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Post by comicscube on Jul 14, 2014 23:58:27 GMT -5
 vs.  The purpose of this little exercise is to answer two basic questions: 1) As a new, young reader walking into a comic shop, if you saw the two covers side by side and could buy only one (and had to), which comic are you getting? 2) From your current standpoint, which cover is better drawn? Here's my take on it, cover by cover. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jul 15, 2014 5:44:34 GMT -5
Overall, I think George Perez is probably the more appealing artist in terms of individual skill for more people. Again, Mike Zeck has always been a favorite of mine, and I don’t think his style can accurately be compared to Perez, because they weren’t trying to achieve the same results. I think it comes down to a difference of target audience. Perez was drawing more artistic covers that featured some truly unique experimentation in perspective and subject, especially #2-5, 8, and 11, whereas Secret Wars offered generally simpler but dynamic covers featuring instantly recognizable characters. I prefer the Secret Wars covers (especially #3, 4, 7, and 11), but respect the Crisis covers for their ambition. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 15, 2014 8:53:42 GMT -5
I always had a problem with Zeck's art on Secret Wars.He was probably under orders by Jim Shooter to load up the panels with as many superheroes that can fit.They wind up looking like stick figures.In fact,my avatar was in issues #3,6,7 and 10.He got killed by Doctor Doom in #11.
Anyway to answer the question,if I was a new reader seeing those 2 covers I'd go with Crisis.That guy in black looks like he's about to do some dancing
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Crimebuster
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Post by Crimebuster on Jul 15, 2014 10:46:55 GMT -5
I agree with your picks pretty much across the board, except for issue #10. Secret Wars #10 is such an awesome cover, no question I would have bought that one. So it would be 6-6 for me.
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Post by Pharozonk on Jul 15, 2014 16:54:34 GMT -5
Perez art is pretty hard to contest. I prefer Zeck's work on other things, like Kraven's Last Hunt.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2014 19:21:32 GMT -5
I really wish Zeck would work on comics again
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Post by Action Ace on Jul 15, 2014 20:55:05 GMT -5
10-2 Crisis, with Secret Wars getting the nod for issues #2 and 4.
I picked up Crisis #8 at a B Dalton when I was 16. It was the first time in years that I had held a comic, but I put it back down unread.
Talk about a Crisis!
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Post by bashbash99 on Jul 16, 2014 10:47:05 GMT -5
I prefer Secret Wars for 1 - 6, although with the caveat that I think Perez' covers in some cases are technically better.
7 - 12 I go with Crisis, with the exception of 10.
10 is basically a draw for me as the giant Spectre facing off against Anti-Monitor was compelling. If i HAVE to pick one I would go with SW though.
So its pretty even, which surprise me as I definitely prefer Perez to Zeck/Layton (not that those guys are slouches or anything!)
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Post by tolworthy on Aug 2, 2014 13:35:59 GMT -5
As a teenager it seemed to me that DC simply had much better art.
Perez was detailed, precise, dynamic, just amazing. I thought Marvel had put some super-cheap artist on Secret Wars. Secret Wars was going to sell regardless, so why waste money on a good artist?
Maybe Zeck produced great work elsewhere, but Secret Wars made me avoid his work.
Having said that, I think Zeck was better than a lot of current art, and this is why:
1. You can actually see what's going on
2. People were doing interesting things, and have expressive, individual faces. Not just photo referenced faces and standing around.
EDIT: obviously some of Zeck's covers were more in-your-face. E.g. the Hulk under rocks, or Doom in ragged clothes. Those was real eye catchers. But I've always been a realism nerd. Those stories were just not realistic to me.* To be fair, it is possible (even very likely) that the DC story was even more absurd. But as a Marvel junkie on a limited budget I couldn't justify buying Crisis.
tl;dr: more than any other series, Secret Wars reduced my interest in Marvel, and Perez-Crisis tempted me to switch sides.
*The idea of Doom seriously challenging the Beyonder was so absurd to begin with, and the idea that exposed flesh was any kind of defence... the picture just made me dismiss the story out of hand. As for escaping from under that mountain, seeing the very tiny electronics in Iron man's suit and how it created such a big blast without any flying shrapnel or recoil - that issue was highly problematic for me. Yes, I realise that for most people superheroes mean "suspend disbelief", but I have never subscribed to that theory. For me, thinking how it would actually work is half the fun.
