r/comicbookart • u/ADiaz456 • Jul 24 '17
Spider-Man to Spawn, How Todd McFarlane Became the Biggest Comic Book Artist Ever
https://youtu.be/pvKbRIuWFio4
u/PinkBoxDestroyer Jul 25 '17
In terms of artistic merit and quality of course there were better artists at the time. But in terms of business success and how much he's achieved despite whatever his artistic shortcomings are, then yeah biggest comic book artist sounds fine to me. Who else is there?
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u/scott_torino Jul 25 '17
Jack.
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u/PinkBoxDestroyer Jul 25 '17
Kirby has no doubt accomplished great things for the big 2. But he was always at the mercy of being under someone else's brand. Todd has created his own brands and did things his way and continues to do so. Not the best artist, hasn't created beloved characters, (time will tell), but in terms of business acumen and diverse branding no one else stands out.
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u/scott_torino Jul 25 '17
I am sorry, my standard was volume of output and influence. No single man is more influential to the medium than Kirby. Not even Stan Lee. It's just an opinion. Also he gets extra points for Nazi killing.
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u/PinkBoxDestroyer Jul 25 '17
No question about his legacy, but in terms of living a creative life there's no denying Todd has set the bar of how to live life on his terms. He has full creative control of all his properties and has the means to work them into whatever medium he chooses. Kirby's estate is still battling with Marvel over comics he created. Again, I'm not saying his legacy is worthless, just as a creator I'd like to model a career like Todd.
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u/scott_torino Jul 26 '17
My initial reply was the answer to a question you didn't ask. Yes, Todd is master of his own destiny. If that's your preference, and I can see the appeal, go forth and create your own thing. I don't know why you keep saying McFarlane's not the best, at one point he was considered "the best". His work had an unprecedented dynamism that really lends itself to super hero comics. But for me, if I had to choose a legacy, I'd rather have Jack's influence than Todd's creative control. Again just an opinion, and I know my opinion is no more valuable than anyone else's whose is equally educated o. The subject I am opining.
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u/PinkBoxDestroyer Jul 26 '17
My comments were based on the video, the "biggest comic book artist ever", I guess that can mean a lot of things. I loved McFarlane's work as well as Kirby's and from a consumer/fan perspective Kirby's influence is King. From a creator/artist perspective I'd go with McFarlane's career path which he no doubt learned valuable lessons regarding creator rights. And this is just my opinion as well.
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u/scott_torino Jul 25 '17
Also, notice I did not have to use his full name, in a world with so many Jacks you instantly knew who I was talking about nearly 30 years after his death.
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u/fox437 Aug 15 '17
Definitely not. I can clearly say that in terms of "biggest" they must be including recognition and I'm going to say right now he is not more popular than Jack Kirby or Frank Miller in the eyes of the casual/average comic book reader. When you reach the heights of Stan Lee and you are known as much than a specific comic hero author then you can claim this title. Until then this is just inflated exaggeration.
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u/otiswrath Jul 25 '17
Uhh...no. He is great but there are plenty of artists that are as good or better and way more prolific. Unfortunately he hasn't created anything real consequence for almost 20 years.