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Post by Randle-El on Jan 2, 2017 23:44:02 GMT -5
I was once one of those comic book readers that gave most of the credit for the look of the printed artwork to the penciller. Sure, I knew that inking was necessary for a finished page, but believed that they were nothing more that glorified tracers. It wasn't until I saw an actual pencilled page without the inks that I realized how much inkers contributed to the look of the final product -- even more so when the penciller only provided loose breakdowns that were detailed and fleshed out by the inker.
I have since come to greatly appreciate the art of inking, but I'll be honest in saying that I don't really know much about it. I also find that it's often hard for me to discern where the contributions of the penciller ends and those of the inker begins without seeing pre-ink pages, especially given the broad range that pencillers seem to occupy as far as completed details of the drawing. I thought I'd start a thread to discuss the topic of inking, primarily for my own education. I'm interested in hearing what inkers you like, what inkers you don't like, who's inks best complements who's pencils, inking technique, etc. Basically, anything goes. Educate me!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2017 0:17:24 GMT -5
My Top Ten Inkers
1. Gil Kane
2. Murphy Anderson
3. Wally Wood
4. Joe Sinnott
5. Frank Giacoia
6. Dick Ayers
7. Jerry Ordway
8. Dick Giordano
9. George Klein
10. Joe Simon
When Shaxper introduced to me the world of THUNDER ... I learned to enjoy the inks of Wally Wood, this guy can inked and he's does it with a flair that's very unique and he adds richness and boldness to his art. I loved Gil Kane he brings out the individuality of his artwork and that's alone makes him a master of his craft. Everyone on that list is a master of what he does and Murphy Anderson in his days of doing Justice League of America brought new life to that legendary comic. I learned to love his work and he does it with gusto and he's commands respect from the artists that does the pencils. Joe Simon along with Jack Kirby is a force to be reckon with and they spent 20 years together doing the stuff that made them a legendary pair. Inking is a craft that's so unique and if anyone that breathe life into the artwork (pencils) does an extension of that artist himself. The inkers must know how the penciller do his/her work so that the art itself commands the reader interest and that alone makes the art great.
My top three of Kane, Anderson, and Wood are a joy to see in any pages that they do and they makes it great and that's why I consider the inkers the unsung heroes of the comic book world.
BTW, the Inkers has the most difficult job to do because once they put their inks on that paper that the pencil guys/gals do they better do it right the first time or otherwise the panel has to be redrawn all over again.
That's causes delays and frustrations to the Comic Book Editors and that's why I consider it the toughest job in the Comic Book History.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2017 0:31:05 GMT -5
A few resources/sources to look at when it comes to learning about inking... Gary Martin's 2 volumes on The Art of Comic Book Inking (with Steve Rude and a host of others)   and the DC Guide to Inking Comics by Klaus Janson...  and the Joe Kubert School's book on inking...  Also any book on drawing comics by Dick Giordano has solid chapters on inking too. These go over the techniques, approaches, and philosophy behind inking, often giving examples of pencil only pages, step by step inking demonstrations and even in some cases examples of he same pencils inked by different artists to show how different the results can be. Of course a lot has changed in the digital era, and inking techniques vary more widely when the inks are done digitally (whether or not the pencils are done by hand or digitally), and with some of the software now out there, digitally produced art is more of a 1 step process where the pencils and inks are done as one step rather than two. -M |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 3, 2017 2:26:07 GMT -5
To look at what an inker can do, look at Giordano on Batman, keeping the consistent look between Irv Novick and Neal Adams, as well as firming up some of the newcomers who got to try their hands on batman. Karl Kesel did a lot to fix Rob Liefeld's work on Hawk and Dove. Klaus Janson had a big hand in shaping Frank Miller (as well as Joe Rubinstein) and Murphy Anderson truly brought Curt Swan's pencils to life. their collaboration was unequalled on Superman and it was a shame they weren't a permanent team, like Ross Andru and Mike Esposito or Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin. Bob Layton added the emtallic effects to Iron man, as well as defined the look, across several pencillers, including John Romita Jr.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,874
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Post by shaxper on Jan 3, 2017 10:50:08 GMT -5
All I know about inking came from reading early 1980s Batman and 'Tec. You had Gene Colan and Don Newton on pencils, so it was already a dream lineup in terms of art, but then you'd have the issues Alfredo Alcala inked, and the issues Alfredo Alcala didn't ink. It was a world of difference. Alcala made their art sing.
