My first comic book crush

I can already sense this is going to be an embarrassing entry I will probably regret; I do this for you.

When boys begin to come of age and feel that rumbling in their loins—I swear you have not clicked on the wrong in all sense of the world blog, bear with me—as girls stop being gross and start being terrifying, they often become timid around the young ladies their own age who spurn their advances—seriously, you guys were the worst—and find comfort by crushing on figures of womanhood out of their league for whatever reason. Perhaps they’re older, perhaps they’re famous or perhaps they’re even fictional; that’s totally normal, right?

Right?

Well, I guess we’re going down this road now, might as well continue, for better or for worse (I originally wrote “far worse” in a revealing Freudian slip).

I thought real girls were cute, but as a comic book fan around the tender age of nine or so, of course no woman could compare to the flawless four color beauties whose adventures I followed (or more accurately they could but wouldn’t talk to me). Since New Warriors was my favorite comic, ergo the lovely aquatic princess Namorita was my first comic book crush.

If you’re looking to shrink my childhood head at all as far as what I was looking for in a woman—or at least an unrealistic and implausible crush—I liked that Nita was bold, outspoken and aggressive with a sharp wit and cutting sense of humor. If she had an opinion, she expressed it with words or fists where Firestar might have held her tongue. Her physical power carried over into an emotional strength that manifested in a deep bond with her cousin, Namor, passionate defense for the environment, and a willingness to stand up and by her friends and teammates without question.

Perhaps it also says something about me that I preferred the girl who wasn’t shy about pursuing what she wanted romantically, but also demanded to be pursued herself in return. Yeah, the love of Namorita’s comic book life happens to be Nova, a character of whom I am somewhat fond, but I swear that’s kinda a coincidence (sorta). When I started reading the book, they would flirt now and again, but it never seemed like it was going anywhere serious. Marvel Boy and Firestar were the alpha couple of the book, the “too cute” made for each other fairytale love story; Night Thrasher and Silhouette were number two because they had an intense history and thus deep bond. Nova and Namorita were just the attractive singles who were never going to settle down with anybody, let alone one another.

But as ever, Fabian Nicieza wrote a great story when it came to Nova and Nita’s romance. They were both too strong to admit they needed each other and both suffered before they could get to a place where that admission came; and then once they did express their true feelings circumstances conspired to keep them apart.

Oh, and speaking of those circumstances, certainly it was mildly—MILDLY—traumatic for me when they decided to transform Namorita into the blue-skinned, web-footed Kymaera, seemingly in an effort to impart on young Ben the lesson that beauty is skin deep, yada yada yada. Hey, the bulk of my childhood crush came from the fact that Namorita was saucy, smart and a bit sarcastic, but I’d be lying if I said the fact that Mark Bagley and Darick Robertson knew how to draw a sexy blond in a green bikini didn’t help.

I’m making it worse; time to bring this home.

As I grew and my interest in comics waxed, waned, and returned stronger than ever, I of course discovered an ability to connect with real girls along the way, and it was eventually time to leave childhood crushes on made-up mermaids behind. Did that young infatuation inform my future relationships? Maybe? I’ve definitely always been drawn to women who speak their mind and generally have a wicked sense of humor. By the same token, I’ve never been seriously involved with a blond or anybody who counts swimming among their most frequent hobbies.

Of course the girl I married had dyed blond hair when I met her and was on her junior high swim team but is now a brunette who rarely goes in the water, perhaps a commentary on my childhood fantasy blossoming into the woman I would fall in love with.

Or maybe my wife is just awesome. Besides, she has her own comic book character.

Hopefully this blog post made you as uncomfortable as it made me.

