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Eric Jansen
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Joined: 27 October 2013
Location: United States
Posts: 2386
Posted: 13 December 2023 at 10:29pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

Here's another Neal Adams piece and the printed one that I think replaced it, for BRAVE AND THE BOLD #85.  Nothing at all wrong with the first one, but not for the very first appearance of the new Green Arrow outfit, I suppose.  It was finally used this last year for the Neal Adams tribute issue of ALTER EGO.


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Rebecca Jansen
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Joined: 12 February 2018
Location: Canada
Posts: 4635
Posted: 14 December 2023 at 12:43am | IP Logged | 2 post reply

Getting that book on the 1978 'DC Implosion' there were a lot of unused covers left from that... also some that were partially used but had to be altered... for some reason this stuff fascinates me (and I'd still love to see Vixen #1, Firestorm #6, and Shade #9 in a regular single comic format).
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Eric Jansen
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Joined: 27 October 2013
Location: United States
Posts: 2386
Posted: 15 December 2023 at 12:16am | IP Logged | 3 post reply

I see that interior artist Mike Zeck did most of the covers for SECRET WARS, but Bob Layton did a few.  Here's a Zeck cover that went unused in favor of a Layton one.  (Were all the Layton covers redos?)


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Peter Martin
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Joined: 17 March 2008
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Posted: 15 December 2023 at 12:22am | IP Logged | 4 post reply

I'm not a fan of Layton's art, but that cover is all right. Compositionally, I can perhaps see why it was preferred to the Zeck version. That said, it's not a patch on the actual fluid execution of the Zeck one.

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Brian Miller
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Joined: 28 July 2004
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Posted: 15 December 2023 at 1:05am | IP Logged | 5 post reply

Give me the Zeck one. Layton’s figurework has always been so stiff.
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Trevor Krysak
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Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: Canada
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Posted: 15 December 2023 at 6:10am | IP Logged | 6 post reply

I prefer the Layton cover but it would have looked better drawn by Zeck.
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Eric Jansen
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Joined: 27 October 2013
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Posted: 15 December 2023 at 8:23am | IP Logged | 7 post reply

I like Zeck and Layton, but, here, Zeck's is the more interesting one.  But it leaves out the new Spider-Woman, and the blurb on the printed one makes it clear that they wanted to push that.
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Wallace Sellars
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Joined: 01 May 2004
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Posted: 15 December 2023 at 6:06pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

It's the Zeck cover for me.
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Paul Wills
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Joined: 18 August 2018
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Posted: 15 December 2023 at 6:19pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

I wonder what happens in the case of an unused cover - After the artist completes it, I'm sure they still get paid for the work. But is there an explanation to them of why it will not be used? Does the artist feel any disrespect (especially if they drew the interior)?
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Vinny Valenti
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Joined: 17 April 2004
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Posts: 8163
Posted: 15 December 2023 at 7:06pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

Goddamn, that's a beautiful unused BATB cover. I take it Neal was inking that himself?
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Peter Martin
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Joined: 17 March 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 16023
Posted: 15 December 2023 at 7:09pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

Zeck was/is amazing at lighting and shadow. The dramatic light and shadow on Cap's chest and shoulders are so skillfully rendered.
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John Wickett
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Joined: 12 July 2016
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Posted: 15 December 2023 at 11:47pm | IP Logged | 12 post reply

"But is there an explanation to them of why it will not be used?"

It seems like there must be, at least in cases where the printed cover retains the same concept as the unused version.  Taking the Secret Wars covers as an example, its clear that Layton had seen or was aware of the Zeck cover, because he drew roughly the same thing.  So it seems logical that there was something specific about the Zeck cover Marvel wanted to change, and they directed Layton to change it. 

If I had to guess, I would speculate they didn't like that most of the action on the Zeck cover is above or behind Captain America.  Cap is the main figure on the cover, and the idea is to depict his reaction to everything that is going on around him.  That is more obvious on the Layton cover, because everything (except Spiderwoman) is occurring in front of him.

Personally, I like both.  I think Layton's is better executed, but I would not have turned down the Zeck cover.
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