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Post by woodside on Jun 24, 2011 7:40:21 GMT -5
From Comic Book Resources (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=32956):
"Writer Clifford Meth shares the sad news that comics legend Gene Colan has died. He was 84. Colan was in poor health for some time and passed away following a broken hip and complications from liver disease.
Colan is considered one of the premier Silver Age Marvel artists, illustrating some of the best known comics characters of all time including Captain America, Doctor Strange and the characters he's most associated with, Daredevil, as well as Blade, a character he co-created with writer Marv Wolfman. Colan also contributed work at DC Comics, with the majority of it seen in the pages of “Batman” and “Detective Comics.” Colan's last major achievement came in 2009, contributing to "Captain America" #601 with Ed Brubaker, which was awarded the Eisner Award for Best Single Issue.
CBR will have a full remembrance of Colan on Friday by columnist George Khoury. In the meantime, those looking to learn more about this major artistic talent should read this panel report from 2009’s Comic-Con International, our interview with Colan from 2009 or this extensive interview that looks back on Colan’s career conducted in 2000.
The staff of CBR would like to offer their condolences to Colan’s family and friends. Comics has truly lost one of its greatest artists."
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Post by humanbelly on Jun 24, 2011 8:21:02 GMT -5
Oh golly, this is too bad-- although not unexpected, I imagine. Sharkar is, of course, one of our biggest Gene Colan fans, and will have a comment, I've no doubt. I'm sure I've mentioned elsethread about how, on top of all of his terrific recognized work (Daredevil, Iron Man, Tomb of Dracula, etc), GC kind of had a body of not-so-recognized masterpieces as well. His run (largely as Adam Austin) on Sub-Mariner's feature in Tales to Astonish was visually years ahead of similar work that we'd see down the road from Neil Adams & Steranko & John Buscema. And, honestly, this is almost embarrassing to say, but Howard the Duck surely wouldn't have lasted the two or three years that it did if it weren't GC's artwork somehow lending a visual legitimacy to an otherwise painfully self-indulgent book. (Mind you, I loved it at the time. . . ). He managed to make Doctor Bong both silly and formidable all at once-- and that was the only prayer for that character. (No offense to our own Doc B, naturally). Thanks for the notice, Woodside. It's been too long since we've heard from ya--- but I do recognize that we drive you crazy 'round here every so often, so it's certainly understandable.  ;D ;D HB |
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Post by sharkar on Aug 11, 2011 19:57:55 GMT -5
Boy, back in the late '60s you couldn't walk past a newsstand or spinner rack without seeing a Colan cover:  I think the first time I was aware of Colan's work was in Marvel Superheroes #15, the Medusa story--I just loved this story and the Colan-Colletta art:  Though I have to admit I was shocked almost a year later when I opened Avengers #63 and I saw Colan's Avengers. They looked so strange, so unfinished--so different from the classic perfection of the Buscema-Klein rendition. I remember being sooo disappointed by this issue back then. Thankfully over the years my taste improved and I developed an appreciation for Gentleman Gene's truly innovative and accomplished art.   BTW, did you know that Colan's work had graced the pages of the Avengers comic prior to #63? Okay, so it was just a couple of panels ;D... but check out Avengers #26, page 5. The issue is drawn by Don Heck, but in Avengers #26 we see Colan's Namor (a paste-up from the splash of Tales to Astonish #70) ...  ...and this image of Jan in #26 is also Colan's, from Tales to Astonish #78 (Hank and Jan appeared in the Namor story in TtA #78, this story segued into Avengers #26).  R.I.P. Mr. Colan. |
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Post by humanbelly on Aug 12, 2011 18:34:30 GMT -5
Boy, back in the late '60s you couldn't walk past a newsstand or spinner rack without seeing a Colan cover: VERY fun post, here, Shar. . . man, what a terrific collage of images-! The cover-pose repetition is hilarious-- and I recall at some point you talking about the fact that John Buscema (was it?) was adamant in his practice of getting a figure's limbs ALL AS FAR APART AS POSSIBLE, as it enhanced the visual dynamics of the moment (or something similar). Clearly, Gene C was not one to take a back seat in this department, if he had anything to say about it. The absurdity progression here goes from Medusa (possible-- but not too lady-like) to Goliath (possible, but neither stable nor comfortable) to Capt. Marvel (only possible if he's laying on the floor) to Iron Man (well. . . not possible unless he's had massive tendon & joint extraction surgery. . . or if he's any Olympic gymnast/contortionist). But that Iron Man #1 cover is absolutely iconic, yes? It's funny & cool & endearing all at once. Did we ever see this costume again? It's very unfamiliar to me-- and doesn't seem "Inhumanish". . . I guess. I haven't kept up with the Inhumans for quite some time, but I'd never felt over the many, many years that she ever had a costume that looked good on her or suited her powers. For much of the silver age she looked appallingly frumpy (even as a kid, that was my impression). Hmmm-- it's the hair. The costume needs to be simple (yet elegant)-- and all that huge mass of red hair needs