Robot Man Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 55 minutes ago, N e r V said: Not to derail this thread but from everything I read of Matt Bakers sexual status as being gay is still clearly unconfirmed and divided depending on whom you talk to. I know Ray Osrin and his widow (and others) say he definitely wasn't. His half brother on his never being married said “His theory was: ‘Why make one woman miserable when you can make so many happy?” Yes you can find others that have suggested otherwise but I'm not comfortable attaching a sexual status in either direction to him or anyone else. It's just not right. Neither one matters at all... FoggyNelson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N e r V Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 1 minute ago, Robot Man said: Neither one matters at all... No, it doesn't. My only point is it's a personal matter for the person to address or not publicly or privately. It is not right to assume or attach labels based on gossip which without direct confirmation from that person is all it is. I just believe in the respect to ones privacy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusterMark Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 (edited) 4 minutes ago, N e r V said: No, it doesn't. My only point is it's a personal matter for the person to address or not publicly or privately. It is not right to assume or attach labels based on gossip which without direct confirmation from that person is all it is. I just believe in the respect to ones privacy. His "privacy" is completely beside the point because he is no longer alive. IMHO. Edited September 28, 2017 by MusterMark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N e r V Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 It's cool. It's civil. Differences of opinion obviously on privacy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 1 hour ago, MusterMark said: His "privacy" is completely beside the point because he is no longer alive. IMHO. No, I'm quite certain it's a fact- he's no longer alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusterMark Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 8 minutes ago, 29dukedog said: 2 hours ago, MusterMark said: His "privacy" is completely beside the point because he is no longer alive. IMHO. No, I'm quite certain it's a fact- he's no longer alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabcom Posted September 28, 2017 Author Share Posted September 28, 2017 6 hours ago, szavisca said: Now might be a good time for tabcom to step in with the poll results and save us from ourselves... The results will be posted Friday. I have an estate auction of comics to attend Saturday morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, tabcom said: The results will be posted Friday. I have an estate auction of comics to attend Saturday morning. 1. Good news! 2. Good luck! Edited September 28, 2017 by 29dukedog tabcom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComicConnoisseur Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 13 hours ago, PopKulture said: I was thinking along these same lines, Robot Man! Baker does seem to be near the top of the class now, along with Schomburg, Fine, and L.B. Cole. Kirby suffers from being ubiquitous, I think, probably unfairly so. Raboy seems to have cooled, but remains one of the all-time greats, as does Eisner, the quirky Wolverton, Barks, Walt Kelly, Everett, among others. And that EC stable, as you mention: Wood, Williamson, Frazetta, Evans, Kamen... So, SO much great comic art out there to appreciate... I think Walt Kelly will make a comeback someday. He was a very under-rated satirist as well as an artist. Future historians will discover him one day. 1950's war comics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabcom Posted September 28, 2017 Author Share Posted September 28, 2017 22 hours ago, tabcom said: 28 Votes In InaFlash 1950's war comics Dr. Love Timely 30 Votes In MusterMark PopKulture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 10 hours ago, Dr. Love said: yeh, it's fine, I'll do it, based on Frank Giusto's interview with Shaun Clancy, pg 128-129. I raise it not as a gossipy type thing, to me that would be poor taste and I would agree with you, but in the context of a conversation about Baker's career and the obstacles he faced, to suggest it has no bearing is off the mark. IMHO, of course! It's a testament to his talent that neither race nor sexual orientation stigmatized him in a pretty homogenous white male hetero occupation. Yeah, if you believe Giusto's interview there can't be much doubt Baker was gay. Hard to think of a reason Giusto, who was clearly a good friend of Baker's and has nothing but good things to say about him, would lie about it. Given the attitudes of the times, it's hardly surprising that Baker didn't advertise his sexuality or that he would have concealed it from his family. In the 1950s, that's what most gay men did. In terms of us discussing it, I think it's highly relevant to understanding him and his career. Biographers of writers, artists, and actors discuss the details of their lives not because they want to serve up gossip Entertainment Weekly style, but because they think those details contribute to understanding the person's accomplishments. It's relevant to understanding both Baker and the New York comic book biz in the 1950s to know that he was a gay black man. That he's been dead more than 50 years makes concerns about his privacy beside the point, imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 37 minutes ago, tabcom said: 30 Votes In MusterMark PopKulture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 I can't imagine what bearing Baker's sexual orientation could have on an evaluation of his work, itself. Had he been hetero, could he have drawn women any more beautifully? And, if gay, why aren't his male figures as equally magnificent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicjack Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 4 hours ago, tabcom said: The results will be posted Friday. I have an estate auction of comics to attend Saturday morning. Anything awesome in it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabcom Posted September 28, 2017 Author Share Posted September 28, 2017 Just now, comicjack said: Anything awesome in it I'm hoping the awesomeness is cloaked beneath the DELLS being advertised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicjack Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 18 minutes ago, 29dukedog said: I can't imagine what bearing Baker's sexual orientation could have on an evaluation of his work, itself. Had he been hetero, could he have drawn women any more beautifully? And, if gay, why aren't his male figures as equally magnificent? Shouldn't matter at all just that he draw some wicked art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicjack Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 Just now, tabcom said: I'm hoping the awesomeness is cloaked beneath the DELLS being advertised. Always some treasure in the pile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 (Of course, sometimes his men are exceptionally drawn. Captain America never looked as dashing as this guy... ) comicnoir 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 (edited) 6 minutes ago, szavisca said: I know the hairstyles and dress of the times were different and all, but I can't help but look at some of the romance covers like this and think a title like 'Teenage Romances with Middle Aged Men" might have been more fitting... Ok getting ready to duck from the tomatoes now... On the contrary, that opinion has been expressed by many of us. (I was actually thinking, the guy on TR #39 in fact looks younger than most of Baker's "teenagers".) Edited September 28, 2017 by 29dukedog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 Now this guy would probably get arrested on sight, today... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
