Friday, November 6, 2020

Rough Cut and Silver Surfer


There are times when I wish comic book publishers would not ink or color their books and instead let readers see the beautiful pencil work done by the artists.

It’s also a great way to weed out who the good artists are as opposed to the hacks who depend too much on their inkers and colorists to correct their sloppy artwork

As nice as inking is sometimes it detracts from a penciller’s work.

Back in the late 1990s’ Marvel Comics put out a series of comic books that featured only the pencil work on Thor, Captain America and The Avengers called Rough Cuts.

I love it!

Each book features uninked pages of George Perez on The Avengers (my favorite), Ron Garney on Captain America and John Romita, Jr. on Thor.

All three titles are the first issues in The Heroes Reborn period of  Marvel Comics‘ attempt to revitalize its comic book line.  It was also the time when Marvel declared bankruptcy and had to reorganize

What makes the stories especially interesting is not just the pencil work, but the full dialogue balloons, border notes and production suggestions.

Each issue also includes a full script of the story.

Silver Surfer #1 (Volume 2) starts off an impressive Silver Surfer series of stories that delves much more deeply into the cosmic nature of the Surfer.

Pencilled by Marshalll Rodgers, the first issue sees the Surfer free from Earth when The Thing suggests that the Surfer and board should leave the Earth’s atmosphere separately.  

The plan works and the Surfer in once more free to ply the space ways.

He encounters his former master Galactus who convinces him to save his current herald Nova from the Skrulls.

The Surfer does so and in gratitude Galactus frees the Surfer from his exile allowing him to not only travel the space ways but to return to Earth anytime he wishes.

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