|
Post by codystarbuck on Oct 12, 2023 12:01:58 GMT -5
Giffen contributed a Lightning story to the David Singer-published Wally Wood's THUNDER Agents, which was really interesting. The premise of the original Lightning was that the device that gave him super speed took off part of his life, because of the energy expended. Giffen took that idea and had Lightning near the end, as the device has reached a point where if he uses it any further, he will die; but, he has to use it. It was supposed to then transition to a female character. So, he was writing about a character facing a certain death, but deliberately moving towards it because it was necessary. Well, I should say he was plotting it, as Tom & Mary Bierbaum did the writing, at his suggestion (but before they had worked with him on LSH).
In the THUNDER Agents Companion (Twomorrows), George Perez told a story about Keith retrieving his artwork from the Raven story he did. Publisher David Singer was basically a con artist. he assumed that the property was int he public domain and offered really high rates to get name creators to work on the books. he also promised Dave Cockrum big money to do his Futurians there and he ended up halting negotiations with Epic, when Archie couldn't match the offer. Singer ended up being sued or threatened with suits by Jon Carbonaro, who held the legal rights to the property and Singer had swiped artwork and stiffed people on payment. Giffen was in Singer's office, having an argument and saw Perez's original art and said he was going to take it to George and Singer was welcome to try and stop him (and I met Giffen...he was a little guy, so Singer couldn't have been physically imposing) and he picked it up and walked out of the office and returned it to Perez.
|
|
|
Post by Roquefort Raider on Oct 12, 2023 13:43:39 GMT -5
Rest in peace, Mr Giffen, and thanks for everything. I first came across his name in Iron Man #114 and the final issue of Claw the Unconquered. Both times I enjoyed his style, which had a little something that set it apart from most other American comic-book artists who all tried to draw like Kirby and Adams; there was a quirkiness in there, a certain not-quite-right aspect that appealed to me. He also seemed to be influenced by French cartoonist Philippe Druillet, a perennial favourite of mine. Then I got into his original Legion of Super-heroes run, which is of course a classic. Undoubtedly the most important part of his long and rich career, as far as name-recognition goes. His style kept evolving, eventually looking a lot like that of Jose Muñoz (something I didn't know at the time, having never heard of Muñoz). I enjoyed that as well; it was certainly different from anything else found in super-hero comics. It even made a few issues of the New Universe's Justice bearable. Giffen was a major reason I loved the first three years of Legion of Super-heroes vol. 3 (the five years later era) so much. And as other have observed, his pairing with Kevin McGuire on Justice League was immensely enjoyable, even if it did clash with more traditional views of the League. (What did I care? I had never read JLA anyway! ) His sense of humour, apparent there as well as in his Ambush Bug stories, wasn't always very deep... but always good for a heart-felt chuckle. As when someone asks, in front of an entire building full of Computos meant to run a planet, "what could possibly go wrong"? Oddly enough, and doubtless because I'm getting long in the tooth, I always saw Giffen as a "new" artists. Perhaps it's because he showed up after I became aware of American comic-books, unlike, say, Kirby, Romita or Buscema. That young man sure gave us good comics over the years, and I am truly grateful.
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Oct 12, 2023 13:54:23 GMT -5
Oh, he had more than a little Druillet influence. He was swiping a lot of Druillet's design motifs, from Lone Sloane, in his Legion work. Just before the Great Darkness Saga kicks in, look at things like the Khund armor, in the story (LSH # 287) where Timber Wolf, Shrinking Violet and Chameleon Boy go on a covert mission to the Khund homeworld, and the next issue, on Orando, with some of the armor there. Then some of the equipment in the Legion HG and elsewhere, during TGDS. I had seen a little Druillet, at that point and knew there was something familiar about the details, in Legion, then picked up the NBM edition of Lone Sloane and there it all was.
My earliest memories are of his Defenders work, which is pure Kirby, but with a mix of the Adams figure construction. The whole Who Remembers Scorpio let him go nuts with machinery and Kirby Crackle.
|
|
|
Post by MDG on Oct 12, 2023 15:12:24 GMT -5
The early stuff of his I saw was OK, but I didn't think it was anything special. It was with the Dr. Fate back-ups in The Flash that he first seemed to be doing something interesting. I was late to the Legion party (not helped by the newsprint an Baxter series), but he hit his stride there. One thing that's not mentioned enough is his (and Fleming's) adaptation of Robert Bloch's Hell on Earth, the first of DC's/Julie Schwartz's graphic adaptations of fantasy/SF stories. And while the others were well-done, only this one seemed to be trying to do more with the format.
