Hey, Kids! Comics from 50 Years Ago!
May 26 & 28, 1970
Groovy Age Splash Page of the Week
Groovy Age Spotlight On...Gil Kane "In the Rough(s)!"
All of Groove-dom knows that Gil Kane was the main cover-man at Marvel in the early-to-mid 1970s. Here are a bunch of cover roughs/preliminaries (which yers trooly scrounged from all over the interwebs) for some famous (and not-so-famous but still pretty cool) Kane kovers that Made Ours Marvel during the Groovy Age!
All of Groove-dom knows that Gil Kane was the main cover-man at Marvel in the early-to-mid 1970s. Here are a bunch of cover roughs/preliminaries (which yers trooly scrounged from all over the interwebs) for some famous (and not-so-famous but still pretty cool) Kane kovers that Made Ours Marvel during the Groovy Age!
I own the entire run of Green Lantern/Green Arrow, and #78, as with the rest of the series, is superb. I think the colourist should have toned down the yellow background a bit, as it clashes with Black Canary's hair.
ReplyDeleteNice to see Gil Kane's cover roughs, but I'm a bit puzzled by the first one. John Romita Sr. Is credited with drawing the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #151, on which it is based:
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Amazing_Spider-Man_Vol_1_151
Seems Gil should have had some sort of credit for his layout. I frankly thought it was John's best cover after he left off drawing the interior stories.
Regards,
Chris A.
Grand Comics Database credits Kane with penciling the cover for ASM #151, Chris, as do several other sources. I think the fact that Romita's inks are so strong makes it hard for some to know for sure, but to me, the positioning of Spidey's legs, especially, make me pretty sure it's Kane pencils. If not, Romita stayed very close to Kane's rough/layout. There were a lot of Bullpenners who churned out cover roughs for other artists to draw and were rarely credited for them. Jim Starlin and Ed Hannigan leap immediately to mind. Some definite fodder for some good art detectives (and perhaps future posts)!
DeleteWhile I enjoy the Adams-Giordano cover art for Detective Comics no. 401 it's funny to look at a number of these from six months ahead and behind it, and to see the formula: in most of these Bats is being threatened by a projectile of some sort, be it a crossbow bolt here, or a giant fountain pen, a sword swinging down upon him, or a pistol being fired at him.
ReplyDeleteGene Poole
Well, at least they didn't have the House of Mystery gimmick covers with kids hiding from a distance, watching it happen. :)
Delete- Neil
That GL/GA comic is the first series issue I bought.
ReplyDeleteIt sure was a powerhouse when it was new. Some elements haven't dated well, but the art is gorgeous, and Denny has many fine moments in the writing. Frankly, there was nothing else in the mainstream like it at the time, especially at DC. A much needed step forward.
DeleteRegards,
Chris A.
gil kane rocks
ReplyDeleteGil Kane drew comics for 50 years! Very prolific and known for his keen attention to human anatomy. He also designed Green Lantern's silver age costume and co-created Iron Fist.
ReplyDeleteGene Poole
I loved Gil's pencils, but didn't like it when he inked with markers. When Romita inked him on Spidey the combination was tremendous.
DeleteRegards,
Chris A.
I dig the Colan-Palmer Daredevil splash, but the men in the copter seem too large for the cockpit. S'pose they had to be for the reader to get their reactions to DD.
ReplyDelete- Neil