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Neal Adams Appreciation Thread!

Started by october,

66 posts in this topic

PovertyRow

PovertyRow

Posted
Posted

Since even lame Steve Ditko got his own appreciation thread, I felt it was necessary to showcase the efforts of an artist who actually has talent.

 

I LOVE NA's work. BUT you also diss Ditko! Tell me, have you ever seen this piece before? And please be honest. After this I will not post any Ditko pieces but MAN? You are no friend of Dale Carnegie! grin.gif (This is from my collection).

 

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october

october

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Since even lame Steve Ditko got his own appreciation thread, I felt it was necessary to showcase the efforts of an artist who actually has talent.

 

I LOVE NA's work. BUT you also diss Ditko! Tell me, have you ever seen this piece before? And please be honest. After this I will not post any Ditko pieces but MAN? You are no friend of Dale Carnegie! grin.gif (This is from my collection).

 

Thats not bad, not bad at all. I am not saying that Ditko didn't have his moments, in fact I like several of his covers. However, I think he is built up to be a lot better than he actually is. Some of the Spidey covers people drool over are atrocious.

 

Now, back on track. grin.gif

 

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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Posted

Now, back on track.

 

You are a gentleman! But I think I get where you are going because back in July od 2004 I posted this:

 

"Now ditko in the pre-code horror genre was SO good. But in the post-code? Looking at the ditko backup stories (to Kirby's main "Kirby Monster" stories in the pre-hero Marvels) well, ditko's art almost looked like stick figures.

 

And in the SA, a lot of the drawings still showed that stick-figure look. But - I started thinking about things like design, concept etc. And I did conclude that ditko's ideas, his designs, etc. were superior to his execution. And then I started thinking "which art is better?" - less quality in nexecution and more quality in concept or vice versa? And the vice-versa won. What to do? I do hear you but have to see past the execution and look at the ideas.

 

Truth be told, I feel similar about Kirby. His SA work is so blocky. To me it is unattractive in execution but in idea and concept - it is wonderful"

 

So I have to agree that much of Ditko's SA work was, as far as simple art goes, not the best (but one interesting thing is some of his Charltom BA Horror was danged good! - I've posted several in the Infinite BA thread).

 

BUT - beyond the "crude" renderings - I have to say the design, layout etc. was danged good.

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october

october

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Now, back on track.

 

You are a gentleman! But I think I get where you are going because back in July od 2004 I posted this:

 

"Now ditko in the pre-code horror genre was SO good. But in the post-code? Looking at the ditko backup stories (to Kirby's main "Kirby Monster" stories in the pre-hero Marvels) well, ditko's art almost looked like stick figures.

 

And in the SA, a lot of the drawings still showed that stick-figure look. But - I started thinking about things like design, concept etc. And I did conclude that ditko's ideas, his designs, etc. were superior to his execution. And then I started thinking "which art is better?" - less quality in nexecution and more quality in concept or vice versa? And the vice-versa won. What to do? I do hear you but have to see past the execution and look at the ideas.

 

Truth be told, I feel similar about Kirby. His SA work is so blocky. To me it is unattractive in execution but in idea and concept - it is wonderful"

 

So I have to agree that much of Ditko's SA work was, as far as simple art goes, not the best (but one interesting thing is some of his Charltom BA Horror was danged good! - I've posted several in the Infinite BA thread).

 

BUT - beyond the "crude" renderings - I have to say the design, layout etc. was danged good.

 

I think that is right. Ditko's layouts and sense of design are good (late silver/bronze Charlton covers are particularly strong in concept), but his rendering is weak. His anatomy seems particularly bad. His characters never seem very dynamic and lack energy. Adams, on the other hand, was top-notch in both design and execution. His stuff is so much better than the competition it is almost scary.

 

I would also agree that Kirby's art often seemed blocky, a flaw that became more and more evident as time went on. He also was not very good at drawing women. Like Ditko, people seem to judge (and revere) Kirby based more on what he contributed to comic history than on his actual drawings. He had a hand in creating so many amazing characters that it is not really possible for most people to say there was ever anyone better. If you just look at the art itself, I think both Romita and Adams would have him beat....

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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If you just look at the art itself, I think both Romita and Adams would have him beat....

 

Kirby and Ditko i many cases. I tend to agree with you. But sometthing to keep in mind is that there are tens of thousands or more of art schgoll graduates that can render the arse out of something. But when it comes to concept, design, etc -well - they can render the arse out of something! grin.gif

 

This is where my feelings of Kirby and Ditko come ion. They really DID have grerat imaginations, great sense of design, composition and the like. They also ushered in some of the greatest SA characters. (I stilll love Ditko's early renderings of Doctor Strange - they are less beautifully dran than those who came after but, for me, Ditko's Doc Strange have an almost sublininal effect...hmmmmmmm....maybe the Doc is calling to me! crazy.gif)

 

Ditkos' pre-code work and Kirby's GA work seem quite a bit different from their later works. I will certainly not attenmpt to explain such. But both Ditko and Kirby revelaed themselves in the SA and beyond as superb designers and, for me anyway, in their GA/AA years, amazing renderers. But in their later SA/BA works it seems their rendering took second place to their design. I really don't know! Dang I am just a man.

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