This artwork is by one of my favorite illustrators/artists, Everett Raymond Kinstler. Despite enjoying a current reputation as one of America's great fine artists, specializing in portraits, Mr. Kinstler remains (unlike some) particularly proud of his days illustrating for comics and pulp magazines. So much so he has published a maginificent coffee table book of his early work, Everett Raymond Kinstler: The Artist’s Journey Through Popular Culture 1942-1962. I highly recommend it. This comes from Four Color No. 574, 1954
boy this is a BEAUTIFUL story! Really looking forward to reading it tonight! Thanks Myk!!
ReplyDeleteboy this is a BEAUTIFUL story! Really looking forward to reading it tonight! Thanks Myk!!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, pal. The way this guy draws just knocks me out. Particularly hands.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I might add; this is one time the color from Western Publishing is a bit over the top. It obliterates the fine pen and brush work of Kinstler. Have a look at that black and white page.
ReplyDeleteHell. I bet that's all brush.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I see traces of Don Newton in among all those lovely lines, Kintsler must've been a big influence.
ReplyDeleteRip Off
Rip: Don Newton! By golly there is a resemblance. Something organic in the way he draws figures and hands. Good one!
ReplyDeleteFantastic artwork, great story. The scene from the chandelier on page 6 is like a movie shot. The splash panels--particularly the avalanche scene and Zorro diving--are vibrant and brimming with life. It's as though the traditional 6-panel format can't contain the energy and the passion that pulsates through this excitingly plotted, dramatically illustrated tale.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this, I found a copy on E-Bay and ordered it. The colors are more muted in the one I got (might be due to the age of the book) but the artwork is as vibrant and alive as ever.
This was my first experience of one of these early Dell, pre-Toth and pre-Disney Zorros. Thanks for sharing!
Scarecrow33: Thanks for your comments here and on previous posts. Your insights are always spot on and . . . insightful! Regarded the muted colors of your Ebay copy - colors are the first thing that fade fast on the cheap pulp paper used for comics during earlier eras. I endeavor to return these pages to original vibrancy. I really want to do my small part to archive this great work for future generations.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. I've admired Kinstler since stumbling on an issue of Silvertip as a child! I see his work more in that of Infantino (especially when he inked himself) than I do in Newton, but that takes nothing away from any of them, just another perspective.
ReplyDeleteDiana: My pleasure. Yep - Infantino too. Dang. This post has been very educational for me!
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