|
|
|
Post by commond on Oct 12, 2023 17:43:35 GMT -5
I wasn't aware that Giffen suffered a heart attack a decade or so ago and died twice. I guess he was lucky to have had ten extra years.
|
|
|
Post by majestic on Oct 12, 2023 20:33:02 GMT -5
Loved his earlier work before his style change as others have mentioned. His run on LoSH is one of the best runs ever!
|
|
|
Post by earl on Oct 13, 2023 0:55:51 GMT -5
One of Giffen's later writing jobs in comics I really liked was the 'Drax the Destroyer: Earthfall' mini series. I thought that could be a pretty cool stand alone movie.
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Oct 13, 2023 1:37:36 GMT -5
I wasn't aware that Giffen suffered a heart attack a decade or so ago and died twice. I guess he was lucky to have had ten extra years.
I wonder - does the enforced sedentary life of a professional artist - having to spend long hours sitting down at the drawing-board, etc - put them at higher risk for this kind of health problem, statistically?
|
|
|
Post by Icctrombone on Oct 13, 2023 6:10:20 GMT -5
I wasn't aware that Giffen suffered a heart attack a decade or so ago and died twice. I guess he was lucky to have had ten extra years.
I wonder - does the enforced sedentary life of a professional artist - having to spend long hours sitting down at the drawing-board, etc - put them at higher risk for this kind of health problem, statistically?
It doesn’t help
|
|
|
Post by commond on Oct 13, 2023 7:03:13 GMT -5
I just read the first issue of the Ambush Bug mini-series and it's bad shit crazy. It's as though DC published a self-published indie comic. Love the parody of the old DC Silver Age ads.
|
|
|
Post by Icctrombone on Oct 13, 2023 10:51:02 GMT -5
I always had a sense that Giffen was all over the comics profession but he was downright prolific. He has 1015 story credits and 21614 pages to his credit according to Mikes amazing world.
|
|
|
Post by spoon on Oct 13, 2023 20:27:44 GMT -5
I've read Giffen's first Legion run, and I'm part way through 5 Years Later. What doesn't get mentioned as much, but I enjoyed, is when Giffen came back to team with Levitz toward the end of the Baxter series. It's sort of in-between the styles of the two other runs.
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Oct 14, 2023 19:49:26 GMT -5
I wasn't aware that Giffen suffered a heart attack a decade or so ago and died twice. I guess he was lucky to have had ten extra years.
I wonder - does the enforced sedentary life of a professional artist - having to spend long hours sitting down at the drawing-board, etc - put them at higher risk for this kind of health problem, statistically?
I don't know if I would go that far. You have had several artists live to ripe old ages, without these kind of health issues. Vision problems are a bigger professional hazard, given the focus and concentration on the art. I also suspect that generational differences (diets, activities, substance usage, etc) factor in there. Kirby smoked cigars and other artists chain smoked, yet lived into their later days. Kirby was 76 when he died of a heart attack. Some younger ones have had health issues, often tied to their weight, or other health conditions. Mike Parobeck died from complications related to Type 1 Diabetes; but, friends said he wasn't strict about taking his insulin. He wasn't obese, with Type 2; but, Type 1 does require an insulin regimen to manage it.. The Giffen I met, in the 90s, was small and thin and most of the later images I saw of him he still appeared to be rather thin. Charles Schulz worked at his drawing table, day in and day out, for years; but, didn't necessarily have health issues until later in life. he also took breaks and skated in his private ice arena and took other exercise. So, the lifestyle doesn't necessarily have to be sedentary, any more than computer or office work. It depends on a lot of individual factors, more than professional. Giffen might have had a family history of heart disease, might have had lifestyle issues that contributed....hard to say; but, I don't think you can make a strong case that professional requirements were a direct cause.
|
|
|
Post by commond on Oct 17, 2023 18:16:44 GMT -5
Since we often discuss Crisis around these parts, I recommend everyone read Giffen's parody of DC continuity in Ambush Bug #3.
|
|
|
Post by tonebone on Oct 18, 2023 13:36:34 GMT -5
When the Ambush Bug series first hit the stands, it was revelatory for me. I was a loner kid, only interested in reading and making comics, and with Ambush Bug, I knew someone out there "got me". His sense of humor was EXACTLY what I needed, but didn't know it until I saw it. I was never really keen on his "straight" comics writing, but whenever the Bug reared his head, I was there for it.
|
|