Comic Book Creator #19 Winter 2019 (magazine review).
For starters with this 19th issue of ‘Comic Book Creator’, we have the concluding part of the interview with underground/small press creator Mary Fleener and why she does cubism as well as cartooning. Although I’m not familiar with her work, she chats well and you get insight into the people she associates with.
After that, in short order, a look by Rich Arndt at some collections of war comics coming out in volumes and Darrick Patrick briefly interviewing artist Greg Land about his career and Fred Hembeck on Steve Ditko’s ‘Shade The Changing Man’.
Then we get to the real meat of this edition of ‘Comic Book Creator’, a 1983 interview with Frank Frazetta conducted by Steven C. Ringgenberg, originally published in Comic Interview # 42. The time period is of note because it ties in with his work with Ralph Bakshi on two animation films they did together. There is an abundance of art showing just how versatile Frazetta was over his career.
As Ringgenberg points out and shows from cartoonist to film poster painter to book covers, Frazetta had multiple careers where other artists only had one. It’s hardly surprising he was copied a lot although I think that has eased off over the years as there are far more artists now than there used to be in the 1980s. Frazetta was the definitive form and if you need filling in on his career then you need to get this issue.
Even more extensive is an interview with Joe Jusko take last year about his background and his painting. I’ve read some of it in his book, ‘The Art Of Joe Jusko’, but make no mistake, Jusko is a successful geek with a yen for comicbooks and Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is also a demonstration that you don’t necessarily have to be good narrative comicbook illustrator to find a niche in cover design.
The final interview is with comicbook artist Tom Grindberg, whom I’m less familiar with but have made note of one graphic novel that I want to check out. Mostly self-taught, his talent was refined at Neal Adams Continuity Studios. He has a preference for Conan and Tarzan but can draw across the board.
It’s rather interesting that early in his career that his work at Marvel brought conflict when different editors gave conflicting information as to just what they wanted in the stories he was doing for them. There isn’t exactly a school for editors in any field but you would think there should be when it comes to house style in selecting what is needed for art.
This issue hits all the right numbers to being called a great edition and is sure to sell out so don’t forget to get a copy.
GF Willmetts
March 2019
(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 100 page illustrated magazine. Price: $ 9.95 (US). ISSN: 2330-2437. Direct from them, you can get it for $ 8.46 (US))
check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_132&products_id=1411
