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I recently realized just how many near-forgotten comics I've read samples of on the internet, and how I'd like to share them with people who might not have the money or inclination to seek out different things. I'll post entries in this thread on a regular basis, along with some commentary and historical background, when applicable. Please feel free to comment. Thanks.
These Changing Times
It occured to me that people may come to the conclusion that I enjoy Archie comics for their kitsch value and to mock them. This isn't actually entirely true. Granted, there is a lot of hokum in Archie comics, but no more then the average genre comic from past or present eras. My primary reason for talking about Archie comics is to dispell the notion that they're tied so closely to a formula that they're boring and predictable. If anything some really bizarre stories have come from the Archie titles over the years.
One aspect of Archie comics that to my shame I rarely touch on is that they really are great works of craftmanship, if not art. As someone studying the graphic arts in anticipation of a future profession, I can admire the thought that goes into composition and clear acting in even the dullest of Archie stories. The techniques the best Archie artists use don't affect the viewer consciously, but are nearly invisible and add to the story without notice, and are therefore disregarded out of turn by those not looking for them.
"And one of the things that I noticed about the strip, for instance, I know certain things about the strips that run now. They all run four columns, and I would have thought, ordinarily, that if you simplified your drawing - that is, did larger shapes - that somehow or other, when it's reduced, it would be clearer. But it doesn't work out that way. The way it works out best, for clarity, is when people like Roy Crane or Hank Schlensker or Dick Moores, when they draw, they draw very small figures with lots of air around them. They do whole scenes, with deep-space perspectives and so on. And you never get a feeling of being crowded or congested. I would have thought that it would have worked out the other way, that larger shapes would have made the reading and the looking at the strips easier."
-Gil Kane interviewing Noel Sickles, The Comics Journal #242
My favourite Archie artist is Harry Lucey, responsible for today's selection. It may come as a shock that I don't rank Dan Decarlo in this position, considering his reknown as the greatest of the Archie bullpen, but not only do I prefer Lucey, but I also favour Bob Montana and Samm Scwartz over Decarlo. The posing in this story is fantastic, Lucey's hand gestures especially. He uses alot of great negative space and sense of depth, and, like Noel Sickles, he isn't afraid to make the figures really small because they already read so well, similar to what Gil Kane is getting at in the quote above. Also, that big, thick line his inker uses to give the cast a slick, chunky look makes him my favourite of the bunch.
The classic artists on Archie comics were among the best at their craft, yet almost no information can be found on the internet about them. Despite my best efforts, all I could find on Harry Lucey was his birthdate, where he attended school and a few scattered tidbits of information. These artists should be remembered.
Fun Archie Fact - Rumour has it that the character of Betty was named after Harry Lucey's girlfriend of the time. |
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