Paul Levitz's "Neal Adams: Force of Nature - An Appreciation"

Above, Paul Levitz and Mrs. Jerome Siegel at the Superman week
 luncheon in Los Angeles, July 2001. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When his "big burst" upon the comics scene came around 1967-68, my first reaction was neither liking his work nor hating it. It was just so different. Later, when he started drawing Batman and Deadman stories, his work really grew on me.

Above, Superman #204 cover by Neal Adams.

Neal Adams was a giant in the comic book industry. His passing two days ago caused a huge outpouring of appreciation of his artistic talent and leadership in artists' rights that revolutionized the comic book industry.

Above, Neal Adams and yours truly at the 2012 Comikaze Expo in Los Angeles.

One such outpouring of appreciation came from former DC Comics President Paul Levitz that was posted at 13th Dimension. It is an excellent read. 

It begins with:

Comics has lost a force of nature. Neal Adams was a magnificent artist, but that might have been the least of his talents. It would have been enough if he had just been an artist, of course: being one of the two newcomers to comics in the 1960s (with Jim Steranko) that rekindled the aspirations of a generation to reshape the pages of comics; drawing the definitive Batman that Neal would argue with his customary modesty would make possible billions of dollars of revenue for the company; moving the world of American comic art back from design (exemplified by Carmine Infantino) and exaggerated cartooning (as leaped from the pencil of Jack Kirby) to a new balance of dynamism and illustration; and entertaining so many millions of us.

To read the rest of Levitz's appreciation of Neal Adams, go here. 

Arlen Shumer Salute To Superman Artist Curt Swan

Above, a Curt Swan/George Klein Superman (no. 174) cover from the 1960s.

As this week is being called "Superman Week" in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Superman, Arlen Schumer has an article at 13th Dimension.com saluting the definitive Superman artist, Curt Swan.

The article begins with:

To the Baby Boom Generation that grew up on his work, Curt Swan (1920-1996) was, is, and forever will be the definitive Superman artist. 

Over the course of his almost-four decade run on the character (1948-1986), Swan depicted many of the landmark events that became touchstones in the lives of the Superman family. His versions of familiar aspects of the character’s iconography, from the scenes of a doomed Krypton to sights of Superman soaring above the Metropolis skyline, became the new icons against which all succeeding Superman artists are judged. 

As the Superman character evolved from the Golden Age to the Silver Age, “Mort Weisinger (Superman editor 1945-70) felt we should get a little more humanistic qualities into him,” Swan recalled in a 1974 Cartoonist Profile interview. “We wanted people to relate to him better, make him a little more believable.” 

That believeability came across in Swan’s characters’ faces — young or old, male or female, hero or villain, monster or alien — which he endowed with a spectrum of human emotions, from agony to anger, mournful to mirthful, that remains one of the hallmarks of his realistic style.

To read the full article, go here. 

Caroline Munro: Greatest Talia There Never Was

Above, Caroline Munro and Armand at Monsterpalooza 2012.

An interesting article was linked at a Neal Adams Facebook page on actress Caroline Munro. It was posted by 13th Dimension.

The premise of the article is that Munro would have been the best Talia (daughter of Ra's al Ghul) ever in a Batman movie. Unfortunately, she never got the chance, but she does bear a striking resemblance to Talia in the Batman comic books.

The article has plenty of photos of Munro to enjoy.

Also mentioned in the article was that yesterday was Munro's 68th birthday (born January 16, 1949).

A happy belated birthday to Caroline Munro!