Category: VINCE COLLETTA - Page 5 - ROMANCE ART IN COMIC BOOKS

A HELL OF A SPLASH PAGE

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

John Buscema and Vince Colletta created mayhem with this splash page from Avengers 44. The panel depicts terrified men and women who have realized that they are about to be engulfed by a giant tidal wave. One of the horrified women exclaims with disbelief, “BUT, WE’RE MILES FROM THE SEA! IT…IT ISN’T POSSIBLE!.!”

The enormous tidal wave has swept boats, cars and other debris toward the shocked onlookers. Their fear is palpable. This is a perfect storm of the penciler and inker’s visions flowing together. Whether Buscema intended the focus to be on the approaching tsunami or the stunned foreground figures, Colletta cemented the decision to put the spotlight on both by daringly inking the foreground every bit as boldly as the stormy sky and onrushing sea.

This excellent photograph, taken by The Unofficial Archivist of the Marvel Bullpen, Eliot R. Brown, shows John Buscema and Vince Colletta enjoying a lighter moment at Marvel’s offices. Both men were known for having genial personalities. If a cordial relationship often results in superior artwork, this photograph and example of their collaboration attests to that.

M.J. Downing: I still bought and read comics, but that was mostly to do “swipes” I’d take from them as I learned to draw from Jack Kirby, John Buscema, and Vince Colletta.

Pierre Comtois: Matched this issue (Avengers 44) with artist John Buscema (who himself was in a transitory phase between comics art traditionalism and the new, more action-oriented Marvel style), Colletta’s fine line, detailed inking gives the artist’s work a sheen of sophistication that’s real easy on the eyes. From the first page to a gorgeous two-page sequence featuring the Guardian’s fight with counterpart Captain America (where Buscema shows off his mastery of the human from in no uncertain terms!) …. Colletta showed he still had it. It was a skill that would often be called upon in the twilight years to firm up the doubtful work of artists a good deal less gifted than Buscema.”

Shelton Bryant: Classic Early Buscema. . . with Colletta Delicate Inks!!!!

SILHOUETTES IN COMIC BOOK ART

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

SOME QUOTES FROM THE BOOK AND A FEW SILHOUETTES

Storytime Comics: Glad to see that this thread has begun to actually discuss Colletta’s art. Anyway, all this thinking about Colletta made me actually want to, you know, look at some of his work again. (Imagine that!) So last night I cracked open my Thor Masterworks volume 2 to the Tales of Asgard stories from Journey into Mystery 109 and 110. Lo and behold, I had the same reaction I have every time I encounter his work on Thor: I’m totally prepared to hate it, or have it not be as good as I remember, but, no, it’s just perfect for the series, and very well done in its own right. Despite the really (really) lousy repro and printing in my original-27 Masterworks volume, Colletta’s work just stands out as unlike any other inker’s approach to Kirby, and totally suited to the material. In the words of GammaJosh, “I loves me some ’60s Thor!”

The Nostalgia League: Now, in his defense, I must say that Colletta did some fine work during his career. The early romance work he did in the 50s stands on a par with some of the work of Alex Toth. Some, although not all, of the inking he did on George Tuska’s Iron Man was good, if not downright beautiful, at times. There is also a strange melding of styles when Colletta inked Kirby on Thor …that seems to capture the raw power of gods in battle.

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.

Purchase the 16 Page eBook Edition of NUDES – THE ART OF VINCE COLLETTA here.

Among the criticisms often leveled at Vince Colletta’s art points to his practice of silhouetting characters and backgrounds. Although these panels were far less common than his fully fleshed-out pencils and inks, they curiously remain a source of annoyance to some art critics.

Art is imagination realized. The artist visualizes the scene and then puts it on paper. The reader’s imagination does the rest. The best representative silhouettes are done by skilled artists who can draw portraits, usually have fine art degrees, and can see shadow and form.

In order to convey emotion in a panel in which the main figures are drawn in silhouette, an artist must have a great facility for illustrating body language. Scholars believe Etienne de Silhouette’s name became connected with these black and white portraits because of the finance minister’s extreme cost-cutting. de Silhouette doubtless had many detractors.

Selective shadowing provides a bold palette for splashes of color to be added for effect. Silhouettes can be used to emphasize and alter a woman’s shape to create a flattering illusion. Understanding different silhouettes can help the artist create the most complimentary one for his subject.

Even in staid panels, silhouetting lends itself to creating more interesting scenes. Late afternoon on a sunlit beach provides wonderful opportunities for artists to use silhouettes and extreme shading.

