DRAWN & QUARTERED
Graphic Arts As Literature

John Buscema was most well-known as the illustrator of Conan the Barbarian, the Robert E. Howard pulp action character. Here are examples from the October 1991 Conan Saga magazine from Marvel Comics.

Appreciating a master

The legacy of great comic book artist
John Buscema remains after his death

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By Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.com

John Buscema died from stomach cancer early last month at the age of 74, a great loss to the comic-book world.

My most immediate memories of Buscema's craft were his defining stint during what would be Marvel Comics' silver age of the late '60s, when I was a teenager. His work on "The Avengers" then, and the initial run on "The Silver Surfer," was captivating for its brawny, athletic style -- not overexaggerated like some of the wide-shouldered, narrow-hipped leviathans with abs of steel depicted nowadays, but bulky nevertheless.

Buscema's muscled male figure drawings and use of foreshortening reflected what he learned from the masters like Michelangelo.

John Buscema's fine black-and-white drawings.

Another "master" whom he succeeded, and was greatly influenced by, was Jack "King" Kirby. Just as Kirby helped define the look of the Marvel's golden age with characters co-created with Stan Lee, such as the Fantastic Four and the Mighty Thor, Buscema, already in his 30s, would carry on after Kirby left for rival DC Comics in 1970.

Comic book enthusiasts one generation removed from mine, however, remember Buscema more for his work on Conan the Barbarian, a character he inherited from the character's original artist, Barry Windsor-Smith. Drawing the pulp-fiction warrior-action hero was better suited to Buscema's "realistic" preference, away from superheroes.

But I still remember with fondness his work with Stan Lee on "The Silver Surfer." He captured the spirit of its brooding protagonist, an alien who offers his servitude to a gigantic, wandering force called Galactus, who feeds on planets to maintain his own life source. The Surfer, formerly Norrin Radd of the planet Zenn-La, sacrifices himself to Galactus' bidding to save his home planet and his beloved Shalla Bal.

Buscema was fortunate that his work during the series' defining and initial run were inked by men like Joe Sinnott and his brother Sal (who still draws to this day), among the few inkers who complemented his drawing style.

The 1980 reprint of Silver Surfer #8. Some of the definitive work of Marvel's Silver Age in the late '60s was done by Buscema for this title. More great late '60s work, at far left, this time on Marvel's superhero team title, The Avengers. Check the tableau-like arrangement of these elegantly drawn figures. Reprinted from Les Daniels' history book of the first 50 years of Marvel Comics.

Like Kirby before him, Buscema was both good and quick, a workhorse and craftsman who did his best to crank out page after page to try to keep one step ahead of deadline. And while his work is influential and widely admired, he has said he was just doing his job as well as he could. His book, "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way," was co-authored with Lee and still is used as a text some 20 years after original publication.

He remained busy until the end. Buscema had projects on tap; the last thing published was his contribution to his old boss Stan Lee's "Just Imagine ..." series for DC Comics. Unfortunately, Lee and Buscema's re-imagined Superman book wasn't up to snuff, merely an average representation of Buscema's dynamic work.

Buscema was one of the honored guests at last year's San Diego Comic-Con, an event that also promoted his sketchbook, which will continue to be an inspiration and teaching tool from a man who did his job and did it well.

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