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« Getting nasty | Main | TV is the new comic books » Shooter vs. BuscemaEveryone knows i'm a fan of the Jim Shooter era of Marvel comics. But he definitely had a reputation as a control freak. I just recently read an interview book with Sal Buscema. What you have to understand about Sal (yeah, i'm on a first name basis with him) is that while he wasn't a superstar, he was the workhorse of Marvel's artist stable. He did several books a month, did fill-ins for other artists that were late, and took all assignments they gave him without complaint. I think he was a good artist, too, and one thing's for sure: he was great at the storytelling aspect of his job. Action flowed from panel to panel and you could always "read" his art and understand what was going on without any dialogue or narration to explain things. So combine all of that and it's pretty shocking to see him refuse a high profile assignment: Q: I read in Back Issue magazine where you and [Shooter] had a difference of opinion on the wedding of Spider-Man. The book follows up with a shot showing that Sal could show the initiation & conclusion of an action all happening in one panel (Spidey shoots his webs and they hit the bad guys at the same time), which is a common trick and something Buscema obviously didn't need to be told about (although this particular panel comes from a book that was published well after the incident in question.). ![]() Now, there's no doubt that Jim Shooter is going to be extra fussy about a high profile book like Secret Wars or the Spidey/Mary Jane wedding issue. And I wonder how much of Sal's concerns were based on rumors about Mick Zeck's experience; maybe otherwise he would have let the micro-managing roll off his shoulders. But still, it's pretty clear that when you rattle a guy like Sal Buscema, you're doing something wrong. By fnord12 | August 11, 2011, 8:55 AM | Comics CommentsHe should have thumbnailed the book, like Giffen does. Reference from SuperMegaMonkey : chronocomicAside from a run on the Punisher and the critically acclaimed Kraven's Last Hunt, Zeck didn't really do much more of note for Marvel. I read that Zeck nearly had a nervous breakdown working with Shooter. I don't know if that was meant figuratively or literally, but it may explain why he didn't do much else for Marvel. Read More: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1-12Reference from SuperMegaMonkey : chronocomicShooter then continues to say that, "Getting an art team was more difficult than it ought to have been". For more detail behind that story, see this excerpt of an interview with Sal Buscema. Read More: Amazing Spider-Man annual #21Reference from SuperMegaMonkey : chronocomicHe would have been a great artist to tap for Secret Wars II (although it doesn't look like he and Shooter could have worked together). Read More: Hulk #309 |