Who is the definitive Iron Man artist?

[Prince Namor]

No love for Don Heck!

 

I prefer Don Heck’s version of the SA Iron Man to Gene Colan’s, which always looked ugly and clunky to me. Heck did some very nice work on Tales of Suspense, especially noticeable when you see it in black-and-white.

 

I prefer both Heck and Tuska's Golden Age pre-superhero work, but I'll bet if Tom Palmer had inked them more, the work would've looked better....

[MetalPSI]

 

Very nice. I like how the maid is..."Oh maybe I leave now"

[Vorpal]

Very nice. I like how the maid is..."Oh maybe I leave now"

 

Pretty sure that's supposed to be a statue

[Prince Namor]

I can't find an instance of Tom Palmer inking Tuska or Heck....Hmmm... if he's in Baltimore again this fall I'm going to ask him about that....

[Jeffro.]

No love for Don Heck!

 

I prefer Don Heck’s version of the SA Iron Man to Gene Colan’s, which always looked ugly and clunky to me. Heck did some very nice work on Tales of Suspense, especially noticeable when you see it in black-and-white.

 

I prefer both Heck and Tuska's Golden Age pre-superhero work, but I'll bet if Tom Palmer had inked them more, the work would've looked better....

 

Yeah, same with Grandenetti. His 70s works is hard to look at. Infantino's 80s work falls into that category as well.

Then you have guys like Kubert and Heath who barely lost a step

[MetalPSI]

Yeah. Actually looks more like a billboard or painting

[Vorpal]

Yeah. Actually looks more like a billboard or painting

 

I thought the same, but then noticed that the Chinese characters are facing the wrong direction relative to the figure.

[MetalPSI]

Hard to tell. Lots of action in that frame

[Ken Aldred]

A fairly large image, and before I scrolled down to the signature my first impression was that the Mandarin had been drawn by Gene Colan. Very similar to one of his typical character poses.

[letsgrumble]

Layton would have to be the hands-down definitive artist for Iron Man.

 

But I really wish this guy worked on Shellhead more often than he did:

 

[shadroch]

I've heard Kubert didn't do much of his work in the 70s and up. That his students did most of it and he simply put the finishing touches on it.

Any truth to it?

[Ken Aldred]

I've heard Kubert didn't do much of his work in the 70s and up. That his students did most of it and he simply put the finishing touches on it.

Any truth to it?

 

I've never heard anything about it. He was still doing great work in the 70s, such as his Tarzan comics.

 

It would be disappointing, because I'm a huge fan.

[oldbsturgeon]

this is going to sound silly and I almost started a new thread for this, but I looked up each artist as I really didn't know what each person's iron man looked like, and to me they really all look the same.

 

In truth, most comics until recently look to be the same artist by decade to me, that is 60s comics are drawn by the same person, 70s etc.

 

I'm not trolling, I really don't see much difference in say how Spider man was drawn in the 60s. same for many of the other characters.

 

I have this 75 yrs of marvel covers and outside all the new stuff, it's hard for me to know who did what.

[Ken Aldred]

No love for Don Heck!

 

I prefer Don Heck’s version of the SA Iron Man to Gene Colan’s, which always looked ugly and clunky to me. Heck did some very nice work on Tales of Suspense, especially noticeable when you see it in black-and-white.

 

I prefer both Heck and Tuska's Golden Age pre-superhero work, but I'll bet if Tom Palmer had inked them more, the work would've looked better....

 

Yeah, same with Grandenetti. His 70s works is hard to look at. Infantino's 80s work falls into that category as well.

Then you have guys like Kubert and Heath who barely lost a step

 

From what I’ve been able to find of his Iron Man art, another creator in this category could be Johnny Craig, one of my favourite EC artists. I haven’t found any Iron Man pencil art by him that’s anywhere near EC standard, but he mostly inked Colan, Tuska and Heck, and I don’t have much to go on.

 

Perhaps he was simply more suited to horror or crime noir material?

[jimjum12]

I've heard Kubert didn't do much of his work in the 70s and up. That his students did most of it and he simply put the finishing touches on it.

Any truth to it?

 

I went to the Kubert School in the mid 80's....... the school didn't exist yet in the 70's...... I don't recall anyone ghosting for Joe, though some of the instructors would occasionally employ a student as an assistant.... though usually for lettering, background inks, etc. The School was very good at helping worthy talent get interviews. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

 

..... my favorite Iron Man artist may have been Bob Layton, but I honestly feel the "ultimate" Iron Man artist has yet to be.....

[Unca Ben]

I can't find an instance of Tom Palmer inking Tuska or Heck....Hmmm... if he's in Baltimore again this fall I'm going to ask him about that....

Here's Palmer inking Heck (interiors).

I can't recall Palmer inking Tuska (mebbe a short story somewhere?).

[Ken Aldred]

I can't find an instance of Tom Palmer inking Tuska or Heck....Hmmm... if he's in Baltimore again this fall I'm going to ask him about that....

Here's Palmer inking Heck (interiors).

I can't recall Palmer inking Tuska (mebbe a short story somewhere?).

 

I forgot about that one. Together they produce a result that looks very Adams-like.

 

Good stuff, actually.

[Greenlama]

Don Heck comes to mind from the Silver Age. Certainly Bob Layton (who signed a bunch of books for me many years ago).

[shadroch]

I've heard Kubert didn't do much of his work in the 70s and up. That his students did most of it and he simply put the finishing touches on it.

Any truth to it?

 

I went to the Kubert School in the mid 80's....... the school didn't exist yet in the 70's...... I don't recall anyone ghosting for Joe, though some of the instructors would occasionally employ a student as an assistant.... though usually for lettering, background inks, etc. The School was very good at helping worthy talent get interviews. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

 

..... my favorite Iron Man artist may have been Bob Layton, but I honestly feel the "ultimate" Iron Man artist has yet to be.....

 

 

The schools website says it was started in 1976. The person who told me this attended the school for one semester in 78 or 79 and has nothing nice to say about either the school or its founder. He thought it was a complete ripoff, which it obviously isn't as it has turned out a number of pros. Could just be a bitter ex-student. I know he was really looking forward to attending it and I'm not sure he even finished his only semester.

[Unca Ben]

I love Johnny Craig and George Tuska, two EC greats.

Craig was a good writer, too.

As was said, their work for Marvel was a bit constrained by drawing in the Marvel (Kirby) manner but they still managed to produce some great work, IMO.

 

Tuska :

 

Craig: