Vince Colletta: The Inker Who Ruined Jack Kirby's Art

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 1 лют 2020
  • Buy Thin Black Line: Perspectives on Vince Colletta: amzn.to/31iCy6h
    Support the show: / comictropes
    Donate a one-time tip: ko-fi.com/comictropes
    Vince Colletta was an inker who worked on many comics for one of the most popular artists in comics ever, Jack Kirby. He worked with him on Thor, Fantastic Four, the New Gods and more. Colletta was well liked but was notorious for taking shortcuts in his work, including erasing work so he had less to do. This episode looks at Colletta's history, techniques, and makes comparisons with other inkers.
    Special thanks to Harry Partridge: / harrypartridge
  • Розваги

КОМЕНТАРІ • 2,9 тис.

  • @RyanLeCocq
    @RyanLeCocq 4 роки тому +4071

    I remember as a kid finally getting a copy of “How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way” and having my tiny mind blown at how amazing the pencils looked compared to final Marvel books.

    • @gungadan3784
      @gungadan3784 4 роки тому +261

      How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way was by Stan Lee and John Buscema. Most of the artwork in that book was Buscema's but some other artists' work was used as examples including Kirby's. Don't remember any of Ditko's work in there.

    • @onyxt3589
      @onyxt3589 3 роки тому +32

      @@gungadan3784 i don't think there was any Ditko in there. Romita? Maybe.

    • @fredtherndmrtpstr5052
      @fredtherndmrtpstr5052 2 роки тому +60

      That book is good for beginners, totally recommend it

    • @Angel-Otk
      @Angel-Otk 2 роки тому +16

      @@fredtherndmrtpstr5052 the full documentary (idk if that would be the right word for it) is on UA-cam as well and him and Stan Lee go over most, if not all, of the steps

    • @an0rmalp3rson70
      @an0rmalp3rson70 2 роки тому +3

      @Miles Doyle nobody gives two shits we're here for MARVEL not bible

  • @binglebangle230
    @binglebangle230 4 роки тому +2815

    It sounds like this guy was a product of the industry, and not really bad by himself.

    • @BokBarber
      @BokBarber 4 роки тому +137

      @MemphoWrasslin1 They got the work when there was plenty of time to do it. Coletta got the work when the pencil artist ran behind schedule but the comic still needed to get to print in two days.

    • @yalkn2073
      @yalkn2073 2 роки тому +18

      He had no respect for fellow artists' work

    • @strombreakr
      @strombreakr Рік тому +4

      *He erased JACK KIRBY'S artwork*

    • @juansanchez209
      @juansanchez209 Рік тому +27

      @@strombreakr Because Kirby took too long! Vince is the guy who allowed Marvel to keep the lights on. Think about it from a business perspective

    • @strombreakr
      @strombreakr Рік тому +5

      @@juansanchez209 Although that is true, I am a very strong headed person and this goes along with my morals. This goes against my morals.

  • @ColdFuse96
    @ColdFuse96 4 роки тому +2221

    He didn't fire him because he didn't want to take away another man's income.
    Oh my god, the level of honor in this man 🥺

    • @ahabduennschitz7670
      @ahabduennschitz7670 2 роки тому +228

      Yeah Jack Kirby was a honorable man, a great artist and the soul of marvel.
      We all love stan but jack definitely deserved way more spotlight and fame

    • @horacebond9394
      @horacebond9394 2 роки тому +70

      And that’s why Jack Kirby is the king!

    • @ailbrown1000
      @ailbrown1000 2 роки тому +67

      He was actively giving fans that buy his comic books sub par art work just so his friend could get a paycheck. It's all about perspective.

    • @horacebond9394
      @horacebond9394 2 роки тому +11

      @@ailbrown1000 I don’t believe he was in control of who inked his work

    • @Chinaboatman
      @Chinaboatman 2 роки тому +6

      @@horacebond9394 He was on the DC books (New Gods etc) because he was also the editor.

  • @sydguitar99
    @sydguitar99 4 роки тому +3129

    He meeting his deadlines probably kept a lot of important issues from being cancelled

    • @lex_rodriguez
      @lex_rodriguez 4 роки тому +176

      There's no way this guy wasn't expendable. If other artists could do Jack's art justice while making deadlines, there was surely another hungry kid out there with enough drive to do the same.

    • @DDantohi
      @DDantohi 3 роки тому +34

      @Lassi Kinnunen people still use that system in offset printing, the thing with mass produced comics is that you have to make the CTP for print and that manual process of separating each color takes some time. Nowadays it's really simple thanks to digital

    • @alexandermccalla5098
      @alexandermccalla5098 2 роки тому

      @Miles Doyle you need help. "A lot of people like to say he didn't exist, even though people that believed in him wrote about him"

    • @chiyo-chanholocaust8143
      @chiyo-chanholocaust8143 2 роки тому +13

      F*ck that. How about both meet deadlines and NOT erase characters and details?

    • @SoberAddiction
      @SoberAddiction 2 роки тому +52

      @@chiyo-chanholocaust8143 Honestly, him erasing characters and details just tells me that he wasn't good at his job which was to ink what the artist drew. He wasn't hired to make editorial decisions.

  • @fishin4bass2002
    @fishin4bass2002 4 роки тому +4479

    Jim Shooter is a fascinating story. He got a job for DC comics at at age 14. He was writing stories and submitting them to DC at age 13 and before they hired him they thought he was an adult.

    • @samuelchristie570
      @samuelchristie570 4 роки тому +190

      Ryan Wilson and he had more than one Judas, he apparently had many!

    • @fishin4bass2002
      @fishin4bass2002 4 роки тому +79

      Samuel Christie I don’t know the story about Shooter, apparently something big happened. All I know is what I saw in a Chris Claremont documentary on amazon and all it basically told was how he got into the industry and his relationship with Chris Claremont in the 80s

    • @difficultbastard
      @difficultbastard 4 роки тому +8

      Any good videos of his story?

    • @v-trigger6137
      @v-trigger6137 4 роки тому +99

      after getting fired by Marvel he opened Valiant comics (which in my opinion is a pretty good underrated company because of their cool characters) but he got fired from there as well, so you can guess how much of a good judas guy he was Lol

    • @fishin4bass2002
      @fishin4bass2002 4 роки тому +73

      V - Trigger so you are saying Shooter is a Judas, or are people acting like Judas to him?
      I don’t know much about him but I do think his story is amazing and he must be talented if he got hired as a writer at age 14, then worked his way to being Marvels editor in chief by age 30.
      From what I’m reading he wasn’t well liked because he was like a dictator, making sure everyone met deadlines, had strict creative control and so on.
      Honestly I think he did a good job considering how well marvel did under him and how so many experienced people couldn’t handle the same job before him.
      You don’t want your editor to be nice, in fact I would prefer him to be a dictator. The creators may not have liked him but does it matter because under him everything made the deadline and marvel created arguably the best comics under him.
      I would argue the industry needs him or someone like him. Can you imagine how good DC would be today with him or someone like him? Doomsday clock would made a dead line, continuity would be better, guys like Tom King wouldn’t had been able to write Batman or at least write him the way King did, Bendis and his BS wouldn’t make it.

