Jealousy Gave Way To Admiration

When I was a young I was introduced to comic books.  Like any young boy during the late 1950s and early 1960s I loved reading comic books.  

 

They were bright, exciting and action-packed.  They were my generation’s video games.  

When I reached sixth grade I got interested in art.  Surprisingly I was good at it and continued to draw throughout my school years.

It was during that time I aspired to be a comic book artist.  My favorite artists were Neal Adams, John Buscema, Gene Colan, Jim Steranko, Barry Smith, Bernie Wrightson and of course: Jack Kirby.

Once I graduated from high school I attended college for four years and got my B.A. in Art/Graphic Design.  I loved drawing cartoons.

But…..I never had the speed, story-telling talent and tenacity it took to be a comic book artist.  Instead I contented myself with drawing the occasional cartoon used in advertising pieces and sketches in my spare time.

I still read comic books and added to my favorite artist list: John Byrne, George Perez, Frank Miller, Michael Golden, Frank Brunner, Mike Ploog and later on Jim Lee, Gary Frank, Dave Gibbons and so forth.

All the while I envied their talent.  To put it simply, I was jealous.

 

Fortunately I’ve grown out of it and I now enjoy just looking at their work for what it is-amazing!

As an artist I appreciate the tremendous talent, dedication and blood, sweat and tears each one puts into their work.

I can picture myself laying down every pencil line and brush stroke.  It’s hard to explain.

I’ve had the good fortune to have met several of the artists and I’ve found them all to be kind, patient and willing to share their knowledge and opinions.

Although I never got the opportunity to be a comic book artist I enjoy marveling at their work.