Gil Kane

[Unca Ben]

Gil Kane was an great comic book artist. As a kid I started buying Green Lantern and the Atom because of the art.

There's a reason Gil was the third regular Spider-Man artist, after Ditko and Romita (yeah I know Don Heck and John Buscema drew a couple issues during the Romita run- but they weren't the regular Spidey artists).

Gil Kanes pencils with Sid Greene or Joe Giella inks are awesome to behold.

[Swharr-migration]

Yeah, when I look back at the comics I bought as a kid, he did most of the covers. He did a lot of the Marvel covers at that time anyway, but I realize now what an impact they had on me and even inspired me to become an artist myself. I even like the up the nose drawings and sunken eyes. And the obligatory damsel and the distorted anatomy. To me only Kirby could find the action as well ... yes I said as well...

[RockMyAmadeus]

NOSTRILS!!!

 

[Mac Man]

I really enjoyed Kane's artwork on Spider-man and consider him to be one one of top tier ASM artists. In many ways, I liken him to Aparo's work on Batman--mainstay artists who might not have been the most flashy out there but certainly understood and knew how to portray their hero.

 

[JohnT]

I'm sure he has fans and a following, but I'm not really one of them. After around 1966 his work became mechanical and uninspired IMO. The up the nose shots. The bent backwards knee angles. The scantily clad sitting female poses. They were almost interchangable.

 

So sorry.....I'm not a fan.....but WWTB

 

I'd say the exact opposite...to me he was more predictable prior to the BA but started experimenting a lot after that. Sure, his art was easily spotted and he did a million covers so they did have some repetition in there, but he definitely became more creative and dynamic later in life. Not that he wasn't great in the SA.

[Comcasthawk]

Didn't like him on Amazing Spider-Man at all..but, he was OK on other titles. Just not my cup of tea....

[nwpassage]

I relly felt he was in his prime when he did The Atom, and Green Lantern. Bashing him is insane, but I run into young people who hate Jimi Hendrix. Taste for the good things in life is generally refined with age.

[plasticide-migration]

Gil Kane is my all-time second favorite artist (and I loved when he worked with my #1 fave, Neal Adams). I had him sign my Showcase # 22 on the COVER, where his sig belongs. One great thing about Kane's covers in the 70s was something modern artists have forgotten: perspective. His covers for Marvel's 2nd tier sci-fi books (Monsters on the Loose, etc) have 4-5 layers of perspective and it makes the cover, esp. on the Picture Frame covers. Joe Kubert was also the master of this (check out SSWS # 140). I don't know how anyone could ever bash this legend.

[plasticide-migration]

Like someone mentioned, I think the inkers played a big part in it. When Kane had Palmer or Janson inking him he was a top talent, he also did a handful of covers with Ralph Reese that were just amazing. I even loved his work with Romita inking him. Sometimes when Esposito or Giacoia worked with him it looked pretty average. Always loved his Western covers for Marvel when they would alternate the reprint covers one month & the new Kane covers the next.

 

I think that late in his life, he found a great inker in Kevin Nowlan. I loved when Kevin inked Gil's stuff, but there isn't much out there, since Gil died relatively soon after they started working together.

[paperheart]

draws nostrils better than anyone

[That Ron Dude]

He was an enormous talent but not everyone appreciates the angularity in his middle period.

 

I remember loving Smith's Conan but admitting to myself that the Kane ones done as fill-ins were better.

 

His Green Lantern work is gentler, looking more like the other house artists at DC.

 

His last decades were highly ornamental and with inkers that would bring out the engaging linework.

 

It was the middle period though, with the up-the-nose shots and up-the-crotch shots and every bone and muscle drawn in that some people have trouble with. At times the idiosyncratic nature of the drawing would draw attention to itself and take away from the story. For raw talent, though, tastes aside, there have been few better.

 

He is also one of a very few artists who didn't rest on his laurels but kept learning and changing as he went on. He stayed in what is usually a young mans profession into his senior years.

[underthebigw]

It honestly boggles my mind that anyone, especially a Marvel fan, can not love his work. Having gone back through thousands of books selecting art for our glasses, it has become blatantly obvious that, in many ways, Kane was Marvel in the 1970's. The number of covers he did is unbelievable, and the percentage of merchandise-worthy Marvel art he created is remarkable. Full of action, captures the character's qualities, well-composed, full-figures---just great draftmanship AND great style.

 

It also amazes me how many of his images are considered iconic by fans, yet they have no clue Kane was the artist. For 5 years now, I've watched fan-boys try to impress their friends by naming the artists on all of our glasses at shows. Without fail, they attribute many of Kane's images to other artists.

 

And, don't get me started on how spectacular his Marvel Western covers are. Just beautiful. And his SA GL was like nothing else on the newstands at the time.

 

One of the best. Ever.

[Dale Roberts]

Personally, I think Gil Kane is the best Spider-man penciller ever, as long as John Romita was inking him. I am sure some will disagree, but you can look at any of those fantastic issues between #88 - 123 and it is some of the very best Spidey art from any time period.

 

I guess who is the best is highly debatable. What is not debatable, is that Kane was my favorite on my favorite character. And I loved the way he drew Gwen and MJ.

[GL1]

Gil Kane. . .Green Lantern. . .'nuff said!

[Silver Surfer]

Here's a cool Kane cover I just picked up:

[Ares]

I love Gil Kane. Who Doesn't?

Gil Who?

[Swharr-migration]

 

This comic wasn't very good, but the cover was worth my 30 cents

 

There was only 1 second of action in this comic and Gil put it on the cover.

[Monstro]

Love me some BA Gil Kane ASM and MTU

[JohnT]

He is also one of a very few artists who didn't rest on his laurels but kept learning and changing as he went on. He stayed in what is usually a young mans profession into his senior years.

 

So true, he pushed himself to get better and try new things. And unlike most aging artists he never seemed to fade talent-wise.

[Wally's Comics]

I love this post-'66 Kane cover:

 

 

 

That has to be my fav box cover.