Category: VINCE COLLETTA - Page 3 - ROMANCE ART IN COMIC BOOKS

THERE’S SOMETHING FISHY ABOUT THIS ARTICLE.

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

People are talking. Yes, indeed. One would think that we’d see fewer discussions about dead artists with the passage of time, especially those who toiled at the comic book level. There are exceptions such as the amazin’ Jack Kirby whom many credit as being the primary creator of the Marvel Universe. But Vinnie Colletta??

There are these….

Kevin Phillips: I’m somewhat fascinated by Colletta’s work simply because it made no sense to me. There didn’t seem to be any consistent rules that he followed. He’d resolve things in any number of ways.

Bruce McCorkindale: Few things make me want to cry harder than Vince’s chicken-scratchy feathering. It stops and starts, rarely follows a logical light source, and looks more like someone was gashed with tiny razor blades.

Kirk Hastings: I personally liked Vince Colletta’s “scritchy-scratchy” (as it was called) inking style, and the fine lines he used on muscles and shadowing. Some other inkers on Thor were good too, but Colletta had a distinct style that I (as an artist myself) liked.

Erik Larsen: There are always weird lines in Vinnie’s inks which make me ask, why did he do this and what could the pencils possibly have looked like to compel him to put those lines there?

There are those….

Mitchell Sternbach: I am an artist and Colletta is like bad music. He can’t draw faces, and for all his “fine lines” important details in the pencils disappear with his inks. I am sick to death of seeing this ongoing representation continuously being posted- it’s not the Kirby I fell in love with, so many, many examples of inkers who did right by him, including himself. because I don’t like One of them devalues my opinion? Colletta is no Hal Foster, no Alex Raymond, no Caniff or Kubert. Colletta is not suitable for or deserving of inking Jack Kirby’s pencils- unlike the great Sinnott or others I’ve mentioned. Don Heck was another lame, wimpy artist I could live without. But none annoy me as much as when they detract from the brilliance of the pencils behind this work. I’d love to see this exact drawing as inked by Sinnott, or, as I said, most anyone else.

Kirk Hastings: Mitchell, you get “sick” and are “annoyed” an awful lot. Maybe you should take a laxative or something and lay down for a while.

Spirits….

And Spirit talk:

Paul Tobin: This Jack Kirby / Vince Colletta page from Spirit World #1 recently went for sale at auction, and I can’t wrap my head around this being Vinnie’s inks. Especially that first panel, but then many of the brushstrokes in the man’s face, etc. What’s your thoughts, Comic Art Twitter?

Jerry Ordway: I see Colletta here, but good Colletta.

G. Arnold: I actually quite like a lot (not all) of Vince Colletta’s inks despite the known shortcuts. This definitely has his imprint to my eye.

More fish….

More talk….

Joe Rosas: Vinnie stories were legendary – but so were stories about Al Milgrom – no one gets it til you’ve done your time there and realize how the guys who have saved countless of books from missing shipping get no respect – they are masters of their craft – Vinnie could ink and Al was just fantastic – when they had proper deadlines – and when you have a deadline where a books 10-22 pages are due overnight – quality will take a hit – and consistency will be strived for – it’s sad, but it’s a regular problem with comics

Rod Mollise: Vinnie could ink for sure…among the best when he wanted to be and had the time to be. 😉 He wasn’t just used as a rescue inker, either.

Peter W Roberts: Cutting corners Colletta

Darryl De Angelo: Go Vinnie!

And, of course…. a girl!

LOVE VINNIE COLLETTA? NO APOLOGY NECESSARY

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

Art lovers, comic book aficionados, fanboys…whatever we prefer to call ourselves, are often judged by the opinions of our peers. Controversies abound on subjects like “Did Stan or Jack create the Marvel universe” or the quality of current comic book art compared to the artistic efforts of days gone by. And as is true in the realms of politics and religion, our opinions often frame who we are in the minds of others. As crazy as it sounds, people are chastised and even shunned because of their likes and dislikes. Some of us set our hair on fire over superheroes or the creators who generated these products. Take the case of one Vincent Colletta – prolific and oft-debated artist of the Golden, Silver and Bronze eras of comic books. If you like his work, should you have to apologize for it?

Seth Smith: Definitely one of the best Colletta covers. Seems like just a few years ago you wouldn’t have been able to post such praise for Vinnie without some deluded fanboy hunting you down.

Ray Cuthbert: I’ve said it before — Colletta brought romance sensibilities to Kirby’s bold and dynamic pencils, which is why Colletta-inked Kirby gals were so pretty while Royer’s and others were not, in MY opinion.

Ray Cuthbert: I’d be in big trouble on the Kirby-L. I prefer Stan & Jack to Jack and Jack, and I prefer Kirby/Colletta to Kirby/Royer!!!!