  • @Budgetdisco
    @Budgetdisco 4 роки тому +4031

    Coletta’s rage quit letter should be analyzed in high school AP English classes. Glorious

    • @mechamudskipper
      @mechamudskipper 4 роки тому +157

      @Crimson i'd assume its because back then letters took a long time to send and receive and correcting spelling and punctuation letters will be real tricky.

    • @goobiusthetrafficcone1438
      @goobiusthetrafficcone1438 4 роки тому +96

      @@mechamudskipper my guess is that it took too much time to get the letters around so there was no point in holding back

    • @dannyh13100
      @dannyh13100 4 роки тому +25

      I would have loved reading that in AP

    • @Gammera2000
      @Gammera2000 4 роки тому +8

      @Crimson It's because letters are usually not written off the cuff.

    • @KougajiCalling
      @KougajiCalling 4 роки тому +1

      That was amazing.

  • @paulthoresen8241
    @paulthoresen8241 4 роки тому +3482

    He wasn't even bad, just not amazing. If this work is him rushing and cutting corners then he still had talent.

    • @mndlessdrwer
      @mndlessdrwer 2 роки тому +283

      Honestly, it probably would have been worthwhile to put him on a rapid-release lower detail series. Hopefully he had luck finding other employment after that or had enough savings to last.

    • @Bearvalid
      @Bearvalid 2 роки тому +58

      I think it was more his attitude towards the cutting corners rather than him just doing it

    • @AdiFingold
      @AdiFingold Рік тому +50

      The stuff he pencilled in his early career shown in this video looked pretty good

    • @scottdoesntmatter4409
      @scottdoesntmatter4409 Рік тому

      You are a sick man, and I pity your total lack of taste.

    • @kevinmorrice
      @kevinmorrice 11 місяців тому +13

      exactly, his work is ok, nothing to write home about, but good enough if you dont care about detail

  • @JohnCena-ew1mf
    @JohnCena-ew1mf 2 роки тому +297

    That letter to the Marvel editors was epic. Kudos to Coletta for sticking up for his friend, even if it unfortunatley cost him his career.

    • @TillyOrifice
      @TillyOrifice 10 місяців тому +5

      It's a wonderful letter.

  • @wellesradio
    @wellesradio 4 роки тому +8240

    What I got from this:
    - Vince Colletta was a nice, charming guy who got along with all his coworkers and no one who knew him personally had a bad word to say about him.
    - Vince Colletta always met his deadlines.
    - Vince Colletta was the only guy you could turn to and rely on to get your work to print when the penciller turned the pages in on Friday and you needed it done by Monday.
    - Vince Colletta took the business side of comics seriously.
    -Vince Colletta’s speed helped keep the lights on, kept a lot of series from losing money and being canceled, and helped to keep those artists employed.
    - Vince Colletta stuck up for his friends even if it cost him his job.
    - Vince Colletta was NOT a great inker.
    The bastard!
    _________________
    Edit: Having seen the responses to this comment (both agreeing and respectfully disagreeing), I’ll end with this final thought. Isn’t it ironic that Colletta was the only one to stand up for Jim Shooter? Jim Shooter is the complete opposite of Colletta. Shooter is respected and despised for the inverse reasons; he is respected for elevating the art and despised for his strong, strict personality that rubbed people the wrong way and for his intolerance toward flaky artists. Maybe Colletta saw his own failings and respected Shooter for possessing all those qualities he lacked. In any case, none of those people who criticized Colletta (again, they had good reasons to) quit in protest over seeing Shooter - who embodied the attitude toward comices they wish Colletta had - fired. Because Colletta recognized what was good for comics. And because Colletta stuck by his friends when no one else would.

    • @de132
      @de132 4 роки тому +581

      WHAT AN EVIL MAN! I HATE HIM! OH MY GOD!

    • @NeutralGuyDoubleZero
      @NeutralGuyDoubleZero 4 роки тому +731

      His actions definitely werent all bad, but at the end of the day his actions ruined a lot of work from other artists who put in much more talent and effort in. I highly doubt he was using the maximum amount of effort when doing these rush jobs. Its easy to meet all deadlines when you say fuck it halfway through.

    • @cibor07
      @cibor07 4 роки тому +377

      I mean, I get that some artwork was rushed completely ruined, but you don't always find friends that stuck with you at bad times, and that also write fantastic angry letters while doing so, so good for him, really.

    • @NeutralGuyDoubleZero
      @NeutralGuyDoubleZero 4 роки тому +426

      @@cibor07 You could definitely argue that his problems were caused by the industry and how cuthroat and utilitarian it was

    • @wellesradio
      @wellesradio 4 роки тому +67

      Heavy Metal Collector “blowing smoke up your ass”. That’s the OPPOSITE of what a good colleague or nice guy does. That is an attack on someone’s character. But that’s neither here nor there. The guy was a hack. Ultimately the question comes down to: why is this even a story? 90% of comics creators are hacks. The difference is Colletta was good at being a hack. That’s an admirable talent, to be honest, and I totally understand why he worked so long. My post wasn’t defensive. It was the actual impression I got from the video.

  • @Gyro___Zeppeli
    @Gyro___Zeppeli 4 роки тому +1964

    Too bad he didn't become a writer instead. That letter was epic!

  • @VideoGameStoryTime
    @VideoGameStoryTime Рік тому +396

    As a fairly mediocre artist who has gotten a lot of work because I'm quick, I sure hope nobody ever makes a video critiquing the stuff I've drawn when rushing to a tight deadline.

    • @megapussi
      @megapussi 8 місяців тому

      Meeting tight deadlines and navigating the impossible epectations set by employers is an artform in and of itself. We wanna romantacize all art but at the end of the day, sometimes ya just gotta do what puts food on the table.

    • @loudgamerindonesia4485
      @loudgamerindonesia4485 8 місяців тому +13

      You'll get that. Like it or not.

    • @Balancatraca
      @Balancatraca 8 місяців тому +9

      speaking from experience, you'll get that, but if you explained in a polite matter, people actually appreciate it even more :)

    • @dustinakadustin
      @dustinakadustin 7 місяців тому +6

      Sounds like he was a bit of a menace at times to be fair.

    • @tearsofIink
      @tearsofIink 7 місяців тому

      @@dustinakadustin A WEBHEADED MENACE!!!

  • @dysn3961
    @dysn3961 4 роки тому +727

    Honestly, he doesn't really seem like a bad guy, nor that much a bad artist. He was just always given last-minute assignments that he had no choice but to rush through since he knew how to simplify them down to what was needed. Things like simplifying backgrounds or removing a figure or whatnot are industry standard when considering both how much time you got and what tools you're working with. You can't make a magnum opus every single month and there are limitations to be made when on a quota like that. Better inkers are out there, sure, but I don't really see him as "ruining" it, he seems to simply reflect the industry and expectations at the time

    • @jimbendtsen8841
      @jimbendtsen8841 10 місяців тому +2

      Whatever. Excuses, excuses.

