Silver Age Lad
Part-time member living in another century
posted
Giffen was the hard one for me. I loved Annual 1 and the GDS but for me 5YL was spoiled by his artwork. So on balance didn't vote for him
From: Ancient Kingdom of Northumbria, UK | Registered: Aug 2007
| IP: Logged |
Set
There's not a word yet, for old friends who've just met.
posted
That was insanely hard. I voted without reading the thread first, so I have all sorts of buyer's remorse now about not voting for others.
(Cockrum, for intance. I was never a fan of his figure-work, but he made the best costumes!)
I picked Lightle and Manapul. Why? I'm shallow, they draw the sexiest Legionnaires!
Registered: Aug 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
I voted for Giffen and Jason Pearson. This WAS hard because I fell in love with the Legion during Grell's run and still have a certain fondness Plus HE drew the sexiest Legion. I mean c'mon most of them were practically naked! Liked Cockrum, Immonen, Batista(2 very underrated Legion artists IMO), Kitson and would add Gary Frank even though he's never worked on an ACTUAL Legion book. Still, I feel pretty confident in my votes.
-------------------- Is that a moon?
From: Portland, OR | Registered: Aug 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
Cobie, our tastes match up. I too voted for Mister Cockrum and Mister Giffen. Giffen definitely takes it all for me, and seeing his artwork anytime on a legion book is a real treat for me. I love his Great Darkness-era style, the weirdness and distortion of the Omen/Prophet era, the big-lipped, ruffled-shirt 5YL stuff... and his Post-boot issue with DnA kicked nass.
The only Giffen art I've not enjoyed is his Trencher style, which I find too abstract for my taste, and which he did apply to (iirc) a couple of pages (mid-story!!) of one issue of the 5YL LSH.
It was VERY VERY difficult to not vote for Curt Swan, though.
I'm thinking next time, maybe a "best of the rest" poll featuring the artists that didn't make the cut this time, or expanding it to a giant mega-poll "Top 10 choices", so no one will have to leave out an artist they love.
quote:Originally posted by Gorilla Nebula: grell beating cockrum and swan???!!! who knew?
I was a little surprised as well, but then I figure... Grell *did* have a considerable tenure on the book, at a time when it was re-reaching heights of popularity. A lot of those fans that came on-board during his run are still around (like me... though I didn't vote for him!), so it makes sense I guess...
posted
I was flipping through my LSH box the other day and ran across the latter-day DnA issues of "The Legion"... Batista really was a good artist... and then there's a couple of Lightle issues too, plus that Giffen issue, the cool covers on the Simone issues... I think it's past time for a re-read of the entire "THE LEGION" series.
posted
You might be right on that. I remember really liking Batista's art in 52, though I never really gave it a second glance in the Legion. I'm considering an entire reread of the Reboot too to take a second look at Moy's work.
And yeah, Swan's work is so essential to the Legion. I really like John Forte's work a lot too, maybe as much as I like Swan's.
quote:Originally posted by MLLASH: Cobie, our tastes match up. I too voted for Mister Cockrum and Mister Giffen. Giffen definitely takes it all for me, and seeing his artwork anytime on a legion book is a real treat for me. I love his Great Darkness-era style, the weirdness and distortion of the Omen/Prophet era, the big-lipped, ruffled-shirt 5YL stuff... and his Post-boot issue with DnA kicked nass.
The only Giffen art I've not enjoyed is his Trencher style, which I find too abstract for my taste, and which he did apply to (iirc) a couple of pages (mid-story!!) of one issue of the 5YL LSH.
Like you, I like all the versions of Giffen's work. That's actually what tips him into being my #1. He's just been able to change and grow so much over the years. I don't mind the Trencher style, just not on the Legion (Trencher was kind of a cool/weird comic).
Probably Grell is my #3 (though this is where it gets more difficult).
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
It was really a tough vote for me...lots of very, very good names there! In the end I didn't go with either Cockrum or Grell.
I've read Cockrum's stories, and the costumes were certainly innovative. But I think I didn't go with him because many of the stylistic elements I enjoy about his art didn't really evolve until after his Legion work and specifically on his X-Men stories. I wasn't going to vote for someone whose non-Legion work I preferred. Do most people here feel his Legion work really ranks with his X-Men work?
As for Grell, I simply haven't seen most of his Legion art. From what I have seen, though, he's again likely have gotten my vote due to his post-Legion work. Both he and Cockrum were undeniably excellent on the Legion, but neither was really in the running based on my criteria.
It was still tough, though because I connected a lot with artsits like Copiel, Immonen, Batista, Moy, Pearson, Laroque (I was sad to see he's gotten no votes) and Kitson. Giff was hard, but end the end I decided some of his style choices left me cold, especially during the late Baxter run.
So I went with Lightle and Swan. These are two beautiful timeless styles that I love a lot.
Lightle's run was pretty short, but, combined with his staying on covers a good while, possibly the most gorgeous Legion art I've ever seen.
And Swan...definitely the best of the Silver Age which was so crucial to defining the Legion. Swan's style definitely had that DC "Silver Age" look to it, but simultaneously was ahead of its time. He drew the definitive Superboy and Superman and definitely the definitive classic Legion.
So it was a hard choice, but definitely one I feel pretty good about. I wonder what the results would've been had we only been allowed to pick one?
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
re: Cockrum's LSH work... I do find it on par with his X-stuff (FIRST run only) by the Duo Damsel-starring "War Between the Night & Days". But all-time absolute favorite Cockrum artwork has got to be on X-MEN # 100, possibly the most-beautifully drawn comic book of ALL time.
posted
It was still Cockrum, but the lines were thicker and less elegant... it may have been the inker or a change in Dave's style... but it was ever-so-slightly DIFFERENT. Blockier.
For me, the last top-level Cockrum art was on FUTURIANS, which I just re-read recently (the graphic novel and issues 1-3 & 0). His stuff from the sexond X-run on was still enjoyable but not in the top-tiers with his Avengers, LSH, first X-Men and Futurians run.
I still, however, count him as my very first FAVORITE artist, and I treasure ALL the comics he drew.
What did you think about it, Lardikens? Other Cockrum fans, too. Am I just seeing things wrong?
Hyperpath: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic | Subscribe To Topic