Doc V: Aarrgghhh!!!!! You’d be doomed, Ray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coop: Damn right!

Bill Howard: On my tombstone it shalt read, “And he dared to like Vinnie Colletta.”

Over the years I’ve taken great pleasure from reading debates about my father. It’s nice to discover complimentary comments and I’m sometimes annoyed by unwarranted criticisms. The most absolutely precious gems in my collection of quotes, though, are the many examples of apologetic praise a few of which I’ll share.

Scooter: Damn! My whole world’s falling apart…(actually I quite like Vinnie’s Tales of Asgard work).

Ucleben: I like Mooney!! ‘Course I like a lot of Colletta’s work too. Different tastes, I guess.

Lyle Tucker: Here’s where we differ – I LOVE Vinnie’s Tales of Asgard work.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I hope I don’t get stoned for this but I always liked Vince Colletta’s work better than Mike Royer’s.

Plok: You know, personally, I’m kind of a fan of ol’ Rich’s…but then I like Vince Colletta’s inking, too, so I’m not sure you can go by me.

Ivan Rakitic: I know this will probably get me in trouble, but Vince Colletta was always my favorite inker on Kirby.

Al Sjoerdsma: I am among the minority who actually like Colletta’s inking on Kirby’s Thor, bringing it an airiness that fits into the fantasy of that strip.

Punyhuman: I also love his Thor art inked by Vince Colletta, even though I’ll catch hell for it! I loved it way back in the 60’s when I was buying it off the newsstands, it’s nostalgic now.

Mel Higgins: I don’t know what it is, but the Kirby Thor combination kills me. This is also my first exposure to a silver-age Kirby page (I have a Captain Victory page) and I was floored when I saw the Thor page in person when it arrived today. So much energy there. I can’t stop looking at it. I know that Vince Colletta is not considered the best inker on the Thor pages, but I think he did a tremendous job on this one.

Ray Cuthbert: Congratulations Mel! The first Kirby page I ever bought was also a Kirby/Colletta Thor page (now long gone). Quite frankly, I always thought that the two artists were a perfect match for the subject matter. Kirby’s power and Colletta’s rounded edges and romantic sensibilities made Thor the title it was for me. Kirby + Sinnott on FF, but Kirby + Colletta on Thor (or the DC Fourth World stuff — for me, anyway!)

Lynn Walker: I’m embarrassed to admit I prefer the Colletta inks, but not by much.

Prof H: ANYWAY… after 3 horrible issues, Vince Colletta took over… and was a HUGE improvement!!! (Mark Evanier disagrees, but to hell with his opinion.)

Ray Plasse: Despite Colleta’s shortcuts I really enjoyed the different look he gave Jack and Thor but hey……….I was only a kid then so what did I know?

Chris Murrin: I like Everett, but Colletta was my favorite. I know, I know…but still, he’s my favorite on Thor.

Iron Maiden: I have a confession to make about Jack Kirby’s “Thor”. I liked some of the art better in that title than some of his FF work but I would probably get scorned by Kirby purists… they hate any of his work to be touched by Vince Colletta!

Merlin Haas: Colletta has many, many faults, but I’m going to commit heresy and say that sometimes he removed some unnecessary background clutter and the finished panel read better than the original.

Mike Driscoll: It looks like Colletta inking. I’m one of the few that likes Vince Colletta.

Henry R. Kujawa: This time, inks are from Vince Colletta– and what surprises me is, it LOOKS REAL GOOD!!

Patrick McEvoy: I know I’m nuts, but as good (and accurate) as McLeod’s inks are, I prefer the Colletta version. I know, it’s a personal failing.

Mark Borello: Yeah! Love Colletta. Love Colletta’s inks on Kirby…Go on…throw your rocks….

Allen Smith: I’m gonna ignore you guys. You’re turning me into a Colletta fan, almost!

Stan Taylor: What in the Hell kind of parallel/alternate/Bizarro Universe is this new list?????? 😉 People saying nice things about Vinnie. It has left me speechless!!!!!!

Doc V: Hey! Do you think our old pal Bruce Lowry would’ve liked this list? Blake might have had to ban him after he responded to this Colletta love-fest!

Plausible Prose Man: This page shows us that Vince wasn’t such a bad draughtsman after all. I might upgrade him from “hack” to “jobber”

Tom Field: When I was a kid in the ’70s, I was nuts for Sal’s CAPTAIN AMERICA – still am — and much of that run was inked by Vinnie Colletta!

Al Gordon: Wow! A Jack Page Inked by Vinnie that I don’t hate! Few and Far Between.

GrapeApe: As much as I hate to say it, I have seen worse. At least Vinnie got a nice thick and thin outline mixed in with his scratching and erasing.

