User:Scott Free/Buscema draft

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Biography

Early life and career

Al Williamson was born in New York City but moved to Bogotá, Colombia at the age of two wehn his American mother married his Colombian father. He returned to New York with his mother when his parents divorced.

Hogarth school - pencilling tarzan pages - Heroic comics

Carlos Clemen Adolfo Buylla

thumb|left|Lawbreakers always lose #6 (Feb. 1949), Buscema's first recorded comic-book cover )

1950s

thumb|left|Love Diary #39 (Jan. 1954) Our Publ., Buscema, pencils & inks.

ref> Steranko. Buscema Sketchbook, 5-6.</ref>

In 1952, at the age of 21, Williamson began working for EC Comics. While at EC, Williamson frequently collaborated with fellow artists Frank Frazetta, Roy Krenkel and Angelo Torres, a group which was known as the Fleagle Gang. Williamson primarily worked on EC's science fiction comics Weird Science, Weird Fantasy and Weird Science-Fantasy, but occasionally appeared in their horror and crime comics as well. Williamson worked at EC through 1956 until the cancellation of their Picto-Fiction magazines.

Wood, Frazetta, Torres, Krenkel, Woodbridge, Morrow, Mayo, Evans, Crandall, Bradbury Food for thought Atlas, ACG

1960s

According to Jim Keefe's website, in 1960 he went to work as an assistant to John Prentice on the comic strip Rip Kirby. Some work from that strip has been published as having been worked on by him from 1964. In the 1960s, he worked briefly on a Flash Gordon comic book which was published by King Features and remains a very collectible comic book.

In the 1960s he did sample pages for a proposed Sunday strip version of Modesty Blaise ([1]).

Williamson briefly worked for Warren Publishing in 1964 and 1965 drawing for their comic magazines Creepy, Eerie and Blazing Combat. He would return to Warren in 1976 and again in 1979 to draw three additional stories.

In 1967, he took over the long-running Secret Agent X-9 comic strip with writer Archie Goodwin, and remained on it until 1980. At the start of their tenure the name was changed to Secret Agent Corrigan. When the Dino De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon movie came out, he did a 3-issue comic book adaptation before taking over the Star Wars comic strip from Russ Manning.

1970s

Secret Agent Corrigan

1980s

Pacific star wars blade runner

Later career

He has been very active as inker on several Marvel Comics titles, including Spider-Man 2099, Daredevil and Spider-Girl, as well as on Dark Horse's Star Wars movie adaptions. He won the 1966 National Cartoonists Society Award for Best Comic Book, the 1966 Alley Award for Best Pencil Work, the 1969 Alley Award for Best Pencil Work, and 1991 Eisner Award for Best Inker for his work on 1990-91 Epic Comics miniseries Atomic Age and other titles. He was also a formally named finalist for induction into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990, 1991, and 1992.

In 1995 Marvel released a two-part Flash Gordon miniseries written by Mark Schultz and drawn by Williamson. In 1999, Williamson fulfilled his lifelong dream of working on the comic strip Flash Gordon when regular cartoonist Jim Keefe asked for his help on a page and gave him credit for his "art assist".

“ I love all the painters…Vermeer, Velasquez, Goya, Rubens, Rembrandt…I’ve got over a thousand art books! ”

Buscema's last professional work.

Quotes

Stan Lee: "John Buscema was far more than one of our finest comic book artists. If Michaelangelo had elected to draw storyboards with pencil and pen, his style would have been close to that of Big John's. But, even more than a superb illustrator, John was also a brilliant visual storyteller. Thinking back on all the strips we had done together, I had only to give him the briefest kernel of a plot and he would flesh it out with his magnificent illustrations so beautifully that the stories seemed to write themselves. Happily, the legacy of artwork that my dear friend, the creative giant that was John Buscema, leaves behind, will bring wonder and enjoyment to generations of readers to come.".