Leading silhouette artists of the second half of the 18th century and the early 19th century, the golden age of the art, included Francis Torond, A. Charles, John Miers, C. Rosenburg, Mrs. Brown, Auguste Edouart, T. Hamlet, and Mrs. Beetham (née Isabella Robinson). Leading contemporary silhouette artists include Vince Colletta and many others of which little is written regarding this particular technique.

Before photography, silhouettes were the way to have a profile made without having to have an expensive portrait commissioned, and cost about a penny a piece. They were referred to as the “poor man’s portrait.”

Al Bigley: Never a Vinnie fan, but gotta stick up for him. He saved SO many deadlines (when that mattered, far more than creating “art”), sometimes rescuing the oh-so-precocious “fan favorites” who took way too much time on their pages, back when this was a periodical business that got slapped with huge fees for missing press deadlines. He was a real MAN doing a job.

COVER GIRLS!

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

Some say that glamorous women have the appearance of enhanced attractiveness. In real life this could refer to makeup, a hairstyle and, of course, manner of dress. Creating this look on paper, in a one-dimensional format, requires an artist to craft that allure into his subject. Vince Colletta had a facility for drawing women of such outstanding beauty. He’s now recognized as the most prolific, if not the finest of the romance artists.

Jose Garcia-Lopez was an inventive penciler with whom Vinnie collaborated on many covers and stories, most notably Wonder Woman and Batgirl. The dilemma facing the inker on the cover of Wonder Woman 234 was how to impart cover girl glamor to an unconscious, partially-submerged female about to be shot by a Nazi. She looks at peace and somehow radiant despite her dire situation. Colletta brought out Diana’s natural loveliness in the midst of a chaotic scene.

It doesn’t get any more atmospheric than the scene depicted on the cover of Secret Story 14 where Colletta visualized a sensational setting using atrium windows overlooking a dramatic city skyline. The room is filled with all manner of paint brushes, canvases and It almost feels as if the central characters, an artist and his female student, just happen to be in the shot. She is wearing a simple collared shirt, rolled-up blue jeans and a pony tail, none of which say “glamor” but then you notice that she’s also wearing a pearl necklace. Of course! She’s a cover girl.

Various artists including Russ Heath, Al Hartley, Joe Maneely, Carl Burgos and Bill Everett took turns drawing Lorna. The similarity of their graphic-style efforts depict her as cartoonish. In the cover art of Lorna the Jungle Girl 13, there are hundreds of minute pen lines in the shadows and stripes of Lorna’s top alone. Vince Colletta’s aim was physical attractiveness and with the Lorna covers he hit his target each time. Even as the jungle girl is hearing the Tom-Toms of danger, her appearance seems as if she just came from the make-up trailer. The juxtaposition of glamour over grit made the cover more appealing.

The voluptuous redhead in the clingy yellow dress fits perfectly into the carnival scene. She’s quite noticeable as strolls down the boardwalk, Kewpie doll in hand with an admiring man at her side. Vinnie was a master of illustrating clothing. He had a facility for rendering the natural way garments hang, the folds, creases and shadows necessary to impart a 3-D look onto a flat piece of paper. Everyone is watching her and she knows it.

Against a grainy background of menacing warriors, Starfire stands strong, hair all blown out in an outfit that would make any man do a double-take. All around are the skulls of those she has defeated as she defiantly poses, sword in hands, before the next mortal challenge arrives just behind her. DC went out on a limb allowing Vosburg and Colletta to create a larger-than-life heroine who could rival Wonder Woman’s beauty and Amazonian power. Slick inks on her hair and boots accompanied the focus Vinnie put on Starfire’s well-endowed figure. Her gaze is penetrating and somewhat intimidating but she is glamorous nonetheless.

The cover I chose for Vinnie’s Wikipedia page is an illustrative masterpiece, drawn during simpler times when deadlines weren’t an issue. Colletta was able to use his inks to create an extraordinarily lifelike image. The viewer is drawn to the girl’s lips as she prepares to find out whether a girl can really find love at first kiss.

And a “Happy Ending” for this article is the cover of My Own Romance 43 which shows an incredibly exhilarating embrace. Once again the fine-line inks impart a timeless, illustrative look in their skin, their clothing and, in particular, the girl’s hair. The art expresses the brand values of the title. This cover girl brightens up people’s lives. If there were a singular standard of female beauty, Vincent Colletta may have come closest to understanding how to portray it.

