Sterankolypse Now
By:
October 25, 2010
4CP recently published a gorgeous large (1910 × 2854 pixels) scan of Jim Steranko’s apocalyptic artwork for the next-to-last page of Strange Tales #168 (May 1968).
4CP’s John Hilgart writes:
Utilizing halftone, photographic collage, and psychedelic effects — both in his inking and in the color designs he guided — Steranko leveraged everything at his disposal in the comic book medium. Kirby, Lichtenstein, and Warhol are all in there somewhere, along with layouts scented by aftershave ads and liberal cribbing from other comic book creators. Perhaps a great artist, but not a realistic illustrator, Steranko tended to emphasize the flatness of comics even when he piled on the detail. It is design not illusion, dynamic yet inorganic. … In 2010, when vintage comic book art is reproduced in crisp, acid-free, book format, the original reproduction of Steranko’s art begins to look and feel closer to fine art lithography. Forty-year-old pulpy reproductions may in fact be the definitive editions, anything else being a cheap approximation.
Amen to that hilo sentiment.