References

• The Official John Buscema Website

External links

• Silver Age Marvel Comics Cover Index: Silver Surfer #1 (review by Nick Simon)

Selected works

• Fantastic Four 2099 #1-5
• New Mutants vol. 1 #69, 71-73, 78-80, 82 (inker)
• Al Williamson: Hidden Lands - Thomas Yeates , Mark Schultz, Steve Ringgenberg, Al Williamson - Dark Horse (2004) ISBN-10- 1569718164
• Al Williamson Adventures - Harlan Ellison, Bruce Jones, Mark Schultz, Al Williamson Insight Studios Group (2003) ISBN-10-1889317179
• Al Williamson Sketchbook -Al Williamson, J. David (Ed) Spurlock (Editor) Vanguard Productions; (1998) ISBN-10: 1887591028
• The art of Al Williamson, James Van Hise - Blue Dolphin, 1983 - ISBN-0-943128-04-08

External links

• Jim Keefe's account of Williamson's Flash Gordon page.
• Lambiek comiclopedia entry
• [2] Comic Book Awards Almanac

Notes

Basically the guidelines I've followed for these edits are the following from the 'Perfect Article' section :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:The_perfect_article a-acknowledges and explores all aspects of the subject; i.e., it covers every encyclopedic angle of the subject. b-is well-documented; all facts are cited from reputable sources, preferably sources that are accessible and up-to-date. c-is engaging; the language is descriptive and has an interesting, encyclopedic tone.

The Kubert passage (used as a segue from the Punisher) is actually notable due to the fact that Buscema has mentioned him in particular as an artist he admires and respects on several occasions.

I put that in because I couldn't substantiate the previous version that states that Buscema work showed a Kubert influence. So I replaced it with that more substantiated reference. I followed the following Wiki guidelines in doing so: 'When someone makes an edit you consider biased or inaccurate, improve the edit, rather than reverting it.' and also 'Focus on creation-oriented editing rather than suppression-oriented editing.'

The Sienkiewicz quote was meant to comment on a specific aspect of his work at the specific period that this section deals with. I think that's its better to include quotes in the quotes section that deal with more general aspects of Buscema and his career. (I have a few in mind). Plus the rewording creates an innacurate generalization about his pencil work.

Moved reference no. 7 regarding Buscema's retirement. This creates an innacuracy as the reference deals more with his return than his retirement. I removed the word 'formally' as I haven't come across any references that indiciate he formally announced his retirement per se. Removed a phrase about his 30-year regular output without indicating this or explaning why - it was a meant to be a much-needed transitional passage that adds perspective and readability for a general public audience.

Regarding the Buscema Sketchbook and the San Diego convention segue - The documentation that I have indicate that both points are relevant aspects of Buscema's career.

Moved the quote on painters but did not mention this or give any reasons as to why. Again it is a segue and is related to the previous points touched upon a serves to give a more general appreciation of Buscema's artistic outlook, especially for the general public audience.

The Frazetta thing may be a bit much at the beginning there, so I combined it with the other Frazetta reference in the Legacy section. The reason why I included these relevant links to the fields of popular literature, and fantasy illustration, is to situate the article in a wider context, hopefully making it more relateable to a general audience.

I've reverted the Frazetta entry because having made changes in response to two previous objections, this is the most feasible compromise I've been able to arrive at.

Added references for the 50's section. Returned Four Colour list in bullet format as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Lists The list is following the article's structure of mentioning lenghty runs on a title (i.e. Silver Surfer 1-17)- the list was necessary due to the peculiar numbering system of the Four Colour title. Also added a quote by Buscema regarding his 50's work.

Re: Commuting - The short passage on Buscema's commuting to work was carefully and thoughtfully chosen for the following reasons: a- It illustrates one for the reasons for an important career move, i.e. his return to comic books. b- It is a well-documented anecdote, appearing in several reliable publications c- In the interest of covering all aspects of the topic, I feel that occasional relevant references to his personal life adds depth and interest to the article.

Re:a few issue numbers - The rationale for my putting in those specific issue numbers are as follows: a- Although it's not feasible to include every comic book he drew, his output from the 60's is sufficiently focused that, with those issues beeing added, the entirety of his 60's output is covered in a succint, brief manner. b- All of the issues mentioned are significant enough as to have been mentioned in the Alter Ego and Comic Book Artist special John Buscema issues.

The changes to the Defalco reference is innacurate - the passsage refers to the work as being often cited as the highpoint of his Marvel work just as Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is often cited as one of Mozart's most popular melodies or Da Vinci's La Gioconda is often referred to as the Mona Lisa- it's not one person's individual opinion in the case I've referrenced.

