whoa! Never thought I'd see Trimpe's name on this thread!