Saturday, October 24, 2009
Making a Splash: Nestor Redondo's Swamp Thing
When most folks think of the Groovy Age Swamp Thing, they naturally think of the art of Swampy's co-creator, Bernie Wrightson. However, there is another artist who actually drew more issues of Swamp Thing than Wrightson, and that's Philippine comicbook artist Nestor Redondo. (Wrightson drew the first 10 issues, while Redondo drew issues 11-23.) Redondo was a legend in his own country and quickly became a favorite of both U.S. fans and pros alike when he began working for DC during the 1970s. Wanna see why? I thought you would!
Groovy: Thanks so much for posting this unsung artist's work. I can't say I prefer him to Wrightson's best work on this title, but actually I think his work on Swamp Thing was probably more consistant and even stronger than Wrightson's taken as a whole.
ReplyDeleteLooking at these pages you've posted, I am reminded how magnificent he could be.
I have been trying to snag some of his other work here and there, but it's hard to come by.
Great post!! -- Mykal
Yes, Redondo's SW splashes were certainly a thing of beauty. I bought every one of those early issues on through Redondo's stretch, and I really couldn't think of a more worthy successor to the established Wrightson legacy. Like many fans, I initially grieved Bernie's loss, but embraced Redondo's clean, strong inking inking brush as a nice transition from Wrightson's whispy stroking. The only Swamp Thing moments to even come close to that magnificence after Redondo's departure was the occasional Alcala cover or guest inking (sorry, Bissette!) but, then again, Alcala's stuff has never been less than beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting these! It was nice to see them again!
Groove:
ReplyDeleteOne of my readers was promoting the Redondo Swamp Thing run during a discussion about Bronze Age creators and comics in need of more love. I'll make sure to send him your way!
Andrew
There's an AMAZING Nestor Redondo page on eBay right now that showcases all of the horror skills that he had on Swamp Thing. I've searched for his originals for years and come up with very few if any splash pages like this one. Thanks for showcasing his work on this site. Redondo is indeed the unsung horror artist of the 1970s. He'll be discovered by museums soon enough I'd bet.
ReplyDeletehttp://cgi.ebay.com/WEIRD-MYSTERY-TALES-Splash-Page-Nestor-Redondo-1975-Eve_W0QQitemZ150406016264QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2304e5ad08