Going big with Superman vs. Wonder Woman and Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk…
By PETER BOSCH
José Luis García-López is one of the greatest comic book artists we have living today. Over the last several decades, I’ve looked with astonishment at practically everything he has ever drawn (I still have to get around to the several years of romance comics he did for Charlton at the beginning of his career) so it was with eagerness I jumped at the chance to do 13th Dimension’s birthday celebration for him this year (he was born March 26, 1948). However, I quickly found myself at a crossroads. In what direction do I go?
So much of his great work leaves open the way for a dozen such columns: Deadman… Teen Titans… Wonder Woman… so many, many possibilities. It was an impossible decision. But there was one thing I did know I wanted to showcase, something I truly believe: While García-López’s covers are spectacular, they are nothing compared to his dynamic inner-page compositions. That is what made me a fan so many years ago.
Once I remembered that, the solution to my problem came easy: I would go back to not just one of his early works for DC, but two of them, when he drew the spectacular, tabloid-sized (aka “treasury”) editions featuring Superman vs. Wonder Woman and Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk. His work in these is incredible, plus both are great adventure stories, the first written by Gerry Conway and the second by Len Wein. Both editions have been reprinted, so seek them out if you have never read them. You owe yourself that treat.
Here are 13 incredible images:
—
All-New Collectors’ Edition C-54 (DC, 1978). Inks by Dan Adkins.
—
DC Special Series #27 (DC/Marvel, Fall 1981). Interior page inks by Dick Giordano.
—
MORE
— JOSE LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ: Dig This Groovy DC STYLE GUIDE Art Up for Auction. Click here.
— 13 GROOVY ILLUSTRATIONS: Dig JOSE LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ’s BATMAN ’66 Style Guide Art. Click here.
—
PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, has just been published by TwoMorrows. He has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. Peter lives in Hollywood.
March 26, 2023
Happy birthday to the Master!
March 26, 2023
Awesome stuff – if you look closely at the Superman/WW pages, you can see that some of them were drawn primarily by Dan Adkins. López became very sick while drawing that book and was only able to provide Adkins with rough pencils in some cases. Luckily, López had drawn most of the dynamic double-page spreads before he became ill but Adkins was a key part of the artwork for that project.
March 26, 2023
Another Masterful tribute from 13th Dimension! Excellent!
March 26, 2023
I thank you on Peter’s behalf!
March 26, 2023
José Luis García-López’s name was enough to get me to buy a book I never read before from those spinner racks at the Circle K. A true artist in every panel.
March 29, 2023
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JLGL.
Too bad the Batman/Hulk crossover will not be included in the upcoming Batman: Legends book.
Although it rightly should be reprinted in Treasury size.