Classic Comic Covers Recreated

 

Silver Surfer

Behold…. The Silver Surfer!   One of the coolest things about being a cartoonist is having friends that are also cartoonists!   Such as my pal Bruce McCorkindale.   Bruce is not only the inker on one of the hottest selling comics going,  Godzilla, but also the mastermind behind these classic comic cover recreations!   These unique pieces of art are so cool I ended up buying two……

Everyone who knows me, knows I’m a huge Batman fan, so I had to have this one.

 

 

Now everyone that visits me will know, ’cause it’s hanging on the living room wall!

When he can find them, Bruce works off of photocopies of the penciler’s work.   So for instance, on a Fantastic Four cover, it’s Kirby/McCorkindale instead of Kirby/Sinnott

Bruce even adds the printers marks, such as the registration marks and notes along the edge.  I prefer to crop them out with the matt boards.

 

 

 

 

Bruce McCorkindale

 

 

 

If you’re interested in having Bruce recreate one or two of your favorite old comic covers , let me know.  I think his rules are it has to be one from the 1970′s or older and the illustrator has to be deceased.

 

Comics I Like: Fantastic Four #43

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in their best run: the first fifty issues of the Fantastic Four. Look at all the grey on the cover. Grey was often a background color inside too. It was used for all the Fantastic Four’s equipment. Grey is often replaced by colors or white in some of the reissues, such as Marvel Master Works.

The title is a favorite of mine; “Lo, There Shall Be an Ending!” always struck me as biblical, foreboding and cosmic all at the same time. Truly dark days for the Fantastic Four as Ben Grim, the Thing, became evil, thanks to a trance induced by the Wingless Wizard.  Ben had been thus for several issues proceeding this one.

Reed works on a dangerous plan to snap Ben out of the Wizards trance.

Sue Storm prays for Ben Grimm to live: “Please  Lord…don’t let Ben die…!” It’s the only time I recall a Marvel or DC character praying. Does anyone else know of an instance?  Stan Lee came up with the wildest of situations , but kept his character’s thoughts and reactions real.

This odd panel Kirby drew of Ben, still in a trance and dully looking out from Reed  Richard’s helmet gizmo is a favorite of mine.   Sci-fi, clunky and just plain weird.

Look at how simply they colored things way back in the sixties.  Today a panel like this would be colored in Photoshop with  exacting , photorealistic fire and smoke.  I think today’s detailed coloring is great.  I’m a fan of it, honest!  But sometimes I think it doesn’t serve the story.  You shouldn’t be pausing at this panel, thinking about  all the details in the explosion that todays coloring affords.   This simple coloring approach of yesteryear doesn’t get in the story’s way.  And it doesn’t over power Kirby’s art. ( Here inked by Vince Colleta).