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April 9th, 2009
12:17 am - JOSE LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ
So it's settled then, right? Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez is the best artists in comics, right? I know, I know... "best" is a highly subjective term, so let's get it clear: Garcia-Lopez can draw just about anything with masterful elegance and natural subtlety. He can make the mundane seem compelling and the ridiculous seem plausible, his eye for detail and design is underrated and his sheer cartooning skills are as sharp now as they were in the past 3 decades. Hailing from the Hal Foster/Alex Raymond school of realism, Garcia-Lopez is one of the rare few modern artists who make that style seem full of life and enthusiasm as opposed to the stiff, dull and practically traced hack work that it has devolved into. Is it too far fetched to say that everything Garcia Lopez draws is perfect?
I'll start with this obscure pin-up of ASTRON, Star Soldier (from Astral Comics #1, a fanzine by Tom Sciacca, 1977). Garcia-Lopez had already been a pro for a number of years at this point, but it's interesting that this is possibly the only non-DC Comics work he has done since first signing on with DC.
The Batman Family graces the cover of Detective Comics #487, September, 1979 (minus the title and recolored for the Batman Gallery from 1992).
Channeling Picasso, Garcia-Lopez gets artsy in the oversized Batman vs. Hulk, Fall, 1981 (story by Gerry Conway, inks by Dick Giordano).
Written by Gerry Conway (again) and inked by Steve Mitchell, this scene is from Batman #337, July, 1981.
Batman #353, written by Gerry Conway (who was a frequent collaborator in the 70s & 80s), is a great old school stand alone story.
From Batman #353 (inked by Dan Adkins), here's a tightly crammed page that still manages to retain clarity and read smoothly despite the flashy yet beautiful layout.
Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez is the definitive artist for many iconic superhero characters, Batman and Superman being among the chief examples. For all the flash that Garcia-Lopez is easily capable of, my favorite pieces of his work are oftentimes the quiet and regular human moments. With the simplest facial expressions and body language, he manages to give the Last Son of Krypton more humanity than a stack of graphic novels can ever explain. From Superman #347, may, 1980, written by (guess who?) Gerry Conway.
A few months later in Superman #351 (September, 1980, written by Denny O'Neil), Garcia-Lopez tackles Mr. Mxyzpltlk and the circus. It's a good story, trust me.
Fantastic 2 page sequence from DC Comics Presents #4, December, 1978, written by Len Wein.
A page from DC Comics Presents #24, August, 1980, written by Len Wein. I seem to like floating heads a lot.
The next 2 stories take place before the one shown above, Adventure Comics #s 465 & 466, late 1979, but they work as self contained short stories (first one's inked by Dick Giordano). Look at those clothes. Look at that old lady! Or... or the birds, look at the birds. What about the old man's forehead?
What I'm saying is that all of the Garcia-Lopez Deadman material be collected, including the mini series from 1986, written by Andrew Helfer (from #2 below). Actually, you may as well and collect everything he's ever done while you're at it.
A few covers. They are nice to look at.
Two comics that should but probably won't ever be collected: Cinder & Ashe and Twilight (above). C&A you can still get in the bargain bins but Twilight is one of Howard Chaykin's best, stupidly underrated, and gorgeous to look at. It's essential, I tell you! Anyway, here a few more pages... depressing, wholesome and hilarious... in that order.
The New Teen Titans #11, 1985 (w.Marv Wolfman, i. Romeo Thanghal). Depressing!
Action Comics Weekly #641, 1989 (w. Paul Kupperberg). Wholesome!
Action Comics Weekly #623, 1988 (w. Paul Kupperberg). Hilarious!
Here are a few Who's Who Update '88. Jimmy Olsen, from issue #4.
Jenet Klyburn, from issue #4.
Lex Luthor, from issue #2.
Roy Raymond, TV Detective, from issue # 19 (Vol. 1).
