Publisher:
DC Comics
Cover Date:
April, 1972
Art Type:
Splash
Story:
“Monarch of All He Subdues!”
Character(s):
Jimmy Olsen, Superman (Clark Kent), Victor Volcanum
History:
Published
Size:
10.7 x 16 in. (27.1 x 40.7 cm)
Nice page. I love it when Kirby takes on exotic/historical costumes or decoration/architecture. He always makes it his own, - it's always a very Kirby experience.
Coletta is on one of his better days here (it's his Tales of Asgard - not to be confused with Thor - style, which is, oddly enough, very good).
What does stink, of course, are the redrawn Superman/J.Olsen faces.
An attractive woman can afford to wear the most ugliest dress and still look beautiful.
Colletta, at his best, is mostly generic and unimpressive. For this page, he's passable and not too distracful at least.
Of course, the one thing that really touches me is Kirby's powerful design shining through some vulgar makeup.
Nobody can match the King at the top of his game!
I agree on the cosmetic faces lift, quite annoying.
We all agree on Coletta's criminal job on many Kirby pages.
This said, I invite you to look at any of their Thor covers, or pages from Tales of Asgard, and you will surely agree with me that he is impeccable there. Did he have a hightened sense of responsability regarding those two specific areas of the King's work, and very little towards the rest? It's a mystery to me, but one must concede that he was actually GOOD when he decided to be. And this splash page happens to be a case in point, imho.
My dislike of Colletta's inks is twofold. Most people agree Colletta didn't always turn in his best work, in fact he turned in work which was way below the level of his ability on some jobs.
Mainly I just don't think his style is a good match for Kirby. It isn't that he lacks skill, or always hacked out jobs. Much of the work he did on the Fourth World books shows considerable skill and effort was being put into the jobs.
I just don't like the look. I like Kirby's line, KIrby's line is exceptionally clear in the pencils, and that's the line I like.
It's the same with Joe Kubert. I like Kubert's style, I wouldn't want to see Colletta ink Kubert. If it came down to it and someone said, "You have Colletta's inks on Thor. You can live with those, or we can go back in time and have Neal Adams ink all of the Thor's Colletta inked."
Well, I'd pick Colletta in a heartbeat, because Adams was even more overpowering than Colletta. My least favorite Kirby inkers are almost all guys with considerable technique.
When I say I don't like an inker on Kirby it's almost always because the inker is obscuring the pencils. It's not that I think the inker has no skill, or is a lousy artist. I'd say my least favorite inker of Kirby's pencils is Alfredo Alcalla.
I'm not sure we all agree, Duncan.
We do have a couple of Colletta fans lurking around in WiK.
As for Colletta's work on covers… Well, I find them on par with what he did to interiors to put it mildly.
I concede he could be passable which he didn't seem to bother trying most of the time, his motivation being elsewhere.
He was a mismatch to Kirby to say the least… It's a shame good, Kirby friendly, inkers were such a rarity or busy already in the Marvel of old days.
Muddled Mess
Three different artists with three different, completely mismatched art styles, all on the same page. Barf city.
Nice page. I love it when
Nice page. I love it when Kirby takes on exotic/historical costumes or decoration/architecture. He always makes it his own, - it's always a very Kirby experience.
Coletta is on one of his better days here (it's his Tales of Asgard - not to be confused with Thor - style, which is, oddly enough, very good).
What does stink, of course, are the redrawn Superman/J.Olsen faces.
The Beauty and the King
An attractive woman can afford to wear the most ugliest dress and still look beautiful.
Colletta, at his best, is mostly generic and unimpressive. For this page, he's passable and not too distracful at least.
Of course, the one thing that really touches me is Kirby's powerful design shining through some vulgar makeup.
Nobody can match the King at the top of his game!
I agree on the cosmetic faces lift, quite annoying.
We all agree on Coletta's
We all agree on Coletta's criminal job on many Kirby pages.
This said, I invite you to look at any of their Thor covers, or pages from Tales of Asgard, and you will surely agree with me that he is impeccable there. Did he have a hightened sense of responsability regarding those two specific areas of the King's work, and very little towards the rest? It's a mystery to me, but one must concede that he was actually GOOD when he decided to be. And this splash page happens to be a case in point, imho.
Two sides
My dislike of Colletta's inks is twofold. Most people agree Colletta didn't always turn in his best work, in fact he turned in work which was way below the level of his ability on some jobs.
Mainly I just don't think his style is a good match for Kirby. It isn't that he lacks skill, or always hacked out jobs. Much of the work he did on the Fourth World books shows considerable skill and effort was being put into the jobs.
I just don't like the look. I like Kirby's line, KIrby's line is exceptionally clear in the pencils, and that's the line I like.
It's the same with Joe Kubert. I like Kubert's style, I wouldn't want to see Colletta ink Kubert. If it came down to it and someone said, "You have Colletta's inks on Thor. You can live with those, or we can go back in time and have Neal Adams ink all of the Thor's Colletta inked."
Well, I'd pick Colletta in a heartbeat, because Adams was even more overpowering than Colletta. My least favorite Kirby inkers are almost all guys with considerable technique.
When I say I don't like an inker on Kirby it's almost always because the inker is obscuring the pencils. It's not that I think the inker has no skill, or is a lousy artist. I'd say my least favorite inker of Kirby's pencils is Alfredo Alcalla.
Mild Mild Pest!
I'm not sure we all agree, Duncan.
We do have a couple of Colletta fans lurking around in WiK.
As for Colletta's work on covers… Well, I find them on par with what he did to interiors to put it mildly.
I concede he could be passable which he didn't seem to bother trying most of the time, his motivation being elsewhere.
He was a mismatch to Kirby to say the least… It's a shame good, Kirby friendly, inkers were such a rarity or busy already in the Marvel of old days.
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