The Definitives: The Silver Surfer

The Silver Surfer occupies an interesting place in the broad spectrum of classic characters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby during their landmark run on Fantastic Four. Like the Inhumans, he’s an exotic character who makes for an impactful guest star. However, like The Black Panther, he’s also a figure with depth and an intriguing background who can sustain his own mythology to a degree. It’s tempting to write him off as somebody who works better weaving in and out of series starring other folks and existing on the fringe of the Marvel Universe—and he’s not in lousy company in this regard when it comes to many of the Lee/Kirby inventions from said FF stint—but he’s got quite a few quality stories centered around him as the protagonist.

I met the Surfer during his 90’s solo series, so for me, he was a cosmic hero first and foremost and I wouldn’t learn about his earthbound years or even the sacrificial first appearance that defined him until much later. It speaks to his versatility that he can succeed in either environment; however, it’s also perhaps a commentary on his limitations that he gets shuffled back and forth between Earth and space, between opposing Galactus and serving him, as he gets into a rut if his dynamic doesn’t get changed up every now and again.

At his best, the Surfer is a hero, an enigma, a warrior, a philosopher, a savior, a harbinger of doom and more. Here are some stories that showcase his various sides.

The Galactus Trilogy (FANTASTIC FOUR v1 #48-50)
Few characters whose first appearance is not also their origin are so vitally linked to that story as The Silver Surfer. The Galactus Trilogy is a classic for many reasons, but setting up the Surfer as a different kind of Marvel hero with a compelling mystique about him is one of the chief among those. He makes his debut as a menacing alien heavy that embodies the idea of “the other” and ends the story as a hugely sympathetic underdog we wish we could be more like. The Surfer’s discovery of humanity, his empathy, and his transformation underscore the big action and amazing art, tying a “when we’re at our best, we’re worth saving” moral to the story.

SILVER SURFER v1
Not to cross brands here, but the Surfer’s initial 18-issue series from the 70’s, written by Stan Lee and illustrated largely by John Buscema, really is the character’s most essential tales. Out the gate, we get the origin of our hero, how Norrin Radd became The Silver Surfer, sacrificing love and a big chunk of his own morality in order to serve the greater good; that the character went years with this motivation for his actions in his first appearance as a question mark is pretty wild. That opening salvo is followed up by an exploration of both the Surfer’s exile on Earth as well as his past on Zenn-La, including the introduction of Shalla Bal to create one of Marvel’s most unsung (literally) star-crossed romances. You also get the genesis of Mephisto, that legendary first Surfer-Thor brawl with stellar Buscema art, and other classic stuff. Sometimes Lee hits the angle of the Surfer not understanding humanity’s violent ways a little too hard and too often, but when it scores it scores big.

SILVER SURFER v2 by Steve Englehart
The Surfer series that ran through the late 80’s and into the 90’s had him off of Earth and back soaring through the spaceways. I started reading regularly during Ron Marz’s tenure as writer, which had some cool stuff, and I just missed a Jim Starlin run I’ve always wanted to get around to, but the stuff that sticks with me is Steve Englehart’s work at the start. I definitely recall distinctly the period where the Surfer was entering into an awkward romance with Nova (the chick, not the real one), trying to quell intergalactic wars between the Kree and Skrulls, and dressing up as a pirate to go undercover among a crew of lizard people. It was weird, it was wild and it was ambitious—it was everything stories about a shiny demigod riding through space on a surfboard needed to be and presented a nice counterpoint to the claustrophobic 70’s stories where the Surfer couldn’t venture outside his earthly prison. Slick art from the late Marshall Rogers didn’t hurt either.

SILVER SURFER: REQUIEM
I’ve got a whole entry on this underrated beauty.

“On the Last Day” (NOVA v4 #13-15)
During the first Annihilation, Keith Giffen made the bold move to put the Surfer back as Galactus’ herald for the first time since his introduction (I think, please correct me if I’m wrong) and this was, to my opinion, the story that best played off that change in status quo. The premise is pretty simple: The Surfer leads Galactus to an inhabited planet and warns the folks living there to evacuate, Nova wants to save said planet from being eaten, Nova and the Surfer fight. There’s another plot about a body-possessing serial killer, but for me that good stuff is writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning digging into the psyche of the Surfer when he is not turning on Galactus to save the little people. They do a nice job showing the nuances of the character in part not caring because his value system has again been dulled, but also retaining a shred of that compassion and wavering the slightest bit in his duty. The Nova vs Surfer battle is great as the kind of underdog story I dig—Nova is nowhere near Surfer’s league—and because Wellinton Alves does wonderful work depicting it, but the moral debate and contemplation over the greatest good is the meaty stuff, really showing how complex The Silver Surfer is.

