I remember seeing that first issue where Ordway took over the inks and was really taken aback. It didn't seem like a combination that would work but it really did. I loved the stories they did together, suited the style well.
It was that transition that made me realize that I very much enjoyed JB's inking. I hadn't thought about it until then, detected something different, and then learned a little bit about the art process of comics.
Ordway is a great inker but felt almost slightly too... I dunno, volumetric? For JB's FF. I'm certain I'm in the minority on this, but at the time, I really loved the delicacy of Al Gordon's inks on the couple of issues he did. I'm sure I'd feel differently, now.
That's one of the joys of comics (or at least it used to be)--seeing pairings of different talented artists. Sal Buscema and John Byrne (perhaps because they were always so clean with clear storytelling) were my favorites to see paired up with others. I absolutely loved (and I read Sal did too) Klaus Janson's inks on Sal's pencils.
For JB, it was amazing to see the variety of super-fine-line Terry Austin inking versus the gritty/pencil-like Tony de Zuniga! Gene Day was another one-time favorite! There were plenty of others to like too, but Jerry Ordway was fun for the run in question.
Edited by Eric Jansen on 04 August 2022 at 10:08am
On "Fantastic Four", I liked Ordway's inks over JB's pencils. Later, on "JLA", I thought he was way too overpowering and changed JB's art to look more like his own (which is not what I wanted from a comic touting JB's art on the title).
It's my own guess, but I think the Ordway on the earlier FF comics was a younger artist who possibly treated JB's pencils with more reverence and therefore more faithfulness. By the time of "JLA", Ordway was a "name" within the industry in his own right, and I figure that's why he had no apparent issues with how heavily he imposed his own style over JB's pencils on that project.
As a kid, before I fully understood the different jobs—credits being something new in the early Sixties—I was puzzled as to just what the “inker” did. For a while I thought it might be the coloring, tho I was not sure how color could make such a difference to the look of the art.
(Remember, the colorist was not, at first, included as a separate credit.)
It's my own guess, but I think the Ordway on the earlier FF comics was a younger artist who possibly treated JB's pencils with more reverence and therefore more faithfulness. By the time of "JLA", Ordway was a "name" within the industry in his own right, and I figure that's why he had no apparent issues with how heavily he imposed his own style over JB's pencils on that project.
••
Well, this is the guy who redrew a Curt Swan Superman to look like his own.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum