I liked Todd Mcfarlands(sp) Spawn series, it was just plain cool.It had much better art than the usual DC and Marvel comic books. While I cant praise the guy for his stories, I can say that his toy series are the best thing in the entire world hands down. Well maybe not… Im collecting the Tortured Souls series right now that he did with Clive Barker.
I like Hellboy.That’s the best comic
I’ve ever read
Hey thanks for the props char!! Uhhh, well I was pretty much asking for the opinion if I was being a jerk or not, and well…looks like I was. So, I swallowed my pride and took the responses and sorted it out and moved on. Everyone’s got a bad day once in a while and I was a jerk and took it out on someone who didn’t deserve it. So,I bucked up and got unbiased opinion and apologized cause well I was just plain wrong.
As far as coming back to the forum, I made my pledge when signing up for the T-Nation and I intend to keep it!!
Thanks again!
Scott
Oh thank GOD there are others that hate image!!! I worked for a comic company as an intern, not long after image started. My boss and I talked a lot about image ruining the industry - and he had been writing and publishing comics for 20 years at that point. image wa a good idea at the start I think, but I think it lead the industry into a steep downturn. They were also VERY nasty to authors and artists that were asked to join the company and did not.
I'm surprised to see so many guys liking Sandman. I have never read it, but it was our main compitition for the female 18-24 readers at the time. I thought it was only big with women. (As I said, I have never read it, so I don't know much more than the market research I was doing told me.)
I agree that Mcfarlane started the whole downfall,… I see it in young kids work everyday, bad drawings covered up by hatching, and scribbles in some weird ass attempt to look dramatic. I don’t let my lifedrawing students work a pose longer than 5 minutes, sometimes 10, telling them that if they can’t focus on the lay-out and get the basics down (pose, weight, tension etc) than anything they do afterwards will be just ‘wrong’. McFarlance should take my class -lol I will note a few writers I have noticed though, Kevin Smith forraying into comics is a godsend, and yes, there are a few others that I don’t mind, but the veterans who are still producing (if u can call it that) have done naught but sulley their reputations… I wish someone would just kill Frank Miller already.
Pat- I’m a huge fan of wrightson, met him bout 10 years ago at a little store upstate, him and two other ‘flavors of the month’. I was the only ‘kid’ there to see Berni, and I had a pile of books to get signed, and an even bigger pile of questions for him (lol). He was nicer than he had to be because I’m certain I was less than professional (frothing at the mouth and such).
As such, on the few occassions when I’ve been fawned over for my own professional credits (which are few indeed!) I usually sketch something for the person, but just ask them to hide it until I leave -lol
My other real ‘old school’ favorite in John Buscema, I can;t begin to tell you how much crap I’ve got of his! My favorite is a simple ‘breakdown’ page with Captain America and Thor. To the layman, it looks like a buncha scribbles, but damnit I love it! Best compliment I ever received was from my Grandmother who was a painter. She never really cared for the work I did. When I showed her my newest acquisition, custom matted and framed, she shrugged, said it looks like all of my own ‘crap’, and why on earth would anyone pay for an unfinished drawing -LMAO
Mighty Stu: Mister Buscema. Yeah, he was great! I have also met Berni, at last year’s Comic-Con. Agree that he’s a really down to earth guy. And I have even met Frank Miller. Got him to sign my copies of the first “Sin City” graphic novel as well all my “Hard Boiled” copies. Which brings to mind: Geoff Darrow! Oh, how I LOOOOOVE Geoff Darrow’s work! Okay, back to Mr. Miller. He was great! He talked to me for well over 20-minutes. We just talked “shop”. Very kewl. But I do agree that the whole “Batman:Dark Night” redux is getting old.
While I do have a box at a local comic book store, I'm finding that I'm reading more of the industry mags than the comics. Magazines like "Comic Book Artist", "Comicology", "Draw!", "SKETCH". I don't read Wizard anymore. Occasionally may thumb through a issue, but that mag is really like a "People" mag for comic books. Nothing really substantial in it for me to waste $$ on. The above mags contain industry tips from artists I respect and admire. Especially Comic Book Artist. Great mag!
As for Image. I liked the whole concept of the original Image. Marvel was taking the personal creations of their top artists and not giving these guys a thing in return. As an artist and believing in COPYRIGHTS, that was an outrage. Stan Lee, taking ALL the credit for the "House of Ideas" while Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko should be given equal billing. Insane. So, these guys got the gumption to use their individual standings in this industry, ban together and DO something about it.
What went wrong with Image is that these artists who had limited storytelling ability (at best) were given unlimited control over their creations. Scary thought. McFarland, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld (gawd I hate that guy), and Valentino could not construct a story to save their lives. Therefore alot of "all style and no substance" became the norm (this is around 1993 to 1996). While Jerry Ordway, Marc Silvestri and Erik Larson had/have storytelling ability as well as artistic talents. And I do like the "Savage Dragon"!
I have never been a fan of McFarland's work. He used the same tricks over and over again to the point of OVERkill. Batman-like capes (Spawn), for example. Basically if it was normal for the human body to have one thigh about 5-inches shorter than the other, McFarland would be a good artist. What Todd-O is? A good business man. A SMART business man. I admire him for that.
Even though Image is under the WB/DC Comics umbrella, their presence is still being felt. Alot of good things DID come from Image being created. Now what we have is a growth of independents (thank God!) of both small and large (Black Bull, Oni Press and CrossGen). Exciting times, indeed!
I think Patricia meant OVERTkill! Hahahah Who is the geeky fanboy, now!?!?!? LOL
I actually liked the early Spawn stories as well as some of Jim Lee’s stories. Savage Dragon was also one of my favs (forgot about that one). Frank Miller was one of my favorite guys as well. Also, who was the guy who did X-factor, Hulk and Aquaman?
What really pissed me off about image was the explosion of black varnish-gold-foil-double gatefold-7variant-printed on super glossy stock covers. And like an ass I bought them all. I think I have 10 copies of every Image #1 title. And as much as I hate to admit it I have multiple copies of Bloodwulf, that damn Liefeild piece of crap. Thank god all of that crap has died off. Funny story concerning McFarlane. I was taking a workshop class at the Kubert school when one of the Kubert brothers came in
(I believe Adam) to hang out. One of the students was referencing a Spawn comic for art reference. Adam looks over his shoulder to see what he’s doing and he basically points out every bad thing wrong with McFarlane’s page. Basically he told the kid “get rid of this crap and get some real reference material, matter of fact, never bring this out in my presence again”. It was kinda funny to see a once “hot” artists work ripped apart for being a poor draftsman. The 2 best moments I had meeting comic artists was.
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Meeting Rob Lifeild and his crew of clones at a Jim Hanley’s Universe in NY in 1992 at a signing and telling Rob he can’t draw worth shit after he humiliated a 15 year old kid over his portfolio. After which I was escorted out of the store quite swiftly.
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Meeting a prominent Vampirella artist (who shall remain nameless) at a NJ strip club paying a very hot stripper to do poses for him while he sketched her. After which a lap dance and a large tip ensued.