to be used as her visual hook. I guess a form-fitting, long-sleeved, high-necked, emerald-green gown would be out of the question. . . ? But what a great sequence that botched rooftop landing is, right? Nearly every detail and element has a plausibility-factor of about zero, but Gene's urgent, dynamic visuals combined with Roy's breathless, overwrought, quip-in-the-face-of-danger dialog gets you to effortlessly overlook the fact that a) the Vision somehow "phases" a solid arrow through the hull of the ship; b) when Hawkeye's magnetic arrow and line "anchor" the ship at the last second, SOMETHING would have to give (roof, arrow, line, the ship itself. . . SOMETHING); c) Oh lordy, all of the talking and conferring and hollering and planning A, B & C that takes place during a crisis that couldn't realistically last more than 5 seconds. Ha! There's time for Hawkeye to snap a bowstring at the last second. . . and they STILL come up with another idea?!? Gotta love these resourceful lugs, eh? But my point, of course, is that I LOVE this sequence, I really do! It gets the ol' pulserate pumping, and it shows our guys operating comfortably and smoothly as a team during an unexpected crisis. Wow, and this level of keen-eyed detective work is why we're all your biggest fans, Sharkar. Sure, you've got your academic & cultural hands in other pies, no doubt, but we're the folks what appreciates ya th' most--- always remember! HB |
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Post by sharkar on Aug 23, 2011 19:56:39 GMT -5
First of all, HB, I hope you and your family are no worse for the wear vis-a-vis the earthquake earlier today. The same goes for anyone else on thse boards who was in the affected areas. Boy, back in the late '60s you couldn't walk past a newsstand or spinner rack without seeing a Colan cover: VERY fun post, here, Shar. . . man, what a terrific collage of images-! The cover-pose repetition is hilarious-- As usual, you get the method to my madness, HB! ;D But what a great sequence that botched rooftop landing is, right? Nearly every detail and element has a plausibility-factor of about zero, but Gene's urgent, dynamic visuals combined with Roy's breathless, overwrought, quip-in-the-face-of-danger dialog gets you to effortlessly overlook the fact that a) the Vision somehow "phases" a solid arrow through the hull of the ship; b) when Hawkeye's magnetic arrow and line "anchor" the ship at the last second, SOMETHING would have to give (roof, arrow, line, the ship itself. . . SOMETHING); c) Oh lordy, all of the talking and conferring and hollering and planning A, B & C that takes place during a crisis that couldn't realistically last more than 5 seconds. Ha! There's time for Hawkeye to snap a bowstring at the last second. . . and they STILL come up with another idea?!? Gotta love these resourceful lugs, eh? Great description of a great sequence. I can't believe I was so unappreciative of it back when I was a young'un! |
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Post by sharkar on Aug 23, 2011 20:10:29 GMT -5
Re Medusa in MSH #15: Did we ever see this costume again? It's very unfamiliar to me-- and doesn't seem "Inhumanish". . . I guess. True, Colan drew a cowl-like collar, and the coloring is miles away from Medusa's 1960s somber colored garb, but I think this costume is just a variation on the traditional Kirby look. Note that Colan retained the Kirby designed gloves and boots as well as the M belt.   The costume needs to be simple (yet elegant)-- and all that huge mass of red hair needs to be used as her visual hook. I guess a form-fitting, long-sleeved, high-necked, emerald-green gown would be out of the question. . . ? Something like this? Okay, so it's not exactly a gown, but it is form-fitting, long-sleeved, high-necked and green...  Courtesy of Romita Sr. Though why she sported orange hair (instead of her usual tomato red) in that ASM story is beyond me. (And yes, as many have noted, it appears this Romita design was adapted later on for another redhead, Jean Grey--and Cyclops--when the original X-Factor was formed.) Anyay, as far as I know the only other time Medusa wore this green outfit was in Alan Davis' Fantastic Four: The End from a few years ago. He drew her beautifully. |
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Post by sharkar on Aug 23, 2011 20:25:45 GMT -5
Wow, and this level of keen-eyed detective work is why we're all your biggest fans, Sharkar. Sure, you've got your academic & cultural hands in other pies, no doubt, but we're the folks what appreciates ya th' most--- always remember! Ah, no detective work involved, HB--just happened to sit down and finally read the Sub-Mariner Essentials (comprising Namor's Tales to Astonish series) not too long ago; and since I'm so familiar with the Silver Age Avengers comics (having read them over and over and over again...), these panels jumped out at me. It was an "aha!" moment. ;D It's interesting to me now as an adult how often paste ups/art corrections were used. As a kid I guess I assumed that comics sprung fully formed from a writer and artist (a la Athena from Zeus' brow, I guess), but there were many hands in the mix. |
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Post by humanbelly on Aug 24, 2011 14:39:56 GMT -5
