Comic Book Plus Forum
Comic And Book Related => Blog and Site Links => Topic started by: MBartistJP on September 17, 2020, 12:42:03 PM
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hi guys, :)
New to the boards. I wanted to share that our team at MBartist.com has worked with four current artists to create NEW variant covers for 4 classic PLANET COMICS issues. You can check them out online here
https://mbartist.com/program/planet_comics/ (https://mbartist.com/program/planet_comics/)
Covers by Hall of Fame artist Joe Rubinstein (Wolverine #1, Infinity Gauntlet); Marvel artist John Hebert (The Punisher, X-Men Adventures), and upcoming artists Jaime Coker and Francine Delgado.
We would love to get your thoughts on the program; which covers you like more (old or new) and any ideas for future tributes.
We're working to introduce a new Golden Age Tribute each month, reprinting select issues and content in limited edition, with the new and original covers included. The new covers are also available as limited edition prints and canvas posters, signed by the artist.
Our art director Steven Ahola is a huge fan of the Golden Age books and hopes that by working with recognized artists of today we can help introduce classic titles to the next generation.
Hope to hear from you.
JP
MBartist
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Well, the tribute covers are pretty snazzy.
I'm curious as to what the purpose of your business/studio/website is?
Are you promoting the artists? What else do you do?
There are a few statements on your site that aren't entirely accurate.
The space adventurer stories established the sci-fi fandom that would drive audiences into theaters for movies like The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), It Came from Outer Space (1953), and Forbidden Planet (1956).
The visual style used in Planet comics and its ilk came from Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon. Raymond's narrative work in turn comes from the earlier work of E.R Burroughs work, Carson of Venus, John Carter of Mars and so on. Going further back,Burroughs was influenced by Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.
Also Science fiction stories were common in the Pulp Magazines which were in existence as early as the 1920's
[By the way, most of their covers - some shown here in this video - are PD - and would make excellent images for tributes [Pulp Magazines in the 1920s] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYkcfCO-KRY]
[As far as film goes there were already SF and Fantasy themes in movies and in movie serials going right back to the silent film days. Yes, the 50's were a boom time for this type of film. That reflected a world that was dealng with the implications of the Atomic Bomb, the jet engine, flying saucers and the beginning of the space race. So the things that were happening in the real world created the audience for SF in comics,books, movies and then TV. I know, I lived through it and I can assure you it was a wonderful time to be alive.
during an era that history records as a time when women were suppressed in society.
Well, that's the currently accepted narrative. Compared to what? Africa? The middle east? Southeast Asia? India? Pakistan? Do your own research. During the war, women in western countries had been working in factories and offices and taking the roles of men. They did not all go back to domesticity. As far as comics go, have a look at our Women comic book artists thread.
https://comicbookplus.com/forum/index.php?topic=17587.0
In the Silver age of comics I can name about 2 female comic book creators, [Ramona Fradon and Marie Severin] maybe 8 or so by the 80's.
As you will see if you look at that thread, contrary to expectations, there were a larger number of female artists and writers during the golden age. And we are still finding them.
A suggestion. A series of tribute illos of work done by female artists in the Golden Age would be a revelation.
Good luck to you.
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Sad to have to say that the tribute covers are not as good as the originals on many counts, and they actually look like they were all done by the same artists using some sort of image enhancement software to sharpen the images and correct errors in proportion.
I've used Image manipulation software in the past to restore old and damaged photos and make a photograph look like a water color painting.
I also don't care for the facial expressions of these and most modern comic art. They are always just a bit off and in some instances wildly inappropriate for the situation or action.
I'm reminded of the work of some of the amateur illustrators of the old Asimov magazine. These often looked as if the artist had gone through a photo album and picked a few images vaguely similar to that called for in the text, then traced over this altering the costuming and other details.
The younger crowd, which to me is anyone under 70 , may like this style, but not me.
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Loving and really appreciating your comments guys. And I am certainly going to share the board posts with our team.
Captain - your comments about drawing over old photos, that is something artist John Hebert actually talked about in one of our creator calls. I'm going to go back and look for his comments in the video this weekend. I can't recall the exact context, but you're description of the Asimov magazine example rings a bell.