UNEXPECTED? I NEVER SAW IT COMING.

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

I received a message from my deceased father a few days ago. I feel as if it were heaven-sent, anyway. Vinnie and one of his many friends – everyone up there knows Vince Colletta as anyone who knew him here on earth would surmise – one Harold Lambert, decided to reward me with a treasure I had no business finding. A component of the comic book The Unexpected #115, published in 1969 by DC Comics, is a letters to the editor page entitled Unexpected Mail. It was a curious discovery for me in that the issue carried no Colletta art. So, why was I perusing the comic book? And why on earth would I scan a letters to the editor page in any comic? It seems that, a month earlier, Harold had written DC’s editors Murray Boltinoff and Carmine Infantino to compliment Colletta’s art. He also asked the editors to provide further personal information about the artist. Whether credit goes to Murray or Carmine, they obliged Harold with a short and very lovely biography of the artist.

I was curious to know whether I could reach Harold after all these years. As it turns out, via a Google search, I learned that he passed away in December of 1991, the same year that saw Vince Colletta leave this mortal coil. Always gracious, Vinnie almost certainly was one of the first to greet Harold in paradise. To personally express his gratitude for that letter he wrote to DC Comics back in 1969.

Unexpected? Not only the title of a comic book but also this little joke perpetrated upon me by Harold and Vinnie. Maybe I couldn’t contact Harold, but he sure found a way to contact me. R.I.P Harold Lambert. And, thank you.

A PHOTOGRAPHER’S JOURNEY – VINCE COLLETTA IN NEW YORK

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

After serving in The Army Air Corps during World War II, Vince Colletta found himself wondering what to do next. This was 1945 and like most other twenty-somethings who had been drafted as teenagers, he needed to find a career path in order to survive. He had always had an interest in art, having grown up in Sicily where beauty was everywhere. While stationed in Guam, Colletta contributed his artistic faculty by endowing airplanes with all sorts of artwork, logos and lettering. It wasn’t until many years later that his true talents as an artist emerged after attending The Newark School of Fine Arts on the GI Bill in the early 1950s. But, at that point in time, he hardly had the skills necessary to earn a living in the art world. While on Guam, however, Vinnie came under the tutelage of the Army photographers from whom he learned photo developing techniques in the darkroom. In an unusual juxtaposition, Colletta became a successful artist long before he decided to venture into photography.

Romance comics were hot during the mid-20th century and Vinnie was at the top of the heap. His art graced most of the covers that appeared on the newsstands, making it recognizable to people from all walks of life. Colletta made acquaintances easily and soon was able to count many show business and recording artists as his friends. It wasn’t unusual for actors and models to stop by the Colletta Studio just to shoot the breeze between auditions and jobs.

It was during such a visit that Vince overheard an actor complaining about the quality of his headshots. In the entertainment business, a headshot is distributed to promote actors or actresses. Casting directors use these photos as a way to see who they might want to hire. Vinnie soon learned that many other actors felt the same way and, just like that, Vince Colletta’s photography business was born.

During what became a burgeoning side business, a severe downturn in the comic book industry was taking place. Publishers were suddenly faced with dramatic increases in postal fees and over regulation from overseers. Anxiety over comic books grew as the pulp fiction crime and horror genre developed. Comics were investigated after Doctor Fredric Wertham wrote a book called Seduction of the Innocent in 1954. Most artists in the field moved on to other businesses such as advertising and animation. But many stuck around by finding a path. That path, for Vinnie, led to Derby, Connecticut and a relatively small comic book publisher named Charlton Comics. During what was dubbed “The Comic Book Implosion” Colletta was one of a handful of artists still plying their trade in the industry. The page rate was low but enough work came across his desk that many assistants were brought in to do breakdowns or ink backgrounds. When the dust settled, Vinnie’s work graced more Charlton comic books than any other artist. But Charlton’s publishing interests went beyond comic books. Monarch Publications was an arm of the parent company that published puzzle books and the like. Monarch also published lurid sexually-oriented magazines complete with revealing photographs of cheating spouses and scantily-clad women. It wasn’t long before Vince became their go-to photographer. The Colletta Studio was now doing double duty – drawing tables by day and background for racy photographs by night.

When an actor would venture in for some headshots, Colletta would oblige them and, in return, he was paid well, both monetarily and by being entertained by their stories about acting, auditions, making movies, other actors….and, naturally, lots of complaining. But it probably didn’t seem quite so annoying coming from a Vincent Gardenia or a Peter Falk.

