Top Five Golden Age Artists

[darkmark (RIP)]

What's the time-space we're defining for "Golden Age" here?  If it extends through the early Fifties, there's a lot of EC artists we could pile in.  Anyway, here's some guys from the time period I really dug:

Jack Kirby
C. C. Beck
Mac Raboy
Will Eisner
Jerry Robinson
Mort Meskin
The Starman artist (curse it, I cannot remember his name!)
Dan Barry
Basil Wolverton

And that's just for superheroes.

[phabox (RIP)]

Could be Jack Burnley who's name escapes you DM.

-Nigel

[JVJ (RIP)]

Or Emil Gershwin...

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[Poztron]

While my introduction to comics came during Silver Age publication, I fell in love with Joe Sinnott's interpretation of Kirby. Strong, weighty, and seemingly didn't lose Kirby's finesse as did guys like Chic Stone or Colletta.

Yes, Sinnott was my favorite Kirby inker of the Marvel era, too. Chic Stone had his moments (and he did some decent work on his own for...who was it?---ACG, I think). But I think Colletta actually subtracted from Kirby, though I've not looked at a Kirby-Colletta story for decades, so I'm just operating from memory.

It was only later when I discovered Sinnott's Golden Age pencils that I discovered why he was so potent.  Maybe not a prolific or consistent penciller (I am not qualified to say), but the work I saw, I loved.

Some nice work of his in Atlas westerns stick out in my mind. Scans are floating around out there, though they are probably not out of copyright.

I wish I could catch the 'I love Alex Toth' bug; I don't get an immediate appreciation of what he's doing.  Maybe it's like those 3-D books that you have to stare at a long time   

I think of Toth's most stylized lean work as like very high contrast photos. His sense of composition is excellent and you have to learn to like his very self-assured minimalist line. He is at the other end of the spectrum from the artists who lovingly add a lot of feathering and detail (like, say, Roy Krenkel). I'm talking about the Toth of the late '60s and onward, not his earlier work which was capable and enjoyable but much more derivative of his influences. Seek out some of the B&W Warren mag work to really get his full impact.

[OtherEric]

Are you sure you didn't mean "Mort Meskin, the Starman artist?"  I've got one issue of Adventure where he drew the character.

[JVJ (RIP)]

... never left me wanting more - which, I guess, is my personal criteria for a great artist. ...

Artists I really enjoy, but are "Great Unknowns" to the majority of comic fans are...

William Ekgren IMO.

Just a few pieces of published work exist, and yet I want more (and to know more about him as an artist as well).  What an outlandish, odd style... like some sorta take on "Divisionism," very unique and very memorable IMO.

Sounds like Ken Quattro has been reading your mind, DL.
http://thecomicsdetective.blogspot.com/2010/05/letter-from-william-ekgren.html

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[Drusilla lives!]

Sounds like Ken Quattro has been reading your mind, DL.
http://thecomicsdetective.blogspot.com/2010/05/letter-from-william-ekgren.html

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Thanks for the link JVJ, that guy Ken really did a great bit of detective work tracking down Ekgren.  I guess I was on the money with regard to some of Ekgren's artistic influences... and now that I think about it, there  does seem to be a hint of African and Aboriginal folk art in his work (although I'm not an expert with regard to those forms).  When I saw them for the first time they sorta reminded me of those Creepy and Eerie covers by Terrance Lindall... some of the most creepy Creepy covers I'd had ever seen.  I remember thinking of them (Lindall's covers) as looking like a needlepoint by grandma... if grandma was a demon that is... and that this artist (whoever he was) must be some oddball genius.  Of course that was long before I'd had learned of Pointillism and that Lindall was in fact a serious "fine" artist (not that other comic book artists aren't in their own way).  

Again, what a unique mixture of stylings... I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose it's just another reflection of the somewhat tumultuous early life of the man.  Although the paintings in question weren't done with the intent of gracing the covers of some of St. John's horror comics, they were superbly suited for that purpose.  Although I do find myself with mixed feelings on the matter (as to their use) now that I've learned of his problems in later life... and perhaps partly because the comics for which they were used weren't all that good.  They deserved better IMO.