Mister M: I never knew there were pro- and anti-Vince Colletta factions. Go figure.

Doc V.: Whereas I followed the 4th World stuff while Colletta inked it, I soon dropped out after Royer took over (yes, I’m one of THOSE)….

Mikeyriffhard: And say what you will about Vinnie Colletta, but I think his inks on this title were absolutely perfect. But that’s me…

John S: I was gonna say that I thought Vinnie did a pretty good job on this page…but I won’t, ’cause I don’t want Krackles to have a seizure!

Ferran Delgado: Not even Colletta could ruin his powerful storytelling…Although I painfully agree that he did worse jobs than this one…

Profh0011: Coming soon: I just read a DD comic where Colletta inked Colan–AND HE DID A DAMN GOOD JOB!!! What’s the world coming to???

Bill Howard: Personally, I like Colletta’s inks on Thor, but I realize I’m in the minority. Why did you buy the piece in the first place, if you didn’t like Vinnie’s inks? It’s not like you didn’t know what you were getting. Different strokes for different folks I suppose. The last thing I would call Colletta’s inking is inept, but I don’t want to resuscitate that old argument…

Ianto: Best inker? The Akina and Garvey team from back when. Or maybe Dan Green. The hair always looked so good in his books. Worst? I actually liked Colletta so I can’t list him.

Roquefort Raider: I think the Classic Board regulars may help limit the number of immature arguments. Hey, we can even argue the merits of Frank Robbins’ art or Vince Colletta’s inks in a civil fashion!

Dan Bailey: *ahem* Sez you!

Guy Dorian, Sr.: I have come to appreciate Vinnie more now that I am older and wiser… but still hate most of it.

T_Guy: As far as the art goes, it must be said that Colan and Colletta is better than I had expected- (On Tomb of Dracula #2) but, on the other hand, I had expected Colletta to completely ruin Colan’s delicate work. His style does actually work over Colan’s, much as admitting this feels like having a tooth extracted.

Divided into sharply polarized factions over the merits and faults of Vince Colletta, fans have vaulted this seemingly innocuous conversation into publishing lore. The great Aussie comic book artist, Eddie Campbell, had an interesting take on the phenomenon with which I’ll end this article. Love Vinnie Colletta? Don’t apologize.

Eddie Campbell: A while back I wrote a post here about how Colletta was my favourite comic book inker of the 1960s. For some unfathomable reason beyond all absurdity, it was and continues to be the most visited post I’ve written. I almost said popular there, but that would be the wrong word, for I was vilified in many places for uttering such an opinion. Even people you would think could not possibly give a hoot, I found them stopping me in the street, in San Diego during the convention, the only place everybody knows my name, sadly, and even somebody such as Gary Groth had to get his two cents in and call me an idiot. People generally can’t stand by and allow you to have an opinion they don’t share.

Jack Kirby’s GALACTUS – As Portrayed by Vince Colletta and Joe Sinnott

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

Here’s a comparison showing how two different inkers approach the same subject. GALACTUS is a character that first appeared in Marvel’s Fantastic Four series.

Vinnie’s version goes beyond maintaining the force of the Kirby Krackle. Colletta made the artwork sizzle! By using various graphic and illustrative techniques, he brought Galactus alive, he’s coming toward you and behind him, the reader can almost hear the mayhem and the energy from its thunderous explosions.

The Sinnott version is also excellent. It maintains a graphic Kirbyesque look throughout. Although the inking is beautifully detailed, the page is much more static than the Colletta rendering. Galactus is just as menacing but his appearance is decidedly less lifelike. Nevertheless, it is forceful inking.

These examples represent the apogee of comic book art. From the creative mind of Jack Kirby to the interpretations by the artists chosen to bring forth the power of Galactus, Vince Colletta and Joe Sinnott.

FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

You were expecting Superman? Nope – even faster.

While writing this article I scanned a few images from Starfire #6, Art by Mike Vosburg and Vince Colletta. I hope you enjoy them.

There are things that some men can do that others can’t.

Part of the Vince Colletta legend is the fact that he was unquestionably the fastest inker in the business. As a result, editors, whose writers, pencilers, inkers or more likely through their own bumbling, caused major delays, were constantly asking him if he could ink entire books over the weekend.

Accepting these assignments cost him dearly in terms of his reputation but he never declined to take the work. He needed the money and the opportunity was there to help the company so this scenario became an almost automatic weekly occurrence for the twenty years to follow.

Rarely a weekend went by when Colletta didn’t have an eighteen or twenty pager to fire off before Monday morning. And come hell or high water, if he hadn’t inked them in his NYC studio or in Marvel’s or DC’s offices, he’d be on his way into the city at 5:00 AM with a stack of finished pages he’d inked at home.

