A Quick History Of Marvel's Masterpiece Paintings
words By Raymond Tyler
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| Art By Earl Norem From Rampaging Hulk No 9 |
Marvel Comics produced some very provocative magazine's in the 1970's and 80's. These were not 25 cent comics but full magazine size adventures that mostly had new black and white interior content. This content was even more cinematic and adult than basic news stand books. Honestly, at times the content was shockingly violent, sexual and real world.
To accent the reality Marvel usually went to fully painted covers by illustrators like Earl Norem. Mr. Norem's work became the go to for fully painted covers during the 1970's and 80's. Mr. Norem's work made you feel like The Avengers were about to leap off the page or that Dracula was about to reach out and grab you. Or in this painting from Marvel's Haunt Of Horror it looks like the bats are flying off the page and at your neck.
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In 1994 Marvel Comics released issue number one of Marvel's.
The idea was brilliant. They charged writer Kurt Busiek with penning a 4 issue story of the grand Marvel universe and how their universe would look and feel to a mere mortal.
It's one thing to read about Spider-Man in "the funny pages." Marvels gave you page after page of the experience that you might be opening your window on a hot July afternoon and not only does a full size Green Goblin fly by on a real glider but as you open the window a Spider-Man crawls up the side of the building close enough to touch. A Spider-Man moving so fast you feel the rush of the wind as he passes. The man they charged to bring these images to life was Alex Ross.
His life like paintings made the 4 issue series Marvels a game changing instant /must have classic and made Alex Ross a very rich, famous and busy artist.
In researching for this article, I went back and revisited some of those paintings for Marvels. Spider-Man, still looks close enough to touch, and The Hulk looks like I can smell his breath and feel the earth shake with his each step.
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I am excited about what Marvel has planned with the new series The Marvels. It promises to be great story telling as Kurt Busiek is one of the top story tellers alive. However, I hope that maybe for the 30th Anniversary of the original Marvels series...Marvel comics can find a new writer/painter team to attempt that rarest of tricks...making lightning strike twice.
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