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CHOOSE ONE
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Started by LDarkseid1,

56 posts in this topic

sfcityduck

sfcityduck

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My top 5 would have Everett at the top. Schomburg didn’t do interiors and Everett’s genre covers are better than Alex’s (AS did blow everyone away for WWII superhero covers including Kirby by far).  Krigstein makes my list as he did all genres and would have been Frank Miller three decades early.   My cheat votes would be for Foster or Sickles. 

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adamstrange

adamstrange

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On 2/16/2023 at 2:17 PM, Funnybooks said:

There would be a total of about 12 comics in the entire medium if Frazetta was the only artist :insane: based on his history of speed and desire. 

That's 11 more than Raboy would finish...

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adamstrange

adamstrange

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On 2/15/2023 at 10:34 PM, LDarkseid1 said:

So all the comics we’ve come to know and love in all genres (superhero, horror, sci-fi, etc…) would still be created, but only by this one artist, and in their style. With the options below, who do you choose?

Everett's my favorite artist so this is an easy question to answer.

Nor do we have to "imagine" how he would do as, from the stirrings of the GA to the Atlas implosion, Everett handled everything from superhero to war and from jungle to western.

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bronze johnny

bronze johnny

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Before answering the OP’s question, it’s important to define the parameters of the Golden Age in terms of time and genres. The Golden Age begins with the birth of the superhero in Action Comics 1. The Golden Age superheroes that follow join Superman in leading the fight during World War 2 against tyranny. The end of the Golden Age coincided with the victory that World War 2 gave America and its allies. Superheroes tried fighting crime and to a lesser extent, delved into horror but they ultimately faded away with exception to DC’s Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman (yes, Aquaman!). The crime genre led by Crime Does Not Pay superseded the superhero genre during the postwar era from 1946 - 1950. Romance would follow thanks to Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. Horror would kick off with ACG’s Adventures into the Unknown, which was then followed by EC Comics and a slew of other comic book publishers (yes Eerie Comics 1 came out before Adeventures into the Unknown but unlike the latter ACG classic, had no impact on the rise of the horror genre).
Jack Kirby is the greatest comic book artist and visionary of all time. Kirby was there for the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Ages and these were the greatest eras of the history of the American Comic Book. Kirby’s impact on the Golden Age was significant but he reaches his peak during the Silver Age. That being said, there’s no question that one of the most incredible artist of the Golden Age 1938 - 1945 would be Mac Raboy. Mac’s art was on a level way above any of his contemporaries during the Golden Age. Mac’s technique and style in drawing the superhero was superior to Schomburg’s. Eisner and Fine come close to Mac but Raboy was better. Wood wouldn’t peak until the 1950s and there’s no question he would take the mantle during that era. That being said, Raboy’s subjects were limited to the superhero genre so he cannot be the “one” without having had any impact on the Sci-Fi, Jungle, and Crime genres. Again, there are no horror (outside of Classic Comics/Illustrated) and romance genres during the Golden Age so the “one” cannot apply to these books. Schomburg on the other hand, had a tremendous impact as an artist. The corpus of Schomburg’s work at Timely and Nedor during the Golden Age is incredible but he’s not Eisner, Fine, or Raboy in terms of artistic talent. Then there’s Everett and he’s among the greatest of the Golden Age artists. Everett was also Centaur’s & Timely’s best artist at the time. When it comes to artistic talent, Everett is on a par with Eisner, Fine, and Raboy. Then there’s Jack Cole who is one of the most unique artistic talents that stood out. There are other greats like Simon, Crandall, Biro, and Binder who have staked their Golden Age claims. Frazetta joins Wood as among the greatest of the Atomic Age. Still, the question remains as to which artist is the “one” artist who could do it all. Raboy would be the one if the Golden Age was exclusive to the Superhero genre. Who could best draw all of the Golden Age genres? Superhero? Jungle? Crime? Science Fiction? Humor? Few drew them all and they were Fine, Eisner, Everett, Jack Cole, Schomburg, and Kirby. Again, my first thought is Schomburg but his art does not rise to the level of Fine, Eisner, or Everett. Jack Cole was truly remarkable but Plastic Man was never Superman, Captain Marvel, or Captain America. I don’t recall Jack Cole drawing any of these Golden Age greats. Among Fine, Eisner, and Everett, it’s just too close to call.

Now if we are looking at the greatest artist and visionary, it’s Kirby all the way. America has had 46 U.S. Presidents so far but only 2 Kings. 

Edited by bronze johnny
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KCOComics

KCOComics

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I'm not committed to this answer, but I'll throw it out there..  I've always thought it was a tragedy that Baker didn't live to see the super hero era. 

I'll go with Baker. 

 

Edit - I reread this only applies to GA. 

I'd still make the strong case for Baker, but to heck with it. I'll go with Xela   

Edited by KCOComics
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Funnybooks

Funnybooks

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On 2/17/2023 at 8:11 AM, Ironic said:

This is one reason he's overrated (thumbsu

in all seriousness...yes, it's a strike against Schomburg. However, he was one of the most prolific cover artist of his time and it was the covers that sold golden age comic books. I don't believe anyone did it better than Schomburg in this respect.

Edited by Funnybooks
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jimbo_7071

jimbo_7071

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On 2/15/2023 at 10:34 PM, LDarkseid1 said:

Let’s play a game. Assume we lived in an alternate universe where only one of the great artists from the golden age existed, all the way back to Action 1.

So all the comics we’ve come to know and love in all genres (superhero, horror, sci-fi, etc…) would still be created, but only by this one artist, and in their style. With the options below, who do you choose?

- Alex Schomburg

- Lou Fine

- Frank Frazetta

- L.B. Cole

- Jack Kirby

- Dan Zolnerowich

- Other (choose someone else)

It would depend on whether there were a surviving writer to assist him. So far as I know, most of those guys were only artists, not artists and writers. I think Kirby is the only one of those who was known for both writing and artwork, but his GA artwork was not great. Some of the most talented guys from that era who could write and draw, such as Alex Raymond, primarily did strip work, not original comic book work.

Carl Barks, Fletcher Hanks, Jack Cole, and Will Eisner come to mind as creators who both wrote and illustrated original comic book material. I'm sure that others here could name many more.

Out of those, it would be down to Barks or Eisner. I will defer making an actual decision until that scenario presents itself in real life.

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sfcityduck

sfcityduck

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On 2/17/2023 at 5:34 AM, Funnybooks said:

However, he was one of the most prolific cover artist of his time and it was the covers that sold golden age comic books. 

It sells them now.  Back then kids cared about the interiors. Many pics of kids reading comics in stores.  That’s why the most popular titles back then included series which today are not prized for their covers that much.

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jimbo_7071

jimbo_7071

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On 2/17/2023 at 8:52 AM, sfcityduck said:

It sells them now.  Back then kids cared about the interiors. Many pics of kids reading comics in stores.  That’s why the most popular titles back then included series which today are not prized for their covers that much.

I agree. Barks and C. C. Beck both had great interior art—and great stories in Barks' case—but their covers really didn't stand out. (Many of Beck's covers were as boring as all get out.) 

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