The compression of the paragraph with the Steranko quote is possibly more correct from a grammatical and concision point of view, but is it more understandable to a general public? What if someone without much comic book knowledge were to read this article, a Norwegian high school girl who had to do a book report on How to Draw Comics the Marvel way for her art class or a Nigerian journalist who was writing an article on the portrayal of African Americans in popular culture in the 60's?

Varia

I have a question about adding external links. There's a great resource for artist galleries at comicartcommunity.com and I'd like to add links to those galleries on the individual artists' pages. You sent a message to me about adding links because the site is "primarily" an auction site. I would love it if that were true. However, the gallery traffic is ten times more than the auction traffic. Our auctions are free for buyers and sellers to list with a meager two percent final value fee. It's obvious we're not making money off of the auctions, we do it as a public service to fledgling artists. The reason we were adding links to these artist pages is because we noticed many people utilizing existing links on wikipedia that we ourselves did not add. We're considered a valuable resource for artists' images in the comic community and I think our links would be a valuable resource to your directory. Thanks. --Tman930 18:20, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Obviously, our views differ on this matter. We consider the gallery to be a valuable resource for comic art fans. What is the next step to resolve our editorial dispute? Is there an admnistrator for this category? We only want to do what's best for wikipedia users.--Tman930 19:15, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Buscema first covers

Courtesy of Jim Vadeboncoeur jr.

1- lawbreakers always lose ! (marvel 1948) Cover:6 (Feb 1949) - Confirmed by Michael Vassalo

2-blaze carson(1949) Cover:4 (Mar 1949)

3-all western winners(1949) Cover:4. (April 1949)

4- justice comics(marvel atlas 1947) Cover:9 (Apr. 1949)

5-tex morgan (marvel 1949) Cover:5 (Apr 1949)

6- true complete mystery(marvel 1949) Cover:5 (Apr 1949)

7- all true crime(1948) Cover: 33 (May 1949)

8- crimefighters(marvel ccc 1948) Cover:7 (May 1949)

9- lawbreakers always lose ! (marvel 1948) Cover: 8 (Jun 1949)

10- all true crime(1948) Cover: 34 (Jul 1949)

11- man comics(marvel 1949) Cover: 1 (Dec 1949)

Selected works

Marvel Visionaries: John Buscema HC (Marvel Visionaries) (Hardcover) Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: Marvel Comics (January 31, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0785121617 ISBN-13: 978-0785121619

Marvel Comics Presents: Wolverine Vol. 2 (Paperback) Paperback: 136 pages Publisher: Marvel Comics (January 11, 2006) Language: English ISBN-10: 0785118837 ISBN-13: 978-0785118831

Marvel Comics Presents: Wolverine, Vol. 1 (Paperback) Paperback: 104 pages Publisher: Marvel Comics; Direct Ed edition (July 6, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 0785118268 ISBN-13: 978-0785118268

Marvel Masterworks: Silver Surfer (Marvel Masterworks, V. 19) (Hardcover) Hardcover: 327 pages Publisher: Marvel Entertainment Group (June 1991) Language: English ISBN-10: 0871358085 ISBN-13: 978-0871358080

The Chronicles Of Conan Volume 5: The Shadow In The Tomb And Other Stories (Chronicles of Conan (Graphic Novels)) (Paperback) Paperback: 160 pages Publisher: Dark Horse (September 22, 2004) Language: English ISBN-10: 1593071752 ISBN-13: 978-1593071752

Introductory exercise

Skyelarke

1- I feel that, by and large, the version on my user page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Skyelarke should be considered an acceptable, policy-compliant Wikipedia article.

2- I feel that the article should be edited in what I consider a normal Wikipedia editing protocol environment - i.e. respecting Wikipedia Etiquette and Civility guidelines (with special emphasis on the citations in the references section on my user page).

Fair use images

Cool - For the rationales that are currently in the image descriptions, I've followed this guideline format:

When uploading art for use in comics related articles please enter the following information upon the image's description page.

* Physical source of the scan, i.e. if sourced from a web-site the actual paper source, Awesome Super Duper Comixxxxxx #874 (June, 1942), on page 39.

• • Note: Not all comics have numbered pages, therefore please count only the story pages - i.e. exclude the covers, any ad pages, letter pages etc.
• The source of the scan - if scanned in by uploader, say so; otherwise give link to the website.
• The resolution of the image.
• Copyright information of the owner.
• The artists (and writers for interior sourced images) of the image in question.
• A fair use rationale.

