Neal Adams versus Bernie Wrightson

[MisterX]

I don't have a scanner, but maybe someone will post some of the amazing B&W work Bernie did for Creepy and Eerie? To me, this was the near high-point of his career. And then there's Frankenstein, and Freak Show (which ran in Heavy Metal and was recently reprinted by Image, I think...)

 

I think I read somewhere that he wasn't all that interested in drawing superheroes in his early career. But maybe in an alternate universe there's a smokin' Batman vs. The Scarecrow story by Wrightson.

 

I like Adams, too, but when anybody says he's a genius I automatically think of that stinker he drew for Our Army at War #240. Yeesh...maybe it was just a rush job.

 

[TeddieMercede]

Adams likes dog-horses.

[bhhooks22]

One issue I have with Adams' Batman is that he always looks so shocked.

 

 

 

 

I prefer a Batman who is in control of the situation.

 

Well , you might be a bit shocked as well if :

 

a) Your shoved out of a plane w/ no parachute

b)Your in a huge,fiery explosion

c)Your strapped to the front of some lunatics ship

d)Your head is about to be impaled by a huge axe and there's a ghost lady behind you.

e) You discover your little gay partner w/ Tinker-Bell booties hanging from the rafters.

f) A 100 foot tall clown wants to play poker and your stuck to his card.

 

 

[seanfingh]

One issue I have with Adams' Batman is that he always looks so shocked.

 

I prefer a Batman who is in control of the situation.

 

Well , you might be a bit shocked as well if :

 

a) Your shoved out of a plane w/ no parachute

b)Your in a huge,fiery explosion

c)Your strapped to the front of some lunatics ship

d)Your head is about to impaled by a huge axe and there's a ghost lady behind you.

e) You discover your little gay partner w/ Tinker-Bell booties hanging from the rafters.

f) A 100 foot tall clown wants to play poker and your stuck to his card.

 

 

 

This is your best post ever. See what happens when you use your words.

[bhhooks22]

One issue I have with Adams' Batman is that he always looks so shocked.

 

I prefer a Batman who is in control of the situation.

 

Well , you might be a bit shocked as well if :

 

a) Your shoved out of a plane w/ no parachute

b)Your in a huge,fiery explosion

c)Your strapped to the front of some lunatics ship

d)Your head is about to impaled by a huge axe and there's a ghost lady behind you.

e) You discover your little gay partner w/ Tinker-Bell booties hanging from the rafters.

f) A 100 foot tall clown wants to play poker and your stuck to his card.

 

 

 

This is your best post ever. See what happens when you use your words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[VintageComics]

One issue I have with Adams' Batman is that he always looks so shocked.

 

I prefer a Batman who is in control of the situation.

 

Well , you might be a bit shocked as well if :

 

a) Your shoved out of a plane w/ no parachute

b)Your in a huge,fiery explosion

c)Your strapped to the front of some lunatics ship

d)Your head is about to impaled by a huge axe and there's a ghost lady behind you.

e) You discover your little gay partner w/ Tinker-Bell booties hanging from the rafters.

f) A 100 foot tall clown wants to play poker and your stuck to his card.

 

 

 

This is your best post ever. See what happens when you use your words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hooks is currently posting from Church.

 

[seanfingh]

 

Before you fixate on the next shiny object, try to drill this in: "Your" connotes ownership of a thing. If you are just shortening "You are" it becomes "you're." Proper usage will make people less likely to want to groin punch you.

[Old Fashion PB and J]

Adams worked on some of the most innvative, and classic storylines in his time. GL/GA, Batman, Detective, Avengers. Every one of those titles has a classic and sometimes revolutionary toryline tied in somewhere. But I also think the original post is short sighted. There are a few wrightston covers that can match value in grade, and there is also Adams work on superboy, and a few other titles that just dont sell for "that much" money.

 

So if looking at the most popular titles in monetary Adams will win. If you are looking at amazing covers both are good, wrightston was better.

 

I think we just had a similr conversation here on the boards, but Jim Aparo was the "other" artist in question.

[bhhooks22]

Before you fixate on the next shiny object, try to drill this in: "Your" connotes ownership of a thing. If you are just shortening "You are" it becomes "you're." Proper usage will make people less likely to want to groin punch you.

 

 

Semantics ........

[VintageComics]

In all seriouslifullness Adams and Wrightson are two very different artists. Each has his niche and I would say comparing the two is unfair.

 

Technically, Adams' work is much more realistic. It's loose and his ground breaking work on perspective is just amazing to behold. Wrightson is (as mentioned previously) less consistant with his work but much more impressionistic. Great use of light and dark and moving as a story teller. I personally thought Wrightson's work on Superheros was been inferior and not a good fit for him.