It seems almost inconceivable that a man with so many irons in so many fires would have the time to become a wannabe record producer. Vinnie’s friend, Lada Edmund, Jr., who first gained fame as one of the caged go-go dancers in the TV show Hullabaloo had a great voice in addition to her other more obvious assets. It was a nice record.

Vi Colletta grew up in Manhattan and once she caught Vinnie’s eye he was hooked. This is a photograph taken at Hialeah Park Race Track in Miami, Florida. Vinnie, as she also came to be known by friends, appeared before her husband’s camera lens and in his darkroom trays more than anyone else.

The man, himself, relaxing by the pool with friends and family. Hundreds of years from now, Vince Colletta’s art will still be available to see and people will still be arguing about whether he had talent or was he a hack. Not so with Vinnie’s photos, though. His body of work in that field is small as opposed to his being the most published artist in the history of comic books. It is worth a mention, though, so I hope you enjoyed coming along on this short, but memorable journey.

GET LOST, THOR….

February 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Vince Colletta

The central character in Thor comics is, well…Thor, of course. In this particular panel, however, he clearly finds himself an uninvited interloper. If a comic book character ever showed lust, Mark Bright and Vince Colletta have captured the emotion perfectly in Jane Foster’s eyes. We know what’s about to happen. Things are about to get steamy and, Thor, you’re being summoned to leave the premises. Don’t come a’knockin if the lab’s still a’rockin’.

Depicting sexual passion in a superhero comic book is unusual – especially in a female character. The mental paraphernalia that is necessary to generate with a pen, such a simple, yet resolute stare, that is clear in it’s intention, goes way beyond art. More like an understanding of how to portray sensations.

Sif, on the other hand, is in a different state of mind. Find Thor 335 on EBay to find out what happens and treat yourself to some incredible, indelible Thor art from Mark Bright and Vince Colletta.

DREAM GIRLS COURTESY OF VINCE COLLETTA

September 3, 2023September 1, 2023 by Vince Colletta

Jack Adler (Former DC Editor and Colorist): Vinnie….Vinnie was a peach!

Elliott S! Maggin (Former DC Writer): Hey Frank, it’s great to trip over you. I liked Vinnie quite a lot. He was a great character and had a good deal of character to boot.

Stan: My man, Vinnie Colletta, beautiful women, intricate well thought-out inks, always on time-every time. Rest in Peace, Vince.

Jason Shayer: Let me preface this post by saying that I haven’t read much about Vince Colletta the man (and from the brief mentions of him that I have, he was a rather nice guy) and that this is a criticism of his work and not him personally…… Colletta’s inks always seemed to impose its own style rather than embellish the style of the penciller…. Vinnie erased background figures and simplified backgrounds and turned fully realized drawings into silhouettes….. As long as editors gave him work, he’d take the money and spit back the work as quickly as possible. Doing that meant taking shortcuts and Vinnie took shortcuts aplenty.”…… There’s no doubt over his career that Vince Colletta rescued hundreds of Marvel comics that were on the brink of missing deadlines. However, his work, in my opinion, left a lot to be desired……

Liquidwater: Web of Spider-Man illustrated by Silvestri and Colletta provides us with breathtakingly beautiful women – one of Vinnie’s trademarks. I also loved his Thor inks, the hell with what he erased, the finished products are masterpieces.

Jason Shayer: Hey Liquidwater, fair enough. Colletta’s early work on the Atlas/Marvel Romance books was quite good as well, especially the ladies.

Gormuu: It’s commonly accepted that Colletta drew the most beautiful women in the history of illustration.

ElectricPeterTork: Well, of course! He erased all those unsightly lines and wrinkles!

John Morrow (Publisher): Has this book changed my opinion of Vinnie and his work? In a lot of ways, it has, and I think that, love him or hate him, you’ll walk away from this book with a new appreciation and understanding of this colorful and controversial comic professional. I know I did.

Allen Smith: I can’t make any judgments about whose life was more exciting (Kirby or Colletta), but I’d buy a book about Vinnie.

CaptainJersey: As I was growing up I think two of the first artists that stood out for me were Dick Giordano and Vince Colletta… both for the beautiful women they drew. To this day, I’ll always think of Vince Colletta as a man who drew beautiful women. I have learned more about his inking habits over the years, but whenever someone shows me one of his panels, I always marvel at the lovely ladies, rather than what is not present.

