|
|
Post by Phil Maurice on May 21, 2015 17:39:09 GMT -5
Wasn't that just kind of the style of the day though? Pretty much, but since they got pre-lettered pages from Feldstein and mandatory layouts from Kurtzman, they were kind've locked into page design. (You can kind've understand why Toth didn't do much work there.) Some of it also had to do with Gaines inheriting and insisting on using the Leroy lettering system. This was a holdover from the Max Gaines era of comic publishing. Digby Diehl talks a little about this in his great book on EC comics. Leroy lettering appeared blocky and old-fashioned even in the 1950s, and it looks positively archaic today. Gaines apparently defended the system by saying it was the only way to fit Feldstein's wordy text into the panel.
|
|
|
|
Post by hondobrode on May 21, 2015 20:19:46 GMT -5
I love them all. I really do.
I've wrestled with this by having to pick one out of the rest, and finally, if I had to pick one out, and only one, say as the single page of original EC art that I could have, I'd probably have to go with
Joe Orlando
He didn't contribute nearly as much as some, and he's similar to another couple lush but under-appreciated artists, Reed Crandell and George Evans, and not as well known as Al Williamson, but his work resonates beautifully in my mind. It's haunting.
|
|
|
|
Post by Phil Maurice on May 21, 2015 21:29:45 GMT -5
I suppose I should try to answer the question posed by the OP, but it's really tough. 1950s printing processes did no favors to intricate craftsmen like Wood and Crandall. Looking just at the books as they were printed, it's artists like Jack Davis, George Evans, Jack Kamen, and Graham Ingels that really shine.
Russ Cochran's reprints in the 1970s shone a much-needed light on the meticulously detailed work by Woody, Williamson/Frazetta, Crandall, Orlando, Kurtzman, Elder, et al.
Since this thread is "Favorite" and not "Best," I have to go with Al Feldstein, a solid writer/artist who really set the tone for the New Trend. I consider him a visionary, someone who could both do and recognize the talents of others to do, very often better. YMMV.
Even if we disagree on the specifics, let us not forget that we are all united in our love for EC comics by Dr. Henry Pym himself. From Avengers #93:
|
|
|
|
Post by MDG on May 22, 2015 9:02:19 GMT -5
I love them all. I really do. I've wrestled with this by having to pick one out of the rest, and finally, if I had to pick one out, and only one, say as the single page of original EC art that I could have, I'd probably have to go with Joe OrlandoInteresting--Orlando's probably my least favorite. There's something about his characters that seems "off." They give me an odd feeling that I also get from some of Bob Powell's work--hard to explain. I'll go on record, though, that I think Orlando was a fine editor and made his significant contribution to comics in the office rather than at the drawing table. |
|
|
|
Post by hondobrode on May 22, 2015 23:23:03 GMT -5
Yes, Orlando is known much more for his editorial role than artistic, post-EC at DC with their mystery line of books.
|
|
Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,202 
|
Post by Confessor on May 31, 2015 8:34:06 GMT -5
Hated that he became a "utility inker" later on--a waste of a great artist. I think Williamson's inking was excellent, but I really do agree with this sentiment. He was wasted as an inker, I think. |
|
|
|
Post by benday-dot on May 31, 2015 13:22:34 GMT -5
One of the dissapointing things about EC is that they had a great talent pool but I never really thought the format of their stories was a great showcase for artists. All those tiny little panels and walls of text didn't give the art much room to breathe. I absolutely agree with this. The sheer volume of word balloons in most EC stories was overwhelming. Having that group of artists work on those stories, but with a freer hand to let the art carry more of the storytelling weight would have been amazing. Again, agreed. But the original art on those EC's was drawn on pages that measured a huge 15 x 22." So it was really the reduction to floppy size that accounted for the diminutive look. But then again a floppy that came out when the EC's originally came was still larger than a modern or, even later Silver and Bronze Age book. I have several original EC's and they "read" larger larger that the legion of reprints that continued with reduced sizing. The beauty of those pricey IDW Artist Editions is to see the EC comics in their original artistic format. The tiny panels and walls of texts recede in the face of the beautiful art. As far as question of the thread goes: 1.Wally Wood 2 Al Williamson (just behind Wood, because I think Wood was a better storyteller with his art) 3.Harvey Kurtzman 4.Johnny Craig 5.John Severin 6.Jack Davis 7.Graham Ingels I'm not counting Toth, Krigstein and Frazetta since their output was considerably smaller than the main stable. Although maybe I should have Krigstein in there, because he did do a decent amount. |
|
