John Severin: Two-Fisted Comic Book Artist by Greg Biga and Jon B. Cooke (book review).
John Severin is regarded as the artist’s artist, although much of his work is outside of the superhero genre in America although he has inked the Hulk and Sub-Mariner back in the 1960s. However, beyond inking, he drew everything accurately and went from genre to genre, often turning up in westerns, war and horror, although with the latter his detailing was regarded as to horrific for accuracy even by EC Comics.
Both he and his sister Marie had an artistic father so its interesting to see it’s a family trait. John Severin is colour-blind and ambidextrous so it would have been interesting to see if his father was as well.
To call Severin prolific is putting it mildly because he really could do everything from serious to comedy and worked for most publishers. ‘Cracked’ wasn’t really that well circulated in the UK but he dominated the magazine from cover to interiors and wasn’t in 8 of its issues and that looks like when it was taken over and its editor for a few issues dropped him. His replacement had him back insisting at any price should speak for itself. Seeing some of the samples here, it does look like one of the books on ‘Cracked’ is going to be on my reading list. He could also pick up on any other’s artist’s style so must have picked up on various mags to see it.
So much of Severin’s art is covered here that even though its often in genres that I wouldn’t normally pick up, like westerns and war, his use of design and detail is superb to look at. I did find it odd that he was employed as an inker as much as a penciller but it looks like it was more as a finisher and the speed and quality he employed. His work in colour, despite being colourblind is just as compelling. It isn’t like he was the only colourblind artist, John Byrne also springs to mind here, but it must play with the brain that it doesn’t look right but it will to us normal-sighted people.
Considering that that have been Creepy Presents Rich Corben, Bernie Wrightson, Steve Ditko and Alex Toth, it’s a shame that Dark Horse haven’t considering doing this for John Severin. Hopefully, the circulation of this book will change that.
This really is an impressive book, telling about Severin’s life and career. He rarely attended media events, no doubt thinking his work spoke for him. There is also two strips of ‘American Eagle’ included showing his story continuity.
When you order up this book, get his sister’s book, ‘Marie Severin: The Mirthful Mistress Of Comics’ at the same time. More so, because it shows the range of them and, yes, they did work together on ‘Kull’ for Marvel. A much admired artist that you will be looking around for his work from EC Comics onwards. Am I gushing too much?
GF Willmetts
April 2022
(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 159 page illustrated indexed large hardback. Price: $39.95 (US). ISBN: 978-1-60549-106-6. Direct from them, you can get it for $39.95
(US))
check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=95_93&products_id=1633
