If Jack Kirby was the king of comics, was Alex Schomburg the king of covers in the GA? 2 2

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

We shouldn't leave out Carl Barks.

 

Or Walt Kelly...

 

Barks and Kelly are genius of a different ilk!

[woowoo]

Barks was terrible at Nazi bondage GGA covers!

 

 

He was great at bondage Ducks What you dont like duck.

[buttock]

There were lots of great cover artists, but Schomburg was arguably a master at drawing detailed bridges, planes, tanks, ships, and machinery,

 

Go back and look at Fine's Quality work.

[Primetime]

There were lots of great cover artists, but Schomburg was arguably a master at drawing detailed bridges, planes, tanks, ships, and machinery,

 

Go back and look at Fine's Quality work.

he was very good as well. The timely fan in me favors Schomburg.

[adamstrange]

There were lots of great cover artists, but Schomburg was arguably a master at drawing detailed bridges, planes, tanks, ships, and machinery,

 

Go back and look at Fine's Quality work.

Or Raboy's Green Lama 2

[Cat-Man_America]

While it's tempting to do a popularity contest of favorite artists, that kind of thread is entirely subjective. What I was hoping for is a more objective consideration of the cover art produced in the GA. A prolific cover artist was in high demand and capable of meeting rigorous deadlines while depicting a wide array of characters for multiple publishers.

 

I'm trying to leave personal bias out of the equation. There are cover artists that I'd consider every bit the equal of Schomburg, but when closely scrutinized their body of work may not stand up as well for one reason or another. Some great cover artists turned out far fewer GA covers than Alex or produced work that was spotty (inconsistent quality). Others had the support of great colorists who made their work stand out.

 

Of those who turned out consistently great GA covers Mac Raboy (Capt. Marvel Jr., Green Lama) and Reed Crandall (Hit, Military & Blackhawk) come to mind, but did they produce as many covers as Alex or Jack? I love Lou Fine's work at both Fox and Quality, but his covers are relatively few in number and vary greatly in execution. Barks was a superb illustrator, but his GA cover work is pretty much limited to Disney's Donald Duck (long underwear trumps feathers).

 

In terms of numbers, Jack Kirby and Alex Schomburg seem to be the most prolific and memorable GA cover artists. My

[thehumantorch]

We shouldn't leave out Carl Barks.

 

I always love Barks for his writing.

[Vision75]

Great post! Although his style changed dramatically over 10 years - pulpy to slightly cartoony action/bondage to airbrushed good girls - he always left a strong impression. The fact that Schomburg produced so prolifically and that he was successful at so many styles leaves me no choice but to conclude...Schomburg is King of the GA Cover!

 

 

 

 

[Sqeggs]

If volume is an important consideration, then I think it comes down to Schomburg, Kirby, and Cole. I love Raboy's work, but he was a notoriously slow worker--apparently often missing deadlines--and his total output is too low to compare with the big three.

 

Matt Baker produced a high volume of first-rate work but mainly in the time span 1950-1954, so he's probably out. (But I wouldn't rule him out because underwear beats skirts! )

 

Barks was a genius, but if he was known only for his covers, I don't believe we would think so. In addition to which, of course, Kelly did the covers for most of the early WDC&S that contain Barks's 10-page DD stories.

 

I'm not sure that Eisner, Fine, Kelly, and some of the other suggestions meet the volume criterion.

 

So ... here is my ranking of the big three:

 

1. Kirby -- You're still the King, baby!

 

2. Schomburg

 

3. Cole -- Wonderful work in a variety of genres

 

I could probably be talked into swapping 2. and 3., though.

[buttock]

I have a hard time equating Schomburg with Kirby. Kirby was a fountain of ideas and creativity. Schomburg was the American Idol of GA -- "Hey, this looks good. Do it again... 600 times."

 

Yes Schomburg was great, but doing one thing very well is the exact opposite of what Kirby did.

[piper]

Personally, I'd go with LB Cole.

 

I like a lot of Schomburg's work but find his war covers on the whole too busy and over the top. I know that sounds like sacrilege to some. That said, I'm on the look out for a nice lower mid grade All Select 1.

 

 

[bluechip]

Not to take anything away from Jack Kirby whose action packed covers, interiors, inspired panel designs partnered with the artistic sensibilities and business mind of Joe Simon spanned decades and several style transitions. But with rare exception Jack Kirby's best known GA work occurred while working for DC during the war years after leaving Timely. I think it's safe to say that Jack's crown is secure, but as a prolific artist he's best known for his stylistic interiors, and his covers often seem like an afterthought in comparison.