Fantastic Four: The Animated Series
The FF side of the Marvel Action Hour from the mid-90’s had very little going for it aside from a hilarious theme song and Brian Austin Green rapping as The Human Torch, but a pretty spot-on adaptation of the Galactus Trilogy is one of the series’ few treats. The animation is not pretty, but the folks responsible for the show do a very nice job with the story, and this was in fact the first place I experienced it in any fashion, so that’s certainly something worth noting.

Art Attack: Norm Rapmund's Nova

Between the five days of live streaming, live blogging, hanging with wrestlers, hanging with comics folks, interviewing S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Joss Whedon, hosting cake baking competitions, finding a CVS open past 10 that sold beer, eating good food, eating bad food, wearing tights (pics to come...maybe) and finding a few seconds to give Kiel a hug, San Diego was a busy Comic-Con for me this year--so busy that I was extremely negligent when it came to getting Nova sketches, Golden Age sketches, Miss Martian sketches or, well, sketches of any kind.

Thank goodness for Norm Rapmund!

I was hanging with my main man Todd "T-Bone" Nauck at his booth before the show began on Preview Night and made the acquaintance of Mr. Rapmund. Todd met Norm back in the 90's when they both worked out of Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios, but the man has been active for a couple decades now at Marvel, DC, Image and all points in between, working on just about every major character there is and inking folks from Dan Jurgens and Howard Porter to Ed McGuinness and Ian Churchill.

I knew I had met a kindred spirit when I inquired about a possible Nova sketch and got an enthusiastic "Nova? I love Nova!" in response. The follow-up "Wait...original costume, right?" sealed the deal for real.

It's always cool for me to see guys known primarily for inking cut loose with pencils, as they're generally skilled draftsmen in their own right and I enjoy seeing them strut their stuff. From this sketch, it's not hard to get why so many people are keen to work with him. He's got a great sense of proportion, a refined sense of anatomy and clearly knows how to work the classic super hero mold with some nice flourishes.

I'm very pleased with the slick, pretty Human Rocket I got from Mr. Rapmund and even more so with the short but extremely pleasant I got to have with this genuinely nice gent. I hope to hear more of the stories I know he's got in the future.

Thanks, Norm!

Art Attack: Anniversary/Birthday Present

I am blessed for so many wonderful things in my life, but nothing more than my amazing wife, Megan. A few months ago, we celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary and coming up next weekend is my 29th birthday; to commemorate both, Megan commissioned me an amazing piece of art from our buddy Todd Nauck...
It's me and Megan surrounded by my very favorite characters, Nova and The Flash, as well as her namesake, Miss Martian. Oh, and also Captain America (Megan wanted to include another Marvel icon). We're all chilling at the spot Megan and I took photos following our wedding in Newport, Rhode Island with us in our tux and dress.

I'm fortunate enough to have a great many original art pieces from Todd, but no question, this is my favorite yet. His incredible talent is undeniable and wow does he draw a wicked Flash.

In conclusion: I may be getting up there in the years, but I'm a luckier dude than ever! Thank you Todd and I love you so much, Megan!

Nova Still Rock(et)s

While it's true Nova seemingly shuffled off the mortal coil of the main Marvel Universe (for the time being at least) in The Thanos Imperative #6, it's easy to ignore that loss when the Human Rocket still gets to soar monthly in the pages of Paul Tobin's Marvel Adventures Super Heroes.

