posted
Anybody else love his Legion. I feel in love with his Phantom Girl...literally.
Some issues were better than others...also depending on the inker. The backgrounds weren't as groovy as Giffen's...but man his characters just jumped out at me.
I'm a fan of his Power Man & Iron Fist as well...which is really different than his Legion stuff. He drew PM & IF right or am I confusing my childhood memories again? I remember a more sleek style which I am suprised didn't make it into the Legion. Then again PG wasn't sleek and I loved it. I remember the Controller kidnapping them (2nd time) to fight Tyrazz as a highlight!
Any other guys grew up loving Greg's work?
[ December 09, 2008, 03:54 PM: Message edited by: Ultra Jorge ]
From: Tampa | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Sorry to disagree but I think he was one of the worst Legion artist's since I started reading in 1978. His style was not imaginative enough for the future. All his legion looked a like. Hated his turned up "pig" noses and the inker at the time was poor at best. The biggest problem I had with him was he followed Steve Lightle who did an outstanding job!
Registered: Aug 2003
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Greg Larocque draw the most beautiful girls in the Legion history. Shadow Lass, Phantom Girl, Dream Girl, Sensor Girl, Saturn Girl and don't forget the wonderful Sarya. Only the men has all the same face.
-------------------- From Spain with glamour.
From: Valencia- Spain | Registered: Sep 2003
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I do seem to recall there were mainly 2 inkers over LaRocque. The first was quite good, but then Mike DeCarlo took over for most of his run, and it was always just average. (Still, much better than a LOT of DeCarlo's inks on BATMAN over Jim Aparo, which somehow seemed to get "muddier" as he went. Too much work or just really bad stats?)
What surprised the heck out of me was when Keith Giffen came back. Giffen-DeCarlo was a MUCH better team than LaRocque-DeCarlo. DeCarlo just "worked" better over Giffen, but particularly on #50. Almost immmediately after his return, Keith started DISTORTING his faces, making everybody look like they had square heads and fat lips. (Too much LSD? Or was that just Marshall Rogers...?) Then Al Gordon took over (a MUCH more talented inker than ALL his Legion work combined would ever, ever suggest) and the slide to art hell really commenced. (But that's just MY opinion... heehee)
Registered: Aug 2003
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Greg got to draw possibly the most important Legion story ever, The Death of Superboy. I never loved his work but I liked it a helluva lot better than I did Joe Staton's.
I've recently seen some of Laroque's pencils and he's really good. I wish (oh I wish) there'd been a better skilled inker (or at least an inker more to my artistic tastes) for that story arc. I've always felt Supes should have gone out with a lot of fanfare and a big sendoff.
From: Smallville Sector : Greater Metropolis | Registered: Jun 2004
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quote:Originally posted by imskian78: The biggest problem I had with him was he followed Steve Lightle who did an outstanding job!
Different tastes, I suppose... I always thought Lightle's early work on LEGION was pretty run-of-the-mill. You could've swapped him out with early Jurgens or Shoemaker and I would've been hard-pressed to tell them apart. It wasn't until his coverwork that I really noticed his style... and then, he didn't seem capable of meeting a monthly schedule.
LaRocque wasn't my favorite artist on the LEGION, by any means... but since '78? I'd easily put him above Jim Janes, and Lightle's early work. As prof mentioned, DeCarlo really didn't do the work any favors. And Yeller- however much I agree with you about the classic Superboy's send-off, LaRocque definitely pulled out the stops for that final 2 page funeral scene. That might be my favorite of all his LSH pencils, and even DeCarlo couldn't muddy its significance and power.
-------------------- "Anytime a good book like this is cancelled, I hope another Teen Titan is murdered." --Cobalt
"Anytime an awesome book like S6 is cancelled, I hope EVERY Titan is murdered." --Me
From: Up a Gumtree | Registered: Jul 2003
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I liked Greg's work, although I agree that there wasn't a great deal of diversity in his figures (I kind of have that problem myself ). However, he is still in my Top 10 favorite Legion artists. Part of it may be because I associate his art with one of my favorite times of Legion history (Levitz in his heyday).
-------------------- Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
From: Penthouse atop Levitz Hall, LMBP Plaza, Embassy Row, Legion World | Registered: Jul 2003
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Tru'dat,Poverty Lad. I don't mean to complain about the Superboy story arc. I was pleased to see him back with the group and Levitz/Laroque kept us in the dark about the end until we got there the hard way -one page at a time- That IS (btw) my favorite story from his run as the LSH artist and that's counting the Quislet/Wildfire friendship stuff.
From: Smallville Sector : Greater Metropolis | Registered: Jun 2004
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LaRocque is one of my own favorites. He was notably more diverse in body types and visible features for women than for men ... but, yes, those women! All of them held the balance that nobody quite managed as well, before or since, of being athletic in build without being musclebound. Especially notable on his Dream Girl, but also on his elegant Dawnstar -- Greg's own favorite to draw, and he did the best and most realistic wings for her.
His other distinction for me was that he could convey unique and informative facial expressions on Legionnaires who were some distance away, in the middle- to background. With so many in fight scenes, this is often needed in Legion plots, but was rarely achieved. (Some, such as the later Giffen, got lazy and omitted facial features entirely from middlegrounds, except, barely, for eyes.) That facial adeptness does also add majesty to scenes such as Superboy's funeral, already mentioned.
LaRocque doesn't suffer by comparison with any Legion artist in other respects, especially Lightle -- less warmth of line, less fluid, but more clarity and slightly better anatomy. (Sorry, Steve, but the eye spacing still gets to me ...)
From: Starhaven Consulate, City of Angels | Registered: Jul 2003
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I looked it up... OH, of course-- Larry Mahlstedt. DAMN he was good. His inks made Giffen look probably the BEST he ever has, before or since. And he did a fine job over LaRocque, too. At the time, losing him hurt the art more than losing Giffen or Lightle!
On the other hand, Larry STILL owes me a sketch I PAID for in advance and never received... (never again!!)
Registered: Aug 2003
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Hmm...if the Legion's artists of the first rank are people like Swan, Giffen, Cockrum, Lightle (?), the guy who did Green Arrow whose name is completely escaping me, (any others?), then I have to say that LaRocque may be the best of the second tier (later Giffen, Kitson [it's still early!], Coipel, Immomen, Moy [Archie, I know, but I thought his stuff was good and he was around for a long time], others?). Most of the best stories of the Baxter years were during his run.
-------------------- The only consistent feature of all of your dissatisfying relationships is you.
Don't judge me!
Registered: Aug 2003
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). However, he is still in my Top 10 favorite Legion artists. Part of it may be because I associate his art with one of my favorite times of Legion history (Levitz in his heyday).