 

By contrast, Alex's cover art seems designed to spur the imagination. More like a snapshot than a story it makes you want to pick the book up and look inside to see what went on before and after the event. I reckon it was a race flipping through the pages before the drugstore clerk grabbed kid's ear lobes and made 'em pluck down a dime for the privilage.

 

 

Never thought of it that way before but it's a good and interesting supposition. Schomburg was the first artist whose work I noticed purely for his covers. And it may feel like he did "one thing" great but when that one thing is drawing dynamic covers for multiple genres, it is no small thing.

 

There is lots of love for his horror covers like suspense 3, but as a kid I was drawn to the WW2 covers, especially those loopy incredibly detailed images of outlandish Nazi war machines attacking New York, complete with caption balloons pointing arrows at Nazi divers to tell you they are Nazi divers. And the covers that combined WW2 action with horror, depicting Nazis as quite literally monsters (Hitler with a giant green head and a worm coming out his ear). Just the sort of thing an eight year old would draw, except that he did it with the skill of a master and professional

Edited September 7, 2015 by bluechip

[Robot Man]

L.B. Cole is a great choice but I have to go with Schomburg. His longevity in the business, changing of styles, and the fact he worked for so many publishers. His covers always just grab me. I'd dump my dime on most all his books if I were a kid.

 

Kirby is the man for longevity of career as well. I've never been a big fan of his '40's work but his Marvel stuff is the bomb and defined the Silver Age.

[Dr. Love]

I know this is about GA, but I think it applies loosely.

 

The thing about the King is for better or worse he stayed the King. From a promo in the 40's to Fourth World, you take one look and it's yeh that's Jack. Schomie on the other hand...evolved. While you can trace some of that through his comic work, it is more strangely evident in his work on a different title for Ned Pines, Everyday Astrology. Never considered a pulp, but pulp like in length with no overhang and seemingly better production values. Astrology was pretty popular from the turn of the century on, and I assume this publication was almost equally split between male and female readership.

 

Many are familiar with the cover work of the Schomburg brothers, Alex and August, on the pulp Flying Aces, starting in the 30's. But Everyday Astrology was Alex's own gig, a steady monthly - cover and interior illustrations. Before comics and after them. If you wanted to see his treatment of one particular specialized subject over a fairly large span of time, from 1938 to 1956 - this would be the place to look.

 

Art Deco - Schomburg Style - Xela - Abstract - PhotoRealism. This title had it all.

 

 

1938

 

 

1939

 

 

1942

 

 

1943

 

 

1944

 

 

1949

 

 

1950

 

 

1951

 

 

1952

 

 

1956

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sqeggs]

Neat stuff!

[Cat-Man_America]

Absolutely amazing commercial/modern art styles!

 

Awesome stuff, and thanks for providing the timeline. (thumbs u

[Phantalien]

I think that one of the best things since beginning on this site has been the discovery of these golden age artists whom I have never heard of and as I see examples of their work, on comics that I can never afford

 

Since I do not know too much about the artists and covers I feel like my opinion would be moot, but I will say that Alex Schomburg was probably the best artist discovery since joining the site.

 

I wish there was a book out there, like a time life series, that would focus on the art and work of a golden age artist. Volume 1 Schomburg... Volume 2 Flessel... and for a limited time you can get this Plastic Man doll all for 3 easy payments of XXXXX

[Cat-Man_America]

I think that one of the best things since beginning on this site has been the discovery of these golden age artists whom I have never heard of and as I see examples of their work, on comics that I can never afford

 

Since I do not know too much about the artists and covers I feel like my opinion would be moot, but I will say that Alex Schomburg was probably the best artist discovery since joining the site.

 

I wish there was a book out there, like a time life series, that would focus on the art and work of a golden age artist. Volume 1 Schomburg... Volume 2 Flessel... and for a limited time you can get this Plastic Man doll all for 3 easy payments of XXXXX

 

There are books; this one is excellent, but the hardcover's a little pricey...

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Chroma-Alex-Schomburg-Jon-Gustafson/dp/0936861002/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441986680&sr=8-1&keywords=alex+schomburg

[comicstock]

Charles Biro

[Cat-Man_America]

Schomburg's first SF pulp cover (1939) credited in the Chorma book is also available as a pulp recreation...

 

http://www.amazon.com/Startling-Stories-Adventure-House-Presents/dp/1597985082/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1441987413&sr=8-3&keywords=alex+schomburg

 

 

Those aliens look strangely familiar, must be related to these guys...