Gene in January, Day Twenty EightCaptain America #137 page 19 by Gene Colan and
Bill Everetthttps://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1698542
Picture yourself descending on an elevator, alone except for an unkempt but
otherwise nondescript middle aged man, who also stares blankly at the door as
the floors count down. Then, the lights flicker, and the elevator comes to a
groaning stop between floors. The control panel is unresponsive. After a minute
of tapping buttons and shifting from foot to foot, you slowly turn to your
fellow captive, nod and sigh. Ten minutes pass in silence. Then, he turns to
you and says, in a voice like James Earl Jones on quaaludes "Colan/Everett art
is the unruly passion of my collecting hobby."
I admit to a degree of cognitive inflexibility in my comments about
Colan/Everett artwork. I have, long ago, substituted repetition for insight. If
you're here, you probably agree that Gene Colan and Bill Everett made some cool
artwork together fifty years ago. There is an asymmetry in the conversational
'give and take' between us. You're nodding politely, but I am ignoring all your
signals and body language that say (perhaps not loudly enough) "I'm not so
interested in what you're saying, I'm here for the art."
You know who else made some of the greatest pen and ink artwork of the 20th
century? Frank Frazetta (I'm trying to be spontaneous). Anyway, that's a
dissertation for another day, and perhaps best left to the experts.
If you're the internet, you're offended that John Romita provided touch-ups on
pages like this (on panels 1 and 4). You are best qualified to decide if the
unaltered artwork was best left as-is, and untouched. Stand on principle!
Acceptance is a dish best served cold. John Romita started his own truly
wonderful Captain America run with #138, the issue following this one.
Pax,Sean
