Show me your Timely's and I'll show you mine. Have a Cigar... 30 30

[drbanner]

Golden Age cover variants...

 

[KirbyJack]

Just one of those...

[rjpb]

MC #1 has a memorable cover, but bannered logos are a big part of the classic GA aesthetic for me.

 

Personally I like Schomburg's war era covers more than his pre-war (or post-war) ones, though I agree they are a bit more "cartoony", but it's all great stuff.

 

It does seem that Schomburg's Timely and Harvey war covers tend to be a bit more cluttered on average than the ones he did for Nedor. More background action, more elaborate torture/bondage scenarios, more bits of skeletons and random paraphernalia, more Japanese and Nazi soldiers being shot at, pummeled, and run over in the foreground, etc. With his late 40s airbrushed covers becoming less cluttered still. It would have been interesting to see him do GGA type airbrush covers for Timely on titles like Namora and Blonde Phantom.

[sartre]

MC #1 has a memorable cover, but bannered logos are a big part of the classic GA aesthetic for me.

 

Personally I like Schomburg's war era covers more than his pre-war (or post-war) ones, though I agree they are a bit more "cartoony", but it's all great stuff.

 

It does seem that Schomburg's Timely and Harvey war covers tend to be a bit more cluttered on average than the ones he did for Nedor. More background action, more elaborate torture/bondage scenarios, more bits of skeletons and random paraphernalia, more Japanese and Nazi soldiers being shot at, pummeled, and run over in the foreground, etc. With his late 40s airbrushed covers becoming less cluttered still. It would have been interesting to see him do GGA type airbrush covers for Timely on titles like Namora and Blonde Phantom.

 

 

IMO the "clutter" is one important element that gives it his signature. The action is held together by single dominate forms or a center of interest...compositions are not fragmented even though busy.. The cartoon characteristics coupled with overt violence add a irony that is real for that era, unlike the fake irony in so much self conscious contemporary art. Also I like the solid banner as it allows the type face not to interfere with the composition...

[Cat-Man_America]

MC #1 has a memorable cover, but bannered logos are a big part of the classic GA aesthetic for me.

 

Personally I like Schomburg's war era covers more than his pre-war (or post-war) ones, though I agree they are a bit more "cartoony", but it's all great stuff.

 

It does seem that Schomburg's Timely and Harvey war covers tend to be a bit more cluttered on average than the ones he did for Nedor. More background action, more elaborate torture/bondage scenarios, more bits of skeletons and random paraphernalia, more Japanese and Nazi soldiers being shot at, pummeled, and run over in the foreground, etc. With his late 40s airbrushed covers becoming less cluttered still. It would have been interesting to see him do GGA type airbrush covers for Timely on titles like Namora and Blonde Phantom.

 

 

IMO the "clutter" is one important element that gives it his signature. The action is held together by single dominate forms or a center of interest...compositions are not fragmented even though busy.. The cartoon characteristics coupled with overt violence add a irony that is real for that era, unlike the fake irony in so much self conscious contemporary art. Also I like the solid banner as it allows the type face not to interfere with the composition...

 

Excellent points. The banner provided room for experimentation with dimensionality, allowing characters and flying objects to break the banner border at every opportunity. This may have been influenced to some degree by the innovative visuals in Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. Simon & Kirby experimented with this cinematic style in their panel work for Cap in 1941. Schomburg employed a similar technique to great effect in many of his cover illustrations for Timely with equal aplomb.

[EC ed]

Sorry to deviate from the current discussion, but wanted to post up this fresh acquisition from the recent CC auction...just got it in hand today.

 

 

[Sqeggs]

Sorry to deviate from the current discussion, but wanted to post up this fresh acquisition from the recent CC auction...just got it in hand today.

 

 

Very nice looking copy.

 

So, when are we getting the definitive list of GA motorcycle covers?

[EC ed]

Very nice looking copy.

 

So, when are we getting the definitive list of GA motorcycle covers?

 

Thanks!

 

After I get them all . Nah, that's too ambitious...maybe I'll start a thread about that sometime...

[EC ed]

After I get them all .

 

Actually, getting right back on topic, that MMC #9 you all are discussing is going to be a significant obstacle, it seems.

 

, especially since I care more about the motorcycle than the Torch-Subby battle

[ciorac]

Sorry to deviate from the current discussion, but wanted to post up this fresh acquisition from the recent CC auction...just got it in hand today.

 

 

attaboy Ed!

[Cat-Man_America]

 

Sorry to deviate from the current discussion, but wanted to post up this fresh acquisition from the recent CC auction...just got it in hand today.

 

 

Deviancy in the acquisition of Mystics is roundly encouraged!

