Elephants and Clouds - Neal Adams Batman and Joker Duality Print

Artist: Neal Adams (All)

5 Comments - 2,663 Views - 1 Like

Elephants and Clouds - Neal Adams Batman and Joker Duality Print Comic Art

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Strange Adventures #209 page 10 Deadman by Neal Adams

Artwork Details

Title:	Elephants and Clouds - Neal Adams Batman and Joker Duality Print
Artist:	Neal Adams (All)
Media Type:	Marker
Art Type:	Remarked Item
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	2,663
Likes on CAF:	1 2
Comments:	5
Added to Site:	8/27/2012
Comic Art Archive:

Description

I have a nice Neal Adams Strange Adventure Deadman page. Unsigned. I was debating getting it signed at the con but was hesitant given my previous encounters and the stories I had heard. My friend Sean who was at the booth next to me had a Juliet Jones and upon looking at it I wondered if it was ghosted by Neal as he had ghosted on the strip when he shared studio space with Drake. Sean was a little hesitant to see Neal too but had less to lose than I did and so he took his Jones daily up to Neal. Neal looked at it and confirmed this wasn't his work. Sean had a nice interaction with him and suggested I go see him as he was in a good mood. I said why not see how this goes.

I went up to Neal's table and he is working on a sketch of Havok (nice). I ask him for one of his $5 autographs and he asks me what I want autographed and I handed him the page. He has no problem signing the page. He indirectly asks me how much I paid for the art, saying "this must have cost you a fair bit". I told him the truth, I got it as part of a trade deal. He asked me what I traded for it and I told him I got the Adams and a Sienkiewicz New Mutants cover in the deal but then I drew a blank on what I gave up (I forget, so many trade deals) so I told him I gave a cover and some strip art. We were done.

Then I decide to ask Neal a bit more about the page and his thoughts on layouts. On my Deadman page there is a lot of subconscious stuff going on in the top 3 panels.

In the first panel the arms form a line with the body position of Deadman in the second panel making your eyes subconsciously flow from one panel to the next and then the building lines in the second panel carry into the lines in the third panel and the draw your attention to the main action in that panel. It is all brilliant and when you read the comic you don't notice it but you are under his control and although you would read those panels in that order there is more flow and an internal gratification from positive reinforcement for reading it right. He did this so much in his work and to me this is the brilliance of Neal Adams. He appreciated the comments and went on to talk about how he was a designer, not just and artist and all these things were there as part of his designs but had been put there not to be noticed but still to influence the reader. He mentioned many fans tell him his art does not read like others, it is different in some way they can't put their finger on and he smiles about this because that is his plan and this is part of how he does that. Then we go on to the print.

He pulls it out and shows it to us. He says "clouds and elephants". Tells us to look at the print and see the duality in it and the two images. Then he goes on to talk about other images with 2 figures in them that overlap like this and depending on what your eye sees first you see a different image perhaps than the person next to you. He went on to talk about how contrived some these images are. How you have to put in elements that don't necessarily belong with one image to create the second one like perhaps what is a stone in one image is the eye of the second image but these extra, forced elements are what take away from these images and make them contrived. Neal went on to talk about how you look at clouds on a nice day you can see things in them like elephants. How there are never really elephants in the clouds but just enough elements that your mind can fill in the rest. He said to look at his print again. Then the process of how this image was created comes up and he says he was sitting in his boardroom which has 8 ceiling lamps knowing he wanted to do a duality piece like this but had no image in mind yet. He placed a plastic water bottle on the table and you know how the shadows of such a bottle with 8 different light sources can produce patterns on the table. Neal describes taking two bottles and moving them around to form different patterns on the table with overlapping shadows and in one position the position was just right and he could conceive his drawing and started to draw the water bottle shadows. From there he added elements and details until this was the final piece. He claims he can't even take full credit for the art, he says he should give a lot of it to his water bottles who showed him how to draw this. I had to buy the print and had him dedicate this one and he wrote a little caption on the bottom at my request about clouds and elephants. We shook hands and I thanked him. It was a great 15 minutes with Neal that have changed my impression of the man greatly and I will probably see his art in a different light from now on.

That is MY Neal Adams moment.

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About the Owner

	Jeff Singh ( 7 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	November 2004
Last Login:	September 2025
Website:	http://www.art4comics.com
Country:	CANADA
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A Jeff's Classifieds Jeff's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF Read More About JeffSingh

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Comments on this Artwork

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Comicart.dk Peter Hartung
Member Since 2006

Posted on 8/27/2012

Thanks for the story, I enjoyed reading it!

Eric C
Member Since 2004

Posted on 8/27/2012

Great story! Neal Adams was always one of my favorite artists.

Ray Cuthbert
Member Since 2003

Posted on 8/27/2012

HI Jeff -- I'm glad this experience was such a positive one! My experiences with Neal at Cons have been universally good. Whether you agree with his creation of the world theory or not, he always -- in my experience -- gives an entertaining story and nothing less than 110% for his fans and those willing to have qa conversation with him at his table.

comicinkking. com
Member Since 2004

Posted on 8/27/2012

Great story Jeff - there's only one Neal! I like your DM page too!

Nils E
Member Since 2014

Posted on 5/7/2016

Fascinating!

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