    • @FuglyStick
      @FuglyStick 10 місяців тому +126

      ​@@jimbendtsen8841You say "whatever," but a book that can't make deadlines is in jeopardy of being dropped. Deadlines aren't "suggestions."

    • @bepinkfloyd814
      @bepinkfloyd814 10 місяців тому +74

      ​@@jimbendtsen8841lol you don't know how much stressfull is to meet a deadline when they give you all the work to do last minute?

    • @tullyDT
      @tullyDT 10 місяців тому +46

      @@jimbendtsen8841 Take it up with the artists. If they wanted all their work to look like a magnum opus, then they should have got it done on time instead of handing it up at the last minute and blaming the person who had to rush their work out to print

    • @FFKonoko
      @FFKonoko 8 місяців тому +15

      ​@@jimbendtsen8841excuses are all you'd have instead of a finished comic, yeah. 😂

  • @yinoveryang4246
    @yinoveryang4246 4 роки тому +3121

    Seems Colleta missed his vocation. Should've been a writer, not an artist.

    • @Luka1180
      @Luka1180 4 роки тому +129

      Not a visual artist.*

    • @bronyatheistfedora
      @bronyatheistfedora 4 роки тому +31

      Everyone was a better writer back then

    • @benvoliothefirst
      @benvoliothefirst 4 роки тому +23

      "They should've sent a POET!"

    • @doggo7514
      @doggo7514 4 роки тому +31

      when you got the passion and the rage this man apparently had, anyone can be Shakespeare on the pen

    • @user-73a
      @user-73a 4 роки тому +2

      Writing is harder than drawing*

  • @Norvo82
    @Norvo82 4 роки тому +1597

    By the early 80s, George Perez famously refused to let Colletta touch his work. He went on record, calling Vinnie a "great equalizer". He lifts or brings down every artist to his level, no matter the penciller, it all ended up looking like Colletta.

    • @nilus2k
      @nilus2k 4 роки тому +103

      Could you imagine 80s Teen Titans inked in this style. It would be awful. Thank God he stood up to editorial and got people like Romeo Tanghal to do his inks.

    • @TabbyeLynne
      @TabbyeLynne 4 роки тому +118

      "the great equalizer" isn't that what they called death in the middle ages?

    • @Norvo82
      @Norvo82 4 роки тому +89

      @@TabbyeLynne Fitting, considering a Colletta ink job signified the death of individual artistic expression.

    • @arthurmallmann5768
      @arthurmallmann5768 4 роки тому +60

      man, seeing some of the King's characters just chopped off in those panels was infuriating. Imagine the effect that Coletta would cause in the art of someone who is known for putting many super detailed characters on paper

    • @wtk6069
      @wtk6069 4 роки тому +35

      @@nilus2k Perez didn't like Tanghal's inks at first, but Tanghal was able to change to fit George's requirements - and it was great for both men's careers! Neither's work ever looked better than working together at their prime!

  • @matthewdavis2853
    @matthewdavis2853 4 роки тому +607

    "Generic" is the best word I can think of to describe Colletta's work. Even as a kid in the 1970s I could tell his ink work from others, no matter who the penciller was. It had this bland sameness to it. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great, but it got the job done.
    Now, showing Kirby's New Gods art to people at Marvel .... no matter how well liked, I'm surprised he worked at DC much after that.

    • @blackeesh463
      @blackeesh463 2 роки тому +75

      If you could tell his ink from others, even as a child, it obviously wasn't generic.
      You can call it uniquely trash, but it was absolutely not generic.

    • @AngusRockford
      @AngusRockford 2 роки тому +15

      To me, it literally looked like a child had gotten ahold of an artist’s pencils and fucked them up.

    • @johnnyskinwalker4095
      @johnnyskinwalker4095 2 роки тому +7

      @@blackeesh463 I actually liked it. Colletta came from romance titles and it made Kirby stuff more "romantic". His characters esp. were more beautiful.

    • @Chinaboatman
      @Chinaboatman 2 роки тому +7

      A lot of the people at DC resented Kirby and didn't want him there. They fucked with him a lot in all sorts of ways, including cancelling his Fourth World titles that were still selling and reviving them a few years later with other creators. Half of them were probably supportive of anything that messed with Jack. Above the creative level comics then and now was filled with petty, almost criminal scumbags.

    • @user-infinite
      @user-infinite 10 місяців тому +9

      Stan Lee, Marvel’s former Editor in Chief and Colletta’s former boss: - “Just mention the name Vinnie Colletta and the first thing that comes to mind is his gorgeous portrayal of beautiful females in his artwork.
      When I first met Vinnie and he showed me his art samples I was overwhelmed. I had never seen anyone depict beautiful women in romance stories as dramatically or as glamorously.
      Years later, when the trend turned to superhero stories, Vince showed his amazing versatility by becoming a terrific inker of many of our main characters, with the countless issues he inked of Thor being his most memorable.
      Not only was Vincent Colletta extremely talented, but he was also one of our most dependable artists. If ever another artist became ill and couldn’t meet his deadline, I can’t remember the number of times I’d give the assignment to Vinnie who would work through the night and inevitably deliver the work on time.
      Indeed, Vincent Colletta was a fine artist, a valued co-worker and a dear friend whose work will be long remembered.”

  • @SirMatthew
    @SirMatthew 4 роки тому +116

    "Vince, we're runnin late!"
    Vince: "COWABUNGA IT IS"

  • @Rometiklan
    @Rometiklan 4 роки тому +659

    Love that scathing letter Colletta wrote. Maybe he missed his calling. He was a writer in an inker's body.

    • @freggittlegamint2830
      @freggittlegamint2830 4 роки тому +13

      I wouldn't call him an inker.

    • @crazypath573
      @crazypath573 4 роки тому +5

      His body didnt fit.

    • @Luka1180
      @Luka1180 4 роки тому +9

      @@freggittlegamint2830 Um, that's Rometiklan's point. That he is NOT a good inker.

    • @freggittlegamint2830
      @freggittlegamint2830 4 роки тому +4

      @@Luka1180
      Yeah, I was agreeing with a slight joke.

    • @oz_jones
      @oz_jones 2 роки тому

      @@freggittlegamint2830 he literally was

  • @yeloid6747
    @yeloid6747 4 роки тому +1325

    "Colleta had loyalty."
    Hey Marvel, want to see Jack Kirby's art?!

    • @inyalgaico1563
      @inyalgaico1563 4 роки тому +112

      Colleta seemed very immature than disloyal he probs didnt understand the beef with Marvel and Jack and was like im sure if i showed them his work we could be friends again and when jack got angry and spoke to Vince he was initially gonna be like you betrayed me and then sees this guys pure obliviousness

    • @TheStrangeBloke
      @TheStrangeBloke 4 роки тому +9

      Loyal, but to who?

