Roger’s Comic Ramblings: TwoMorrows’ Sal Buscema: Comics’ Fast & Furious Artist

Sal Buscema: Comics' Fast & Furious Artist

Sal Buscema: Comics' Fast & Furious Artist


by Roger Ash

I recently sat down and read TwoMorrows’ book about one of comics legendary artists, Sal Buscema: Comics’ Fast & Furious Artist by Jim Amash with Eric Nolen-Weathington. I’m a bit behind with my reading as this volume came out over a year ago, but time does not diminish what a fantastic book this is. If you’re a fan of Sal’s work or simply want to know more about comics history, this book should be on your shelf.

Anyone who’s been reading Marvel Comics since the 1970s is probably familiar with “Our Pal” Sal’s work as a penciller, inker, or both. He had long and memorable runs on Captain America, Spectacular Spider-Man, and the character he’s probably most closely associated with, the Incredible Hulk. In addition to his work on Spider-Man, the work of his that stands out most for me is Defenders with writer Steve Gerber, ROM, and his art on the Walter Simonson-written Thor. It’s hard to think of any Marvel character he hasn’t worked on. Yes, he even drew a Howard the Duck story. He also did a short stint at DC Comics. Today, Sal is officially retired, but still exercises his art muscles by doing some inking, most recently on Marvel’s Thunder Strike.

Spectacular Spider-Man #142

Spectacular Spider-Man #142


I think it’s fair to say that Sal never became a superstar artist, and that’s a shame. His work has never been flashy, but if you opened a comic drawn by him, you knew it would be drawn well and the storytelling (the way panels and pages flow one into the next) would be top notch. One can’t help but wonder what would have happened if he had broken into comics when fans started following creators almost more than the characters they were writing and drawing. After reading this book, I’m inclined to think it wouldn’t really have made that much of a difference. To Sal, telling the story is much more important than drawing some big, flashy panel just because he can.

Sal Buscema: Comics’ Fast & Furious Artist is set up similarly to TwoMorrows’ Modern Masters volumes in that it features a profusely illustrated, career-spanning interview with Buscema along with an art gallery. However, this is longer than a Modern Masters volume with the softcover clocking in at 176 pages and the hardcover contains an extra 16 color pages for 192 pages total.

The interview itself is quite fascinating. It looks at his background and his art training as well as his career in art prior to breaking into comics. His life in comics is covered in detail including his work ethic; his likes and dislikes; his co-workers including inkers he does and doesn’t like inking his work; artists he likes inking as well as his love of inking in general; and some of the writers he’s worked with; and some of the well-known stories he has illustrated. Along the way, you get a peek inside the comics industry and how it has evolved over the years.

ROM #36

ROM #36


But this is about an artist, so you want a good sampling of art as well. And this book delivers with some of Sal’s pre-comics ad work, samples pages and covers from his most famous comics as well as things you might not realize he drew. It was a real treat for me to see the originals of some of the Hostess Twinkies ads he drew. Unfortunately, his work on the Hostess ads was not covered in the interview which I think is a shame. You also get sketches, commissions, paintings, and drawings from live models (so there is some tasteful nudity).

Sal Buscema: Comics’ Fast & Furious Artist is a wonderful book. Jim Amash and Eric Nolen-Weathington do a fine job, through words and pictures, of bringing his story to life and showcasing one of comics’ great artists.

Now go read a comic!

Classic comic covers from the Grand Comics Database.

Purchase

Sal Buscema: Comics’ Fast & Furious Artist HC

Sal Buscema: Comics’ Fast & Furious Artist SC

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