The 10 greatest comic book artists of all time creative bloq. David hajdu has written biographies of music greats billy strayhorn, bob dylan, and joan baez. Comics traded in surrealism and experimentation for photorealistic depictions of the urban landscape. This period saw the debut of the superhero archetype and the creation of such iconic characters as dc comics superman, batman, and wonder woman. Bilbrew met two artists who would influence his work. A comic book artist illustrates comic books by drawing characters and scenes. Printed images and the comic book mediums unique presentation of them. It showcases comic book artists and artwork from the golden, silver and bronze age. By the end of 1939, they had 15 writers and artists working for them, but. Rock n roll artists of the 50s are based equally on commercial impact, influence, musical impact and cultural impact. The 100 most influential pages in comic book history vulture.
Wertham was an anticomic book crusader who did some serious damage back in the 1950s. Sep 25, 2008 5 memorable moments in comic book censorship. Jan 19, 2016 inspired by hellers film, we decided to dig into the deep vault and find as many of the most interesting depictions of comic book artists in movies, from the 2000s all the way back to the 1950s. These small 8page comics were sold in tobacco shops, barber shops, bars or other places that were frequented by a largely male clientele in the early to mid 1900s when they were produced. There was the mid1950s, when ec comics mad was still a hilariousand groundbreakingtencent comic book. Mar 25, 2008 david hajdu examines the great comic book panic of the 1950s. We publish good art and underground stories in the e. From action blockbusters to the lego movie, the influence of comic artists on popular culture has never been greater. Like so many american art forms that have grown and spread throughout the global audiences, comic books have been one of the most successful ones to become popularized in the nation that has brought us a variety of influences. Comic books in the 1950s the golden age of comic books origin of the term. Wertham was an anti comic book crusader who did some serious damage back in the 1950s. Designing these characters, the worlds they protect and how they can live in synergy with words on a page is an art in itself and comic book.
Foul play the art and artists of the notorious 1950s e. In his most recent book, heroes of the comics, he turns pen and brush to the great early comicbook artists and writers who invented some of the most iconic characters in print and on screen. These are the years when comics were considered a new and exciting form of art. Illustrators and other artists in books, magazines and dvds from after the 1950s. View as grid list sort by sort newest title price set ascending direction. Ec comics, vilified in the 1950s, thrive 60 years later. A couple, get lost and ecs own panic, have been fully reprinted in book form. Bill schelly authors the volume on the 1950s era of marilyn monroe and elvis presley, with a yearbyyear account of the most significant publications, notable creators, and impactful trends, including.
Ammonite press unveils a series of four picture books, compiled from the archives of the classic girlie magazines, fiesta and knave, which celebrate an age when glamour photography strove more for artistic ideals and risque titillation than the sexually explicit top. Sep 03, 2018 the character had her own comic book from the late 1970s until the early 80s and has since been revived in different variations. Although comics have different formats, this list covers creators of comic books, graphic novels and comic strips, along. Since this is banned books week, ive come to bury dr. The first recorded use of the term golden age was by richard a. Comic book writers, artists, editors, and others associated with the golden age of. Comic book writers, artists, editors, and others associated with the golden age of comic books, the seminal period from the 1930s creation of the first newsstand comics to the decline of superhero comics popularity in the late1940searly 1950s. John romita jr was nominated for a will eisner comic industry award in 1989 for his work on daredevil. It also features the origins or horror comics, the artists and their spiel, and the 1950s witch hunt orchestrated by a child psychiatrist with no credibility. This era is iconic because it is near the birth age of comic books. David hajdu examines the great comicbook panic of the 1950s. Kane cocreated the modernday versions of the superheroes green lantern and the atom for dc comics, and cocreated iron fist with roy thomas for marvel comics. As an entertainment medium, comics were the digital devices of their day. Gil kane april 6, 1926 january 31, 2000, born eli katz, was a comic book artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and every major comics company and character.
