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Topic: Who Is The Best Superman Artist Post Reply | Post New Topic
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Peter Martin
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Joined: 17 March 2008
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Posted: 20 September 2021 at 12:25pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

Curt Swan defined the way the character looked for so long that I feel it would be remiss not to acknowledge him

I'd have to say John Byrne and JLGL would be the artists most likely to sway me into buying a Superman comic if they'd drawn it.

I also like Ross Andru and Bob Oksner.
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Greg McPhee
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Joined: 25 August 2004
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Posted: 20 September 2021 at 12:27pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

Peter, I think that is why Curt Swan is held in esteem. He defined the character inside the books for so long while Neal Adams and JLGL were doing the covers and the image the public saw.
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Rebecca Jansen
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Posted: 20 September 2021 at 12:27pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

I'd have to go with Joe Shuster a few years in. In the same way I would say Bill Everett on The Sub-Mariner and Jack Kirby on Captain America.

Second to him has to be Neal Adams; it was like seeing the character for the first time, every bit still the Superman we knew. Curt Swan did a lot of very subtle and excellent work as well, he was great! I guess that leaves others as honorable mentions... Gil Kane, John Byrne, Al Plastino, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Ross Andru, Jerry Ordway, and Wayne Boring was 'thee' Bizarro artist.
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Greg McPhee
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Posted: 20 September 2021 at 12:55pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

Before the 1986 re-launch, the best period since Martin Pasko had been on the Superman books was, for me, the Marv Wolfman and Gil Kane run.

It was just so dynamic compared to what Bates and Swan were producing, and Wolfman did try to "Marvel-ise" Superman and his characters at the same time. It must seemed at that point it what was needed just not what some of the fans and higher ups at DC wanted.


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Phil Kreisel
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Joined: 03 February 2006
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Posted: 20 September 2021 at 3:49pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

Wally Wood hasn't been mentioned yet.  While he never did any of the main titles, his rendition of the Earth 2 Superman,complete with the squinty eyes, was top notch in the All Star Comics revival in the mid 1970s which introduced the Earth 2 Supergirl (Power Girl).

He also did that great parody in Mad back in the 1950's (Superduperman) and this one:


Edited by Phil Kreisel on 20 September 2021 at 4:06pm
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Bruce Eaton
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Posted: 20 September 2021 at 4:38pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

It's fun to read everyone's thoughts on this topic.

I didn't include JB in my list for some reason. I thoroughly enjoyed his work, with special note of how he drew Superman's cape and his hair and curl.

I really liked Stuart Immonen's Superman from Superman: Secret Identity (although it's not Kal-El), less so his previous work in Action and Adventures of Superman.

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Jason Czeskleba
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Joined: 30 April 2004
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Posted: 20 September 2021 at 4:47pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

 Mark Haslett wrote:
Jason-- I love the Burnley issues I've seen so much, and I really haven't ever heard anyone else mention him.
His stint on Superman was short and sweet... Action #28-34 was it as far as interior stories, so that's probably why he's not mentioned a lot.  He did do some memorable covers after that. And his version was clearly a big influence on Wally Wood's version of the character.
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John Byrne

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Joined: 11 May 2005
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Posted: 20 September 2021 at 7:06pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

Wally Wood…

•••

I have the original to one of Wood’s Superman newspaper daily parodies from MAD. It is to die for!

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Mike Norris
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Joined: 16 April 2004
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Posted: 20 September 2021 at 8:07pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

I have a fondness for Swan inked by Anderson. They meshed quite well. 

Neal Adams is great too. Especially when he began dropping hints of the GA Superman into his interpretation. 

And of course JB. Who's version became "my Superman". 
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Rebecca Jansen
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Posted: 20 September 2021 at 8:10pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

Was it Gil Kane who redesigned Braniac and everything associated with him? I thought that was an excellent contribution! I think the Byrne Lois Lane is the definitive one in that same regard.
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John Wickett
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Joined: 12 July 2016
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Posted: 20 September 2021 at 8:39pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

All-Star is probably the only place where I've seen Wally Wood draw Superman.  I enjoyed his version.  

Phil, that Wood strip you posted reminds me a lot of Kurt Schaffenberger (except for the faces).  Even the way the panels are laid out is very similar.  I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Kurt yet.  Schaffenberger's Superboy, I think, is as definitive as Swan's Superman.  And he did some nice work on the adult version of the character (Earth-1 and Earth-2) in Superman Family.    
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Greg McPhee
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Joined: 25 August 2004
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Posted: 20 September 2021 at 9:20pm | IP Logged | 12 post reply

Was it Gil Kane who redesigned Brainiac and everything associated with him?

======================================================

The "new" Brainiac was the work of Marv Wolfman and Ed Hannigan.

They created the idea of turning Brainiac into an emotionless, malevolent, murderous machine of near infinite and cosmic-level intelligence, liquid metallic and bound to a skull-head ship. Gil Kane was the artist at the time.

The Brainiac revamp deserves some special praise because it happened “in continuity.” No previous stories had to be discarded or thrown out. 
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