I'd post scans, but I'm at work, and images are blocked here.
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,874
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Post by shaxper on Jan 3, 2017 10:51:03 GMT -5
Also, how many posts before this descends into a Vinnie Colletta thread?  |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,220 
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Post by Confessor on Jan 3, 2017 11:17:22 GMT -5
All I'm gonna say is that Tom Palmer is da man!!!
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Post by Randle-El on Jan 3, 2017 11:25:27 GMT -5
To look at what an inker can do, look at Giordano on Batman, keeping the consistent look between Irv Novick and Neal Adams, as well as firming up some of the newcomers who got to try their hands on batman. Karl Kesel did a lot to fix Rob Liefeld's work on Hawk and Dove. Klaus Janson had a big hand in shaping Frank Miller (as well as Joe Rubinstein) and Murphy Anderson truly brought Curt Swan's pencils to life. their collaboration was unequalled on Superman and it was a shame they weren't a permanent team, like Ross Andru and Mike Esposito or Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin. Bob Layton added the emtallic effects to Iron man, as well as defined the look, across several pencillers, including John Romita Jr. I need to go back and look at more examples of Curt Swan's work with different inkers. I know it sounds cliched, but I really do consider him to be the preeminent Superman artist. The thing is that I don't even think he's the most exciting or dynamic artist, but just the way he renders Superman and Clark Kent is so ingrained in my mind as *the* way he should look, esp. early 80s, pre-crisis Superman. Frank Miller's Marvel work is another one that I wonder a lot about. He is credited as penciller on both the Wolverine limited series and on Daredevil -- both runs that I enjoyed quite a bit for the artwork. I remember reading somewhere online that his pencils on Daredevil were fairly loose, esp. after he took over writing duties, and left most of the heavy lifting to Klaus Janson. I am unsure of where that line was drawn on the Wolverine series with Rubinstein, but would not be surprised if they had a similar process. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jan 3, 2017 11:27:05 GMT -5
Neal Adams is probably my favourite inker. I don't know how he does it, but everything he inks instantly becomes more life-like and realistic; it's as if he captures light and shadow with his brush and tells them what to do.
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Post by brutalis on Jan 3, 2017 11:34:24 GMT -5
Ummm, that would be 6 posts? Thanks for nothing Shaxper. Back to the regularly scheduled conversation now.
Inking styles; your mileage may vary. Some are smooth and sleek, some are fine and/or scratchy and some may be better artists than the artists they are inking. Like or dislike what remains is that all inkers provide something to the comics they are working upon or they wouldn't have been given the assignment. Many of the artists in the good old classic days were doing only minimal art with layouts or roughs leaving the inker to carry more of the workload. I believe for myself for the most part the inkers were what helped allow most comic books to maintain a monthly schedule.
Today's artist/inker pairings are so much more involved even including the colorist as finisher/inker. A good ink job can save a comic or go the reverse and doom it. The artist and inker are more of a team than ever before at any time in comics. The inker of today is more adept in blending in or befitting of the artistic style over who they ink and many artists will specifically utilize or request specific inkers if not already affiliated with one as a semi-permanent partner.
Inkers i like: and note: many are/were artists themselves
Klaus Janson
Murphy Anderson
Dave Hunt
Dan Adkins
Terry Austin
Brett Breeding
Tony DeZuniga
Rudy Nebres
Alfredo Alcala
Dick Giordano
Dan Green
Gene Day
Wally Wood
George Klein
Joe Sinnott
TomPalmer
bob Smith
Karl Kesel
John Severin
romeo Tanghal
Pablo Marcos
Paul Neary
Mike Esposito
Vince Colletta
Frank Giacoia
Jerry Ordway
Steve Leialoha
Bob Wiacek
Joe Kubert over Joe Kubert
Steve Rude over Steve Rude
and the list could go on and on and on and on...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2017 11:45:21 GMT -5
All I'm gonna say is that Tom Palmer is da man!!! You're right Confessor and he should be noted too. He does excellent work and I liked his ability to draw fine lines in the work that he does. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 3, 2017 11:52:22 GMT -5
While looking at the Atlas/Seaboard comics, one of the things I really noticed was Wally Wood's inking of Ditko, on the first two issues of Destructor. It's some of the best post-Spider-Man Ditko I have ever seen.
Since I've been reading a ton of Kirby and Colletta has come up, I don't see anything wrong with Colletta's inks on the early issues; but, when Mike Royer comes on, the art seems crisper. Mark Evanier talked about Royer being truer to Kirby's intent. Maybe. Maybe it was just a variance in technique.