[Ameri]

Looks like we're all pretty much on the same page with Schomburg's legacy. I'm a bit less inclined to place Paul's work above Alex's when it comes to comics, but I agree with Bill when it comes to Marvel Comics #1 being a phenomenal book of key importance.

 

To my artist's eye I'm very impressed with work which conveys action with a well defined center of interest. This is especially difficult to achieve when the featured stars aren't as interesting as the villains. That's why it's fascinating to look at the stylistic development of Schomburg's early work at Timely.

 

In 1940, Alex's first phase of work for the publisher displayed amazing line and crosshatch shading. His cover illustrations combined heroic rescue, bondage (in one case, molestation by idol) and a generally creepy atmosphere infused with crime/horror pulp influences. Schomburg's rendering to the main characters is arguably a little stiff, but I can't find fault with either example:

 

 

Over time, Alex chose to utilize less detailed shading on his illustrations. Perhaps he grew more comfortable with Timely colorist(s), but for whatever reason, he simplified his inking technique which allowed cleaner color shading. Also, his depiction of the publisher's featured characters loosened up to become more recognizably stylized, resulting in fluid action compositions with fewer awkward poses.

 

During this phase two period Schomburg focused more on strong central characters. While backgrounds became busier they rarely overwhelmed the foreground action. This is probably my favorite period of his work. Most of the covers done from early 1941 through 1942 have strong action content without as many of the cartoony elements some of his later war illustrations relied on. Here are four examples:

 

 

There was a point shortly after war was declared when Alex became Timely's primary cover illustrator with increased output to match. During this third phase his work became more streamlined as he relied a bit more on cartoony stereotypes and similar situations, but a number of classic covers pop-up during this period as well.

 

Around this time, most of the featured characters and villains were depicted with open mouths and outlined contact punches. Utilizing a wide array of action poses he was able to vary the scenes enough that even when war and home front scenes had similar settings they never felt repeated.

 

OTOH, during this period ('43 - '46) Alex's covers would often be so busy that it was visually a struggle to focus on the main characters. In spite of that, it didn't make the covers less interesting or artfully done. Two examples:

 

 

Also, since the featured characters were larger than life he occasionally depicted them that way, perhaps as a counterpoint to his inclination to produce busy covers. Here are examples:

 

 

Alas, I don't have any good examples of his post '46 work when he dabbled in airbrushing color comic covers. At that point in time he started reducing elements in the background while adding airbrush shading for depth. Most of those cover illustrations were for Standard/Nedor and usually signed Xela.

 

Of course, any effort to place Schomburg's prodigious legacy in perspective is a monumental task. Also, I realize that praising his work in this thread is preaching to the choir, but for those on the fence about Alex's contributions to GA history it might offer a little context.

 

That's a really excellent analysis

[Cat-Man_America]

Thanks! It was fun taking a broad look at the evolution of Alex's work.

[Knightsofold]

Great Schomburg observations David! I look to explore this type of stuff in the Schomburg covers by newstand month thread.

 

I do think you coild add another Schomburg period for his Timely work. At some point in 1944 or 45, i think main characters in his work lost lost some appeal. I can did up some pics later, but if you compare the caps from say... Cap #46, to maybe.. All select #1, the poses are less dynamic, and the faces are somewhat silly looking.

Sometimes Cap even has a bulbous head. ><

[The-Collector]

Looks like we're all pretty much on the same page with Schomburg's legacy. I'm a bit less inclined to place Paul's work above Alex's when it comes to comics, but I agree with Bill when it comes to Marvel Comics #1 being a phenomenal book of key importance.

 

To my artist's eye I'm very impressed with work which conveys action with a well defined center of interest. This is especially difficult to achieve when the featured stars aren't as interesting as the villains. That's why it's fascinating to look at the stylistic development of Schomburg's early work at Timely.

 

In 1940, Alex's first phase of work for the publisher displayed amazing line and crosshatch shading. His cover illustrations combined heroic rescue, bondage (in one case, molestation by idol) and a generally creepy atmosphere infused with crime/horror pulp influences. Schomburg's rendering to the main characters is arguably a little stiff, but I can't find fault with either example:

 

Over time, Alex chose to utilize less detailed shading on his illustrations. Perhaps he grew more comfortable with Timely colorist(s), but for whatever reason, he simplified his inking technique which allowed cleaner color shading. Also, his depiction of the publisher's featured characters loosened up to become more recognizably stylized, resulting in fluid action compositions with fewer awkward poses.

 

During this phase two period Schomburg focused more on strong central characters. While backgrounds became busier they rarely overwhelmed the foreground action. This is probably my favorite period of his work. Most of the covers done from early 1941 through 1942 have strong action content without as many of the cartoony elements some of his later war illustrations relied on. Here are four examples:

 

There was a point shortly after war was declared when Alex became Timely's primary cover illustrator with increased output to match. During this third phase his work became more streamlined as he relied a bit more on cartoony stereotypes and similar situations, but a number of classic covers pop-up during this period as well.