    • @antoniomartinez3651
      @antoniomartinez3651 4 роки тому +11

      That makes him loyal to Marvel

    • @VileVamp
      @VileVamp 4 роки тому +32

      I'd like to see the art too, but I can't because some asshole scribbled over it with black marker.

    • @bjpalm1994
      @bjpalm1994 4 роки тому +2

      Lol!

  • @CaralisTrevorum
    @CaralisTrevorum 3 роки тому +222

    He sounds like a very principled man with a strong work ethic.
    Let’s not forget how appalling Marvel used to be with missing deadlines in the 70s and early 80s.

  • @culwin
    @culwin 4 роки тому +431

    "Colletta didn't care about art, just about being fast"
    "Kirby did lots of comics monthly and was just concerned with getting on to the next issue"
    ?

    • @UnfamiliarIntimacy
      @UnfamiliarIntimacy 4 роки тому +76

      majooismajor
      But you can't expect high quality art when you don't give enough time for your employers to do their job. If all you care about is money in your industry then the state of how the work is done will reflect that. Plain and simple.

    • @conker690
      @conker690 4 роки тому +2

      Unfamiliar Intimacy0070 then how come jack Kirby do the work but fast?

    • @UnfamiliarIntimacy
      @UnfamiliarIntimacy 4 роки тому +51

      conker690
      Not every artist is as efficient as others. They aren't machines.

    • @robinthestate6548
      @robinthestate6548 4 роки тому +55

      @@conker690 because jack Kirby was legend for that. He was insanely fast and good. He might have not been as good as kirby, but he apparently was insanely fast. Inking a whole comic book in 2 days???? that's fast.

    • @sonicbelmont300
      @sonicbelmont300 4 роки тому +61

      This is a little dishonest and taken out of context
      When he says Colletta cared about being fast, he's mentioning how the most important thing to him was getting his paycheck, but when he says Jack Kirby "just moved on to the next issue" he was talking about how Kirby wouldn't look at the finished product and would continue on with new projects. Honestly not sure why these are being compared as they're two completely different instances

  • @erasenegatedelete
    @erasenegatedelete 4 роки тому +302

    In Vince’s defense, printing technology at the time wasn’t that advanced either and they were printing on the cheapest paper they could. The more simple the inking, the better it would reproduce. Same reason they had to change the hulk from grey to green: because they couldn’t print grey reliably.

    • @astrosteve
      @astrosteve 4 роки тому +4

      Are you sure about the Hulk? I'd always been under the impression the gray hulk was the result of a printing error; he was always intended to be green.

    • @absalomdraconis
      @absalomdraconis 4 роки тому +42

      @@astrosteve : "Couldn't print grey reliably" _is_ a printing error. Moving to green instead is a _fix for_ the printing error.

    • @DeathnoteBB
      @DeathnoteBB 4 роки тому +4

      Lassi Kinnunen because drawing and inking are different skills

    • @greendream848
      @greendream848 4 роки тому +5

      @MemphoWrasslin1 Inkers are a mixed bag. Some inkers compliment an artists work others detract from it. And an inker that compliments one artist might detract from a different artist - because artists themselves are a mixed bag. Some artists hand in pencils that are very detailed (the inker just needs to not mess it up, for the most part) while others hand in pencils that are very vague and sketchy (the inker often needs to "fill in the gaps"). When you got an aritst and an inker that compliment each other well, you've got comics gold. When you don't, it can be a train wreck. most of the time it's somewhere in between.

  • @dodgy_doodl3r145
    @dodgy_doodl3r145 4 роки тому +942

    neil gaiman was right:
    - a good attitude
    - hits deadlines
    - excellent output
    and you only need at least 2.

    • @edwarddillon5886
      @edwarddillon5886 4 роки тому +3

      I was just thinking that.

    • @Zilegil
      @Zilegil 4 роки тому +35

      Same. It’s literally exactly what came into my head
      I sometimes wonder if the advice is a lil dated, and perhaps they expect more from freelancers these days

    • @ashoat2388
      @ashoat2388 4 роки тому +106

      What I’ve heard in my career of creating visuals is “You can have it cheap, you can have it fast, you can have it good - pick two.”

    • @palchristianandersen9086
      @palchristianandersen9086 4 роки тому +15

      I think Dave McKeen was technically fired for a short period cause he couldn't meet the deadlines for the Sandman covers, but then he bounced back quickly and delivered a bunch of covers all at once.

    • @HovektheArtist
      @HovektheArtist 4 роки тому +28

      Fast, good, cheap, pick 2 and thats what you get. And most wont pay for fast and good

  • @KyrieFortune
    @KyrieFortune 4 роки тому +474

    Ok, everyone who hates this guy: there's the triangle of art. The vertices are Cheap, Quick, and Well-made.
    You can only choose two.
    Coletta was consistently asked Cheap and Quick, and a lot of times too.
    You can thank me later for cracking the code.

    • @chrissouthall411
      @chrissouthall411 4 роки тому +29

      That's been a woodwork mantra for about 50 years

    • @paulthoresen8241
      @paulthoresen8241 4 роки тому +48

      @@chrissouthall411 To add to that it isn't simply him being fast either, they specifically gave him that work because anyone else would be too slow or they were submitted at the last minute and if not for him they would not be published.

    • @Nobody1707
      @Nobody1707 4 роки тому +2

      @@chrissouthall411 I'm pretty sure it's older than that.

    • @mishalzee4659
      @mishalzee4659 4 роки тому +2

      But...but... Crackdown 3

    • @FredMaverik
      @FredMaverik 2 роки тому

      that's not how it works. What if I just ask quick and well-made lol. Or cheap and wall-made.

  • @totalweirdo3378
    @totalweirdo3378 4 роки тому +180

    At first I hated Coletta's inks and for the most part still do however occasionally I'll see a piece he'd inked and be pleasantly surprised. After watching this I think that when he was working within his limitations he was quite capable. He was a commercial artist, as one myself I can tell you sometimes it is just about the paycheck and in the comics industry it really does seem to be about attrition. I don't blame him for stacking cash and getting the jobs done quickly but because of this I prefer practically every other Kirby inker over him.

  • @IncredibleMD
    @IncredibleMD 4 роки тому +383

    I dunno what you're talking about, that letter is amazing. Maybe they should've had Vince on writing duties instead of inking.

    • @brettmiddleton7949
      @brettmiddleton7949 4 роки тому +49

      Instead of some guy with an English accent, maybe they should have gone with a reader who could do a full-blown mob-Italian accent. :D

    • @nknighton70
      @nknighton70 4 роки тому +14

      @@brettmiddleton7949 He should have had Bill Burr read it.