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Post by Prince Hal on Jan 3, 2017 12:28:52 GMT -5
Sometimes, pencillers and inkers mesh perfectly -- Swan and Anderson, Miller and Janson, John Buscema and John Buscema (okay, personal prejudice there) -- but sometimes a great inker and a great penciller just don't quite fit together. I remember when the two primary Silver Age Hawkman artists, Joe Kubert and Anderson, each of whom had very vocal adherents and detractors among fandom, were paired on a two-part story in issues 40-41 of Atom and Hawkman. With Kubet pencilling and Anderson inking, it was billed as a "dream-team" in the letters page, and though the little reader reaction that made it into the letters pages was complimentary, to me there was something odd about the look of the stories. It wasn't that the art was bad by any means, it's just that Kubert's scratchy, violent pencils were neatened up by Anderson's glossy style. I found myself wishing that I could have seen the story with Joe inking his pencils, because it seems that Anderson was taming Kubert. Where I always thought Anderson's inks were the perfect "softener" for Infantino's angular pencils, over Kubert, they made panels that should have been dynamic and menacing more cartoony. It almost seems at times that Murphy's trying hard not to overpower Kubert. He meticulously delineated every line in the classic Kubert faces, but also over did the backgrounds, negating the film noir aspects of Joe's shadowy backgrounds. Interestng experiment, but I'd still like to see that story inked by Joe to see how different it would look.   |
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Post by MDG on Jan 3, 2017 15:16:31 GMT -5
I remember when the two primary Silver Age Hawkman artists, Joe Kubert and Anderson, each of whom had very vocal adherents and detractors among fandom, were paired on a two-part story in issues 40-41 of Atom and Hawkman. With Kubet pencilling and Anderson inking, it was billed as a "dream-team" in the letters page, and though the little reader reaction that made it into the letters pages was complimentary, to me there was something odd about the look of the stories. Yeah--I remember how odd this looked to me the first time I saw it. Unusual enough that Kubert was being inked by someone else, but he and Anderson came with very different approaches that didn't quite mesh. Ditto Anderson inking Grandenetti on the Spectre. The penciller/inker is entrenched in comics, but is really an artificial construct to make production quicker and easier--publishers benefited by having an artist who could lay out a page and clearly tell a story (Kirby, Infantino, Kane, Buscema) fill as many pages that way and have others get them ready for publication. It's interesting, though, that artists who had their own studio, like Eisner and Adams, would have others pencil (over their layouts?) and do the inking themselves to have the "final say." It's one data point, but Bob McLeod has a page of examples of what he received and the finished inks. Pretty inetersting (if you like that sort of thing.)  |
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Post by Prince Hal on Jan 3, 2017 16:37:47 GMT -5
I remember when the two primary Silver Age Hawkman artists, Joe Kubert and Anderson, each of whom had very vocal adherents and detractors among fandom, were paired on a two-part story in issues 40-41 of Atom and Hawkman. With Kubet pencilling and Anderson inking, it was billed as a "dream-team" in the letters page, and though the little reader reaction that made it into the letters pages was complimentary, to me there was something odd about the look of the stories. Yeah--I remember how odd this looked to me the first time I saw it. Unusual enough that Kubert was being inked by someone else, but he and Anderson came with very different approaches that didn't quite mesh. Ditto Anderson inking Grandenetti on the Spectre. The penciller/inker is entrenched in comics, but is really an artificial construct to make production quicker and easier--publishers benefited by having an artist who could lay out a page and clearly tell a story (Kirby, Infantino, Kane, Buscema) fill as many pages that way and have others get them ready for publication. It's interesting, though, that artists who had their own studio, like Eisner and Adams, would have others pencil (over their layouts?) and do the inking themselves to have the "final say." It's one data point, but Bob McLeod has a page of examples of what he received and the finished inks. Pretty inetersting (if you like that sort of thing.) You realize how much was on the inker, at least in this example. I'll bet that at this point in his career, Buscema was doing what look to me like undetailed sketches rather than illustrations. He was churning out reams of pages back then. On the other hand, that distinctive Conan face that Buscema did so vividly with jsut a few strokes of the pencil is obscured completely by a blob of ink masquerading as a shadow. Too bad, because everything else in the inked panel looks like Buscema except the most important part of the drawing. Makes him look like he's fixing a toupee to his head instead of scanning the horizon. |
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