I really don't know why it seems I'm always attracted to the "oddballs" (and I use that term here affectionately)... but I am.  Perhaps we're all oddballs to one extent or another, or perhaps I missed my calling and should have been a psychologist.

Oh, and no I don't think Quattro has been reading my mind.  

[JVJ (RIP)]

Oh, and no I don't think Quattro has been reading my mind.  

Well Dl, your original post said:

Just a few pieces of published work exist, and yet I want more (and to know more about him as an artist as well).

If Ken wasn't reading your mind, he was at least reading your mail.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[darkmark (RIP)]

Actually, it was Burnley.

[moondood]

Jack Burnley was real good.  Had a real flair for an illustrative style.

Top 5, hmmmm.

I do like Meskin a whole lot!
Mac Raboy--wonderful stuff.
I loved the Lou Fine Ray and Black Condor stories....whew!
Big fan of Dick Sprang, too.
I've discovered Lee Alias recently [mostly with Green Arrow, but his Black Cat is pretty sweet].

Funny, nobody's mentioned E.E. Hibbard [thassa joke, son...smile when I say that]

Someone brought up Harry Lucey--I knew the man's work, but never knew his name until last week when I found Archie artists on Wiki--almost by accident....by looking for his artistic record, I was able to finally come across the name.

My brother and I both love his Archie work, but always called him "the guy who draws Archie with the circles comin' outta his head."

Someone mentioned not likin' Alex Toth that much--thing is, he's an artist's artist.  To see what he's doing artistically, it helps if you're also an artist.  I've been a comics freelancer for 25 yrs [but not an artist]--and his stuff is gorgeous.  Just not to the casual observer.

Many of the 70's artists listed him as an idol--much like the 30's guys always seemed to list Alex Raymond.  But of course Raymond's talent was right there in every panel.  Toth is more subtle.

[JonTheScanner]

I've discovered Lee Alias recently [mostly with Green Arrow, but his Black Cat is pretty sweet].

I'm pretty sure Lee Alias only drew the panels with Oliver Queen.  Some other guy did Green Arrow.   

[Salty]

I'm pretty sure Lee Elias did all of the art on Green Arrow when he was doing it.  (George Papp did it before him, in the 40s & 50s)
Lee Elias' horror comics @ Harvey might be a surprise to people only familiar with his clean superhero stuff--did a lot of covers, some pretty grim.   

[moondood]

I'm pretty sure Lee Alias only drew the panels with Oliver Queen.  Some other guy did Green Arrow. //

==============================

I'd be extremely surprised if that's true--not only didn't I see an art change in the stories [I work in comics and can tell when the art switches]--though I didn't actually look it up just now--but that's more a policy of later years...like Kirby's Superman faces replaced by Curt Swan, fer instance.

I'm not sure where that idea of different artists on the same story comes from, but if I'm wrong and you're right----I'd LOVE to know more about it.

But Lee Elias was a capable artist, even better----and Green Arrow was a secondary character at best [at the time]---so it seems very unlikely that DC was allowing GA special treatment by having more than one artist on a story [the logistics of doing so means extra $$ on DC's part].  GA just doesn't seem to warrant that kind of treatment/respect that Bats, Supes and WW did as the iconic moneymakers of the company.

moondood

[NobbyNobbs]

I think Jon is refering to the misspelling of Lee Elias 

[moondood]

I think Jon is [referring] to the misspelling of Lee Elias.
///////////

Well, don't I feel like a fool.  As a comics letterer, I pride myself on my spelling [even outside my profession, it's a source of pride]--and I totally missed that I screwed it up.  And I didn't even take the smiley sign as a giveaway to look closer.

That does clear up the debate, though.

I have a graphic novel due at the printer tomorrow--and now I'll be up all night worrying about the spelling.


Moondood