Ungoliantschilde

Mike Ploog - Werewolf By Night #5 Title Splash (Marvel, 1973) Source

X-Men, Vol. 1 # 95 by Gil Kane, with Finishes and Inks by Dave Cockrum, and Letters by Danny Crespi.

...and the page 1 splash by Dave Cockrum, with Inks by Sam Grainger, Letters by Karen Mantlo, Colors by Petra Goldberg, and a Script by Len Wein and Chris Claremont.

Batman and the Incredible Hulk back cover, illustrated by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, with Colors by Tatjiana Wood.

...It’s a blur in my memory at this point. My visual memory is now dominated by implement procedures, recipes, landscapes, and most of all, my Lady.

When I look at comic book artwork, I assess and see movement. I don’t pay attention to the lettering unless it’s artistically relevant to the image. Lettering is a huge deal, and massively underrated in comic book artwork. But most of that skill involves making the word balloons and narration blurbs seemless aspects of the page. The words are supposed to flow with the imagery. So the first visual impression of a page is how you get the feel of the storyteller at work.

With Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, the feel is always the same. He is a MASTER. Every character is exactly where they should be to maximize the story. The key action sequence for each page is framed perfectly by the setup.

I talk a lot about AC/DC’s music. My younger brother is a lawyer. He plays guitar too and he’s obsessed with Eric Clapton. My brother repeatedly dismisses AC/DC for being too clean and simplistic. I told him the other day: “it’s four or five chords. You’re right. But play it the right way every single time, night after night, tour after tour, and never miss a beat or a concert date, and be KNOWN as awesome to the fans in person.”

My condescending prick of a brother has since stopped criticizing my taste in music.

Comic Book artwork has rules and forms to it, just like every other medium of expression.

Talking about the comics that Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez drew is like talking about John Stockton’s basketball career. They have contemporaries, but few -if ANY- peers.

See what I mean about the difference in panel layouts at Marvel in 1981 and DC in 1981?

Was it really systemic though?

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez stands out from the crowd in every generation. And Batman Vs. Hulk is on the short list of most perfectly illustrated comics of all time. So, no, the house style of DC Comics was not somehow better than Marvel’s house style in 1981. I can cherry pick pages from that year too that show the dynamic skill of the Marvel Stable in the early 1980s.

Instead, let’s just all talk about how amazing Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez is at drawing comics.

I don’t have a physical copy anymore, so I will have to google it. Coming up on Hay Season and we have guest at the farm too. I’ll be busy until basically Christmas, but I’ll look for it when I get a chance.

Yeah, I don’t miss the city.

Oh, by the way, here’s the published version of that page:

Colors by Tatjiana Wood.

Treehouse of Horror #11:Squish Thing by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson; covers by Matt Groening and Bill Morrison

Bongo Comics

Gene Colan’s Bat-Villains, from Detective Comics, Vol. 1 # 566, with Inks by Bob Smith, Colors by Adrienne Roy, Letters by Todd Klein, and a Script by Doug Moench that Len Wein Edited.

page 17 from Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk by José Luis García-López, Dick Giordano, Mike DeCarlo, Glynis Wein, Len Wein and John Costanza

probably one of the top ten pages in superhero comics…

My friend Len Wein is gone.

I’m trying to process this. I’ve known Len since I was fourteen years old. More than half a century. He was as much a part of my life as my own family. He felt like a brother to me, and I loved him like a brother – with all the complicated emotions of brotherhood. We were friends, rivals, collaborators, roommates, cohorts in a generational changing of the guard, fanboys, old farts. At times we were very close, at other times we were almost enemies. We hurt each other, helped each other. We had ups and downs and we stood together and apart. But he was always there, someone I looked up to, someone I tried to emulate, a man I loved, admired, envied, and respected.

Now he’s gone. There’s a hole in my life. I knew it was coming – anyone who spent time with Len these last few years knew it was coming – but it’s still a shock. The world feels like an open wound. I’ve been fighting tears for the last hour. I understand what the word bereft means. I’m bereft.

My heart goes out to Christine. No man could have had a more loving and stronger partner than Len had in Christine. I marvel at her strength, her will, her love. She was a fierce fighter on his behalf. Len was lucky to have her with him for so many years, and especially these last few years.

My friend is gone.

I’m heartbroken.

Rest in peace to the wonderful Len Wein