Re Medusa in MSH #15: The costume needs to be simple (yet elegant)-- and all that huge mass of red hair needs to be used as her visual hook. I guess a form-fitting, long-sleeved, high-necked, emerald-green gown would be out of the question. . . ? Something like this? Okay, so it's not exactly a gown, but it is form-fitting, long-sleeved, high-necked and green... Courtesy of Romita Sr. Though why she sported orange hair (instead of her usual tomato red) in that ASM story is beyond me. (And yes, as many have noted, it appears this Romita design was adapted later on for another redhead, Jean Grey--and Cyclops--when the original X-Factor was formed.) Anyay, as far as I know the only other time Medusa wore this green outfit was in Alan Davis' Fantastic Four: The End from a few years ago. He drew her beautifully. Bless my bumpy soul-- how did I miss this ? I own this old issue of Spidey-! Boy, could the X-factorish design be any more prescient? But yes, I do prefer this outfit to almost any of her others--- although I think something more flowing/gown-like would be much more suitable for the elegant nature of her powers and royal status. Say, I'll bet the reason she isn't a tomato-redhead here is because the book was already featuring a recently-introduced tomato-redhead: our beloved Mary Jane. (Although her hair sometimes trended toward nearly burgandy back then. . . ). No doubt there was concern that the very casual reader would lose track of which redhead was whom-- or even think they were the same character. . . HB |
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Post by humanbelly on Aug 26, 2011 21:07:46 GMT -5
First of all, HB, I hope you and your family are no worse for the wear vis-a-vis the earthquake earlier today. The same goes for anyone else on thse boards who was in the affected areas. Oops, didn't mean to keep everyone worrying (although by yakking away, I'm sure folks are aware that the Humanbelly That Speaks Like a Man is in fine shape. . .as well as his family of Littlebellies. Saw a decrepit chimney fall down across the alley from my work; hung around outside our building for an hour; had a MISERABLE traffic jam getting home; lots of little things fell down or over at home. It was all kind of neat, and yet a major annoyance at the same time. Tomorrow, of course, we'll be having a hurricane. Which Sharkar is MUCH more in the path of, I believe. Get outta town, Shar! Before they close the transit system! If Manhattan washes away, Hercules can put it back in place for ya. . .! (Albeit backwards-- ala Marvel Team-up #28. There's the obscure reference for today. . .) Man, and bobc's enduring a historical drought, isn't that right? I don't want to be a worry-wart, but Doc Bong I do believe a plague of frogs may be headed your way. . . HB |
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Post by Doctor Bong Crosby on Aug 28, 2011 13:56:59 GMT -5
A plague of frogs I would take any day, as I'm not fond of flies!  So long as all our firstborns remain safe... ;D. |
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Post by humanbelly on Sept 9, 2011 18:14:43 GMT -5
A plague of frogs I would take any day, as I'm not fond of flies! So long as all our firstborns remain safe... ;D. Floods. I forgot to consider floods. Which we've now also had-- with an extremely unusual (for this area) loss of four lives. Man. . . and other than Alexandria, and the Southwest DC waterfront, floods aren't ever an issue around here. . . HB |
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Post by sharkar on Sept 24, 2011 15:43:29 GMT -5
Floods. I forgot to consider floods. Which we've now also had-- with an extremely unusual (for this area) loss of four lives.  So sorry to hear that. Say, I'll bet the reason she isn't a tomato-redhead here is because the book was already featuring a recently-introduced tomato-redhead: our beloved Mary Jane. (Although her hair sometimes trended toward nearly burgandy back then. . . ). No doubt there was concern that the very casual reader would lose track of which redhead was whom-- or even think they were the same character. . . Ah, that's a very good point, HB! (Even if, some issues later, in ASM#86, the new look Black Widow shows up with tomato red hair -- instead of her usual black hair -- and even sports a new, somewhat Mary Jane-ish hairdo!) But I do agree that the reader "confusion" you mention is spot-on. For example, it's probably why Alicia--after years of having pale orange hair in the FF comic, all of a sudden shows up with brown hair in FF #79--I think it's because her pale orange hair was too similar to newcomer Crystal's orange hair. Not only that, I think the difference was to help the colorists (the pale orange and the medium orange had similar codes in the color guides). But boy, did I hate that brown hair for Alicia (and in FF #101 she inexplicably showed up with blue-black hair!) Eventually she returned to the pale orange hair. And yes, I know in real life people (especially women) color their hair, but d**n it, back in the Silver Age we anal fans demanded visual consistency for "our" comic book characters!! ;D |
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Post by redstatecap on Nov 12, 2011 11:58:14 GMT -5
Haven't been here in a long time, but I'm sorry to hear that Gene Colan died. We spoke a few times via email and he was very gracious.
RSC
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Post by woodside on Nov 12, 2011 21:49:52 GMT -5
That was a great post, sharkar. Very well done.
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Post by sharkar on Nov 14, 2011 20:11:27 GMT -5
I appreciate that, W--thank you.  And it's always great to hear from you and from our talented artist friend RSC. I know we're all busy these days, but I hope you gentlemen will stop by here more often! |
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;D ;D
So long as all our firstborns remain safe... ;D.
So sorry to hear that. 
