Who was "The Greatest Golden Age Artist" in comics?

[tth2]

Sure Fine was an extremely talented artist and certainly one of the top artists of that period, or perhaps any period, but he like just about anyone, swiped, and over drew some things. I can't figue the anatomy on some of his characters. They are longer, more slender, and impossbily more flexible than one could imagine.

[ciorac]

Before I miss my cue...

 

 

 

Nicely done Atlas!!

[Theagenes]

These Hydroman covers really are cool. I had never really paid much attention to them before, until you posted yours awhile back, Bill. Everett is definately up there IMHO.

[AtlasT]

While Heroics are receiving such a warm reception:

 

 

 

[Scrooge]

I had never seen / noticed # 12. Thanks for posting!

[ciorac]

While Heroics are receiving such a warm reception:

 

 

 

 

Those are cool Atlas! I have been thinking about the Music Master issues as well. IMHO, the first 15 issues of the run are extremely fun.

 

My dream would be to own all 15, Mile High. (If they were all in the collection) Anyone with a MH catalog know for sure if they were?

 

Edit: I checked the catalog on Chuck's site, and it list them all except 1 and 8. I would wager they were bought before the list was compiled. Now all I have to do is find the 13 I don't have!

[ashrael]

Frazetta has been and probably always will be my favorite GA artist. I loved his style and it looked decades ahead of its time.

[Scrooge]

While you extoling the virtues of Mr. Kane for this cover, open the book and compare his gorilla rendering to Lou Fine's cover to Wonder 2. Must have had good tracing paper back then. While out of comics by 1942, ask people like Murphy Anderson and, in the past, Gil Kane what artist influenced them.

 

In fairness though, as several people pointed out in the "Gorilla Thread" it is likely that Fine was swiping one of Foster's apes for the Wonder 2 cover. I haven't been able to find the exact source ape, but if you compare the Wonder 2 and Tec 31 gorillas with some of Foster's apes and gorillas, it does look like Foster was probable the original source for both.

 

Yes, we've traced back Kane to Foster via Fine in the Gorilla case. We've also traced him back to Vallely (see another thread). As well as we've traced him back to Flash Gorgon on the cover of 'Tec 27 (see other the Gorilla thread I believe) but I think we've not shown yet that we can trace Kane back to Flessel also from this panel of the Speed Saunders story in 'Tec 13 as an "inspiration" for the cover of 'Tec 33. In my book, one incidence does not proof make but multiple evidence has another flavor ...

 

[Koko]

Subby is an icon, and Bill worked all over, but lack of numerous covers

 

What does "lack of numerous covers" mean? Do you mean to say that Everett didn't do many covers?

 

Bill Everett??

 

 

Well, okay, I thought about this. And, yes, Everett did many great covers for Atlas. But so did Joe Maneely. Best of the best? No, both were great Comics artists, but for some reason. didn't change the face of Comics. Didn't have imitators.

And so, when we ask ourselves, who is the best Golden Age artist, not your favorite artist, it's strictly a points system, to keep it impartcial, if that can even be done.

Nobody imitated Everett, so, I hate to say it, he loses points.

Not to say he doesn't rank very high in the GA thing, just that he doesn't make it to the tops. I'd think Cole before Everett.

But that's just me.

Yes, I know nobody imitated Cole. Still, it's very hard to compare the two, or three.

I don't know, somebody asked me a question and I answered with the best truth I have.

Which is all I have left at this hour.

Regards,

Greg Theakston

[AtlasT]

I don't know, somebody asked me a question and I answered with the best truth I have.

 

Hey, don't sound so crestfallen, Greg; 's'all good. I was simply taken aback by your "facts." It was like reading, "Superman cannot be considered the greatest super-hero because he didn't wear a cape."

 

Truth be told, if imitation is a heavily weighted factor, I believe Kirby would emerge as the greatest, without too much competition.

[adamstrange]

I don't know, somebody asked me a question and I answered with the best truth I have.

 

Hey, don't sound so crestfallen, Greg; 's'all good. I was simply taken aback by your "facts." It was like reading, "Superman cannot be considered the greatest super-hero because he didn't wear a cape."

 

Truth be told, if imitation is a heavily weighted factor, I believe Kirby would emerge as the greatest, without too much competition.

 

During the GA, more artists imitated Foster, Raymond, Sickles/Caniff and Fine than Kirby. The 60s and 70s belonged to the Kirby clones.

