Herb did an interview before he died which dispelled the story that he was forced to adopt a new style for work in the '90s.  He said he actually liked the dynamic feel of Liefeld, Larsen, and company, which kinda makes sense considering some of Herb's action panels.  He wanted to loosen up his style a bit.  He stopped getting regular work because most of the editors he traditionally worked with had moved on, so he decided to try his hand at teaching, something a lot of classic artists did the '90s.  It wasn't because he couldn't roll with the times.

Erik Larsen was always one of Herb's biggest cheerleaders, but he couldn't get Herb to commit to an Image project, just things like pin-ups here and there.

I respect all the work that Herb Trimpe did for the Silver and Bronze age Marvel comic universe, although I wasn't a big fan. I rather remember him like this:





Than like this:

Oh, I don't think anyone will remember Herb's '90s work fondly.  Just wanted to dispell the rumor that Trimpe was given an ultimatum to change his art or be frozen out of the industry.  He made that decision on his own because he liked what those artists were doing at the time.  His phasing out of the industry had more to do with his connections moving on, which is all too common in the industry, even for legends.

I've always felt that Herb was the definitive Hulk artist, but having reconsidered some of Sal Buscema's work with character, it's kind of a toss-up between the two. 

And three of my favorite titles of all time, Sandman Mystery Theatre, Starman, and Bone.