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Post by comicscube on Aug 3, 2014 7:01:08 GMT -5
The Hulk under rocks was apparently not a Zeck cover, which surprised me a lot.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2014 13:21:15 GMT -5
As a kid it'd be 8-4 for Secret Wars.
Now it's 7-5 for Crisis.
That 8-4 as a kid would be 7-5 if anybody else were holding Supergirl on #7. I didn't like Cap as a kid but I HATED Superman.
My favorite cover of the lot is Secret Wars #10 followed by Crisis #7 & 8.
I don't like either cover for #1,6,9 or 11.
The covers that changed were #3,5,7; all of which switched to Crisis.
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Post by bashbash99 on Aug 8, 2014 11:00:39 GMT -5
As a teenager it seemed to me that DC simply had much better art. Perez was detailed, precise, dynamic, just amazing. I thought Marvel had put some super-cheap artist on Secret Wars. Secret Wars was going to sell regardless, so why waste money on a good artist? Maybe Zeck produced great work elsewhere, but Secret Wars made me avoid his work. Having said that, I think Zeck was better than a lot of current art, and this is why: 1. You can actually see what's going on 2. People were doing interesting things, and have expressive, individual faces. Not just photo referenced faces and standing around. EDIT: obviously some of Zeck's covers were more in-your-face. E.g. the Hulk under rocks, or Doom in ragged clothes. Those was real eye catchers. But I've always been a realism nerd. Those stories were just not realistic to me.* To be fair, it is possible (even very likely) that the DC story was even more absurd. But as a Marvel junkie on a limited budget I couldn't justify buying Crisis. tl;dr: more than any other series, Secret Wars reduced my interest in Marvel, and Perez-Crisis tempted me to switch sides. A bit off topic, but I was a big fan of Zeck's Capt America run. I think his best work was probably the Kraven's Last Hunt story (I guess he and J.M DeMatteis like working together!) Also liked his work on the Punisher mini-series. I do think Zeck steps up his game a bit for covers (as artists often do), and that he chose more attention grabbing images for the Secret Wars covers (at least the early ones) than Perez did for Crisis (certainly an arguable point though) Doesn't seem like Zeck is very active in comics these days. |
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Post by badwolf on Nov 20, 2014 12:44:07 GMT -5
I was a Marvel fan at the time so I bought Secret Wars from the beginning. I didn't start picking up Crisis until about halfway through, and I hadn't been a regular DC reader at all before that point.
Mike Zeck is a great artist but Secret Wars is far from his best work. Nor Bob Layton's.
Looking at them now, I'd have to say the Crisis covers would win out if I was looking at them for the first time today.
It's funny that one of the SW covers mentions a "crisis" while one of the Crisis covers prominently features "...BEYOND!" (that one was probably intentional)
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Post by gothos on Nov 21, 2014 17:44:48 GMT -5
I always had a problem with Zeck's art on Secret Wars.He was probably under orders by Jim Shooter to load up the panels with as many superheroes that can fit.They wind up looking like stick figures.In fact,my avatar was in issues #3,6,7 and 10.He got killed by Doctor Doom in #11. Anyway to answer the question,if I was a new reader seeing those 2 covers I'd go with Crisis.That guy in black looks like he's about to do some dancing A long time ago, when SW was out, some pro whose name I forget told me that Shooter gave Zeck thumbnails to work from, just as he did, at least sometimes, to LEGION artists in the 60s. (Can't remember if there was anyone he worked with but Swan.) |
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Post by Icctrombone on Nov 21, 2014 18:28:47 GMT -5
I always had a problem with Zeck's art on Secret Wars.He was probably under orders by Jim Shooter to load up the panels with as many superheroes that can fit.They wind up looking like stick figures.In fact,my avatar was in issues #3,6,7 and 10.He got killed by Doctor Doom in #11. Anyway to answer the question,if I was a new reader seeing those 2 covers I'd go with Crisis.That guy in black looks like he's about to do some dancing I remember reading that Zeck was under orders to tone down the artwork and make it more average. The target audience was also non comic readers because of the toy line tie in. |
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