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Artists whose older work you prefer to their newer
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44 posts in this topic

57 minutes ago, comicginger1789 said:

Are there any artists who have gotten BETTER with time? Or even maintained a level of excellence? Maybe I shouldn't derail the thread with these questions but...

There was a recent thread on this.  Sienkiewicz got a ton of votes.

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57 minutes ago, comicginger1789 said:

Are there any artists who have gotten BETTER with time? Or even maintained a level of excellence? Maybe I shouldn't derail the thread with these questions but...

I think Nick Cardy continued to get better, even in his late 80’s.  I’ve owned a few commissions he did when he was 88 or 89 and they were stunning.

Dale Keown continues to get better on Hulk and other work, covers, etc. 

Jose Luis Garcia Lopez.  The man gets better and better, and he can do no wrong.  

 

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BuraddoRun you answered the call!!!!

This is a great topic. When making your point don’t forget the influence inkers may have had on your “declining” artist of choice. Carlo started to touch on that.

For Byrne it’s easier as he did a lot of later work ALL without an inker. While I do see work I didn’t like as much with John I did find his Spider-Man Chapter One work charming.

Pablo Marcos (good man) as an inker I think ruined a few Pollard and Perez pages. Jack Abel mauled John Buscema’s Marvel Fanfare Silver Surfer art.

Vinnie “the eraser” Colletta erased many of Jacks intricate background pencils on books like Thor to save time 😭

With that in mind imagine Jack Kirby with Joe Sinnott excellent. Then seventies Giacoia Very Very good. Then D Bruce Berry. An inker can contribute to an artists decline.

 

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2 hours ago, jjonahjameson11 said:

I think Nick Cardy continued to get better, even in his late 80’s.  I’ve owned a few commissions he did when he was 88 or 89 and they were stunning.

Dale Keown continues to get better on Hulk and other work, covers, etc. 

Jose Luis Garcia Lopez.  The man gets better and better, and he can do no wrong.  

 

I much prefer early Hulk Keown over his later work.

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I think Portacio definitely improved from the early to the mid-90s.

Like...his Punisher stuff was good; his X-Factor/Uncanny X-Men work was phenomenal.

For consistency, I'd go with: 

Jim Lee (love him or hate him, he's pretty much doing the same high quality work now for DC that he did on X-Men and WildCATS).

And Jim Aparo. My generation's Batman artist. Full stop. From the mid-70s through the early '90s, his Batman work was just...solid.

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I am probably the only LSH / DC fan on this thread, but the one that usually gets dragged over these coals is Keith Giffen.

His early LSH work was classic; his later work for LSH (the 5 year later story line) and pretty much everything after is wildly different.

I actually enjoy both, but lots of LSH fans will lose their minds over the change.

Before:
See the source image

After:
See the source image

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Speaking of daredevil, Lee Weeks has gotten better with age. Not that he was poor before (especially with having Williamson inks). 
 

Frank Quitely’s art now has a mass appeal, which I didn’t find in his 90’s style. His 2000’s output was insanely good.  
 

Adam Hughes has hit another gear, over the last 10 years.  Technical advances have benefited many artists, along with doing their own coloring. 

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20 hours ago, alxjhnsn said:

I am probably the only LSH / DC fan on this thread, but the one that usually gets dragged over these coals is Keith Giffen.

His early LSH work was classic; his later work for LSH (the 5 year later story line) and pretty much everything after is wildly different.

I actually enjoy both, but lots of LSH fans will lose their minds over the change.

Before:
See the source image

After:
See the source image

That second one is actually better than the usual for late 80s Giffen LSH.  I was amazed how much the results from the same Giffen/Mahlstedt combo changed, from this fine, clean detail:

RCO005_1466217073.thumb.jpg.726d5cad679df8834a6957b7c348140b.jpg

To this much cruder, thicker work:

RCO018_1483605522.thumb.jpg.8d2cb4c9d9b8e864a467f27a9075b6e3.jpg

 

 

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51 minutes ago, RBerman said:

That second one is actually better than the usual for late 80s Giffen LSH.  I was amazed how much the results from the same Giffen/Mahlstedt combo changed, from this fine, clean detail:

Yeah, I just grabbed two examples of team shots. It was a shock when I picked the first 5YL book, but I really grew to enjoy it and the cover to LSH #4 is an all-time favorite.

Keith's Original                        Jim Lee's Tribute                     Keith's recreation for me

image.png.a5840229a7be20a8e8f04d36b167bf47.png image.png.baee7996638807eef95613d79da911f9.png  Giffen, Keith - Mon-El (LSH #4 recreation).jpg

Edited by alxjhnsn
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7 minutes ago, alxjhnsn said:

Yeah, I just grabbed two examples of team shots. It was a shock when I picked the first 5YL book, but I really grew to enjoy it and the cover to LSH #4 is an all-time favorite.

Keith's Original                        Jim Lee's Tribute                     Keith's recreation for me

image.png.a5840229a7be20a8e8f04d36b167bf47.png image.png.baee7996638807eef95613d79da911f9.png  Giffen, Keith - Mon-El (LSH #4 recreation).jpg

Mon-El must be a favorite for him. I tried to get a commission from him last year at Dragon Con. He was reluctant and ended up not doing it, but when I asked him which Legionnaire he'd prefer to do and then named a few, he immediately said, "Mon-El."

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2 hours ago, RBerman said:

Mon-El must be a favorite for him. I tried to get a commission from him last year at Dragon Con. He was reluctant and ended up not doing it, but when I asked him which Legionnaire he'd prefer to do and then named a few, he immediately said, "Mon-El."

He does at home commissions on occasion. Contact Spencer Beck at spencerbck@aol.com / The Artist's Choice.

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I like the old stuff better! Michael Golden. Tony Harris. Bisley. Art Adams. Michael Lark. 

Guys who remain excellent - PCR, Simonson. BWS! Paul Smith

Getting better all the time - JHW3, Andy MacDonald (love this guy and he is growing nicely).

I think some artists feel stagnant at times and try new things and not always for the better. 

 

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