The mostly americanmade tijuana bibles are widely considered to be the first underground comic books. Ten comic strip artists in the 40s were asked to draw. He published his book the seduction of the innocent. However, as i noted before about romita being pursued when stan lee needed more artists, so, too, was buscema, and soon he was one of marvels most prolific artists. Inspired by hellers film, we decided to dig into the deep vault and find as many of the most interesting depictions of comic book artists in movies. A wild madhouse riot of 1950s comic book satire print magazine. New young artists came without any proper skills or creativity. The golden age describes an era in the creation of comic books published between the years of 1938 and 1955. The binding of third copy that amazon sent me as a replacement also fell apart, but i was so disgusted by then that i kept the book and used white glue to repair the binding as best as i could. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and. Apr 18, 2020 this is a collection of comic book art by artists i admire, featuring the art of john romita sr.
He drew superman in the 1950s, so hes not exactly going to be frank miller. The late 1950s through the 1960s saw a change from dark and supernatural comic book themes to the other end of the spectrum with books containing silly plots and a high degree of camp. Although comic artists tend to specialize in specific genres, ms. First, a brief history of comic books from their origins to the late 1940s. Famous marvel comic book artists a knowledge archive. Within days of being launched, the comic, which consisted of 20 pages, 8 of which were in full stunning colour, was selling nearly 1 million copies per week. Most of the biographical shorts are sad, because the comics scare unemployed these horror artists, and a lot of them had trouble finding work after defining a genre that was made illegal by us censors. The amazing stylistic history of comic books 99designs. Jan 05, 2015 a longlost artist of the 1950s sexual underground. Oct 27, 20 the men who ran ec knew that a bold title, coupled with overthetop art, helped their comic books practically jump off the jampacked newsstands of the early 1950s like rabid rats. Whimsical yet reverential captions describe the girls, the sets, the poses and the props.
Dec 30, 2018 our every four years countdown of your alltime favorite comic book writers and artists continues. What i find odd is that i own the 19601964 edition of the american comic book chronicles and the binding is perfect. Swan, who died in 1996, drew superman regularly from the 1950s through the 1980s. Jun 01, 2012 there was the mid1950s, when ec comics mad was still a hilariousand groundbreakingtencent comic book. But with a single comic carmine infantino not only revived the superhero genre after a long period of stagnation in the early 1950s, he also kicked off the silver age of comics.
After inheriting the company, he changed the focus from western and romance comics to innovating in new genres of horror and science fiction. The original pioneering artwork by frank hampson was simply superb. The alterego side of the superheros life is given more panel time, and sensational costumes took a backseat to depictions of everyday people. Nov 04, 2016 i walked away from comic books because i felt the artists who had paved the way in the 1960s and 1970s had been abandoned by the two major comic book companies. The men who ran ec knew that a bold title, coupled with overthetop art, helped their comic books practically jump off the jampacked newsstands of the early 1950s like rabid rats. Founded by silas rhodes and burne hogarth, the school today turns out some of the most prominent illustrators active in creative and commercial art, but during the 1950s it had only a few dozen. Werthams crowning achievement against comic books came in 1954. David hajdu has written biographies of music greats billy. Mar, 2015 werthams crowning achievement against comic books came in 1954. There were few exceptions mostly in dc comics but those exceptions would have been the norm in the 60s and 70s. Ec comics, vilified in the 1950s, thrive 60 years later the. Original comicbook art went from trash to auction, faster than a. The silver age of comic book art takes the most dazzling characters and legendary artists of the mid1950s through the 1960s, and presents.
With the first versions of superman and famous funnies dating back to 1930s, illustrators and artists have found a new way of displaying their talent. The eagle comic originally ran from 19501969 and was reprinted in 19821994. Jun 20, 2017 local artists would supply these smutty little books, which often featured wellknown comic strip characters and celebrities doing unspeakable things to each other. He did a notable run on avengers with writer roy thomas. Comics under the auspices of publisher bill gaines.