 

Around this time, most of the featured characters and villains were depicted with open mouths and outlined contact punches. Utilizing a wide array of action poses he was able to vary the scenes enough that even when war and home front scenes had similar settings they never felt repeated.

 

OTOH, during this period ('43 - '46) Alex's covers would often be so busy that it was visually a struggle to focus on the main characters. In spite of that, it didn't make the covers less interesting or artfully done. Two examples:

 

Also, since the featured characters were larger than life he occasionally depicted them that way, perhaps as a counterpoint to his inclination to produce busy covers. Here are examples:

 

Alas, I don't have any good examples of his post '46 work when he dabbled in airbrushing color comic covers. At that point in time he started reducing elements in the background while adding airbrush shading for depth. Most of those cover illustrations were for Standard/Nedor and usually signed Xela.

 

Of course, any effort to place Schomburg's prodigious legacy in perspective is a monumental task. Also, I realize that praising his work in this thread is preaching to the choir, but for those on the fence about Alex's contributions to GA history it might offer a little context.

 

That's a really excellent analysis

 

+1 a great post David, eurdite and edifying.

[Vision75]

CAT - you killed it.

 

I have a Schomburg question for you and the other boardies. When did the first Schomburg comicbook cover come out? MM3 and Daring Mystery 1 are both dated January 1940. Were those the first two? I remember reading about this topic a few years ago on the boards but the answer escapes me, and I couldn't find it via google.

 

Thanks!!

[G.A.tor]

I just want to know who this "David" is

[ciorac]

Looks like we're all pretty much on the same page with Schomburg's legacy. I'm a bit less inclined to place Paul's work above Alex's when it comes to comics, but I agree with Bill when it comes to Marvel Comics #1 being a phenomenal book of key importance.

 

To my artist's eye I'm very impressed with work which conveys action with a well defined center of interest. This is especially difficult to achieve when the featured stars aren't as interesting as the villains. That's why it's fascinating to look at the stylistic development of Schomburg's early work at Timely.

 

In 1940, Alex's first phase of work for the publisher displayed amazing line and crosshatch shading. His cover illustrations combined heroic rescue, bondage (in one case, molestation by idol) and a generally creepy atmosphere infused with crime/horror pulp influences. Schomburg's rendering to the main characters is arguably a little stiff, but I can't find fault with either example:

 

Over time, Alex chose to utilize less detailed shading on his illustrations. Perhaps he grew more comfortable with Timely colorist(s), but for whatever reason, he simplified his inking technique which allowed cleaner color shading. Also, his depiction of the publisher's featured characters loosened up to become more recognizably stylized, resulting in fluid action compositions with fewer awkward poses.

 

During this phase two period Schomburg focused more on strong central characters. While backgrounds became busier they rarely overwhelmed the foreground action. This is probably my favorite period of his work. Most of the covers done from early 1941 through 1942 have strong action content without as many of the cartoony elements some of his later war illustrations relied on. Here are four examples:

 

There was a point shortly after war was declared when Alex became Timely's primary cover illustrator with increased output to match. During this third phase his work became more streamlined as he relied a bit more on cartoony stereotypes and similar situations, but a number of classic covers pop-up during this period as well.

 

Around this time, most of the featured characters and villains were depicted with open mouths and outlined contact punches. Utilizing a wide array of action poses he was able to vary the scenes enough that even when war and home front scenes had similar settings they never felt repeated.

 

OTOH, during this period ('43 - '46) Alex's covers would often be so busy that it was visually a struggle to focus on the main characters. In spite of that, it didn't make the covers less interesting or artfully done. Two examples:

 

Also, since the featured characters were larger than life he occasionally depicted them that way, perhaps as a counterpoint to his inclination to produce busy covers. Here are examples:

 

Alas, I don't have any good examples of his post '46 work when he dabbled in airbrushing color comic covers. At that point in time he started reducing elements in the background while adding airbrush shading for depth. Most of those cover illustrations were for Standard/Nedor and usually signed Xela.

 

Of course, any effort to place Schomburg's prodigious legacy in perspective is a monumental task. Also, I realize that praising his work in this thread is preaching to the choir, but for those on the fence about Alex's contributions to GA history it might offer a little context.

 

That's a really excellent analysis

 

+1 a great post David, eurdite and edifying.

 

it's even cooler when you read it with his Texas drawl

[Knightsofold]

Daring Mystery comics #1 appears to be the first Schomburg Timely cover.

October 30th 1939

[Badger]

Sorry to deviate from the current discussion, but wanted to post up this fresh acquisition from the recent CC auction...just got it in hand today.

 

Nicest deviation I've taken in quite some time!