• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Stan, Jack, and Steve - The 1960's (1963) Butting Heads, Unexpected Success and Not Expected Failures!
3 3

Started by Prince Namor,

1,209 posts in this topic

PopKulture

PopKulture

Posted
Posted
On 5/17/2023 at 5:45 PM, Prince Namor said:

 

RCO005_1468835281.jpg

RCO007_1468835281.jpg

RCO011_1468835281.jpg

When I look at how mediocre some of these books are, especially the artwork, I regret hunting down most of these Marvels just like so many other people when I could’ve been buying books across all the other genres and publishers that offer so much more. 

p.s. Did I mention just how horrendous I find this artwork to be??  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Prince Namor

Prince Namor

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Stan created a brand, as a means to promote himself. He worked that angle with the fanboys to perfection. People remember these early Marvel's as pure gold, because of that, but the truth is, Marvel at this point had TWO quality books - Fantastic Four and Amazing Spider-man. Once Kirby returns to Thor, that would be the third one, and enough to really launch Marvel into competition with the others. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dr. Haydn

Dr. Haydn

Posted
Posted
On 5/18/2023 at 5:00 AM, Prince Namor said:

Even Ross Andru on a smaller title like Metal Men #5...

Wait, did I say SMALLER? Metal Men would out sell pretty much EVERY Marvel title for its first 4 years, including the Amazing Spider-man... yet it's nearly forgotten today...

image.jpeg

Mike Esposito inks, I guess?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dr. Haydn

Dr. Haydn

Posted
Posted
On 5/18/2023 at 6:21 AM, Zonker said:

I agree DCs looked slicker in most cases, with a few obvious exceptions :frown:
(this example from a little bit later, JLA #29 1964)

SekowskySachs.thumb.jpg.33d20c18495a91171aac94ec9c6817ac.jpg

Ah, "Magic" Mike Sekowsky! Even Bernard Sachs' skilled inking couldn't save it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dr. Haydn

Dr. Haydn

Posted
Posted
On 5/18/2023 at 4:44 AM, Prince Namor said:

Marvel at this point had TWO quality books - Fantastic Four and Amazing Spider-man. Once Kirby returns to Thor, that would be the third one, and enough to really launch Marvel into competition with the others. 

With Avengers and X-men a step or two behind? The art looked great...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Zonker

Zonker

Posted
Posted
On 5/18/2023 at 9:38 AM, Dr. Haydn said:

Ah, "Magic" Mike Sekowsky! Even Bernard Sachs' skilled inking couldn't save it!

Hmmm... I've always attributed much of the problem to the inking.  When Sid Greene took over, the Sekowsky/Greene art looked just fine to me.  Of course Greene is an overpowering inker, in the same way as Wally Wood or John Severin dominated whoever was penciling.  Sekowsky's storytelling ability I think was top-notch.  After Infantino took over DC, both Sekowsky and Kubert became full writer/artists (editors too, for that matter!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Prince Namor

Prince Namor

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On 5/18/2023 at 9:48 AM, Dr. Haydn said:

With Avengers and X-men a step or two behind? The art looked great...

Those books would falter once Kirby left them. Jack's got too much on his plate at this point, and he's not able to choose the artists to take over a book after he steps away. He did at Crestwood, and that's why those romance books always looked fantastic. 

Lee, of course, is going after the cheapest talent he can get, who are loyal and somewhat afraid of him. 

Even as a 10 year old I recognized it and hated Marvel's cover game. I'd buy something with a fantastic Romita cover and then... ugh, George Tuska story art! (No offense to Tuska fans, just my own personal taste.). Or Don Heck, or Frank Robbins, or Bob Brown. Geez...

Marvel loved to do that... Gil Kane or John Romita or John Buscema cover and then... a weakly inked Don Heck interior story. WTF.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Prince Namor

Prince Namor

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On 5/18/2023 at 10:35 AM, Zonker said:

Hmmm... I've always attributed much of the problem to the inking.  When Sid Greene took over, the Sekowsky/Greene art looked just fine to me.  Of course Greene is an overpowering inker, in the same way as Wally Wood or John Severin dominated whoever was penciling.  Sekowsky's storytelling ability I think was top-notch.  After Infantino took over DC, both Sekowsky and Kubert became full writer/artists (editors too, for that matter!)

I liked Sid Greene's inking on most anyone, but especially artists' I wasn't a fan of. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Aman619

Aman619

Posted
Posted

"Based upon an idea by Tommy and Jimmy Goodkind, Hewlett Harbor, New York".

 

They were the kids who lived next to Stan at the time.  nice kids..  Got a full set of Marvels every week/month, split between them. One became a folksinger!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Aman619

Aman619

Posted
Posted
On 5/18/2023 at 10:35 AM, Prince Namor said:

Those books would falter once Kirby left them. Jack's got too much on his plate at this point, and he's not able to choose the artists to take over a book after he steps away. He did at Crestwood, and that's why those romance books always looked fantastic. 

Lee, of course, is going after the cheapest talent he can get, who are loyal and somewhat afraid of him. 

Even as a 10 year old I recognized it and hated Marvel's cover game. I'd buy something with a fantastic Romita cover and then... ugh, George Tuska story art! (No offense to Tuska fans, just my own personal taste.). Or Don Heck, or Frank Robbins, or Bob Brown. Geez...

Marvel loved to do that... Gil Kane or John Romita or John Buscema cover and then... a weakly inked Don Heck interior story. WTF.

 

I hated that too.  A nice Neal Adams cover then Frank Thorne inside.  damn you Stan!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
3 3
Go to topic listing