Often, he must have labored over his drawing board with what had to be only the energy of desperation. It’s hard to believe that Vinnie was the only inker who could combine speed and professionalism with a willingness to work insane hours. But editors called on Mr. Colletta almost exclusively in emergencies. I think that he considered himself a faithful servant of the institutions for whom he plied his trade.

Regarding some of the pencils he was saddled with, correcting out-of-proportion figures and doing finishes over mere breakdowns were the exception but when they occurred they devoured his time. It compares to asking a sprinter to throw a shot put in the middle of a race. There were comic book pencilers who knew they were serious artists and those who only thought they were. You can guess from which ones the editors heard the loudest cries when some of their (tardy) pencils were erased.

Jerry Novick: The Colletta issue – I agree with the sentiment that some inkers look good on some pencillers and not so good on others. Colletta has a huge body of work, some fantastic, some controversial, some journeyman-level, some above and beyond his peers. But his contribution to helping get the books out on time can never be under-sold.

JACK KIRBY, VINCE COLLETTA AND THOR – ASGARD REALIZED

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

An inspiration came to Jack Kirby one day. This wasn’t unusual since Jack’s mind was in a constantly creative mode. The moment he and Stan Lee made the decision to move forward with the Asgardian adventures of Thor the Thunder God, all of comicdom stood up and took notice. From the start, as it became the new feature saga in the Journey into Mystery series, the concept was a hit.

Beginning with issue #83, Journey into Mystery became Thor’s book. Jack penciled most of the covers and stories, of course, while the finished art was supplied by various inkers such as Joe Sinnott, Dick Ayers, Steve Ditko, Al Hartley, Sol Brodsky, George Ruossos, Chic Stone, Paul Reinman and Don Heck. Using bold, graphic-style inks, the stories were good but the art resembled most of Marvel’s other books. That is until issue # 106 when Thor was transformed from contemporary to primal. The mythological land of Asgard was born.

Scooter: Damn! My whole world’s falling apart…(actually I quite like Vinnie’s Tales of Asgard work).

Lyle Tucker: Here’s where we differ – I LOVE Vinnie’s Tales of Asgard work.

Dane Bjorklund: Several of the early THOR and Tales of Asgard issues were inked by a gentleman named Vince Colletta. I think that his name has become linked with his THOR work and the THOR comics that Mr. Colletta inked were among the best. THOR #126 is my favorite comic book cover of all time, drawn by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta.

Vince Colletta had always admired the great artist and storyteller Hal Foster. The delicately rendered Prince Valiant stories gave my father the idea of speaking to Stan and Jack about presenting Thor in a different light. By creating a rough-hewn world more reminiscent of Norse legends, Journey into Mystery’s backup story, Tales of Asgard, gave readers a glimpse into Thor’s world. And right from the first story the controversies began. While Tales of Asgard was hailed as a creative breakthrough by most – I remember the pride that Vinnie felt reading and hearing the accolades – some comic book fans voiced displeasure with the artistic departure.

Rick Young: It amazed me the first time I saw criticism of Vince Colletta’s work. I get that he simplified some of Jack’s backgrounds and I like those intricate details. This panel (This Battleground Earth) has such a rich/finished look that is typical of Kirby & Colletta.

Erik Larsen: In the back issues I recently bought there were rave letters when Vinnie started inking Tales of Asgard.

Erik Larsen: But please–don’t confuse popularity with quality. McDonald’s has served billions of hamburgers, after all.

Pierre Comtois: Overnight it seemed, with Vince Colletta replacing Stone, the regular Thor strip acquired the same timeless, antique feel as Colletta’s work over Kirby in the Tales of Asgard feature. The inking style changed the whole feel of the book, making even down-to-earth stories such as those featuring the return of the Absorbing Man seem grander than they would’ve been with Stone. Whether it was the inspiration of Colletta’s inking, a continuation of the kind of stories that they’d been telling in Tales of Asgard or simply the trend that Marvel had been drifting towards through its first two phases, Lee, Kirby and Colletta now launched the Thor strip into an unprecedented series of inter-connected stories whose structure was unlike anything done in comics before.

The fine line work, delicate cross-hatching and detailed delineation of anatomical features were a source of annoyance to readers used to seeing “comic book art.” But by issue #116, Journey into Mystery, Thor and Asgard were all Jack and Vinnie and they became what many fans and professionals alike still feel is the greatest comic-book series ever – Thor.

David Philpott: I enjoyed the Kirby/Colletta Thors as a kid (bought as back issues). And I still enjoy them 25 years later. They are quality entertainment. The Tales of Asgard back ups rocked.

Allen Montgomery: I got the Tales of Asgard hardcover not too long ago. They were definitely playing to the newsprint back in the day. And not just Colletta. All the inkers turned in some pretty rough work. Colletta was the only one that attempted texture of any kind. The rest seemed to favor the “blotch” technique.

