13 Magnificent NEAL ADAMS COVERS — Compared With the Original Art
A BIRTHDAY SALUTE by Scott Dunbier, editor of the Neal Adams’ DC Classics Artist’s Edition… — The late, great Neal Adams was born 84 years ago, on June 15, 1941, and we have a two-fer birthday salute for you this year: a column about Adams’ Ben Casey strip by his son-in-law Peter Stone, and this piece by Scott Dunbier that highlights the upcoming Neal Adams’ DC Classics Artist’s Edition. The book, with multiple covers, is due July 8, but you can already get special editions from Adams’ family, here. I have mine and it’s extraordinary. Dig it. — Dan — By SCOTT DUNBIER Dan at 13th Dimension asked me to select 13 covers in honor of Neal Adams’ birthday, using images from next month’s Neal Adams’ DC Classics Artist’s Edition from IDW Publishing. This was my very last Artist’s Edition for IDW and I think I went out with a bang. It is 288 pages plus five foldouts, the largest AE book I have ever done. On a personal note, I miss having Neal in the world. He was cantankerous as hell and loved to argue. He also championed the underdog, and he was as talented as they come. Happy birthday, Neal. We’re showing the covers I selected alongside the published images. So, without further ado, here we go: — All-Star Western #5. (April-May 1971). An incredible piece of work. I love the wash Neal applied, and the use of white paint to emphasize the gunshots and the ricochets. Outstanding. But take a look at the four figures converging on the outlaw. Neal drew them in pencil to add depth to the cover. Genius. — Batman #227 (Dec. 1970). Another wash image. It’s based on the Bob Kane cover of Detective Comics #31 (the third Batman cover) from 1939. In this case, Neal uses the wash to give depth to the foreground. It’s eerie and heroic. A superb cover, one of Neal’s finest. — Batman #230 (March 1971). I confess I didn’t love this cover until I saw the original. But if you compare the art to the published piece, you’ll see that the smoke rising from the city is in grease pencil while the comic background is all blacked out. Maybe it was considered too incendiary for the times? Also, the coloring didn’t do it any favors; it’s...
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