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William Lukash Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 May 2006 Location: United States Posts: 1405
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Posted: 23 April 2009 at 7:01pm | IP Logged | 1
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Just finished Showcase Presents: The Atom, vol 2. Gil Kane and Sid Greene really hit their stride during this stretch which runs until the end of the series.
Out of curiosity, why did Gil Kane leave DC? Was it just about they money?
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Robert Bradley Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 September 2006 Location: United States Posts: 4887
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Posted: 23 April 2009 at 7:20pm | IP Logged | 2
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The black & white Kane/Green art in The Atom and Kane/Giella art in Green Lantern is just beautiful. I thought the Kirby/Sinnott and Colan/Palmer art looked great, but I think Kane holds up to anybody.
That said, I find it curious that he jumped to Marvel, especially since I read that Stan Lee wasn't a big fan of his work (he considered Kane's male figures to look a bit 'effeminate').
My guess is that Roy Thomas must be a big fan, and that may have led to Kane becoming one of Marvel's top cover artists in the early 70's.
The Comics Art & Graffix Artist site has a biography of him at which states that we was "burned out" at DC and then took work with Tower Comics and Marvel.
Edited by Robert Bradley on 23 April 2009 at 7:21pm
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Rick Senger Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004 Location: United States Posts: 9706
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Posted: 23 April 2009 at 7:36pm | IP Logged | 3
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Huge fan of Kane, particularly on Green Lantern and The Atom.
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Jason Czeskleba Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 30 April 2004 Posts: 4649
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Posted: 23 April 2009 at 8:03pm | IP Logged | 4
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Roy Thomas was definitely a huge Kane fan, as well as a close friend of Kane's. I'm sure Roy was a big reason why Kane went over to Marvel, though it did happen gradually. Neal Adams often gets credit for breaking the "company exclusivity barrier" but as far as I know Gil Kane was actually the first artist to work openly (ie, without a protective pseudonym*) at both Marvel and DC simultaneously, starting in 1967.
*Yeah, I know "Gil Kane" was itself a pseudonym for Eli Katz.
Edited by Jason Czeskleba on 23 April 2009 at 8:04pm
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Chad Carter Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 June 2005 Posts: 9584
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Posted: 23 April 2009 at 8:08pm | IP Logged | 5
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I keep hesitating on buying the second ATOM volume...not that I don't want it, but more budgetary than anything in the moment of perusing it.
Is the second volume superior to the first? The only thing I was hoping for was more superheroish action from the Atom. Mostly in the first volume he's fighting thugs and sillier thugs with special powers.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005 Posts: 133610
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Posted: 23 April 2009 at 8:21pm | IP Logged | 6
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Yeah, I know "Gil Kane" was itself a pseudonym for Eli Katz.
••
As I understand it, Gil legally changed his name, so not a pseudonym.
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Robert Bradley Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 September 2006 Location: United States Posts: 4887
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Posted: 23 April 2009 at 11:02pm | IP Logged | 7
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Jay Famous Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 30 November 2007 Location: United States Posts: 646
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Posted: 23 April 2009 at 11:53pm | IP Logged | 8
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Wasn't the Atom one of the first post-Code heroes to really throw a good punch? I'd read somewhere that the Atom was the character that National started to relax with as far as fight scenes went. Up to that point the Flash and Green Lantern had more or less avoided the fisticuffs because National Periodicals was still nervous about pissing off the Werthamites, right?
*edited to add: Damn those pages are beautiful. Kane always seemed so damn polished. He gets higher on my list of favorites every time I see his work.
Edited by Jay Famous on 23 April 2009 at 11:56pm
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John Peter Britton Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 May 2006 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 9129
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Posted: 24 April 2009 at 12:16am | IP Logged | 9
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Loved the guys work for years!
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005 Posts: 133610
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Posted: 24 April 2009 at 5:28am | IP Logged | 10
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Ah, yes! Somebody up at the DC offices thought SWORD OF THE ATOM was
a good idea!
"I know! Let's take the Atom, whose only distinguishing feature is that he
shrinks to minute size, make him 'permanently' small, and stick him in the
jungle with a race of people who are naturally that size!"
"What's so great about that idea?"
"They can ride frogs!"
"Brilliant!"
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Pascal LISE Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 29 July 2006 Location: France Posts: 1111
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Posted: 24 April 2009 at 5:34am | IP Logged | 11
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Sword of the Atom would have been a total disappointment… if not for Gil Kane's art.
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William Lukash Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 May 2006 Location: United States Posts: 1405
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Posted: 24 April 2009 at 6:44am | IP Logged | 12
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I thought volume 2 was better than volume 1, but the Atom never truly fights super-villains unless you count the Bug-eyed Bandit and the Thinker, which I do. Atom of Earth 2 appears in two stories. A lot of the silver age DC stories involve unraveling a mystery or dealing with a strange occurance. These stories are no different, for the most part. There are some pretty good fight scenes.
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