George: I don’t think Thor as a book worked until Colletta came on board. As good an inker as Stone was on Kirby he was too nice for the Asgardian world. The only other inker who came close was George Roussos in some of the early “Tales of Asgard”.

Al Sjoerdsma: I am among the minority who actually like Colletta’s inking on Kirby’s Thor, bringing it an airiness that fits into the fantasy of that strip.

Klar Ken T5477: I like VC’s inking on Thor too. Why not denigrate Chic Stone or Syd Shores as well? Vinnie met his deadlines and his work on the Kirby DC’s was far superior to Royer and D. Bruce Berry.

Mark Engblom: You’re right….Colletta did a pretty good job on the Kirby Thor comics. Just as with Sinnott’s inks, Colletta was able to “soften” the blunt and (occasionally) grotesque extremes of Kirby’s pencils.

A common criticism of Vince Colletta’s superhero inks has to do with the numerous “scritchy-scratchy” pen lines he used to define musculature. Rather than the quick brush swipes and symmetrical shadow lines used by others, Vinnie preferred the illustrative approach he learned in art school working with oils. He has been unfairly pigeonholed as one-dimensional, however, as the image above clearly proves, Colletta could ink in a bold, graphic style with the best of them.

PunyHuman: Beautiful, positively Beautiful (Tales of Asgard)!! What a spectacular collection !!

Tom Lammers: I know a lot of folks don’t like Colletta as an inker, especially over Kirby pencils, but I say as a penciler for this kind of story, he is excellent. He had a real flair for capturing emotion, as the heroine vacillates between sheer joy and dejection, interspersed with uncertainty, pensiveness, and regret.

Jay Kinney: There are some people, me included, who think that the “Tales of Asgard” artwork is the best of any by good old Jack. Vince’s inkings are great and seem to catch the ancient flavor.

Andrew W. Farago: Not to damn these books with faint praise, but Thor’s got to be the best superhero inking of Vince Colletta’s career (Colletta’s romance art has its moments). In black and white, especially in the Tales of Asgard stories, there’s a bit of a Prince Valiant vibe to the artwork which I don’t think would have been there with someone like Joe Sinnott inking the series, which probably would have taken the book in entirely different directions.

Alan Kupperberg (Former Marvel Artist): And then, my last issue 328. Vinnie Colletta finally inks my Thor. I went out with nice inks.

Lyle Tucker: I love those Colletta THOR’s (and especially the TALES OF ASGARDS) and I stopped buying NEW GODS after Royer came aboard, because by that time Kirby needed Vince’s artistic eye to “fix” his increasingly sloppy work – for whatever that’s worth, I thought I’d set the record straight as far as where I stand on the merits of Vince’s inking (and, yes, he DID indeed draw some damn fine romances in the ’50s).”

Norris Burroughs: The amount of inking on this page alone (THOR 142) would overwhelm a less than confident inker, so we must praise Colletta for his sheer tenacity and remember that he was often called on to finish Kirby’s detailed pencils in order to meet a deadline. Yes, he can be criticized for his faults, but we can also praise him for his strengths and accomplishments.

David J. Bromley: Many thanks for the even approach to a misunderstood & talented inker. Colletta had a ‘fine art’ approach that many cannot understand.

Aaron Noble: It’s in the “anatomy and fine detail” that you appreciate Colletta’s contributions.

jon m: Thor was a good book for Colletta, as opposed to FF which was a horrible match. I actually preferred his inks on the Fourth World books over Royer. Maybe it just eased the transition to DC.

Ian Miller: It’s sad that Colletta gets such a bad rap, because he was capable of some amazing work. If you ever get the chance to see any of the Kirby Thor pages he inked in person you’ll definitely see that he had some great chops. His feathering and fine linework took Kirby’s art in a more refined direction that you never really saw other inkers take advantage of.

STAR WARS GIRLS NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

Vince Colletta had regular gigs throughout his career. While it’s true that he was consistently tasked with inking late books with breakdowns by unfamiliar pencilers, he became famous for the romance stories he illustrated and the finishing touches he applied to superhero comics like Thor, Wonder Woman and Submariner. Every now and then a random story inked by Vinnie will present itself. The Star Wars series had regular artists but Number 64 was a one-off, penciled by Joe Brozowski and inked by Vince. It was brought to my attention as part of Marvel’s Star Wars – The Original Years – Volume 4, published in 2019.

This volume contains 18 Star Wars issues. The artists featured are some of the best in the business including Walt Simonson, Tom Palmer, Carmine Infantino, Ron Frenz and Kerry Gammill. The art throughout the book is stellar with one notable exception – the females. #1, other than the Brozowski/Colletta issue, they are wholly unattractive and #2, they look more like cartoon characters than real people.