Tobin clearly has a great affection for Rich Rider (he used Diamondhead for goodness sake) and it shows in his work. Here, check out these highlights from issue #8 with art by Scott Koblish and featuring Nova tagging along with Thor to Asgard to fight trolls and get dissed by Valkyrie...

I love that Tobin digs Nova and honors the character, but isn't so doggedly devoted to the traditional interpretation that he can't put his own spin on him, which can really be said for how he writes all the characters in Super Heroes. It's a book intended for all ages so the characters are writ large, with amped up versions of their personas and marked elements of fun. Sue Richards is a bit more impish, Thor more pompous, Iron Man slicker and the Black Widow more of, well, a bitch.

And rather than play Nova as the weary space warrior of the past several years or teen hunk of the 90's, Tobin looks to the Human Rocket's 70's roots and casts him as a somewhat insecure and overeager kid hanging out with the greatest super heroes of all time. Rich still has elements of his recent competence and New Warriors swagger, but mostly he's a guy you want to hang with and goof on a bit.

Marvel Adventures Super Heroes has a good thing going, and having sneaked a peek at upcoming issues, I'm pleased to see the departure of editor extraordinaire Nate Cosby has not derailed it with the superbly mustachioed Jordan White picking up the slack.

Thank you, gentlemen, for allowing Nova to keep on flying.

6 Thoughts on Thanos Imperative #6

WARNING: That image right below may spoil The Thanos Imperative #6 for you (hopefully it didn’t already…sorry).

But anyhow, that my friends, is what I call a sendoff.


Some quick thoughts on what went down, since you knew I was gonna have some:

1. Did I know this was coming? Yeah, for a little while now, though not the full details. Why not? Because…

2. …even though my job in comics requires me to more or less know what’s going on and what’s ahead when it comes to Marvel, I do try to keep some suspense and avoid advance knowledge when I come, particularly in regard to my favorite character. Thus…

3. …no, I don’t know what’s next for Nova (if anything). However, the fan in me would reckon you can’t get much more ambiguous than that ending, and were I a betting man, I’d say we haven’t seen the last of the Human Rocket and that return’s gonna be a doozy.

4. If that was it, like I said, what a way to go. If you’re a fan of a character and they’re going to make the ultimate sacrifice, you can’t ask for much better than what Nova got. Willingly putting it all on the line for not just the universe, not just the galaxy, but all of reality. Not facing oblivion alone, but with one of your best buddies by your side. Literally laughing in the face of the living embodiment of death, quipping right down to your last moment. My boy got better treatment in his “demise” than a lot of characters get when they’re alive and kicking.

5. It was if nothing else an appropriate capper to the recent renaissance of Nova under the collective pen of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Keith Giffen made Rich Rider one of the coolest heroes in the Marvel Universe a few years ago when he had him rip Annihilus’ guts out, and DnA bookended it with the average kid from Queens charging guns blazing Butch and Sundance style with Star-Lord at no less than Thanos himself as the world crumbled around them. In the interim, Nova got to ascend to the A-list, getting the kind of visibility he’s never before. People who never who he was or just liked his costume dig the character now—or just like his costume even more—and for a life-long fan like me, you can’t ask for much more. I’m so grateful and thrilled with what Dan and Andy have done that it feels write for them to be able to close out their chapter definitively.

6. If you’re like me and you still need your monthly Nova fix, make sure you’re picking up Paul Tobin’s Marvel Adventures Super Heroes!

Art Attack: December 2010's coolest covers

Rather than make poor "It's the holiday season!" jokes, I'm instead going to tack my brief thoughts on December's nicest-looking comic book covers (in my humble opinion) up front here.

-From kinda out of nowhere, Dustin Nguyen has emerged as one of my very favorite cover artists. I love his interiors as well, but with his covers, he is quite possessed of the ability to not only create a striking image, but draw attention to it through sheer craftsmanship. I'm quite impressed by his output of several covers a month in addition to staying on task for at least one ongoing series at a time, and pretty psyched to have him on Justice League: Generation Lost cover duties where I can see his take on some non-Batman characters (like Captain Atom).