    • @charleswilliams4088
      @charleswilliams4088 4 роки тому +16

      Im a fan now just because of that letter

    • @booates
      @booates 4 роки тому +6

      dont know why he thought some italian guys angry letter should be read with some annoying british accent spoken intentionally posh and irritating

    • @oz_jones
      @oz_jones 2 роки тому

      @@nknighton70 there we go

  • @G.S.Holland
    @G.S.Holland 4 роки тому +588

    Lesson here is he was a decent inker, but knew his limitations which is why he preferred romance comics. Too bad he couldn't have found non superhero titles to work on that weren't so demanding with all the detail.

    • @suedenim
      @suedenim 4 роки тому +40

      He really had a knack for drawing pretty girls, which you can see even in his later work on Dazzler.

    • @stevenbobbybills
      @stevenbobbybills 4 роки тому +4

      @@suedenim those eyelashes...

    • @princenamor1939
      @princenamor1939 4 роки тому +2

      He wasn't a decent inker. Did you even watch this and see his samples?? lol

    • @stevenbobbybills
      @stevenbobbybills 4 роки тому +31

      @@princenamor1939 decent, not great. His work is quick and simple, but not hideous, just less detailed.

    • @G.S.Holland
      @G.S.Holland 4 роки тому +15

      @@princenamor1939 Yeah, I watched the entire video, thanks for your concern. I didn't say he was great. He got a passing grade for comics with minimal detail. He had to take too many short cuts on nearly anything else. And that's all I was saying...he should have stayed in his lane. I think he bit off more than he could chew with taking the superhero title assignments.

  • @blindtreeman8052
    @blindtreeman8052 4 роки тому +52

    Vince wasn't amazing at his job. But he was pretty good. Met his deadlines, friendly, and loyal. Art wise he's the same, not amazing, but pretty good

  • @Soldano999
    @Soldano999 4 роки тому +145

    Colletta had balls to write such a letter. It was too much and too graphic but at the same time you don't see people defending others like that too often.
    Very italian of him. And that's also a reminder of how "old school" business was much more human and had values, vs 1985 and even worse today.

    • @bradc32
      @bradc32 5 місяців тому +1

      very

    • @calumhouston3308
      @calumhouston3308 5 місяців тому

      That is likely because we weren't living in a neo-liberal hell hole like we are today.

  • @Aratak711
    @Aratak711 4 роки тому +1335

    When you consider how badly almost all of the artists and writers were treated by the industry and you look at how well Colletta provided for his family, he was right: comics at the time were commerce, not art. We rightly revere Kirby and his brethren, but they did not get a seat at the table when money was apportioned. Vince had a grand house and provided well for his wife and family. I certainly agree that he hurt Kirby's art, but my dislike of his work is lessened by my hatred for comics publishers. It was a sleazy business and I'm not sure how much better it is now.

    • @Tjnovakart
      @Tjnovakart 4 роки тому +15

      Well said 👏🏼

    • @deathdoom8
      @deathdoom8 4 роки тому +89

      i would say it's currently worse then it was then, because now they care more about their ideology over profit

    • @cyryl3827
      @cyryl3827 4 роки тому +93

      @@deathdoom8 How does that make it worse.. exactly? The censorship is still not as bad as it was in the 20th century... either equal or better on that front.
      If it truly is ideology over profit, then at the very least, it doesn't get in the way of the fidelity etc.... not to mention, pushing ideology isn't only happening when it's an ideology you don't agree with... so, rather than say, that it's ideology over profit, it's more accurate to say: It's different ideology than before.
      (also, profit still rules)

    • @deathdoom8
      @deathdoom8 4 роки тому +52

      @@cyryl3827 because they'll "cancel" someone out of the industry for not following their extremely dogmatic ideology, which also clearly leaks into their works

    • @cyryl3827
      @cyryl3827 4 роки тому +90

      @@deathdoom8 So... they will do what all show-business industries have been doing.. since forever.
      Ok.

  • @NothingYouHaventReadBefore
    @NothingYouHaventReadBefore 4 роки тому +2698

    Say what you will about Colette, but his art sucked. That being said, he got the deadlines. That's such an incredibly important factor and people love to just gloss over it because 'it ruined the art'. Obviously it did, but not without good reason.
    Getting that deadline isn't like missing an assignment in school where you get told off and a bad grade. It means money, hours and effort spent without getting any returns. Coletta made sure that didn't happen, which wasn't just good for his paycheck, it was good for everyone. Including the consumers.
    Coletta was a product of a business model, who still tried his hardest. The fact he was willing to commit career-suicide by that letter shows he must've been a loyal man with serious principles. I personally think that's a thousand times more important than the art.

    • @VileVamp
      @VileVamp 4 роки тому +51

      Give me a black marker and zero fucks to give and I'd still do a better job.
      It's easy to meet deadlines when you're rush-jobbing and blacking every single detail out.

    • @JarJarBinks4ever
      @JarJarBinks4ever 4 роки тому +135

      His romance art from the 50's is good. He's not the only artist from the 50's pre-Marvel era of american comics who didn't reeally cut in the post-EC world

    • @Accrovideogames
      @Accrovideogames 4 роки тому +18

      It's Colletta, not Colette.

    • @wonderrob3225
      @wonderrob3225 4 роки тому +173

      @@VileVamp I very much doubt that

    • @CuriousCritter17
      @CuriousCritter17 4 роки тому +97

      @@VileVamp That's why he was hired to do the job. Getting it done on time was the companies priority so they weren't hiring for talent but for speed. Comics were considered disposable. That was the reality.

  • @Go_away__
    @Go_away__ 2 роки тому +12

    I actually really appreciate the stories of artists who are just below the line of amazing. I'm never going to be the best cartoonist, but I love drawing and animating...and it's people who stick with it that give me some form of inspiration.

  • @deanouellette1868
    @deanouellette1868 4 роки тому +21

    As a kid, I remember wondering why Jack's Thor artwork looked like pencil sketches next to his bold Fantastic Four work. I didn't understand the role and importance of an inker like a Joe Sinnott until many years later.

  • @Jimvanhise
    @Jimvanhise 4 роки тому +1105

    Regarding the Vince Colletta letter. The major artists at Marvel wouldn't let Colletta near their art any more but Jim Shooter insisted that the editors give him work, so Colletta was regularly assigned to ink the new artists who'd begun working at Marvel, like Bret Blevins. Bret hated Colletta's inking so much that he had to prove to Marvel that he could ink his own work much better than Colletta could before they'd let him do it. But Shooter still insisted that they give Colletta work. But when Shooter was fired the editors stopped returning Colletta's phone calls and his work at Marvel suddenly dried up. That's when he wrote the letter which the editors found hilarious and they shared it with everyone.

    • @KyuuStarr
      @KyuuStarr 4 роки тому +139

      Jimvanhise Thank you, this was some sorely missing context

    • @franklincolletta
      @franklincolletta 4 роки тому +10

      This has to be at least the 1,000th time that Jim Van Hise has mentioned this supposed Vince Colletta-Bret Blevins tale LOL....give it a rest already Jimbo

    • @KyuuStarr
      @KyuuStarr 4 роки тому +25

      Franklin Colletta then I missed the other 999? Why are you getting salty about someone’s helpful UA-cam comment?