There was a certain beauty in females which Vince Colletta was able to capture with pencil and pen that no other artist in the realm of comics could match. And it wasn’t just their faces and figures. Vinnie could portray a host of different expressions which added tremendously to what the writers were attempting to convey.

Joe Brozowski had a very angular style. It is notable that Vinnie was able to soften his pencils to such an amazing degree. Turning graphic art into illustrative art is no small feat. As you can clearly see in the example below, the Star Wars finished art bears little resemblance to what the original pencils must have looked like.

Thank you, Marvel, for sending this Star Wars Epic Collection, because had you not conveyed it to me, I would never have seen this exquisite collaboration.

The Most Beautiful Women in Comics? You betcha!

SHIFTING GEARS

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

Most artists possess a distinctive style by which art aficionados can easily recognize their work. In comic books it is typically simple to identify the creator(s) involved in sketching and inking the stories. One invariable is literally the fact that comic book artists are consistent enough to distinguish their styles throughout what can be lengthy careers.

Pictured below is the light-hearted cover of Superfriends #1, illustrated by Ernie Chua and Vince Colletta. The art depicts the characters in the Hanna-Barbera/National Periodical television show of the same name. Super Friends first aired on ABC on September 8, 1973, featuring the well known DC characters Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman and Aquaman. Aimed toward a younger audience, the portrayal of the Super-Heroes needed a clean and colorful look. The art is somewhat cartoonish but it neatly accomplishes it’s objective.

Most people queried would guess that other examples of art created by Ernie Chua and Vince Colletta would probably appear similar to the above cover. As I mentioned, most artists have a style by which they come to be known. A few were capable of venturing outside their comfort zones, however, and could be called upon to conceive almost any style of art that was needed for the project.

Two years later, Ernie Chua and Vince Colletta also created the cover of Batman #282. It is an artistic departure from the Super Friends cover because it needed to be. Chua’s layout is magnificent and Colletta’s combined use of graphic and illustrative inking brings the chilling scene to life.

Versatility, consistency and an adherence to the demands of production art kept these gentlemen working in the industry for many years. These qualities plus the one talent not often found in the field of comic book art – the ability to shift gears.

PRETTY WOMAN – NO ONE COULD LOOK AS GOOD AS YOU, MERCY!

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

The late, great Roy Orbison could sure write and sing about pretty women. And the late, great Vince Colletta could sure create them – with pencils and ink, that is. There will always be debates about what constitutes beauty in women. Each drawing represents the personal and cultural beauty standards of the artist.

Portraits are meant to flatter the subject. Colletta’s work as a portrait painter and muralist prior to comic books translated effortlessly when it came to creating irresistible women. The faces of Vinnie’s girls are idealized with alluring eyes and enchanting expressions.

Shapes of women’s faces are unique. Diamond-faced women have pointed chins and high cheekbones. The jawline of a square-faced woman has very little curve. Women with heart-shaped faces tend to have wide foreheads. As I look through the endless examples of Vince Colletta romance art, evidence of his finely-tuned vision when portraying females is an enduring theme.

Even the simplest of Colletta’s drawings convey the artist’s intentions which are to portray beauty and expression. Subtleties in facial features should disclose what the girl is saying or thinking without word balloons.

Happiness. Explicitly creating a happy expression involves processing facial identity and expanding and embellishing it.

The blank stare isn’t something most artists can convey in their subjects.

And finally, a good artist can reveal sadness without actually showing the woman’s face.

JACK KIRBY, VINCE COLLETTA, MIKE ROYER AND THE KULT

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

Thank you two times, John Morrow. Initially, for having the courage to publish the first book to feature the notorious Vince Colletta. The Thin Black Line, while not nearly as comprehensive as DRAWN TO BEAUTY and not even close on the number and quality of images, presented a balanced view of the oft-maligned artist. Readers expressed surprise at how many positive comments from both professionals and fans were contained in the book. The author, Robert Bryant, went to great lengths to uncover rare admirers of Vinnie the artist and the man. Undoubtedly, Kirby purists had a bad taste in their mouths as the majority of these people have “learned” to hate Colletta. Morrow could have pandered to the Kirby crowd by exercising editorial control over Bryant’s manuscript but didn’t do so.