The true heroes of comic books, revealed the atlantic. Despite the availability of modern computer drawing software, many comic book artists still create their illustrations in the old fashioned way. Grant geissman one of the original ec fan addicts makes this book enjoyable. Comic book artist requirements salary jobs the art. The superhero archetype was created and many wellknown characters were introduced, including superman, batman, captain marvel, captain america, and wonder woman. They are the distributors of comics featuring xmen, the incredible hulk, captain america and of course the other avengers, spiderman and the fantastic four. The book is divided by artists and has a wikipediastyle introduction to a short ec comics work each of them did. Contemporary post 1950 contemporary post 1950 illustrators and other artists in books, magazines and dvds from after the 1950s.
The book, entitled seduction of the innocent fanned anti comic sentiment all over america. See more ideas about mad magazine, mad and magazine. Legendary publisher bill gaines is perhaps best remembered as the founder of mad magazine, but in the opinion of many dedicated comic book fans, his greatest achievement was e. In the opinion of many comic book fans, the greatest comic books ever are those published in the 1950s by e. Comic book artists have created a whole new world which inspired many hit movies, tv shows, adaptations and influenced the popular culture. The book, entitled seduction of the innocent fanned anticomic sentiment all over america. The character had her own comic book from the late 1970s until the early 80s and has since been revived in different variations. Our every four years countdown of your alltime favorite comic book writers and artists continues. Sep 25, 20 wertham was an anti comic book crusader who did some serious damage back in the 1950s. See more ideas about vintage comics, comic books art and vintage comic books. Comics, a line of adventure, horror, and sciencefiction comics whose influence on american graphic novels is undeniable, even today. Underground comix and the underground press lambiek. Which comic book artists did you absolutely hate growing up.
A cartoonist also comic strip creator, comic book artist, graphic novel artist, or comic book illustrator is a visual artist who specializes in drawing cartoons individual images or comics sequential images. This book goes in depth of the history of ec comics. Brief general biographies of sixty goldenage 1950s and 1960s comic book artists. Comic book styles have evolved to match the stories of the heroes. The resulting hysteria caused many schools and pta groups to hold shades of nazi germany public comic book burnings. They are the distributors of comics featuring xmen, the incredible hulk, captain america and of course the. Ten comic strip artists in the 40s were asked to draw their characters blindfolded. The golden age of comic books describes an era of american comic books from 1938 to 1956.
Comic book writers, artists, editors, and others associated with the golden age of comic books, the seminal period from the 1930s creation of the first newsstand comics to the decline of superhero comics popularity in the late1940searly1950s. Some comic books may recreate vintage comic books, while others are responsible for creating new characters. The american comic book chronicles continues its ambitious series of fullcolor hardcovers where twomorrows top authors document every decade of comic book history from the 1940s to today. Sales could be counted in hundreds of millions, and more than 80% of kids and 90% of teens were reading them. We start off with one of the first artists to have worked in the american comic book industry. The omnipresent influence of comic books is undeniable, and here we take a look at the famous artists from the medium who have shaped the surface of popular culture. By creative bloq staff computer arts 11 march 2014 11 march 2014. Fredric wertham, the man who wrote seduction of the innocent, the book that was responsible for causing the ban on comics in the 1950s by alledging that comic books were. In the 80s, you always knew your favorite comic book was on the verge of cancellation if don heck was added as series artist. Lupoff in an article called rebirth in issue 1 of fanzines comic art in april 1960 shift from superheroes.
Similarly, artists took their inspiration from hardboiled noir films of the 40s and 50s. And now john benson, whos already produced books on horror. Mar 11, 2014 romitas jrs bold composition of panels still influence comic book artists today. Ultimately, the late 1950s comic book downturn pushed buscema out of comics and into advertising. Why my mother threw out my comic books part 1 of 3 webages by adam blatner reposted november 18, 2009 this is based on a talk given on 61209 to the summer session of the senior university georgetown. Not many artists can be credited with jumpstarting an entire art movement. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. And once it started to become popular, publishers rushed out their own satirical collections with titles like whack, bughouse, and eh. Cartoonists include the artists who handle all aspects of the work and those who contribute only part of the production. Discusses their artistic style and their contribution to the history of comic books. He drew marvels wolverine with author mark millar as part of the characters 30thanniversary celebration. In the early 1950s, a superhero revival brought back their three major. Underground comix and the underground press lambiek comics.