    • @franklincolletta
      @franklincolletta 4 роки тому +38

      @@KyuuStarr Helpful means providing something that enlightens us. While it's true that some people are reading James Van Hise's comment for the first time, many of us have read it and read it, etc...I asked for Bret Blevins take on this but never received a response. I'm glad that people keep this epic subject of was Vinnie a hack or was he a hero alive. It has developed a life of its own, LOL.
      Artist Mike Netzer put it best: "Michael Netzer (Former Marvel and DC penciler): When looking at Vinnie’s work from outside of the context of being a comics penciler, it’s usually very proficient and has a special quality to it. The way he was judged was similar to how Michelangelo’s students would react to Van Gogh or Picasso. That’s probably why some people simply love his Thor run on Kirby while others despise it because they judge it based on Kirby’s pencils.
      Vinnie was a very helpful art director at DC. He always took time to engage artists about their work and help them approach it more professionally. For all that’s said about him, he was very suitable for that position and elevated the art craftsmanship at DC during his tenure. He was also a very nice guy who helped artists move ahead in their career. It was Vinnie who once suggested to me that I come up with a new female character because DC was looking for one - and that’s how the idea for Ms. Mystic was born.
      On the one hand, it’s unfortunate that an unflattering reputation stuck to him. On the other, this has spawned a new look at his work since his passing away, and has raised a strong voice of admiration and support for him in fandom. That’s certainly better than if no one cared about it one way or the other."

    • @aria5614
      @aria5614 4 роки тому +19

      That's really sad and cruel. His own inks seemed pretty fine. It looked like when he had other characters to do that he had problems.

  • @portland-182
    @portland-182 4 роки тому +424

    I suspect that because he was fast he was given a lot of short deadline work. By using 'cheats' to always meet the deadlines the overall look of the work clearly suffered, but the books were on the stands on time, which made the editors happy. In the end comics are a business, late books, let alone year late books were not a thing in the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's (I'm looking at you Doomsday Clock, wipe that smirk off your face Planetary)

    • @lucianganea3034
      @lucianganea3034 4 роки тому +26

      For real! I can't imagine the Doomsday Clock situation if it was an 80's book

    • @portland-182
      @portland-182 4 роки тому +9

      @@lucianganea3034 They would have put another team on the book and hit the deadline with a hurriedly drawn and inked book...

    • @aaronkatzke7320
      @aaronkatzke7320 4 роки тому +2

      @@lucianganea3034 I mean that was original Watchmen.

    • @JoeJoe-lq6bd
      @JoeJoe-lq6bd 4 роки тому +12

      Yeah. I think some of this is slightly unfair. They were getting paid very little and needed to get work done quickly.

    • @johansmallberries9874
      @johansmallberries9874 4 роки тому +3

      Agreed. Early 60s marvel was throwing down against DC and had to get issues out while their new creations were hot.

  • @TheLastComa
    @TheLastComa 2 роки тому +8

    Thank you *James and Maso* for recommending this channel which I'm sure I'll be spending a good bit of time with!

  • @ArtemisMoon12
    @ArtemisMoon12 4 роки тому +247

    As someone who has done art for pleasure and for profit, deadlines=lower quality work.
    But this guy met his deadlines. End of story. I will defend that. And hell, its not even ruined in my opinion. Could be it be better? Yes. But is it shit? No.
    I have this annual gig where I get commissioned by a business to be their primary artist and creative director for a onsite artistic project. The first year I was given almost unlimited time, resources, and manpower. The team put together a fabulously planned mural, intricately detailed, fully coloured, with a write up for display about the piece & the meaning behind each choice. I had about 150 hours logged on this thing. Its probably the best painting I have ever done.
    The next year I was given 2 weeks besides my day job, had to provide my own materials, and had to wait a week to have the painting space set up (despite my insistence I could set it up, but no, “that would unsafe little lady!”) I cut so many corners to get it done. Dropped the colour palette, used a stencil rather than freehanding, if I made a mistake oops its there, and had to leave a lot of the space blank for a “minimalist” look. It looked good, but with only me? It was hard.
    This last year I got a full time day job. It was made non-negotiable between the business and my manager. I was not asked, rather TOLD, I would do the painting this year. So I was told to do the painting and my job in the same time, again minimal notice of the deadline.... so 40 hours a week to do a 40 hour, and 30-120 hour job? No OT? And my manager coming by to crack the whip as I try to paint??? I smashed a paintbrush into a bunch of acrylics, slapped it on, left a bunch of pencil lines, and left off the varnish to preserve it for years to come.
    If they try to force me again this year they can fuck right off.
    With Coletta he got paid for every ink job, but I didn’t get extra anything this last year. They want a set of comic pages within a weekend? They are gonna get a slapdash job. The guy can ink well! Just like I can paint well! But we all sacrifice quality to meet the deadline- bc capitalism does not appreciate art, it sells it.

    • @HyenaDandy
      @HyenaDandy 2 роки тому +19

      I mean, I will say there were definitely times where even if we look at the idea of cutting corners to get it done quick, he cut the wrong corners. Like, he would have been better off cutting out more details in the background crowd to have time to make the guy who had fallen down in the center. But that said, yeah, like... He was asked to do the art quickly and cheaply. Like any freelancer will tell you, cheap-fast-good, pick two. They picked two. So if they didn't get high-quality work, blame them.

    • @Diwasho
      @Diwasho 2 роки тому +5

      Supposedly he cut corners even when the deadlines weren't tight and he had all the time in the world to properly ink the pencils but he rushed them anyway.

    • @ShakepearesDaughter
      @ShakepearesDaughter Рік тому +5

      The problem with allowing yourself to become a habitual hack of anything is you can't just turn it off at will. It becomes part of your working approach. You automatically shortcut. You're not even aware of it.
      You have to establish certain habits and insist on maintaining them. Otherwise, you're lost.
      At the extreme end opposite to a Colletta, you'd have an Alex Toth or a Harlan Ellison. Amazing, exacting, and utterly original people that were near-impossible to work with and hard even to talk to. But they would rather have walked than compromise, because their relationship with themselves required it. Somehow they made it all work, managed to make a living, while also making themselves routinely hated. However, they were okay with that. If anything, they came to savor it. Imagine living that way! But it's possibly worth it if your inner man or woman insists upon it. You have to make sacrifices for what you really care about. And if your stuff is good, it will live after you, with any luck. It will continue to matter, and be examined and reexamined and found to have real life in it, have something in it to learn from. That's a decent prize.
      Colletta wanted, above all, to be liked, to be the fast solution guy, to be the one the editors turned to. And yes, he got that... but nothing else. Jim Shooter appreciated him, but no one cares about that. Shooter just wanted the work out, like any other boss. Period. Colletta might as well have been a really hustlin' cab driver at the airport, going after all those fares. And his dispatcher loved him. I picture something like that as his big Silver Age legacy.

