Check it out, Groove-ophiles! Believe it or not, Ol' Groove has been to only one (!) comicbook convention in my life (that's what I get for living out in the boonies--literally,
Daniel Boone Memorial Park is just out the road...), and that was last September's
Cincinnati Comic Book Expo. I didn't get Stan Lee's autograph (but I did manage to snap a blurry pic before security tried to nab my phone), but I did get to meet Neal Adams and get him to autograph my copies of
Avengers 93 and Batman
232. My favorite moment, though, was just walking up to Frank Brunner who was sitting alone at his table drawing away. I asked him if I could shake his hand and thanked him for all the cool comics he'd drawn that I loved so much, especially
Dr. Strange. I got to tell him that the work he and Steve Englehart did on
Doc "Totally blew my nine-year-old mind!" Then the real moment came: as soon as I said that, Frank's eyes slowly widened as what I'd said sank in. He replied, "You were reading that stuff when you were NINE?" "Well," said I, "I didn't say I understood it!" We had a great laugh and it was a cool moment. So when Ol' Groove set his thinking cap for something cool this Wednesday, that conversation and Brunner's kaptivating and kosmik art came swiftly to mind. Here are some exquisite examples yers trooly managed to
steal--er--scavenge from the InterWebs...
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| From the fanzine days... |
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| Inks by Ernie Chan |
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| Inks by Dick Giordano |
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| Inks by Dick Giordano |
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| Inks by Dick Giordano |
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| The owner of the original art peeled off the blurb to see what was underneath... |
Unlike you, Groove, I've been to loads of cons over the last 32 years garnering a huge collection of autographs. But Mr. Brunner's has remained elusive so far. I thought that was changing in May when I was going to see him at the Planet Comicon in Kansas City. But those plans were scuttled at the last minute. So here's still hoping one day. His artwork flamed briefly and brightly across the Groovy Age, increasing sales and exciting fanboys like me all across comicdom. I still look at his Doctor Strange work and am stunned with amazement at the the sheer beauty and innovation of it. Thanks for sharing some of that today.
ReplyDeleteGood lord--Con security was prepared to wrestle you to the ground because you wanted to take a picture of Stan Lee? Working his detail must have kept them pretty busy in that respect! :)
ReplyDeleteI contribute to a blog called Marvel University and am the point person for all the Robert E. Howard related stuff that the House of Ideas churned out in the 70s -- among some other stuff. So quite happy that you included a page from Savage Sword of Conan #30. Consider that one of the great art achievements of the decade for that magazine. Which is saying a lot since many of the issues featured the supreme team of John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala. Thanks Groove! Check out your site every day.
ReplyDeleteUncredited in the art for that story are the inks of Steve Leialoha. He was apparently punished for being late with his end of things by having his credit removed.
DeleteLove Brunner's art. I have this book at home, stumbled on it at a used book store several years ago. It's gorgeous, filled with black and white sketches and finished art, just a real treasure to behold.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.amazon.com/EYES-LIGHT-Fantasy-Drawings-Brunner/dp/1887591303/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1502290214&sr=8-7&keywords=frank+brunner+art+book
And reading this post today inspired me to zip over to Amazon and order the recent Doctor Strange Epic Collection that features Brunner's and Gene Colon's run with Englehart. I haven't read those stories in years, but they've always been some of my favorites in comics, period. So I'm excited to know I'll soon a nice collected edition of them on the shelf to reread! My wallet does not thank you, but I do!
Brunner's early work in fanzines and fannish magazines like Monster Times and Castle of Frankenstein is worth a long look. And he was pretty prolific. Not only did he do pin-ups and strips ("Smash Gordon" was in CoF before Marvel reprinted it), but some truly beautiful cover paintings.
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