[adams]

Fine...hands down.

[selegue]

I don't know, somebody asked me a question and I answered with the best truth I have.

 

Hey, don't sound so crestfallen, Greg; 's'all good. I was simply taken aback by your "facts." It was like reading, "Superman cannot be considered the greatest super-hero because he didn't wear a cape."

 

Truth be told, if imitation is a heavily weighted factor, I believe Kirby would emerge as the greatest, without too much competition.

 

During the GA, more artists imitated Foster, Raymond, Sickles/Caniff and Fine than Kirby. The 60s and 70s belonged to the Kirby clones.

 

By the imitation criterion, who is the "greatest modern age artist"?

Tezuka, Liefeld, McFarlane, Miller or Dini?

 

Off-topic, yes, but meant to argue that imitation isn't a very good criterion for greatness.

 

Jack

[adamstrange]

I don't know, somebody asked me a question and I answered with the best truth I have.

 

Hey, don't sound so crestfallen, Greg; 's'all good. I was simply taken aback by your "facts." It was like reading, "Superman cannot be considered the greatest super-hero because he didn't wear a cape."

 

Truth be told, if imitation is a heavily weighted factor, I believe Kirby would emerge as the greatest, without too much competition.

 

During the GA, more artists imitated Foster, Raymond, Sickles/Caniff and Fine than Kirby. The 60s and 70s belonged to the Kirby clones.

 

By the imitation criterion, who is the "greatest modern age artist"?

Tezuka, Liefeld, McFarlane, Miller or Dini?

 

Off-topic, yes, but meant to argue that imitation isn't a very good criterion for greatness.

 

Jack

 

I don't think it is a requirement for greatness either, but I do appreciate theakston joining in the discussion.

[selegue]

I don't know, somebody asked me a question and I answered with the best truth I have.

 

Hey, don't sound so crestfallen, Greg; 's'all good. I was simply taken aback by your "facts." It was like reading, "Superman cannot be considered the greatest super-hero because he didn't wear a cape."

 

Truth be told, if imitation is a heavily weighted factor, I believe Kirby would emerge as the greatest, without too much competition.

 

During the GA, more artists imitated Foster, Raymond, Sickles/Caniff and Fine than Kirby. The 60s and 70s belonged to the Kirby clones.

 

By the imitation criterion, who is the "greatest modern age artist"?

Tezuka, Liefeld, McFarlane, Miller or Dini?

 

Off-topic, yes, but meant to argue that imitation isn't a very good criterion for greatness.

 

Jack

 

I don't think it is a requirement for greatness either, but I do appreciate theakston joining in the discussion.

 

So do I. It's not like there's one right answer, and I hardly expect everyone (or anyone) to agree with me! There are lots of good arguments for Kirby, but "imitatedness" isn't one of the best. I say originality is way more important.

For a comic-book artist, I don't think accurate anatomy is an especially important criterion either. I'd say that "effectively exaggerated anatomy" is more important -- Fine's stretched-out figures, Kirby's exaggerated perspective (with feet planted about three yards apart), Jack Cole's (Greg, is that the Cole you meant?) rubbery figures, Wolverton's caricatures, etc. How important is accurate anatomy when animals are walking around on two legs and talking?

 

Jack

[adamstrange]

How important is accurate anatomy when animals are walking around on two legs and talking?

 

Gotta remember this one!

[Weird Paper]

Fine...hands down.

 

Amen to that... but toss some love to Eisner and Everett, too. Innovators, all.

[jbcomicbox]

Fine...hands down.

 

Amen to that... but toss some love to Eisner and Everett, too. Innovators, all.

 

The question was about favorite artist.

 

I agree that as far that as a whole, "innovator, artist, writer, business sense" and "storyteller", Will Eisner is "The Man"

[otherworldsj33]

Lou Fine gets my vote.

[Weird Paper]

Fine...hands down.

 

Amen to that... but toss some love to Eisner and Everett, too. Innovators, all.

 

The question was about favorite artist.

 

I agree that as far that as a whole, "innovator, artist, writer, business sense" and "storyteller", Will Eisner is "The Man"

 

Fine has always been my very favorite. It was Alan Light's Special Edition Series reprint of Fine's Ray and Black Condor stories (I still have it), bought out of TBG in the 70s that made me a golden age fan. My first GA purchase ever was a stack of Cracks and Smashes not long after.