    • @Sullivancohen
      @Sullivancohen 10 місяців тому +6

      I like seeing someone here who actually gets the point about deadlines from lived experience. I'm also an artist but have never had a deadline for my work, but seeing the amount of people saying "give me a marker and I could do better deadline or not" is laughable. Deadlines suck, and as an artist you gotta do what you gotta do!

    • @tullyDT
      @tullyDT 10 місяців тому +3

      Same goes for me with my consultancy work. Give me the time and I will come into your place of business see all the processes you have in place review your existing policies and SOPS and research all of the machinery and chemicals you use and build you a bespoke safety management system for you company and help you to transition to it. If you only give me an afternoon to do it and I will have a quick chat with you to get gist of your work activities then put together a generic safety manual for your business that will cover your bases if the safety inspector drops in.

  • @RobertSmith-es2gh
    @RobertSmith-es2gh 4 роки тому +515

    Not sure who said it, but being asked who are his favourite inkers are an artist claimed Vince to be his second favourite inker. Being asked who his number one would be he said all others. :)

    • @mikejeter5162
      @mikejeter5162 4 роки тому +19

      Nice

    • @malagrrl
      @malagrrl 4 роки тому +11

      Pretty sure that was attributed to Gil Kane.

  • @jacobstaten2366
    @jacobstaten2366 4 роки тому +317

    "We need to get rid of him."
    "But he's such a nice guy..."

    • @suedenim
      @suedenim 4 роки тому +43

      I've heard this said as a truism about comics work. The 3 most important qualities are:
      1. Doing great work.
      2. Hitting deadlines
      3. Being easy to get along with.
      If you have 2 out of 3, you'll never have trouble getting work.

  • @them.
    @them. 4 роки тому +235

    So here's what I understand: Vince Coletta was a charming, nice guy who got his art done quick and cheap when deadlines were only a few days away, understood the business of comics, and stood up for his friends, even when it cost him his job.
    And he also kinda screwed up some art.
    What a fool!

  • @gabrielvinicius2409
    @gabrielvinicius2409 4 роки тому +107

    10:24 - I actually find Coletta's Galactus much better at representing an intergalactic demi-god.

    • @vasilijedovijanic3925
      @vasilijedovijanic3925 2 роки тому +23

      Me too i was confused by that one

    • @tylercoon1791
      @tylercoon1791 2 роки тому +11

      Aside from the headpiece, and maybe the exposed arms and knees, I do prefer Coletta’s depiction

    • @user-infinite
      @user-infinite 11 місяців тому

      Any artist can draw Galactus more than Kirby. He made Galactus look puny. I am glad Kirby left Marvel. He originally was a writer.

    • @matthewronson5218
      @matthewronson5218 10 місяців тому +1

      demigod
      dĕm′ē-gŏd″
      noun
      A male being, often the offspring of a god and a mortal, who has some but not all of the powers of a god.
      An inferior deity; a minor god.

  • @kennysp666
    @kennysp666 4 роки тому +498

    "Jesus had one Judas, Jim had many!"
    that is amazing hyperbole! Where can I find the full letter?

    • @jeremy355
      @jeremy355 4 роки тому +23

      toppledidols.blogspot.com/2010/07/hats-off-to-vince-colletta.html

    • @Tabish29
      @Tabish29 4 роки тому +2

      It should be easy to find in a google search.

    • @mykas0
      @mykas0 4 роки тому +25

      @L Franco , I agree. The letter was epic, the great Cicero himself wouldn't write a better one.

    • @Walter-Anderson
      @Walter-Anderson 4 роки тому

      Brent Grenier try here
      www.lettersofnote.com/2010/06/marvel-editorsyou-are-droppings-of.html?m=1

    • @wtk6069
      @wtk6069 4 роки тому +30

      He missed his true calling! Oh, for a script by this guy! lol

  • @ShadowACE1998
    @ShadowACE1998 4 роки тому +393

    10:35 The thing about Vince Colletta's characters, they've got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes. When it comes at you it doesn't seem to be livin'... until he bites you, and those black eyes roll over white.

    • @dantheman2907
      @dantheman2907 4 роки тому +3

      Beat me to it!

    • @pentz1
      @pentz1 4 роки тому +8

      @@dantheman2907 Hmmm, I always thought that added to the general mystery and regalness of Thor

    • @calvinkatt662
      @calvinkatt662 4 роки тому

      Well done!

    • @Luke56721
      @Luke56721 4 роки тому +1

      the blackest eyes... the devil's eyes...

    • @johnsketcher2222
      @johnsketcher2222 4 роки тому +6

      One of the coolest lines of that movie. Quint's whole monologue on the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis was amazing. Classic storytelling. Probably my favorite scene of that movie.

  • @karmelodion
    @karmelodion Рік тому +11

    Not such a great inker, but the Greatest Letter Writer in comic book History! RESPECT!!!

  • @mueezadam8438
    @mueezadam8438 4 роки тому +1

    Very comprehensive! I’ve got to say, you’ve presented things in such a passionate yet partial manner, that I feel with great confidence that I’ve learned way more about Collette than any other article/video I’ve previously researched ever did justice.

  • @texasscifi3431
    @texasscifi3431 4 роки тому +1129

    Honestly I think your overplaying the simple fact that someone has to make the deadlines. If Jack Kirby's work is running late then someone has to keep it on schedule or there is no book. So I'm not going to judge him too harshly for being the fall guy for the good of getting work out in time

    • @absalomdraconis
      @absalomdraconis 4 роки тому +47

      Yeah, if someone had just allocated things a little different then it could have worked a lot better. Treat the inkers like color: allocate a few "high end" pages in an issue (let's say first & last, maybe one or two more for the average book), and have both the covers (to reduce the severity of mis-aligned color) and the rest of the pages be lower-detail for the sake of inking speed.

    • @gummboote
      @gummboote 4 роки тому +26

      Kirby never was running late. He was one of the fastest artists in the business.

    • @grumblekin
      @grumblekin 4 роки тому +14

      If Colleta sucked then Kirby wouldn't have used him.

    • @53subscribersnovideos35
      @53subscribersnovideos35 4 роки тому +22

      @@grumblekin Did Kirby have a choice who inked his comics? I imagine he'd be pissed that an inker was removing background characters.

    • @limzog9
      @limzog9 4 роки тому

      @@grumblekin ...2000 AD

  • @nknighton70
    @nknighton70 4 роки тому +57

    I wondered why some of Jack Kirby's work looked half assed when it came to the backgrounds.

  • @VishvaComics
    @VishvaComics 9 місяців тому +7

    The details of how Colleta worked are fascinating to know. Deadlines are definitely still important today

    • @vksasdgaming9472
      @vksasdgaming9472 8 місяців тому +2

      One comic artist who I can't remember said that when given choice between great work and late work there is no choice - the work is delivered on time.

