Masters Of Comic Book Art
(1978 - Aurum Press)

(by P.R. Garriock) Not connected to the documentary of the same name, nor the one entitled THE MASTERS OF COMIC BOOK ART and not to be confused with various items called MASTERS OF COMIC ART. Ten artist's are featured in this 128-page book and all get roughly two pages of text elaborating their impact on the medium, a small biography and several examples of their sequential-art. But in addition to all that, the book has enough pages (62) that feature and focus on single pieces of their art that it gets itself up onto The List. Those pieces are drawings, both colored and not, as well as a number of paintings. While some of cramped comic pages may not have sterling reproduction, I think the large single pieces come out nicely. I keep it put away from children, because a couple of the images graphically embrace adult themes, not surprising when considering the part some of these artists played in the underground-comics scene. Here's how the 'well-presented' pieces from the masters count out: Frank Bellamy (3), Richard Corben (8), Robert Crumb (3), Philippe Druillet (5), Will Eisner (2), Jean Giraud (Moebius/Gir) (6), Harvey Kurtzman (6), Victor Moscoso (4), Barry Windsor-Smith (8) and Wally Wood (7).