In addition, the scan should be altered if necessary to focus upon the specific aspects of the image which are being discussed, rather than merely reproducing the original in digital form.

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Comics/copyright

Romance comic book cover -50's section

Here's the fair use description for the first image, although I think this one's actually a free use image.

Physical Source of scan : Love Diary #39 (Jan. 1954) Our Publ.,

Source of scan : uploader

Resolution : 72 dpi

Copyright: Company defunct for over 50 years, probable public domain free use image

Artist name : John Buscema

Fair Use Rationale: This is a comic book cover. Will be used in the John Buscema Wikipedia article - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Buscema

to illustrate the text in the 1st paragraph of the 1950's section as a sample of his work in the romance comic genre on the Love Diary title mentioned in the text.

--Skyelarke 22:28, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

First comic book cover - what is it? early career section

By the way, Man Comics #1 isn't his first cover - a cursory glance at the Michel Maillot checklist shows several covers dated prior to that one. So I replaced that one with Lawbreakers always lose#6 - which is a crime title, which works out well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tex5.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Lbal6b.jpg --Skyelarke 00:29, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

Right, the romance genre in that case - he contributed to over 20 romance issues for that company in the mid-50's.I'd say that the majority over his early work was mainly in only 3 genres, making it feasible to have a sample from the romance, (as well as crime and western genres.) --Skyelarke 01:37, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

--Skyelarke 21:19, 4 August 2007 (UTC) Sorry to diverge again, but this just came in - I think I found a pretty good confirmation for Lawbreakers always lose #6 as Buscema's first recognized published cover on record.

http://www.atlastales.com/at/s/n:31:z:c

--Skyelarke 10:40, 5 August 2007 (UTC)

Mr. Maillot is known as having one of the most extensive Buscema original art collections and has been credited for contributing Buscema artwork to such magazines as Comic Book Artist, Alter Ego, Rough Stuff, and Back Issue. He obtained his Atlas information from Jim Vadebonceour Jr., longtime comic art and illustration historian and publisher.

The Atlas Tales website features contributions by Michael Vassalo (who has personally cited Buscema as the artist to Lawbreakers #6).

Here's his bio at : http://www.comicartville.com/kweskinatatlas.htm Dr. Michael J. Vassallo is one of the comic art community's leading experts on the Timely/ Atlas comic company. He has published numerous articles on the subject and his indices of Atlas artists have been the definitive source material for many researchers and collectors.

He is also a credited indexer to Man Comics#1 on the Grand Comics Database. --Skyelarke 01:05, 8 August 2007 (UTC)

Western cover - early career section

Actually the first one you mention was done in the 40's and is in the early career section. Moreover, the text mentions work mainly in three genres: western, crime and romance. As a solution I threw in a western in the early career section (and cleaned up a bit by putting the other images in their respective decades, closer to their text reference.) which gives representation for all three genres. So that would make one crime, one western, and one romance, two being in the forties, so that would make 2 images for the 40's and 2 for the 50's.

PS - I noticed there may be some doubt as to who drew the Tex Morgan #5 cover, so I replaced it with

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:2gunwestern5.jpg --Skyelarke 00:25, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Roy Rogers comic book page -50's section

OK, thanks Andre - for the next image - In re-reading the 50's section, I now feel that having an image of his work on the Roy Rogers title is important - so I'd like to include this one in the discussion -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Roy_rogerscomic.jpg

for the following reasons :

1- It's his only significant long-running series with a single character in his early career - a nearly 3-year, 30-issue run. (I have a few referenced cites available, as well.)

2- Roy Rogers is a well-known mainstream popular culture figure of that era, and I feel that featuring this type of cross-over media adaptation work, helps make the article more accessible to a general audience. (I think Tenebrae originally raised this point; I feel that this aspect could still be improved upon.)

3- It fits OK.

--Skyelarke 01:40, 9 August 2007 (UTC)

Paperback cover in 60s section

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Blackbusc.jpg

Besides fair use rationale of the image description, other reasons are:

• 1- An 8-year period in commercial illustration is important enough period of time to be represented.
• 2- adds diversity - gives illustration outside of comic book field (giving a wider, general audience perpsective)
• 3- Shows diversity of technique and style (painting)

I have some more referenced cites available for this.