 

Both are giants in their own respective bodies of work.

 

I would also have to agree with FT and think that collectors of their work would be more interested in reading the stories as that is where the majority of their work exists. In the books.

[Old Fashion PB and J]

Before you fixate on the next shiny object, try to drill this in: "Your" connotes ownership of a thing. If you are just shortening "You are" it becomes "you're." Proper usage will make people less likely to want to groin punch you.

Groin Punching hooks

[VintageComics]

Before you fixate on the next shiny object, try to drill this in: "Your" connotes ownership of a thing. If you are just shortening "You are" it becomes "you're." Proper usage will make people less likely to want to groin punch you.

 

 

Semantics ........

 

don't you mean Semantic's?

[bhhooks22]

Before you fixate on the next shiny object, try to drill this in: "Your" connotes ownership of a thing. If you are just shortening "You are" it becomes "you're." Proper usage will make people less likely to want to groin punch you.

 

 

Semantics ........

 

don't you mean Semantic's?

 

[bhhooks22]

Before you fixate on the next shiny object, try to drill this in: "Your" connotes ownership of a thing. If you are just shortening "You are" it becomes "you're." Proper usage will make people less likely to want to groin punch you.

Groin Punching hooks

 

You , especially , are getting nowhere near my groin.

[VintageComics]

Before you fixate on the next shiny object, try to drill this in: "Your" connotes ownership of a thing. If you are just shortening "You are" it becomes "you're." Proper usage will make people less likely to want to groin punch you.

 

 

Semantics ........

 

don't you mean Semantic's?

 

 

Semantics is the correct way. I just thought you should have spelt it incorrectly to stay true to form.

 

And no more posting from church.

 

[bhhooks22]

Before you fixate on the next shiny object, try to drill this in: "Your" connotes ownership of a thing. If you are just shortening "You are" it becomes "you're." Proper usage will make people less likely to want to groin punch you.

 

 

Semantics ........

 

don't you mean Semantic's?

 

 

Semantics is the correct way. I just thought you should have spelt it incorrectly to stay true to form.

 

And no more posting from church.

 

 

I'm out now. I'm going to meet bcc by Texas Stadium to look at about 50 of his GL's to buy.

[seanfingh]

Before you fixate on the next shiny object, try to drill this in: "Your" connotes ownership of a thing. If you are just shortening "You are" it becomes "you're." Proper usage will make people less likely to want to groin punch you.

Groin Punching hooks

 

You , especially are getting nowhere near my groin.

 

Why, just because some person_too_unaware_of_social_graces voted Pat the boardie that was "Most Likely to Have Gotten {insert venereal disease} from a Skanky Death-Metal Groupie?

 

PS: Pat the plaque took longer to inscribe than they thought. CGC says it should be shipped in the next couple of weeks.

[VintageComics]

Boyd is a great dude. Say hi from Roy.

 

R.

 

[bhhooks22]

Before you fixate on the next shiny object, try to drill this in: "Your" connotes ownership of a thing. If you are just shortening "You are" it becomes "you're." Proper usage will make people less likely to want to groin punch you.

 

"fixate on the next shiny object" ....

 

 

... Not too shabby for an anal , grumpy lawyer.

[Speedy-D]

Adams is huge for two reasons: he's ridiculously good at male anatomy, and he was prominent during a key era for both of the main comic book superheroes: Superman & Batman. Also, his influence can't be overstated; a whole generation of comic artists bit his style to one extent or another. Check out Bill Sienkiewicz. It's fun to watch the progress of his style from Adams knock off to doing his own thing. I think maybe only Jack Kirby is more influential in the long run.

 

So Adams has superheroes, and more specifically Superman & Batman, going for him. O, and Denny O'Neil too. They were a great team.

 

Bernie Wrightson doesn't really have any characters closely associated with him except for Swamp Thing. And I think that makes all the difference. IMO, he's the better artist, with many more strengths than Neal. He can work equally well in many media (check out his work for that Frankenstein book, so beautiful), and no one does mood better. He's the superior painter by a long shot I'd say. But being mostly horror will always make him the less popular of the two.

 

While I 'd say that neither artist at the top of their game these days, Adams has fallen off a lot more than Wrightson. The thing I loved most about Neal Adams was how loose and dynamic his work was. Now it's so tight I can barely zip the zipper! Bernie's still got it though, there were parts of Dead, She Said that were gorgeous.

 

Anyway, I'm quite pleased they both do what they do, thank you very much, but if I had to choose I'd go with Bernie.