-The other guy who continues wow me across the board is Dave Johnson, who certainly doesn't need my praise, but you're getting it, fella. His covers aren't just gorgeous, they're smart, with a savvy design sense and use of color.

-I've said it before, but I'm really pleased to have Esad Ribic doing the Uncanny X-Force covers, if only to see new work by him monthly. His group shots were hot enough, but when you draw Wolverine and some sort of barbarian on the moon, that's just raising your game.

-Not only is Ivan Brunetti's Stange Tales II cover just awesome, I can't tell you how much it pleases me that pretty much everybody is commenting on his Nova of all characters.

-I think the cover of I Am An Avenger #4 somehow represents a whole new level for Daniel Acuna. I like his stuff already, and I'm not wise enough in the arts to pick apart what happened, but something there just pops to me. His Thing is (in a word) fantastic.

-That Ozma of Oz cover is the creepiest comic book art I believe I've seen all year.

AVENGERS ACADEMY #7 by Mike McKone

BATGIRL #16 by Dustin Nguyen

BATMAN 80-PAGE GIANT 2010 by Dustin Nguyen

BULLSEYE: PERFECT GAME #2 by Tim Bradstreet

DARK TOWER: GUNSLINGER - LITTLE SISTERS OF ELURIA #1 by Luke Ross

DEADPOOL #30 by Dave Johnson

DETECTIVE COMICS #872 by Jock

DMZ #60 by John Paul Leon

FREEDOM FIGHTERS #4 by Dave Johnson

HULK #28 by Ed McGuinness

I AM AN AVENGER #4 by Daniel Acuna

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #15 by Dustin Nguyen

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #52 by David Mack

MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPER HEROES #9 by Ronan Cliquet

OZMA OF OZ #1 by Skottie Young

S.H.I.E.L.D. #5 by Gerard Parel

SHADOWLAND: AFTER THE FALL #1 by David Finch

STRANGE TALES II #1 by Ivan Brunetti

UNCANNY X-FORCE #3 by Esad Ribic

X-FACTOR #212 by David Yardin

San Diego 2010 Novarama Sketchfest

Once again the sketch gods smiled upon me again at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. I already showed off the new additions to Megan's Miss Martian collection, so now here's the dynamic duo I was fortunate enough to snag for my Nova Sketchbook.

In addition to being the son of the legendary Neal Adams, Josh Adams is a dang fine artist in his own right and a swell dude as well. I met him at a Ring of Honor show a couple months ago via our mutual friend Christopher Daniels and I gingerly mentioned I'd be tracking him down sooner rather than later for a sketch. At San Diego, neither of us forgot this pact and Josh was more than happy to take some time and do this neat piece for me. Josh went the Magneto helmet route on Nova's headgear, but not in a way that renders him unrecognizable, so I actually dig that his sketch stands out in that way. I also always love when somebody throws in an extra touch like lettering or a gag, and Josh did both; I may not totally understand the Dr. Seuss allusions because I'm, y'know, uncultured, but I certainly appreciate it nonetheless.

For my second piece of the con, I was wandering Artist's Alley and got super-psyched when I saw that Jacob Chabot was in the house. I first got to see Jacob's work when Rickey recommended Skullboy my way and then flipped my lid when he did X-Babies and drew every friggin' X-Men character ever as a baby (it was a thing of beauty)! I worked with Jacob a few times on Marvel.com to promote X-Babies and in fact a series of sketches he did for us ended up being variant covers for the series. I had a nice talk with Jacob and his buddy and X-Babies collaborator Gregg Schigiel about the book and other stuff and was of course overjoyed to get a sketch in the bargain. This sucker is everything I love about Chabot's style, particularly his ability to find the fun in a super hero piece without making it goofy; that's a Nova who knows how to party but is also ready to kick some ass. Factor in an awesome pose and great background and you've got one of my favorite sketches I've gotten in some time.

