I was sorry to hear of the recent passing of Rich Buckler. He illustrated many of my favorite Marvel and DC comics and I always enjoyed his style. My favorite work of his was the tabloid-sized Superman Vs. Shazam. Years back, I was lucky enough to b purchase the original art for the final page of that special, and it is another great example of his masterful storytelling abilities.
I also picked up original art for a Hulk newspaper strip by Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott:
You would think that Superman might have learned his lesson after the last time he tangled with The Super Skrull.,.
Rich Buckler seemed to treated as a fill in artist with DC but I am guessing since he quickly left title he was starting on (All Star Squadron, which was my favorite he worked on) he had trouble keeping to a deadline./
ReplyDeleteMarvel was full of "Deadline Dooms" throughout much of the Seventies. But, I enjoyed the stories with his art, immensely. The action scenes, especially!
ReplyDeleteWhich is why I guess Stan Lee nicknamed him "Swash" Buckler. :-)
Who's the villain in the last panel of the Superman/Shazam page? Looks familiar.
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DeleteI remember the first Skrull story. There were four of them, not like SuperSkrull but just regular Skrulls with shape shifting ability. The FF got three of them and the fourth one turned up maybe a good decade later.
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite Rich buckler art work was on the 1983 revival of THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS at Archie Comics. Could you do a tribute piece where they're rescuing Superman from the subversive group D.E.M.O.N. (Destruction, Extortion, Murder, Oppression-of-all Nations)?
ReplyDelete@ Andrew: looks like a bald Capt. Nazi.
ReplyDeleteThat villain is Karmang, an evil Martian.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karmang?wprov=sfla1
So you are currently on issue 1888. In a few issues you will top 1900. It would be interesting if you match issue numbers with characters who debuted that year such as 1919 - Zorro, 1928 - Mickey Mouse, 1929 - Popeye, 1936 - The Phantom, 1938 - Superman, etc.
ReplyDeleteI loved his work on Flash, big thrill to meet him in 1979 when at a comic show, before they were big. He had a small table and stack of comics, no big sign, yet I recognized his art and enjoyed a brief conversation with him! He did some of the most intense comic covers and solid story art, yet didn't get much of a reputation for a long time. And, like so many other legends, he was warm and friendly and kind. Thanks for sharing your personal art and experience of his work.
ReplyDeleteI met Rich at my first convention in 1971, before I knew who he was. He drew a quick but elegant sketch of Captain America for me. Met him for the second time at a local con just last year. His table wasn't very busy. I guess most of today's fans don't know the great names of the past.
ReplyDeleteHis All-Star Squadron was fantastic, but I was always partial to his work on the Secret Society of Super-Villains. His version of Captain Comet practically jumped off the page.
Mr. High, I have considered the same thing, for a couple of covers at least.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_superhero_debuts?wprov=sfla1
ReplyDeleteHere's a list of comic strip debuts - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_years_in_comics?wprov=sfla1
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