Jim Steranko's influence on comics is undeniable. He came roaring onto the 60's comic scene and injected a whole new modern vibe and immediacy to the comics he drew despite himself being a synthesis of many of the classic styles he'd absorbed as a reader for years. In his style we see Eisner, Kirby, Kane, Krigstein, and more as he created his own distinctive look and atmosphere. But he did precious little comics work relative to his reputation. Since his early days he's often promised to do more than he's delivered (I'm still waiting in vain for Red Tide). But there's no denying his influence. Here's a gallery of his greatest comics work, darn near all of it in fact. I've made a few notes.
After leaving Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD, Steranko stepped over for a couple of issues of The Uncanny X-Men scripted by Arnold Drake. Steranko did the cover for issue forty-nine, but was all in with covers and interior art on the next two issues which featured the return of Magneto and the introduction of Lorna Dane. John Tartaglione's inks are pretty rough but add some energy to Steranko's designs.
Next Steranko stepped into the Captain America mythos with scripts by Stan "The Man" Lee. The mission was to introduce Rick Jones as Cap's new partner and to re-establish Cap's secret identity. Steranko also brought back his dynamic designs for Hydra, now led by the tempting Madame Hydra.
It's an all-out war with Rick struggling to prove himself to the legendary hero. But in the end, it appears that Captain America has been well and truly slain by the forces of Hydra. Joe Sinnott's inks on these two issues are immaculate.
It's not in this collection, but I want to give a shout-out to the next issue of Cap which had to be drawn in the very last few hours by Jack "The King" Kirby to bail Steranko out of a deadline bind. All that said, this issue remains one of my faves. If you want to see Kirby at his wildest, this this is the comic for you.
Steranko knocked it out of the park with "At the Stroke of Midnight" in the debut issue of Tower of Shadows. That's a mean John Romita cover which captures the story quite effectively. I love Steranko's hipster Digger.
Steranko had to try another genre with "My Heart Broke -- In Hollywood!" from the fifth issue of Our Love Story. I'm glad he got it out of his system, but it's not my favorite example of his work. It's stylish but sterile. Maybe that's intentional.
One of Steranko's most impressive images was this cover for the very first ever King-Size Hulk Special. Stan had Marie Severin refined the face, but it's still a might effort. Actually, I approve of Marie's changes in this instance.
Steranko returned to Marvel a few years later to knock out a bevy of covers for the company, including some new SHIELD images. Now he's added Sword and Sorcery and Westerns to his genre listing.
Steranko also produced two covers for Doc Savage, but Marvel didn't have the rights, so these two covers are not included in the collection.
For some reason neither are these images produced for FOOM Magazine and some posters produced by Marvelmania International, Marvel's ill-fated fan club.
A later cover by Steranko for another publisher on the Marvel Comics Index - Fantastic Four issue is sleek.
It's too bad that comics could not offer him enough incentive to stay for very long and he decided to go in more financially rewarding, sometimes crass, directions. But I can't blame the guy for wanting to make a buck. And he must've genuinely wanted to get into movies, for which he did some good stuff.
ReplyDeleteStill, the greater part of Steranko's career has been defined by unkept promises, not just specific projects like Talon or the second Artist's Edition, but importantly his stated goal to create advancements in the comics media through what he sometimes called the Visual Novel. If you read some of his editorials in those early issues of Comixscene, his ambitions sound intoxicating.
We cannot blame him for exiting the comic book ghetto. He did seem to have a greater sense of what he wanted. But I am always amazed at how little he did and highly regarded he is. I was there for much of it and I hold him in high esteem. That's why I want more.
DeleteAnother blogroll of stunning Steranko artwork. Your images clearly show how his technique got more and more refined over his career. A master near the top of the heap.
ReplyDeleteEisner and Steranko are the two great masters of comic art design.
Delete