Michael Netzer (Former Marvel and DC penciler): When looking at Vinnie’s work from outside of the context of being a comics penciler, it’s usually very proficient and has a special quality to it. The way he was judged was similar to how Michelangelo’s students would react to Van Gogh or Picasso. That’s probably why some people simply love his Thor run on Kirby while others despise it because they judge it based on Kirby’s pencils.

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.

Care for some Wite’ Out in your Comic Book Art?

September 3, 2023September 1, 2023 by Vince Colletta

Vince Colletta became renowned for the lush inks he used in his romance art of the fifties. The fine lines we see in the redhead’s tresses is a great example. Although she is facing away, her hair dominates the panel as Colletta intended.

Later in his career, when his specialty turned to inking, changes in his approaches to art produced varied and interesting results. We can see in the image below that Colletta employed slicker brushwork to highlight the girl’s hair. This collaboration with Bob Oksner fashioned an exquisite beauty.

ROMANCE COMIC ART BY OKSNER AND COLLETTA — ROMANCE ART BY OKSNER AND COLLETTA

A closer inspection of this panel reveals the additional effort that Colletta put in to accentuate her hair by using Wite’ Out to soften edges and eliminate an outline.

attachment noopener wp-att-86 noreferrer — Vince Colletta Girl Crying

More Wite’ Out was used to create moderation in both the girl’s garment and the fabric we see draped over the chair. For good measure, Colletta used an eraser to blunt her fish-net stockings to generate contrast and also added a smudgy-effect with soft inks to create a barely discernible shadow on her lower thigh.

Instead of extending the mirror to the edge of the panel, Colletta abruptly ended the line at both top and bottom in order to float the object. The lower portion of the light bulbs were also haphazardly jabbed with Wite’ Out as were the shadows within the mirror.

This comic book panel shows us an artist who is having fun in his work. Perhaps either some or none of Colletta’s Wite’ Out embellishments were necessary or even expected – especially from an artist often accused of cutting corners. Given adequate time, Vince added texture to everything he touched. Whether it was romance work or superheroes, both grandiose inks and subtle additions like these distinguished Vinnie among his peers as unique.

THE STAN LEE EFFECT

September 3, 2023September 1, 2023 by Vince Colletta

Stan Lee, Marvel’s former Editor in Chief and Colletta’s former boss: – “Just mention the name Vinnie Colletta and the first thing that comes to mind is his gorgeous portrayal of beautiful females in his artwork.

When I first met Vinnie and he showed me his art samples I was overwhelmed. I had never seen anyone depict beautiful women in romance stories as dramatically or as glamorously.

Years later, when the trend turned to superhero stories, Vince showed his amazing versatility by becoming a terrific inker of many of our main characters, with the countless issues he inked of Thor being his most memorable.

Not only was Vincent Colletta extremely talented, but he was also one of our most dependable artists. If ever another artist became ill and couldn’t meet his deadline, I can’t remember the number of times I’d give the assignment to Vinnie who would work through the night and inevitably deliver the work on time.

Indeed, Vincent Colletta was a fine artist, a valued co-worker and a dear friend whose work will be long remembered.”

Martin Pasko, Veteran writer: I think Vince Colletta was one of the best inkers of his generation in the comics business, but — sadly, IMO — his reputation suffered unfairly for his consummate professionalism. Vinnie was the guy so many editors came to rely on to make up the time in the schedule lost to writers’ and pencillers’ slowness. Vinnie often had to cut corners — such as scrimping on backgrounds — to turn the pages around in time. And after SOME, but not all, editors had happily put the books “to bed,” they — and the fans — would talk trash about Vinnie being a hack — conveniently forgetting that NO creative choice Vinnie made was EVER in sacrifice to the clarity of the storytelling and what the reader was paying for. I always thought the way he was regarded in some quarters was grossly unfair…
…because I WORKED with him, and I saw what he could do when allowed to do it (he was a good penciller, too, but he never got much of a shot at it except on the romance books)…and I remember all the magnificent ink work he did, over guys like Jack Kirby and Gil Kane and many others, when he was Given. Enough. Time. To Be. The Best. He could be. Which was, IMO, magnificent.

Frankie, Vince is honored by having a son who respects his memory as you do, because it’s a testament to a guy who apparently did in his personal life what I always knew he did in his professional one: his best.

For readers not familiar with Vince Colletta, my father was an artist and inker, known primarily for his exquisite romance art and, later on, his contributions to the superhero genre. Debates over his techniques and methods will probably never subside.

