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| Original Sketch-a-Graph |
Going through boxes in the basement the other day I came across my old Sketch-a-Graph - a coathanger-sized device that enabled one with modest artistic skills to reproduce a drawing by the use of a felt-tipped pen (or biro or pencil) and a drawing pin (thumb tack). Said reproduction would either be larger or smaller depending upon the placement of the pen and the tracing stylus.
I’m pretty sure that everyone in my class of 12-year olds at school were required to have one for Geography homework. Very handy for tracing the Isle of Wight or South America without breaching Ordinance Survey copyright no doubt. But also very handy for converting favourite comic panels into larger posters, or simply making swipes that could be used in fanzines (like our original SuperStuff issues).
Not many of my original swipes survive. I did a couple from Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76 which I inked in black India ink which ended up in an issue of Alan Austin’s Comics Unlimited sometime around 1975, and earlier in April 1974 I swiped four panels from Jack Kirby’s “New Gods #6”, one of which is included below. (The others are back at home and unaccessible from my sun-bed). My knowledge of copyright at age 15 was a bit hazy, so the “Thanks to Jack Kirby” tag line should more accurately have read “Swiped from Jack Kirby”.
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| Orion © DC. |
In those days when photocopying was expensive and photo-copy paper was shiny I either relied on the Sketch-a-Graph or on projecting photographed slide transparencies of my comic covers onto the reverse side of large piece of unused wallpaper to create custom poster artwork for my bedroom.
My pal Geoff Cousins had (and still has) a far better aptitude than me for original artwork and graphic design, but I felt pretty pleased with my efforts back in the Bronze Age.
Today I went back and took a look at the source comic - New Gods #6 “The Glory Boat” - and the entire comic really is an awesome example of Kirby at the peak of his abilities. Such power in the imagery. This was the early days of Mike Royer inking Kirby, when his brush work seemed closer to that of Vince Colletta than it subsequently became.
But what a cover! What a splash page! And Kirby was great at drawing ugly faces contorted in horror.
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| © DC Comics. One of the comic panels I swiped |
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| © DC Comics. New Gods #6 |
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| Original Kirby panel. © DC. One of the other images I swiped. |
I believe I only ever did swipes of Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, The Shadow and Orion which probably reflects my tastes in artists - Adams, Kaluta and Kirby - as much as anything.
What did you do, SuperStuff readers? Still have that Sketch-a-Graph?
New Gods was definitely not Kirby at the peak of his abilities. See THOR and Tales of Asgard for that. The New Gods stories were well-illustrated at first when Vince Colletta inked them. Later on, they took on the look of a globby mess with no finesse in the finishes, just fat swipes of india ink. Kirby excelled at creating mayhem, whether with monsters or superheroes. His artwork in the 50s and 60s, with the exception of romance stories which he was unsuited for, had much more energy than his later stuff for DC.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by TC.
DeleteLike you, my preference for Kirby inker was Vince Colletta (putting aside Colletta’s infamy for removing Kirby pencil backgrounds), hence my reference to liking Royer’s inks on New Gods #6 as Royer had not fully moved to his instantly recognizable Kirby inking style.
But I’d challenge your ”definitely” assertion that New Gods #6 was not in that period when Kirby was at the peak of his abilities, purely on the grounds that appreciation of art is all subjective. Ya likes what ya likes. I like Kirby’s stuff of the period 1968-mid 1972 best, probably because of innovation in layouts, use of forced perspective, etc. But that’s just me. And I came to appreciate Kirby much later in life, even though I read lots of his stuff as a teenager. Neal Adams was my guy in the 70s and I had little interest in artwork so different to Adams at that time.
I’m happy that you’re so passionate about Kirby. I’m interested in why you think Kirby wasn’t suited to Romance comics?
If there were a way to attach a scan or two I would illustrate why I feel this way. I guess go to comics.org and look up the covers to Young Romance #8 (Kirby) and My Own Romance 72 (Kirby inked by Colletta)and you'll see a stark difference in the beauty of the women portrayed. Vinnie may not have excelled in drawing monsters but Jack sure couldn't draw a pretty girl.
DeleteYes, T-C, it's a pain that you can't append photos into comments in blogger. I took a look at the covers you suggested and I can see your point. I do think that Kirby could latterly (1972-ish) draw a shapely female figure, but his faces all looked the same - high cheekbones - whether caucasian or any ethic group. I haven't got a copy of Soul Love #1 as finally published by Two Morrows, but the excepts published show some accomplished work. https://twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/23truesoul.html
DeleteHere’s a comment from fellow SuperStuff editor and contributor Nigel Brown:
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I only have vague memories of a Sketch-a-Graph. I didn’t do Geography O-level so never needed one.
I suppose you never read New Gods off the newsstand due to an ‘executive decision’ not to collect it?
I still have a vivid 50 year-old memory of buying New Gods 5 in Castle Road, and standing outside the shop staring at the cover, such was its impact!
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Well N, Well, I don’t remember buying that New Gods #6 from a spinner rack, so probably picked it up second hand from Devonshire Avenue , as I Sketch-a-Graphed it some 2.5 years after it came out. (and I now think about it, I have a memory of actually cutting the panels out for the purpose of copying them). I think the striking red and green cover compelled me to pick up the comic despite not being a regular New Gods (or Kirby) reader.
DeleteI used to lift pictures from the comics by rubbing wax paper over the comic page then rubbing the wax paper onto blank paper. Another way was with plasticine. And of course I spent hours copying Neal Adams panels freehand, became quite good at that and had a few published in some fanzines of the time including my own short lived one Fantasy Outpost.
ReplyDeleteI'd never tried the wax paper approach, or the Plasticine approach, McScotty. I seem to remember that Silly Putty (or did we call it Potty Putty in the UK?) had qualities of transferring comic pictures, but again I never tried it.
DeleteYou'll have to write up the story of your 'zine Fantasy Outpost on your own blog. I like the title.
I have that on my list baggsey although I don't have a copy of Outpost ( long story). I only did one issue and issue 2 got destroyed in a flood along with my duplicating machine. But I do have some other small print fanzines I did a few drawings for back in the day.
DeleteI've still got a boxed Sketch-a-Graph in a drawer (no pun intended), which a pal gave to me for my birthday back in the mid-'70s or thereabouts. I can only assume that it was an unwanted present he'd been given, as giving me a Sketch-a-Graph was akin to giving Casanova a book on love-making. He knew (the friend, not Casanova) that I could already draw, so unloading an unwanted gift onto me is the only explanation that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteWell put, Kid. I’m sure that like most teenage boys you’d have probably preferred a book on love-making, although I’m not sure what use Casanova would have made of a Sketch-a-Graph.
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