Greetings ghouls and gargoyles! It's time for another trip into the tomb as we keep on truckin' with...
Nobody, but nobody mastered the Marvel's monster-ous mood like Gene (the Dean) Colan. From Dr. Strange to Brother Voodoo to Man-Thing to Son of Satan to the lord of evil, Dracula, himself, Gene's powerful, painterly pencils set the pace that all others could only follow. The only time Colan's work ever looked better than it did under the inks and colors of Tom Palmer was when Marvel published his work in black and white, allowing his gray pencil work, wash, and tones to come to the fore in a way color could never allow. Aw, I could rave and rave about the Dean's work, but why do that when there are pages of his art to be savored? Enter freely and of your own will...(and click 'em to enlarge 'em!)
Here's a rare look at Mr. Colan's painting skills, from Marvel Preview #16:
Last, but not least, here are some pages from the far-out feud between Drac and Marvel's hirsute horror, Jack Russell, Werewolf By Night, as rendered by Messrs. Colan and Palmer:
AaawOOOO! It's the supernatural smack-down of the ages. Can't get any more Halloween than Dracula vs. a Werewolf, can ya now, Groovesters?
One more thing: as many of you probably already know, Gene suffered some serious health problems back in the spring. Much of the comics world has come to Mr. Colan's aide to help out financially (through auctions, donations, and sales) and morally (cards, letters, and e-mails). While it looks like he's on the mend, I'm sure he'd appreciate all you Groove-ophiles and Monster Maniacs stopping by his site, dropping him a line or signing his guest book, and/or purchasing some goodies from his gift shop. Ol' Groove'd appreciate it, too!
top post. although I never got to meet Gene myself, I know a couple of guys who were fortunate enough to, and, by all accounts, he's everything you could ever hope your favourite comic artist would be: charming, funny, kind,and full of enthusiasm & cracking good comicy anecdotes. the man's a legend, and I don't mean in that easy-to-throw-about-the-word kind of legend way. Gene Colan is one of the truly greatest. have you picked up the Marvel Tribute book yet? if you haven't, I can't recommend it highly enough. not only do you get some of the sweetest comic art you're ever likely to see, but you get to contribute a bit towards helping the great man out. here's to Gene! my love, my thoughts, my thanks, and my admiration go out to him. get well soon, fella.
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