1 - Posted on 6/14/2024

A magnificent page by my great friend, the highly missed Paul Ryan.  Just look at the detail on this page.  I commented to him that I questioned that Bulanadi wasn't his best inker.  But he admonished me, saying that Bulanadi was a good friend and excellent inker.  The Image style that was so wildly popular at that time was forced upon Bulanadi.  So I recanted my comment and apologized.  Paul himself was encouraged to draw Sue in the showiest of outfits, which became a source of controversy with long time FF fans.  There were also issues where Paul drew the FF with the gratuitous "big guns" that the Image crowd popularized.  All in all, a very confusing time for Marvel, who felt under siege by their ex employees at Image.

Through it all, Paul produced a legendary run on the FF that was the very definition of consistency.  An incredibly hard worker, the industry is lessened by his absence.   I'm hoping somebody reprints his run on the Phantom in the same quality that Marvel has done publishing Paul's run in their Epic Collection format.  

Posted on 6/14/2024

Beautifully said michael, love pauls work alot, i bought every issue of this book on ncbd, i seen this page, and claimed it fast, thanks for the comment buddy 

Posted on 6/15/2024

The Image era was a dark time for a lot of books that were forced into a horrendous artistic choice to pander to the testosterone crowd that made the likes of Rob Liefeld a superstar at the time.  I have learned from my son that Liefeld now embraces the fact that he was/is an awful artist who just 'caught the wave' at the right time.  He is, apparently, very self-deprecating.  My son also tells me the Liefeld was, at the time, trying to earn as much money as he could to pay for his father's cancer treatments.  I have chosen not to try to fact-check that, preferring to give the man the benefit of the doubt.

Anyway, back to this piece of work by the mega-talented Paul Ryan and Danny Bulanadi.  Paul's work should be more lauded in general.  I always loved it, and Danny's inks are always a pleasure.

P.S, - Big guns, in both weaponry and arms.  Ugh.

Posted on 6/15/2024

Grandiose castle and laboratory!  Very fitting for the tyrant Doctor Doom as he only seeks the best as his reach even goes into the cosmos!

Posted on 6/15/2024

Paul Ryan was the true professional. Great artwork month in, month out always in the service of storytelling.

Posted on 6/18/2024

I always thought that if Paul's run had been drawn five or ten years before he would be considered one of the legendary artists but was a victim of the time where everyone seems to look back on that time period with disdain but it really was a great point in comics.