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Eric Ladd Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 August 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 4506
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Posted: 26 July 2017 at 7:00am | IP Logged | 1
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I agree, Robby. Measuring a run by time can be misleading. Measuring the number of pages completed is at least more telling. Andrew mentioned Mark Bagley, didn't he do a book a week one year? Jim Aparo didn't work on lots of different characters, but it is plain to see he loved what he was doing and paid close attention to almost every aspect of his art. JB doesn't have a 100+ consecutive run on a book, but he has touched most every major character in comic books, created new characters that stand the test of time and in almost every case left an indelible mark with fans always wanting more. While page counts, body of work, etc. are all nice subjects to talk about we shouldn't ignore how the artists feel about their accomplishments. I can speculate on a few creators/artists that seem to have not only enjoyed creating comics, but must have been compelled by their DNA. While others seem to have one foot out the door regarding comics and me wishing they hadn't stayed as long as they did.
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Robbie Parry Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 June 2007 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 12186
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Posted: 26 July 2017 at 7:12am | IP Logged | 2
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While others seem to have one foot out the door regarding comics and me wishing they hadn't stayed as long as they did.
***
Agreed.
I mean, I am not gonna include Jim Lee in that necessarily (he appears to like superheroes), but not finishing art on a very-delayed book because you're working on a Justice League videogame is pretty lame. They should have either given the videogame project to someone else or let someone else draw ASB.
I know videogames and the like weren't around in the early 60s, and only in their infancy really in the 80s, but I cannot imagine Lee/Kirby or our host causing major delays to go and work on some pet project.
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John Cole Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 02 March 2008 Location: United States Posts: 504
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Posted: 26 July 2017 at 7:37am | IP Logged | 3
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Sal Buscema's 100+ issue run on Spectacular Spider-Man would constitute a good run in which he inked most of the isues too.
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Adam Schulman Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 22 July 2017 Posts: 1717
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Posted: 26 July 2017 at 7:43am | IP Logged | 4
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Well, Chris Claremont wrote or co-wrote UNCANNY X-MEN for 16 years. That's pretty damn long.
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Jason Larouse Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 May 2011 Posts: 515
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Posted: 26 July 2017 at 9:13am | IP Logged | 5
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I've always considered 38 issues the standard for a solid run because that's how long Ditko was on Spider-Man. That length has just stuck in my brain for some reason.
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Bryan White Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 01 February 2005 Posts: 460
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Posted: 26 July 2017 at 10:26am | IP Logged | 6
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I think 100 issues is the good number for a long run.
Nexus ran from 1981 - 1991, basically, and a bit over 100 issues. Of course Rude didn't work on all of them. I think Baron did.
A satisfying run, now that can be shorter. JB's work on Superman; That was a satisfying run of comics!
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Andrew W. Farago Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 19 July 2005 Location: United States Posts: 4067
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Posted: 26 July 2017 at 12:57pm | IP Logged | 7
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I guess I normally assumed that when artists reach a certain status, it's THEIR choice when to leave a book or not. But apparently not. We've gotten used to prima donna artists who leave after three issues, but we've forgotten that there are good professionals who would love to have a regular gig, working on the same series for two or more years.
There are a lot of moving parts on every single book. When an artist leaves after three issues, it could mean that he only had a three-issue contract, that the editor already had different plans for the next three-issue arc, that the artist felt that he wasn't a good fit for the book (or the editor did, or the writer did), or that the artist had any number of other reasons that a potentially ongoing job turned into a three-month stint.
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Jason Larouse Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 May 2011 Posts: 515
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Posted: 26 July 2017 at 3:11pm | IP Logged | 8
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It seems like all the artists who do really long runs do them on indy books and not Marvel and DC books now. Like the guy who does Walking Dead has been on it for well over 10 years and the girl who draws Saga has been on it for over 5 years. There are a few others like that.
My pet theory is that being an artist who can draw 20+ comics in a timely manner is such a rarity now that the ones still capable of it go to the popular indy books, because they make a much larger chunk of the profit and own the rights to the property.
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Eric Sofer Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 31 January 2014 Location: United States Posts: 4789
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Posted: 26 July 2017 at 3:52pm | IP Logged | 9
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Eric Ladd: "Jim Aparo didn't work on a lot of characters..."
Well, he did have a hell of a run on "Brave and the Bold"... I have trouble of thinking of DC artists who did a lot MORE characters! Even Sekowsky and Dillin might fall by the side... :)
I think we have three different definitions of "long run" here...
1) Continuous issues printed - such as Justice League of America or Fantastic Four.
2) Prolific production - such as Curt Swan on Superman or maybe Gene Colan on Daredevil.
3) A flip back to the scat back who blows through the linebackers and... oh, never mind! ;)
So... who is going to make it? We'll find out...
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Robbie Parry Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 June 2007 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 12186
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Posted: 26 July 2017 at 4:16pm | IP Logged | 10
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I guess we could factor in those who worked on newspaper strips - but it hardly seems like a "fair fight". With all due respect, it isn't the same volume of work.
Maurice Dodd wrote THE PERISHERS from 1959 until 1983. And then from 1983 onwards, he wrote *and* drew it until 2005. That's 46 years writing/drawing the strip.
But, and again I mean it with respect, impressive though it is, it is quite the same? Most newspaper strips, certainly here in the UK, are 4-5 panels long. They appear daily (usually weekdays, sometimes six days a week). Good work and I respect it, but it's not 22 pages a month.
How do we compare/quantity it?
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Tim Cousar Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 May 2006 Location: United States Posts: 1665
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Posted: 26 July 2017 at 4:28pm | IP Logged | 11
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I loved Aparo's work on Brave and the Bold, and I wish he'd had a run with the Marvel Family.
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William Costello Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 30 August 2012 Location: United States Posts: 736
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Posted: 26 July 2017 at 7:48pm | IP Logged | 12
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One of my favorite series over the last 20 plus years has been ASTRO CITY. While it's publication schedule had some sporadic jumps in it (mostly I think due to some health issues that Kurt Busiek was dealing with), the series has been run by the same creative team: Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson and Alex Ross (with a few guests artists here and there).
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