--Skyelarke 13:20, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

Conan magazine cover in 70s section

I'd like to move the Savage Tales cover to the beginning of the 70's section because I can't figure out why it's at the bottom like that. See :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Skyelarke/Buscema_draft --Skyelarke 00:24, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Wizard of Oz image in 70s section

Besides the fair use rationale, the following:

1- This serves two purposes, thus reducing the need for more images i.e. it illustrates his sketches for 'The Art of John Buscema', the first book devoted entirely to the artist (hence of scholarly importance) and also illustrates his work on the Wizard of Oz adaptation.

2- Wizard of Oz characters are well-known in popular culture, thus giving it more a a general audience perspective.

3- Illustrates his pen & ink sketches, an important facet of his work and adds a more diversified illustration of his style and techniques.

--Skyelarke 14:03, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

How to Draw Comics image in 70s section

I tweaked this image a little -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Htdctmw2.jpg

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Skyelarke/Buscema_draft

Besides the fair use rationale, the following:

1- The added pages because the fair use guidelines for artists in general seems to emphasize artistic analysis as impetus for scholarly validation, so this type of didactic illustration to comply with wiki fair use artist guidelines.

2- The book stands as a mainstream book publishing success with a high profile New York publisher - therefore an important work and helps emphasize general audience perspective.

3- The book has a solid standing as a respected art instruction textbook in the cartooning field and is thus compatible with the encyclopedic vocation. --Skyelarke 03:29, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Wolverine image in 80s section

I propose to move the Wolverine image from the 80's section to the 90's as the work is dates from 1993 and is mentioned in the first paragraph of the later career section.

--Skyelarke 20:39, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Conan image in 80s section

I propose to replace this Conan image from the 70s section- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:SSOC17.jpg

with this one, in this 80s section http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:ConanMovieSpecial.jpg

besides the fair use rationale, the following:

• 1-Important because the film was a significant box office success and it underscores the role Buscema played in bringing the character to the film medium.

• 2-Reduces image usage by serving the dual role of illustrating Buscema's work on the Conan character in the 80's and illustrating a mainstream media crossover work which helps for the general audience perspective.

--Skyelarke 20:39, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Fantastic Four layout in 80s section

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Breakdownavengers.jpg

besides the fair use rationale, the following:

• 1-Important because it has an art analyis purpose, being a sample of 'breakdowns' or 'layouts' as explained in the 5th paragraph of the 70's section thus establishing scholarly intent.

• 2-Reduces need for more images by serving dual purpose of illustrating his work on the Fantastic Four of that period, one the titles he was most profilic on (along with Thor, Avengers, and Conan) .

--Skyelarke 15:55, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Replace Thor image in later career section

I propose to replace this image -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Thor9.jpg

with this one -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Galactusdevourer6.jpg

besides the fair use rationale, the following:

• 1-Important because it has an art analyis purpose, being a comparison of a pencilled page and the corresponding finished inked version by Bill Sienkiewicz, the author of the art analysis quotation in the 4th paragraph of the later career section thus a more direct relation to the text and establishment of scholarly intent.

• 2-Reduces need for more images by also serving the dual purpose of illustrating his work on a title of that period mentioned in the text.

--Skyelarke 19:10, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Lithograph image in later career section

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:AvengerslithoBIG.jpg

besides the fair use rationale, the following:

• 1- Historically relevant as his final known professional illustration as mentioned in text.

• 2- Illustrates diversity of medium giving a wider, more general audience perspective.

• 3- The lithograph is a traditonally recognized medium in the fine arts area, thus helps compatibility with Biography Portal and Arts and Entertainment guidelines.

--Skyelarke 19:30, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Replace Western cover image in later career section

One last change - I propose to replace this image -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:2gunwestern5.jpg

with this one -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Crimefighters4p5.png

besides the fair use rationale, the following:

• 1- Historical significant as his first professional comic book story, as stated by Buscema.

• 2-To vary from comic book covers.

Replace Hercules cover image in 50's section

One last change - I propose to replace this image -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Herculesfc1006.jpg

with this one -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sinbadpage17.jpg

besides the fair use rationale, the following:

• 1-Is referred to in a quote by the artist, hence a closer adherence to the content of the article.

• 2-The quote contains commentary of an artistic analysis nature, thus giving it a didactic purpose more in line with the encyclopedic purpose.