Stefan Etrigan: For those of you who can’t be bothered to look, it’s the beautiful cover to FOREVER PEOPLE #3 by Jack Kirby, with surprisingly lovely inks by Vince Colletta.

Jose: I’ve always said Vinnie Colletta was pretty good, when he wanted to be. So I’m glad he’s in my sketchbook.

Ken Quattro: Mike’s quest of Romita art has undoubtedly affected the going prices of Romita art. But unless others also treasured that art as well, then Mike would be paying far less. It takes more than one person to affect the market. If he was “hoarding” Vince Colletta art, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.

Richard Howell: If you’re one of those who enjoy the Kirby/Colletta THOR collaboration–and there are many who agree with you (many who don’t, too)–you’re in luck, because there are many, many pages from those issues on the market.

Doc V.: To which I’ll add that if anyone wants to get rid of that “crappy” Colletta romance art they might have, I’d gladly take it off your hands.

Ray Cuthbert: When the great inker Vince Colletta left the Kirby “Fourth World” books, Colletta’s rounded and romantic finesse was sadly lacking after that…

Ben Herman: No offense, Ray, but I have to disagree completely. When Kirby got rid of Vinnie “my best friend is my eraser” Colletta, the art improved.

Ray Cuthbert: No offense taken. My point is merely this: I liked Vince Colletta’s inking on Kirby most of the time. Vince had plenty of faults as an inker (like his erasures), but I liked what he brought to the table on Kirby’s work. There are only three inkers who worked on Kirby that I can think of who made Jack’s women look attractive — Wood, Sinnott and Colletta. Vince’s work as a top-flight romance artist made his inking of Kirby particularly appealing in my eyes.

Loston Wallace: I never cared much for Colletta’s inks over Jack, but I don’t hate them. In fact, I feel Colletta has gotten a little of a bum rap. Sure. He erased, hacked, and altered, but he was a professional. He got the job done. Mediocre or not, he was dependable. Don’t get me wrong. If Vinnie were alive today, I’d pray that he wouldn’t be the guy assigned to ink me. But there are two sides to every story. It seems Vinnie was interested in making money, not art. He was true to his convictions.

Tony Fornaro: How anyone can look at those Kirby/Colletta Thor’s and say “what crappy inks.” is beyond me. I personally believe that was the best Kirby art ever.

Greg Huneryager: I found the gallery very entertaining/ informative. It’s interesting but Colletta doesn’t seem to be that bad a match with Toth.

Ken Quattro: I agree about Colletta’s inks over Alex Toth. As bad a rap as he gets for what he did with Kirby’s pencils, Colletta “fit” Toth nicely. Given the fact that he inked Toth frequently, I’d assume that Toth approved of his work. Toth didn’t much care for inkers who overworked his pencils and put their imprint on them. Colletta’s “strength” was that he used a spare line.

Ken: Just curious,…(and pardon my ignorance on this) but is Vince Colletta still with us? I know little about him other than, unlike many out there, I sincerely enjoyed his work on early Kirby Thor pages. As a matter of fact when and if I ever break down to get my example of Kirby (my TOS by Colan has to come first!) then a Thor page with Colletta inks would probably be my choice!

AH: ouch better be careful mentioning something like that can get you into trouble on this list =O. AH remembers the last Colletta arguments!

Paul Smith (Former Marvel and DC penciler): Vinnie did brilliant work at DC. Adams, Kane, Kirby, Vosburg, Grell and a host of lesser artists that no inker could’ve saved. You’re free not to like it but it doesn’t change the fact that Vinnie was one of the best.

John Byrne (Former Marvel and DC penciler): I always enjoyed the time I spent hanging out with Vinnie in the bullpen.

Erik Larsen: (Former Marvel and DC penciler):Years later, I look back and get a kick out of it. It was the last issue of Thor that Vinnie Colletta ever inked and the last issue Stan Lee ever scripted, so it was like I was filling in for Jack Kirby as part of the classic Thor creative team. In retrospect, it really wasn’t as bad as I seemed to think it was. And it one case, what I took to be a shortcut on Vinnie’s part aided the storytelling. Vinnie had made an incidental foreground figure bald, which, in retrospect, eliminated a distraction that helped focus the readers attention on what it should have been focused on: the battle, which raged behind him. This foreground figure was unimportant — the battle was.

Stan had a good eye for talent. Starting his career at Standard Comics, Colletta was soon chosen to illustrate almost every cover in the Timely-Atlas romance library. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Vince’s good girl art in the romance books helped draw attention to the fledgling publishing company that would one day become Marvel Comics.