The cover of Morrow Publishing’s new book, Dingbat Love, contains Jack Kirby pencils that were inked by Vince Colletta and Kirby Klub fan favorite Mike Royer. The cover of this publication is responsible for the second THANK YOU, JOHN! The three-panel wrap shows an example of Jack’s pencils on the left, a Vinnie-inked image in the center and Royer’s inks on the right. The chief reason that Mike’s work is preferred by aficionados of all things Kirby is that he faithfully inked every line that Jack laid onto paper. Colletta, on the other hand, both added to and subtracted from Kirby’s pencils according to his own artistic sensibilities and time constraints. While any hard core Kirby fan considers this heresy, thanks to the cover of Dingbat Love, it is likely obvious to anyone how much more accomplished and nuanced is the center panel inked by Vince Colletta. The Kirby pencils on the left are primal. The woman is more scary than she is attractive. Colletta’s delineation is exquisite in its attention to detail. The woman, as are all of Vinnie’s girls, is stunning. Royer’s example basically consists of thick lines and blobs of India ink. Enjoy Vinnie’s art and, by all means, pick up a copy of Dingbat Love if, for nothing else, to view Colletta’s elegant inking of the story Soul Love.

THE ART DIRECTOR’S CHAIR AT DC COMICS

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

Todd Klein (Former DC Letterer): I was hired by DC in the summer of 1977. I had come in with a portfolio looking for comics art work, and it wasn’t deemed good enough by then art director Vince Colletta (he was right), but he brought me in to see Jack Adler…..

Thomas Sciacca: Vince got me a job as Stan Lee’s assistant..then brought me to DC as his assistant when he was art director..I am eternally grateful to him…

Proudfoot: I mean you can’t say he did almost nothing as art director then a second later he discovered THE Frank Miller. Come on guys.

Michael Netzer (Former DC Artist): From my experience with him, Vince Colletta was a talented and kind art director, which I saw as a rare combination in comics. He gets a bad rap because he rushed his work. But he was instrumental in keeping the comics train running on time. He was given assignments that no other artist could finish by the deadline. His run on Thor, that some pros don’t like because he hacked Kirby’s pencils, gave the character an ancient mythical feel that no other books had. He inked several of my books and I’ve never regretted it.

Bob (The Kid) Downs (Former DC Inker): So, that’s how I came to work for Vinnie and I assisted him for 4 years, and I learned a lot and developed a very fast approach, after all I was working with Vince Colletta – it was either learn how to work quickly or lose my opportunity to work with the Art Director of D.C. Comics, and my favorite inker.

Rich Buckler (Former DC Artist): My time at D.C. comics when Vince Colletta was the Art Director was a very positive experience. He sort of looked out for me, even loaned me money when things were tight, and he gave me a lot of guidance that helped my career.

Mike Vosburg (Former DC Artist): When I first started working in comics Vinnie was the art director at DC comics. I thought Vinnie had the ability to ink the rankest amateur and lift them up to the level of solid professionalism. If I was running a comic book company, Vinnie would have been the first guy I would have hired, because he met deadlines and his work was always that of a seasoned pro.

Chester Brown (Former DC Artist): I graduated, and I figured, “The only thing I want to do is draw comics, so I’d better go down to New York and try and break in.”

Scott Grammel (The Comics Journal): What was their reaction? Did you talk to anyone?

Brown: Not at Marvel. At Marvel you left the portfolio overnight and they looked at it — or maybe they didn’t look at it. You came in the next day and they said, “No.” But at DC I got to talk to Vince Colletta, and he was quite encouraging.

Grammel: Was he the art director at that time?

Brown: At DC, yeah.

Grammel: What kind of advice did he give?

Brown: Well, he didn’t look at the stuff that I wanted him to look at. He didn’t look at my portfolio of all these well-drawn devils and stuff. He picked up my sketchbook and flipped through it instead. I don’t know why I had my sketchbook with me, but I didn’t want him to look through it, but he did anyway. There actually were some pictures of superheroes in there. Captain America, probably Batman and Superman, and stuff like that. So, he went over those, and took out some tracing paper and drew over the figures, and showed me the way that they should have been drawn. Actually, took quite a bit of time with me, explaining the mistakes I was making, and what I should do to improve, and told me to keep with it and come back in a year or so.

Grammel: Sounds very encouraging. Sounds like he was a nice man.

Brown: He was very encouraging and very nice. It made me feel kind of funny because I’d hated his work for so long, but in person he was very nice.

Tony Isabella (Former DC Comics Writer): I always got along well with Vinnie on a personal level, though I didn’t much like the way the art director position he held at DC was set up. I wanted to deal with artists directly and not have to discuss scripts through Vinnie. It’s one of the major reasons I left staff after six months. I do know he saved Marvel a lot of late fees by taking on late books and getting them in on time. Yes, the art suffered, but it wasn’t Vinnie who turned in late scripts. In fact, it always bugged me that some of the writers who were furthest behind on their deadlines were some of the most vocal complainers.