Thanks guys!

San Diego 2010 Sketch-o-rama Pt. 1

Oh man, I am wiped the heck out from San Diego Comic-Con! I've been to three of these suckers now, and no question this was my favorite so far. Besides the show itself, getting to interact with fans and see what they think of what we're doing, I had the perfect balance this year of seeing my bros, spending time with creators who I love to chat with, fostering some camaraderie with my Marvel colleagues and going on trippy pro wrestling adventures that land me on the top of PetCo Park shaking hands with Paul Heyman.

But right now, as much as I'm still tingling from great stories and better friends, I'm pretty wasted from taking a red eye back and then heading into the office on three hours of sleep (I'm hardcore).

So while if the past is any indication all four of us will be checking in throughout the next little bit with anecdotes, pics, etc., for now I want to show off some of the sketches I was fortunate enough to pick up this year.

I did snag some new Nova pieces, but my sketchbook is actually still in the physical possession of the great Josh Adams right now. However, I did get a very special surprise Human Rocket rendering from none other than pro wrestling superstar and my Marvel.com broadcast partner "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels!

Not bad, eh? Chris may "fall down for a living" as he puts it, but I think he's got some skills! I see a bit of early Jamal Igle in that piece; very nice shading on the musculature. You may have a second career awaiting you Mr. Daniels!

However, Nova aside, I also had Megan's very special Miss Martian collection along for the ride and got two new portrayals of my favorite Martian, first up from Andy Lanning...

Many may know Andy as one half of the supreme cosmic writing duo of DnA along with Dan Abnett or even as a prolific inker, but he's also a hell of an artist in his own right when not working over somebody else's pencils, as this more than demonstrates. I had some very fun times with Andy over the past week as he's one of the funniest dudes in comics or anywhere really; ditto for Dan. Very glad to see DnA get their well-earned props on the Mondo Marvel panel from an appreciative crowd.

I also got Megan a sketch she's wanted for some time as she's always been jealous of my own Chris Giarusso Nova...

What can I say about Chris G's work? The guy is awesome and I don't think he's capable of bad art. His Miss Martian is absolutely adorable, but I'm not surprised. Megan is totally in love with this sketch already, so I owe Chris, also a heckuva nice guy.

So that's it for the first wave, but when I wake up in three days or so hopefully I should have more for you. In the mean time...Kevin, where are you, kid?!

My Five Favorite John Buscema Comics

I always knew I was a John Buscema fan, but I don’t think I realized how much until I started writing this blog.

It seems like nary a subject goes by where I’m not singing the praises of “Big John,” whether it’s thanking him for designing Nova or saying what an honor it was to work with his granddaughter Stephanie. There’s no question some of my favorite comic books and those that drew me in as a fan to begin with bore the handiwork of John Buscema; in a lot of ways, I owe the man greatly for drawing me into my chosen profession.

When I was a kid, guys like Jim Lee and Darick Robertson grabbed my attention; as I grew up, George Perez and Mike McKone became more my speed. But if you group all those guys, you notice a common element of solid fundamentals and appreciation of how to infuse larger-than-life super heroes with a sense of reasonably grounded anatomy that was a benchmark of what Buscema did his entire career.

With all that in mind, I wanted to pay some much-deserved tribute to Mr. John Buscema by listing off the five works of his that resonated most profoundly with me personally.

(And I should not before I even begin that I know Buscema is forever linked to his Conan work and while I’ve admired it from afar and it’s impressive as heck, I’ve never actually read it, so I’m disqualifying it in this instance)

5. The Punisher Meets Archie
As with Buscema’s Conan, his Punisher work is a gaping hole in my reading history I hope to someday fill, but I did get a tease in this quirky little memento of my childhood. Buscema handled the strictly Punisher portions of the most bizarre team-up in comic book history and brought a professionalism as well as a grit that did not seem out of place to a story that benefitted from both. And it was pretty cool to see the Marvel Universe version of an evil Archie Andrews that Buscema dreamed up.

