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!
