1 - Posted on 6/3/2023

Pop the champagne!  Bubbled greatness.

1 - Posted on 6/3/2023

Big John would bring it, month after month! Great underwater example! 

1 - Posted on 6/3/2023

You couldn't suspend your disbelief that a barbarian could be bulky and muscular as he is, because he lived in an era when food and proper training were not easily accessible and out of reach?  Oh, but people with the exact same physique PLUS extraordinary powers that can destroy entire worlds, all while wearing costumes that look like body paint with the females' tits flapping in the wind and asses freely jiggling in plain sight, THAT you could easily believe?!?

"...the stories were seemingly an endless loopish repeat of Conan fighting evil sorcerers, giant spiders, reptiles, volatiles and undersea monsters while defending semi naked women."

It's FANTASY! He fought a constant loop of evil sorcerers, giant spiders, reptiles, volatiles and undersea monsters while defending semi naked women because his stories take place within a genre known as SWORD & SORCERY"!!!

Okay, that's it. You do not deserve to own a page of Buscema Conan art! But since I can't take it away from you, I will at least revel in the fact that your page comes from an issue inked by one of least complimentary inkers to ever work over Big John's pencils.

"So, yes, I was dumb (or not mature enough?)"

BOTH!

Anyway, so, yeah....are we still on for a web chat later this week?

2 - Posted on 6/4/2023

Mmm ok, Ruben, I clearly have assaulted your years long repressed man crush love for the Cimmerian for which I sincerely apologize.

(and if you ever feel the need to talk about it, I’m here for you, bro’ ;).

Yes, Conan’s roids induced physique always bothered me (because not enough food, no real training and no ‘roids in Hyperborea?). At least the super pants could and did train (which made for great sequences we all remember). I preferred BWS’ slimer approach for one which made more sense.

I know about Fantasy and S&S and let assure you, it can produce GREAT stories and continuity (LOTR, Berserk and Übel Blatt come to mind). It does not need to be monster/sorcerer/damsel in distress/village to rescue of the week all the time like it seemed at the time.

Knowing your tastes, I’m sure you are referring to the Filipino crew inking Big John. While all of them were great artists in their own right, and the combination could be stylistically pleasant on the surface, their heavy textured approach resulted in stiffening the art and storytelling of an artist whose work offered a lot of movement. One could even argue it was one of Big John’s main qualities. But everyone loved it because it was so tendance at the time to veer on the illustration world. To be fair, Nebres probably understood him better but Alcala’s inks were so heavy and stiff you could nearly hear the figures stone cracking on the page when they tried to move 😉

That’s it smartass, I’m done. Just because I can take it does not mean that I should…go on pissin ‘ on someone else’s lawn 😉

2 - Posted on 6/13/2023

See, correct me if I'm wrong, but "the stories were seemingly an endless loopish repeat of Conan fighting evil sorcerers, giant spiders, reptiles, volatiles and undersea monsters while defending semi naked women" was the whole reason one would -READ- Conan, right...? 😜

2 - Posted on 6/13/2023

To be perfectly frank, yes, that was what the FUN was all about! By the way, Jason, seeing Golden in the art makes perfect sense, as Gil inked Golden during the early 80's.

1 - Posted on 6/3/2023

They weren't flashy as superheroes because they were for the maturing audience of the 70's who read superheroes in the 60's and wanted more mature content.  If you jumped on in the 70's and 80's, you hadn't had your fill of superheroes yet And this had to take a back seat for interest and extra change to buy.  This art has that same kind of hero art in the anatomy, but with more realism and higher stakes of life and death.  Gil does a great job with the JB pencils and the details are fully fleshed out to bring a slick look of superhero art.

2 - Posted on 6/4/2023

But, by your own methods of comparison, even if we try hard to imagine that no Conan comics ever existed outside of #1 to #24 by Smith (minus the 2 Kane issues), you still shouldn't be able to relate to the character because in an era where food was scarce and gyms and steroids didn't exist, the Smith version of Conan would also not be able to exist....

While I have always been a big fan of the Filipino school of inking, still nothing is as beautiful to me than the few issues, maybe 3 SSoC, Buscema inked himself.

1 - Posted on 6/13/2023

Gadzooks!  I clicked on your page, F M, and was drawn to those first 2 panels before even looking at the inker credits... "Man," I thought, "that almost looks like a Michael Golden Conan..." :)  So I second your Armando Gil "assignment"... :)

Lovely inks - really fun to see over Buscema! - that call up different pencillers to mind...  Panel 1, with that angle and lighting, could absolutely be a Wrightson (but, as you say, is unmistakably Big John - love that hair!) and panels 3&4 (with their narrative, as well as the musculature inks) remind me of Frazetta's "Spider Man" / "Night Walk" piece... 

So with this and your awesome Risso Flashpoint Batman page, you have two posts in a row whose first panel features the protagonist underwater and spewing bubbles...  Can't wait to see how long you can keep up that theme, F M! :) Great page! 

1 - Posted on 6/13/2023

Not the best inker ( the faces are hardly recongizable as Buscema art) but sure a great aand unusual ction piece by Big John on his favorite, congrats !

1 - Posted on 6/23/2023

Love the panel flow here.  Great storytelling by one of the masters.

1 - Posted on 6/29/2023

Man, that's some exquisite storytelling top to bottom.  Also, the Gil inks have a real organic quality, which matches the scene perfectly.  Some deft strokes, no doubt.  Classic JB goodness.  Congrats!