Daredevil Message Board

[Danny conway]

i cant stand that stuff. ive really tried, c'mon someone tell me what im missing. seems all bendy limbs to me.

[Darediva]

I don't think it will change your mind, and I'm not even going to attempt it. I would chalk the fact that you dislike Gene Colan's work up to what you are used to seeing these days. Colan drew an athletic DD, back in the days when we saw lots more of the costume and the fight scenes. Different type of linework, inking and colouring, all pre-PhotoShop, so it's going to look different than what we have now.

His was a beefier-looking DD, but he was still the graceful acrobatic guy that the character was written to be. Classic style comic art.
_________________
Alice




Those who throw dirt merely lose ground.

[Forrest]

[Darediva]

[jimdare]

I gotta definitely go with Forrest on this one when I see Colan's work being described as "awful",and immediately think WTF(?).

I completely understand that subjective taste is one thing,and should be defended,but one cannot neglect history,no matter what the disposition, and likely biases,of the one contending otherwise. Gene Colan's work is some of the most distinctive and original ever produced in the comic book medium's history. That's not even debatable;whether one likes him or not is immaterial. His legacy speaks for itself.

I've already mentioned in a previous post that Colan was voted #25 on the all-time 100 greatest artists survey at an obviously tenable web-site compiled about 6/7 years ago,I believe. Gene's work on DD in the seventies,notwithstanding,his "Tomb of Dracula" is plain classic,as well as his "Howard the Duck". I remember when I first got into comic book collecting in the early 80's,Colan was working on "Night Force",and I recall how strong an impression his work on that (unfortunately,short-lived) title had on me as a young teenager. All subsequent (and previous)work by him followed suit. Gene Colan "oeuvre" is very expressionist and rife with fluid emotionalism in the best romantic sense. This style may simply not be for everyone,especially the style's from contemporary artists that appeal to current tastes and sensibilities(or lack thereof,I'm suspecting).

[Danny conway]

thanks for the eloquent and heartfelt responses.
from my first memories of Colans work i couldnt relate to it, maybe because i associated it too much with sixties comics, maybe because the line and fluidity didnt feel right to me.
this feeling has never really changed, and though i love those tomb of dracula and howard comics(and even more so, the dr strange) im afraid his talents might be forever lost on me.
(STILL LOOKS LIKE BENDY LIMBS TO ME.)

[Goddess0Whim]

i persdonally love the stuff! not only does it reflect the artwork styles of the times he was able to reflect the more carefree moods of the characters back in the 60's and early 70's. 1ce DD got more noir, maybe he couldn't quite keep up, but for the stories that were told then, i think it's excellent
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The world of Dial-Up Net SUCKS!!!!

[Alan Amos]

I for one am glad that my limbs bend.

[jimdare]

[Danny conway]

[Greg]

I've been trying to stay away from this one specific thread... but everytime I breeze through here to check out what's new on the Board I see it and it just throws me into a tailspin. Gene Colan "awful"? Not even in the least little bit. Gene Colan came in on the scene in the mid to late 60's, back when Kirby, Ditko, Heck and others were testing the waters with the superhero genre... Gene's style - similar to that of Infantino with it's slick and stylized form - was way beyond what the industry had seen at the time. Akin it to Miller and Moore's appearance writing-wise in the 80's... it was THAT revolutionary. He set the pace for what DD would "look" and "feel" like for many decades to come... that's an impressive feat.

No, Gene Colan is one of the top all time comic artists for a very good reason: He's just simply that good and talented.

[james castle]

My personal feelings on the subject are that Gene Colan does indeed suck. The DD I grew up with and love is an acrobatic, slimmish, ninja type dude, not some red version of the stay puffed marshmellow man (as Colan seems to think he is). Colan's DD is bubbly with a round bobble head and fat round hands. Boo. Boo, I say.

That said, the problem here is that some people are arguing that you can't hate Colan because he's a legend and was revolutionary. I think I've weighed in on this sort of thing before but just to restate my position: it's possible for someone to be revolutionary and a legend and still suck. Look, DD #1 sucked. It did. I defy you to go read DD Masterworks vol. 1 and not be bored. They're boring and or dumb stories. Were they revolutionary then? Yes. Do you they deserve respect for that? Of course. Are they in any way good from today's perspective? No.

Look at it this way, the Model T was revolutionary. In it's day it was a marvel of modern science and engineering. Be that as it may it's a super crappy car.

Same thing with Colan's art. He was new and fresh and great in his day but these days DD rendered as though his costume is made out of some sort of think puffy foam just doesn't cut it.
_________________
JC

So why can't you see the funny side?
Why aren't you laughing?

[Greg]

[train]

I agree with Greg (big suprise). I am also happy to have bendy limbs.

[Darediva]