4. Nova
Obviously I will be forever indebted to John Buscema if for no other reason than he visually created my favorite comic book character of all-time and garbed him in one of the coolest costumes ever. Buscema only drew the first two issues of Nova’s first ongoing series, but he made an indelible mark on Richard Rider and his world. Besides establishing the pace for the Human Rocket as far as his action sequences and how he propelled through the air with the greatest of ease, Buscema also eased the John Romita Sr. template of portraying young people in their civilian lives admirably into a new decade.

3. Avengers: Under Siege
Due to a lot of his oeuvre being so centered around action-based characters like Conan or Thor, Buscema has a well-deserved reputation for a guy who can deliver great battles and brawls, but there’s a lot more to his talents than that, and he demonstrates this in one of the best Avengers stories of all-time, Roger Stern’s “Under Siege.” That’s not to say there’s not plenty of slam bang in a tale where Earth’s Mightiest Heroes take on the biggest assemblage ever of the Masters of Evil, and Buscema delivers more than ably on that front, but it’s the quiet moments that set this story apart and where he really makes his mark. Whether it’s the anguished reactions of his charges when Jarvis is tortured or Captain America’s somber resignation following the destruction of Avengers Mansion and his prized heirlooms, Buscema knows exactly what buttons to push emotionally and does so with tremendous skill. And yeah, the fight scenes are awesome too.

2. Silver Surfer
After many years of wanting to, I finally started reading the first Marvel Masterworks collection of Silver Surfer recently, and besides the fact that I’d highly recommend it, I also have to say it’s not tough to see why Stan Lee selected John Buscema to be the artist on the first regular series for his self-admitted favorite character. The Surfer’s not necessarily an easy character to nail, given that he is essentially a naked dude draped in silver (on a surfboard, of course), but like Jack Kirby before him and a select few since, Buscema knew how to navigate the challenges and bring Norrin Radd to life. While Buscema’s nuts and bolts anatomy works perfectly on the Surfer, it’s the care and heightened sense of urgency the artist used in rendering the character’s facial expressions that served to really illuminate the torment, melancholy and bursts of rage Lee made the Sky Rider of the Spaceways’ benchmark. When the Surfer opens up in battle, you can see Buscema come alive, rendering the Power Cosmic with relish and care, not just settling for ill-defined energy blasts, and letting it all hang out when Thor or other come to play. This work really is Buscema—already pretty darn great—at his best, running the gamut from making the Badoon the ugliest mofos in the universe to showing why Norrin Radd is so hung up on Shalla Bal, as she really does seem like the most gorgeous woman ever. Buscema’s splash pages are downright inspirational as well, from the sinister introduction of Mephisto to the iconic shot of the Surfer emerging from Galactus’ hand imbued with his power for the very first time.

1. How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way
The way John Buscema first came into my life—at least in a way I significantly remember beyond odd issues of Avengers from the late 80’s—was via Marvel’s pivotal instructional book on the essentials of cartooning. Released in 1978, “How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way” has gone through at least 33 printings at last count and served as a launch pad not only for fans-turned-doodlers like myself, but scores of actually legitimate future comic book artists. Buscema’s style was the one we all aspired to emulate, and he was more than willing to hold our hands through a series of easy-to-follow chapters and in-depth lessons that laid the treasure trove of trade secrets comic artists employed at our fingertips. I not only enjoyed the book for its instructional value though, I confess I also just loved looking at the great art contained within and dreaming of someday being close to that, if not as an artist than in some other way. Indeed, John Buscema’s art was the gateway that welcomed me into this wonderful world of comics. My mother was recently looking for a gift for my young cousin who has shown some proclivity towards drawing comics and I suggested this book; I only hope he can get even half out of it that I did and perhaps want to borrow some John Buscema comics from me.