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Topic: Unheralded/Under-rated Greats Post Reply | Post New Topic
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Eric Jansen
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 27 October 2013
Location: United States
Posts: 2291
Posted: 12 September 2020 at 6:08pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

"Underrated" is tricky, and a lot of those mentioned so far are (in my mind at least) highly rated and not overlooked.  But I WILL second (and add)--

Mike Nasser
Alan Weiss
Sandy Plunkett

They're all along the same lines (tight and precise), but none of them really have a series run to call their own, and none of them went as far as I expected or hoped for.

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Robert Bradley
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 20 September 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 4824
Posted: 12 September 2020 at 7:48pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

Don Heck gets very little applause compared to how amazing I find his drawing ability

I got a steady diet of Heck's work when I first started reading (mostly reprints of his work in the 60's). He really knew how to tell a story and I loved his art with a great inker (I remember Romita and Wood inking him on The Avengers), but not so much when he inked his own pencils.

later in his career I think he got a bad rap because he was one of those guys Marvel looked to for a quick fill-in (much like Sal Buscema and Jim Mooney if I remember correctly).
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Eric White
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Joined: 17 October 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1066
Posted: 13 September 2020 at 6:31am | IP Logged | 3 post reply

I love Don Heck's late 50s and early 60s art. It was raw and scratchy and fun to look at.
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Michael Wolner Jr
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 19 September 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 246
Posted: 13 September 2020 at 1:49pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

I've always been a fan of George Tuska's art.
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Brian Miller
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 28 July 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 30884
Posted: 13 September 2020 at 2:44pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

Ron Frenz. I love the man’s work. I’ve heard him referred to as the third
Buscema brother and I totally agree.
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Adam Schulman
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 22 July 2017
Posts: 1717
Posted: 13 September 2020 at 4:33pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

Agreed. Frenz is one of the great Spider-Man artists.
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Mike Norris
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 4274
Posted: 13 September 2020 at 6:00pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

I always liked encountering Alan Weiss' work. DC's Pellucidar strip and that classic werewolf story in Captain America and the Falcon that introduced Deadly Nightshade. 

DC really got some top talent on their ERB stuff. Kubert on Tarzan. Thorne on Korak. Anderson on Mars. Kaluta on Venus And the aforementioned Weiss on Pellucidar.
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Brian Floyd
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 07 July 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 8348
Posted: 14 September 2020 at 12:20pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

I'm enjoying seeing the love for Ron Frenz here. His work on Thor is right up there with what he did on Spider-Man.




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Chris Durnell
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 26 February 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1235
Posted: 14 September 2020 at 1:37pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

There were several artists whose work I loved, but they I did not see them as much as I would like.

Kerry Gammill always got work, but from my perspective it always seemed to be sporadic and often relegated to second tier titles.  I know he eventually got Superman at DC, but I always thought he should have been a big hit.  His figures were always attractive, and he was a solid storyteller.

Bob Hall was another artist I liked.  As long as he had a good inker, I thought his work was great.  I thought the work he did on Squadron Supreme showcased his style well.  And while Paul Ryan was a competent replacement, I would have preferred Bob Hall to have completed the series.  I was crushed that he and Stern did not continue on West Coast Avengers when it was given over to Englehart and Milgrom.  To me he seemed like a solid, dependable artist whose work was above several artists who seemed to have more prolonged runs on major titles.

Chris Warner was another artist I loved.  I thought his art was beautiful and moody.  He got some work at Marvel in the mid-eighties, but then moved on lower profile work at Dark Horse.
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Greg McPhee
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Joined: 25 August 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 5065
Posted: 14 September 2020 at 3:57pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

I'd go for:

  • Kerry Gammill
  • Jose Luis Garcia Lopez
  • Don Newton
  • Ron Frenz
  • Tom Lyle
  • Bob Hall
  • Steve Geiger
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Peter Martin
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 17 March 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 15776
Posted: 14 September 2020 at 4:44pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

A true great that maybe doesn't get the recognition of other greats:

Al Williamson.


I wouldn't go so far as to say these are greats, but...

Never achieved as much as their talent deserved:
Sandy Plunkett

Underappreciated: Irk Novick


Much as I love Frenz and Garcia Lopez, I wouldn't describe them as unheralded. Garcia Lopez seems universally loved!
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Jason Czeskleba
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 30 April 2004
Posts: 4548
Posted: 14 September 2020 at 6:47pm | IP Logged | 12 post reply

Garcia Lopez seems to one of the artists most-admired by his peers.  I've come across many instances of other artists saying he's one of their favorites.  And I remember Shooter telling the story of how John Buscema (who was not easily impressed) was knocked out by Garcia-Lopez-drawn Superman reference material that he was given for the second Superman/Spider-Man story.  
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