|
Fantastic Four 274 page 15 by John Byrne and Al Gordon
Artists: John Byrne (Penciller) , Al Gordon (Inker)
13 Comments - 345 Views - 9 Likes
Additional Images:
Published page
Artwork Details
|
DescriptionThis one was not planed. It just happened by way of a “uh…I can’t let this go for so low, can I” scenario. A pleasant surprise, an accident even, as I love Byrne’s FF run.It comes from that weird Monster Mash issue that is clearly not the most well regarded of that fabled run and yet what’s not to love in seeing the Thing tackle some of the classic monsters? We all love a cool transformation page and few are better than someone turning into a werewolf. Case in point the first 3 panels as the poor guy is so delighted to see he’s been released from his shackles that he does not immediately notice his transformation. The subtle changes from panel 1 to 2 are fun to look for and that 3rd “oh no!” panel comes straight from the usual visual werewolf lore (complete with pointy claws). Then we have Ben Grimm, sadly not in his rocky form BUT fully embracing his wrestling gears, dragging the true bad guy in a panel that makes great use of horizontality to break the tempo of the page up to that point (from crescendo to a standstill). And then, bam! The money shot basically, prompting the reader to turn to the next page (with many elements in the backgrounds pointing your eye to the bottom right corner). That werewolf is drop dead gorgeous as only Byrne could draw him, with his strong command of figures, that tilted angle and dread from above pose is so effectively menacing. I should mention Al Gordon’s inks. At first, I confess not having bein a big fan, having been spoiled by Byrne’s own inking on the title and of course those sharp and perfectly suited Austin inks on X-Men. But his approach is quite similar to Austin’s if much looser as regards filling the page with tons of lines (and other stuff). So it works quite well in letting Byrne’s pencils breathe and it’s a great match for this particular, almost dream-like story. A great page from a generation defining artist and storyteller. (Also, a nice thematic echo to that werewolf dps by Ivan Reis I posted a few days ago). This is part 5 of my 2024 CAF birthday party. Social/Sharing |
About the Owner
|
 |
Contact the OwnerUse can use a contact form to send an email to this gallery owner,
|
Comments on this Artwork
You must be logged in to make comments.
André . 
Member Since 2015
1 - Posted on 2/10/2024
Wolf puberty is definitely not conducive for a prison break.
Peter Sullivan
Member Since 2006
1 - Posted on 2/10/2024
You are quite right. This was a fun issue. Lovely page.
Ruben DaCollector
Member Since 2008
2 - Posted on 2/10/2024
I've often said that an artist's best work is USUALLY that which they ink themselves, because the final product is the true and complete artist's vision. There are always exceptions to every rule however, and in my view, Byrne was always one of those exceptions. While I DO enjoy Byrne's own inks, they were just never nearly as clean and eye appealing as Austin's on X-Men, rather they looked somewhat muddy. I think Al Gordon and Jerry Ordway inked the FF run far more attractively than Byrne did himself, though even here I have some issues. Particularly in the fact that as pretty as his lines are, Gordon didn't vary his line weights at all, which is very evident on this page as you can see that he he put a ton of pretty lines, yet the majority of the page still looks very white. Just not enough solid blacks to give the page more focus and balance.
This is reminicent of Al Vey's inks of Grummett on the New Titans run, which we've previously talked about in private. I enjoy all the beautifully detailed lines that Vey laid down on those pages, but just like Gordon here, a severe lack of variety in line weights still has most of the pages looking very white with almost no solid black areas. At any rate, even in spite of this, I still always appreciated the lovely ink lines Gordon supplied than Byrne's own. Oh, and I loved this issue!
Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005
2 - Posted on 2/11/2024
This is more illustrative than the superhero look of Byrne inking himself. It works better with the darker and old time theme of these classic monsters of literature.
Jason Hussa
Member Since 2017
1 - Posted on 2/11/2024
Really lovely page! I feel like it was Gordon's inks that really made this issue special; they added a richness of detail that really elevated the fun and intentionally (and affectionately) campy story. Case in point is that bottom panel; as you say, Byrne drew the wolf absolutely perfectly, but Gordon's inks there (as well as with all the fine lines in the transformation panels) are what really make the image(s) sing! Lovely details on the trailer, and wheels, and Ben's arms... As a young lad, I remember finding the Gordon inks a bit jarring (I just hadn't seen anything like that over Byrne's pencils before), but I quickly figured it out and -really- ended up loving the pairing of Byrne and Gordon! Great job landing a "bargain" Byrne! Congrats and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Joe Murray
Member Since 2006
1 - Posted on 2/12/2024
Very cool Byrne FF page from the monster mash issue, love that last image, congrats!
Scott Gaulke
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 2/12/2024
It's a great page. Gordon's inks work really well here. Like you, I was spoiled by Byrne inking himself (and that remains my preference) but this works.
Tony B.
Member Since 2020
1 - Posted on 2/16/2024
Nice one! Bearded Ben Grimm really works. I remember seeing this result the next day and kicking myself for not logging in and bidding!
Al Gordon
Member Since 2006
1 - Posted on 1/5/2025
This is John's period where he didn't want any blacks (except, obviously, for solid blacks) on the pages. It was difficult to figure depth without the blacks... but this page looks pretty decent. Nice job by John.
Latest Updates
All |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Auctions ADVERTISEMENT
Auctions
| Hal Forrest Tailspin Tommy #2348 Daily Comic Strip |
Auctions
 |
RON FRENZ AND BRETT BREEDING AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #252 PAGE 8 (1984, HISTORIC 1ST APPEARANCE OF BLACK SUIT! 6TH PANEL IS 1ST TIME SUIT REACTS TO SPIDEY'S THOUGHTS, GIVING 1ST CLUE IT'S A SYMBIOTE!) |
Auctions
 |
Neal Adams - The Avengers #96, Page 11 |
Hakes Auctions
 |
STAR WARS #5 COMIC BOOK PAGE ORIGINAL ART BY HOWARD CHAYKIN. |
Subscribe to the YouTube Channel.. FREE!
Felix Comic Art
0 Accepting Commissions
Commission an Artist
For Sale Updates
Classified Updates |
|
Peter Venkman9/6/2025 2:54:00 PM |
|
Will Gabri-El9/6/2025 12:52:00 PM |
|
COMIX ART9/6/2025 11:30:00 AM |
|
Federico Bettini9/6/2025 11:20:00 AM |
|
P A9/6/2025 11:02:00 AM |
|
DISNEY COMIC ART A9/6/2025 10:23:00 AM |
|
Dealer Updates |
|
Anthony's Comicbook Art9/6/2025 3:02:00 PM |
|
Coollines Artwork9/6/2025 2:59:00 PM |
|
Will's Comic Art Page9/6/2025 12:52:00 PM |
|
Essential Sequential9/6/2025 12:15:00 PM |
|
Kinetic Collectibles9/6/2025 12:15:00 PM |
|
Achetez de l'Art9/6/2025 12:15:00 PM |
|
|
Become a Premium CAF Gallery Owner & you'll be supporting CAF and also gain access to many services and features not available to standard members.
|