Jim Shooter (Former Marvel Editor-In-Chief): Frank (Miller) was a kid from Vermont who wanted to be a comics artist. He came to New York in 1977, I think, showed samples to his idol, Neal Adams, and got a world-record savage critique. He quit drawing for a while, sucked it up and tried again. Neal savaged him again, but this time he sought a second opinion and actually ended up getting a small job from Western Publishing, I think. Thus emboldened, he went to DC, and after getting savaged by Joe Orlando, got in to see art director Vinnie Colletta, who recognized talent and arranged for him to get a one-page war comic job.

Wikipedia: It was DC Comics art director and inker Vince Colletta who brought George Tuska on board as the penciler for this series (World’s Greatest Superheroes). The two men had collaborated many times in the past. Colletta valued Tuska’s clean lines and felt that his style would enhance the look of the newspaper strip.

Terry Austin (Former DC Inker): Vinnie Colletta was the art director and fairly supportive but we always ended up getting sent in to Joe Orlando who didn’t like the stuff. Joe was one of the overseers at DC editorial. Vinnie was the art director and, as I recall, in these scrapes-and we had them regularly-Vinnie was always on our side. “Give these kids a chance.”

Rich Buckler: Those days at D.C. were auspicious times and very exciting for me. As D.C.’s art director Vince was always one of my main boosters and he practically adopted me. He was dynamic, straight-talking, a good teacher, a tremendously prolific and vibrant talent and a good friend. He was a rarity in the “business-first” world–a straight-shooter who always–always! –championed other artists.

Jim Shooter: At DC, he served as art director for a time, but mostly what he did was ink. On his way out of the office many an evening, then-traffic manager Paul Levitz would slide a stack of pages under Vince’s door with a note on them saying “need by tomorrow,” and Vince would stay all night and finish them.

Rich Buckler: It was around 1976 that I came under the wing of D.C.’s art director Vince Colletta. By way of a footnote, let me mention that I never have understood fully the controversy over Vince’s inking on Jack Kirby at D.C. I loved that stuff. Maybe I just wasn’t privy to the background details, or the politics involved, or whatever. It was my understanding then that Vince was one of Jack Kirby’s favorite inkers.

The Nostalgia League: It seems that for many years, Colletta had been the inker who Marvel or DC would go to if they had a very short deadline. The pages I, and others, had so reviled over the years were the result of deadline crunches. Colletta was known to turn out completed books virtually overnight, so the deadlines on the comics could be met. The lack of detail, in many instances, was simply a way to get the finished product to the printer on time. DC understood this and, by appointing him art director, made sure that he would be available to handle all the deadline crunches they could throw at him. As proof of this, my source related that it was a regular thing at the DC offices to arrive at work in the morning to find Colletta asleep on the couch in his office and a stack of finished pages sitting on his drawing board; another all-nighter behind him.

Michael Netzer: Vinnie was a very helpful art director at DC. He always took time to engage artists about their work and help them approach it more professionally. For all that’s said about him, he was very suitable for that position and elevated the art craftsmanship at DC during his tenure. He was also a very nice guy who helped artists move ahead in their career. It was Vinnie who once suggested to me that I come up with a new female character because DC was looking for one – and that’s how the idea for Ms. Mystic was born. On the one hand, it’s unfortunate that an unflattering reputation stuck to him. On the other, this has spawned a new look at his work since his passing away, and has raised a strong voice of admiration and support for him in fandom. That’s certainly better than if no one cared about it one way or the other.

Kid Colt: I read two recent interviews of talented men named Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin, who said how great an art director Vinnie was because he spotted their talent, worked with them, and helped them get work from some of the old school editors who didn’t want the new kids around. This revised my whole thinking on Colletta. I’ll be the first to say he wasn’t my favorite inker, but it sounds like as an art director he had a hand in dragging DC back into competition again, and mentoring some young talent.

Nick Caputo: I believe George Tuska had a few nice things to say about Vinnie, and Marshall Rogers spoke well of him in a recent interview. Rogers got his first job at DC because of Vinnie, who was art director at the time.

Joe Staton (Former DC Artist): And then-this is funny-Joe Orlando took me off to a conference room. Vinnie Colletta was supposed to be the Art Director at the time. As far as I could tell, all he did was sit up at DC and ink. But Joe yelled over at Vinnie and said, “Hey, Vinnie. You’re the Art Director. You come be a part of this. We’re designing something.” So Vinnie followed Joe and me in, and Vinnie stretched out on the couch and went sound asleep. [laughs] And then Joe and I had a really nice session, and he took my sketches and punched them up a little bit. I think Joe was the one who actually came up with The Huntress’ emblem. But it was pretty much what I started out with, with some improvements by Joe, and we had a very nice time. Then Joe went over and touched Vinnie and said, “Time to go, Vinnie. Meeting’s over.” [laughs] And Vinnie says, “Okay,” and he went back to work, inking in his room.