Most recently, Garcia-Lopez has teamed up with Kevin Nowlan to produce the latest story arc in Batman: Confidential #s 26-28, written by Nunzio DeFilippis & Christina Weir. Below is the cover to # 27. Garcia-Lopez's pencil work and Nowlan's black & white versions of this story's pages can be found on Nowlan's own blog: http://kevinnowlan.blogspot.com/
Like Nowlan ( http://master-post.livejournal.com/4264.html#cutid1 ), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez has his own Modern Masters (Volume 5) published by TwoMorrows and available online or your local comic book store. When you look through that book (or any of his work), assuming you're an artist as well, you may find yourself angrily chucking the book into your art station or a fire, then slumping to the realization that no matter how hard you try you will never be that good. Then you will cry and choke and rip all of your drawings up.
Not that I do anything like that when I see the work of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez... I'm just sayin'.
xoxo Michel Fiffe
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Comments:
Yeah, he's one of my all time favorites.
I was hoping for a whole issue of Atari Force, but this will do!
Thanks,
Tim
Atari Force was a comic?? I thought it was a gaming system.
Where my scans, son?
I used to own so much of this, back when I had a comics collection.
I miss it sometimes....but only when I see stuff like this.
Bring them back!! Did you have European counterparts or bootlegged originals?
In all their 80s sci-fi splendor!
If it were up to me, JLGL would draw every DC Comic ever published. He is The Definitive DC Artist. The End.
I second that, but isn't funny that he's never really drawn for Marvel (company crossovers don't count). That'd be interesting.
just what the doctor ordered! Wonderful color choices on the blog, Fiffe. I feel like I'm wearing my smoking jacket.
I've always thought his work was Neal Adams and Dick Giordano (to me, obvious influences) taken to the next level, perhaps with a dash of Gil Kane in his dynamic figure poses and camera angles.
I freely admit he's as good as it gets, especially among Big Two artists who were getting a lot of play in the late 70's and 80's, but for some reason his art never got me all hot and bothered. Which is not to say that it wasn't welcome in my comics, but I never wanted to go out of my way to see it.
That said, his work on the underrated Twilight was excellent, and as far as I'm concerned it was the high point of his career, so far.
That said, his work on the underrated Twilight was excellent, and as far as I'm concerned it was the high point of his career, so far.
Definitely and, I think, it's because he wasn't doing DC work following the artists you mention. DC definitely had a house style in the 70's, and it all came from Neal Adams (which, as house styles go, isn't a bad thing).
The house style in DC was Neal Adams, absolutely. Garcia-Lopez is obviously and admittedly influenced by Neal Adams, especially when it comes to drawing superheroes. Given that, I think Garcia-Lopez not only surpassed his "mentor" but is in another league entirely. Granted I'm not a Neal Aams fan although I recognize his contributions, but he just doesn't have that... thing... that deep rooted naturalism. Something about Adams' work leaves me cold; there's a sameness to it and not at all "realistic". Garcia-Lopez, like Jaime Hernandez and Alex Toth to some degree, have a unique and humanity in all of their work that seems very real to me. THAT is what makes Garcia-Lopez "realistic.
Giordano was the inker on both gentlemen and did a fine job on making it all work in-house. He's not as good an artist, but then again: who is??
I may have mentioned this a while ago, but for someone who dislikes Adams, I sure do love the work of his "students": Garcia-Lopez, Von Eeden, Miller, even Alan Davis.
So amazing.
I remember seeing Twilight on the stands for the first time and being blown away. And then I remember seeing all the various Atari Force (was it Force?) art throughout Who's Who (I still go back and read those old Who's Who, they were just that great) and thinking "why is this guy not more popular?"
Hey! Nice journal! I hope it's okay to add you as a friend, I'd like to follow your scans XD
Cheers
hW
Yeah, of course! Glad you like the posts. I'll try to keep them coming on a regular basis.
I think some of Lopez's best work wasn't ever published. Here and there, usually in articles about him, I'd see pages of his when he worked on the DC Universe Style Guide.
His drawing of Lois Lane in DC Comics Presents #2 still remains one of my favorite pieces of comic art. |
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