Golden Age Artist Spotlight -- Joe Maneely

Joe Maneely was as much a story of "What if?" as he was an example of a prolific, immensely talented golden age artist.   He was a relative star for Atlas Comics (Martin Goodman's precursor to Marvel Comics), and handled assignments in every genre.   An excellent draftsman, Maneely drew characters and scenes with a distinctive style, yet with almost photo-realistic detail.   His cowboys dressed like real cowboys and his soldiers fought with off-the-assembly-line-like gear.  His drawing was above all action-oriented.   Not as pretty as some other artists, but very vivid.   And his inking became stylized over time, resembling fine etching as he reached the apex of his career.  

Golden Age Artist Spotlight -- Lou Fine

Louis Kenneth Fine was born in New York. He studied at the Grand Central Art School and Pratt Institute. He was partially crippled by childhood polio. Among his major influences were Dean Cornwell, J.C. Leyendecker, and Heinrich Kley.

Golden Age Artist Spotlight -- Bernard Baily

Bernard Baily co-created both The Spectre and Hourman, as well as creating some of the most bizarre and creepy covers ever.    Baily began his comics career under S.M. "Jerry" Iger, who was editor of Wow, What a Magazine!, one of the very first American comic books that reprinted black-and-white newspaper comic strips in color and adding occasional new material as well. For DC Comics precursor National Comics, Baily co-created and drew the adventure feature "Tex Thomson" in Action Comics #1 (March 1938). Most of us know Action Comics #1 for the first appearance of another caped hero. In More Fun Comics #52 (Feb. 1940), Baily and writer Jerry Siegel, Superman's co-creator, introduced the future DC's violent spirit of vengeance, the Spectre. The afterlife alter ego of murdered police detective Jim Corrigan, the character would become of the longest-enduring comic-book creations, revived during the mid-1950s to 1960s Silver Age of Comic Books and continuing into 21st century. Baily as well co-created the frequently revived DC superhero Hourman (dubbed Hour-Man in his earliest appearances), with writer Ken Fitch, in Adventure Comics #48 (April 1940).

Golden Age Artist Spotlight -- Wally Wood

Wally Wood, for lack of a better term, was a rock star.   He became an undisputed star of the medium in his twenties, drawing some of the best and most memorable science fiction ever created.   Wood's work habits were always petal to the metal, fueled by booze and cigarettes and all-nighters, but incredibly productive.   He pushed for the re-introduction of science fiction into comics, fought for the creative rights of the artist, and pioneered self-publishing through witzend and other publications.   His aliens are unique, his women are luscious and alluring.  He spent twelve years straight building Mad Magazine into an American institution.  And ending up leaving them (and other marquee comic jobs) for little perceived slights.  Wally Wood was a true American original.   Burned out, bitter, and brittle long before his time.  But his legacy continues to grow.

Golden Age Artist Spotlight - Frank Frazetta

Frazetta came to mind today for all the wrong reasons.  His son actually used a backhoe to bust into the museum holding Frank's artwork and made off with $20 million dollars worth of original paintings.  More information about the break-in here.  It's always sad to see family squabbling about inheritances make it into the public forum, even worse when it involves felonies.  As covered in the excellent documentary, Frank Frazetta: Painting With Fire, trailer provided below, Frazetta had a very close relationship with his wife (and business manager), and with her passing due to cancer in July of this year, the glue that held the family together might have dissipated beyond easy repair.

Golden Age Artist Spotlight - Basil Wolverton

Basil Wolverton was, if nothing else, one of comicdom's originals.   His art was in turns, organic, cartoony, grotesque, surreal, absurd, and workmanlike, and always idiosyncratic.  Wolverton's art influenced a whole generation of Underground artists, including Robert Crumb.  His images, in places like The Bible Story continue to amaze and entertain new generations.  He was one of the very first artists to create new material for submission to the newly formed comic book market, and unlike the vast majority of creators, he eschewed the studios and workshops of New York City, instead operating entirely by mail out of Vancouver, Washington.  Perhaps due to this arrangement, his work is scattered across various companies and mediums.   Wolverton handled comic projects for Timely/Marvel, Centaur, Novelty, E.C., Fawcett, Gleason, and D.C.  (My personal favorites being the alliterative, zany, pun-filled Powerhouse Pepper and scifi serialesque Spacehawk).  He created posters and trading cards for Topps, greeting cards, caricatures, advertising, drawings for various magazines and periodicals, and starting in 1958, illustrated what many consider his magnum opus, The Bible Story.   In six volumes from Genesis to Samuel, Wolverton adapted the text of the Bible and provided hundreds of b&w illustrations for the work. These six volumes were published from 1961-68 by Ambassador College. In the early 80s they were reprinted and rest of the Old Testament was added with newer illustrations by Wolverton.   Wolverton was also a minister in Herbert Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God, so his assignment was also an expression of faith.   The church itself was of the evangelical, prophetic, end-times-are-coming variety, which is vividly (and at times disturbingly) rendered by Wolverton in his interpretation of the Old Testament, in particular the chapter covering the Book of Revelations.  You want to put the fear of God in kids, show them Basil Wolverton's Book of Revelations.  He's probably the closest thing to Hieronymus Bosch since the Middle Ages.  But there are beautiful, powerful, illustrations as well as the jarring.  Using pointillism and woodcut techniques, Wolverton moved beyond the tools of ink and posterboard, and created art that reflected his entire career by standing breathtakingly unique.  Wolverton was elected to the Will Eisner Hall of Fame at the San Diego Comic-Con International Convention in July of 2000, in recognition of his lifelong contributions to to the industry. He was also inducted into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1991. He's one of my personal favorites, as I was intrigued from the first "Plop!" cover I saw with his art.  Collecting his work has been a challenge, but a fruitful and satisfying one.

Here's a complete comic index provided by Basil Wolverton's son, Monte (an excellent artist as well):  http://www.wolvertoon.com/basilindex.html


Enjoy!

Golden Age Artist Spotlight - L.B. Cole

Creator of some of the most vivid and recognizable covers of the late 40s and 50s, L.B. Cole illustrated over 1500 covers, and drew just about everything, from funny animals to superheros to horror books.  According to the sparse biographical information available at Wikipedia and other sources, Cole started out in the lithography business, then switched to comics in the early forties. 

Like some of his other contemporaries, Alex Schomburg, Mac Raboy, Matt Baker, Lou Fine, etc., Cole made his mark with lurid, action-packed covers that virtually jumped off the newstands.  Representative samples provided after the jump.

Enjoy!