Black and White Wednesday: Original John Buscema Cover Art
Dig it, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove was just wandering around the interwebs and stumbled across a variety of bee-yoo-tee-ful scans of original John Buscema cover art for Groovy Age Marvel. These are some of yers trooly's fave Big John-penciled covers (inked by the best of the best). Wanna see some of 'em? Yeah, Ol' Groove thought you would...
John Buscema was very solid, but often very formulaic in his journeyman Marvel work. Taking on Tarzan allowed him to do what he enjoyed most: figure drawing without a lot of complex costumes.
Silver Surfer #4 is regarded as his masterwork, but parts of #3 come close.
Check out The John Buscema Sketchbook published by Vanguard many years ago. Lots of powerful gesture drawings & some of his advertising & illustration work (prior to his return to comics in 1966) are featured there.
If I had been an editor on Epic Illustrated magazine I would have told John to put aside the Marvel method & to go for it in some non-comics approaches to drawing. He was more than capable.
Silver Surfer # 4 was a masterwork. Definitely Big John at his best. Too bad he didn't draw like that all the time. But Marvel valued his speed more than anything and so much of the time we are left with layouts and breakdowns. I'm sure SS # 4 was full pencils finished by his favorite embellisher, brother Sal.
Not a big fan of Buscema. But these covers are nice.
ReplyDeleteJohn Buscema was very solid, but often very formulaic in his journeyman Marvel work. Taking on Tarzan allowed him to do what he enjoyed most: figure drawing without a lot of complex costumes.
ReplyDeleteSilver Surfer #4 is regarded as his masterwork, but parts of #3 come close.
Check out The John Buscema Sketchbook published by Vanguard many years ago. Lots of powerful gesture drawings & some of his advertising & illustration work (prior to his return to comics in 1966) are featured there.
If I had been an editor on Epic Illustrated magazine I would have told John to put aside the Marvel method & to go for it in some non-comics approaches to drawing. He was more than capable.
Best regards,
Chris A.
Silver Surfer # 4 was a masterwork. Definitely Big John at his best. Too bad he didn't draw like that all the time. But Marvel valued his speed more than anything and so much of the time we are left with layouts and breakdowns. I'm sure SS # 4 was full pencils finished by his favorite embellisher, brother Sal.
ReplyDelete