  • @retrofraction
    @retrofraction 4 роки тому +205

    He seems to be the un-sung hero of inking.
    I love creatives and art and creating things that push the boundaries.
    But it sounds like he was the guy who could scale things back enough to reasonably get those grand ideas onto shelves on time.
    Well by today’s standards it certainly is disheartening to see how much detail was removed, but I am sure the editors and chiefs always appreciated the fact that he would keep it more simplified and much easier to print.

    • @JoeStuffzAlt
      @JoeStuffzAlt 10 місяців тому +3

      Agreed. If you can't get a shipment to Safeway in time, does that mean that Marvel has to take a penalty? If a Marvel comic doesn't get to them in time, does this mean that shelf space can be given to a DC comic?

  • @fishin4bass2002
    @fishin4bass2002 4 роки тому +217

    I love hearing about the creation of comics. The writer and penciler always gets the credit but the inkers, colorist, Letterer and editor don’t get much credit. Honestly I think that a major problem with comics today is that there aren’t any good editors preventing the errors, lack of continuity, stupid writing and bad art being published.

    • @difficultbastard
      @difficultbastard 4 роки тому +14

      I don't know much about this stuff, but the impression I've got about editors is the same as yours.

    • @Doom-if9xd
      @Doom-if9xd 4 роки тому

      Exactly man!

    • @fishin4bass2002
      @fishin4bass2002 4 роки тому +10

      difficultbastard
      Here’s a video by a great comic book Channel on this issue, check it out:
      ua-cam.com/video/Lkjo3iN0Xwk/v-deo.html
      But no your right it’s the editors part of it is because of the sjw culture that has infected the comic book industry. One major flaw of that culture is they don’t believe in merits, experience or skill. Instead they hand out jobs based on race, gender and sexual preference. They don’t care if you are qualified for the position. If your comics don’t sell and are horrible then it doesn’t matter and you get a promotion. Also they are delusional and don’t want to hear the truth, facts or face criticism which is part of an editors job. That’s too mean!
      Sean Gordon Murphy called out how bad editors are today in the comic book industry and a lot of people attacked him for it. He also had the guts to say that many people in the comic industry today are mentally ill. It doesn’t take much to figure this out either, just look at their twitter feed and you can easily see that many have an unhealthy obsession over many issues and loose their mind over every little issue which isn’t an example of being healthy mentally.

    • @difficultbastard
      @difficultbastard 4 роки тому +6

      @@fishin4bass2002 I'm checking out the video. Didn't they have a female editor over at Marvel called Allison, that seemed to have a strange opinion on relationships with very young boys?....the lunatics have taken over the asylum, and classed everybody else as mad.

    • @v-trigger6137
      @v-trigger6137 4 роки тому +1

      Editors are well a big part of this business which really needs to be focus, many times they force their writers to add other major or diversity characters in their community (which clearly ruines everything) editor is a job which completely getting ignored, I wish people would talk more about the editors and criticize their work then maybe they would do their job better

  • @quesoblanco444
    @quesoblanco444 4 роки тому +35

    That was very interesting, I had no idea Colletta's inks actually looked good, on his own early artwork. I was a big Warlord/Mike Grell fan during the run of that book, and Colletta's inks on that used to really make me angry as a youngster, everything became so brittle and thin, no depth to anything. This was a real flash-back dude, thanks!

  • @billr3724
    @billr3724 4 роки тому +82

    Personally, I always liked Colletta's inking of Kirby's art for Thor. For me, it gave Thor comics that classic old-world look, that reminded me of Prince Valiant. Totally agree, that Sinnott was the obvious choice to ink the Fantastic Four. Although less polished than Sinnott, I also enjoyed Chic Stone's inking of Kirby's art for the FF, X-Men and Captain America in the early years of Marvel.

    • @IJLook
      @IJLook 10 місяців тому +1

      About the same opinion of Colletta and I also would add Frank Giacoia and Syd Shores I am surprised nobody has mentioned Dick Ayers who also inked a lot of Kirby work

  • @MarkLipka
    @MarkLipka 4 роки тому +8

    When people ask me what made me choose to be an inker, my answer always includes the fact that I realized that the inker made the difference. In the same month, Gil Kane's work was beautiful, lush, & exciting with Klaus Jansen inks, and (in another book) mushy, sloppy & ugly with Vince Colletta inks.
    Comic art pencil pages are some of the most beautiful things in the world, & I was determined to keep whatever was possible of that beauty, & sometimes even improve it, if I could.
    Vince was one kind of inspiration.
    Klaus (among others) was another.
    😊

  • @LegacyCrono
    @LegacyCrono 4 роки тому +12

    The part that fascinates me is how Kirby not only kept working with him but also started to play to Colletta's strengths, even to explore new ways of doing background in a way that would benefit his inking. What an amazing guy.

  • @steakcrust558
    @steakcrust558 4 роки тому +958

    I could always hit my deadlines too if I just blacked out all detail and straight up erased people entirely.

    • @nilus2k
      @nilus2k 4 роки тому +107

      Project management 101. The fastest work is the work you end up not needing to do

    • @steakcrust558
      @steakcrust558 4 роки тому +48

      @@nilus2k I can see the wisdom in that. I´m still not trying to cut any corners though.

    • @steakcrust558
      @steakcrust558 4 роки тому +24

      Crimson well it’s not like I’m a comic book artist.

    • @davidwilliams4837
      @davidwilliams4837 4 роки тому +13

      Marvel: When can you start?

    • @LTPottenger
      @LTPottenger 4 роки тому +11

      Just erase the complainers and you are done.

  • @rigzmoviediaries654
    @rigzmoviediaries654 4 роки тому +12

    Vince Colletta is me with my high school projects.

  • @peterlooles1137
    @peterlooles1137 4 роки тому +2

    I'm always happy to see that a comic tropes's video gets so many views!

  • @56postoffice
    @56postoffice 4 роки тому +172

    Best inker in the business was Joe Sinnott, who made the art look like HD. Vince I always found his inking rough. I used to groan when I saw *"Inks by Vince Colletta."*

    • @beckoning-chasm
      @beckoning-chasm 4 роки тому +2

      I always liked Tom Palmer's work, especially on Gene Colan.

    • @MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive
      @MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive 4 роки тому +5

      Are we talking eras or just inkers who worked with Kirby? I think Scott Williams and Klaus Janson are amongst my favorites who live in the shadows of their pencillers. Jim Lee and Frank Miller deserve their fame and recognition but they take a lot of shortcuts in their pencil work and omit a lot of detail. Williams and Janson brought finished their work and brought them to life.

    • @56postoffice
      @56postoffice 4 роки тому +1

      @@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive Probably eras. I grew up in the 70s and collected comics from the late 70s - 80s and Sinnott was still prolific then. He's my favourite but there are others I do respect. People like Tom Palmer, who used to ink John Buscema's work during their run on *"ThE AvEnGeRs."*

    • @iandalziel7405
      @iandalziel7405 4 роки тому +1

      Luckily Vince was never part of Neal Adams' *'Crusty Bunkers'* crew at Continuity - which posted some of the finest inkers of the time.

    • @Trukinbiker1
      @Trukinbiker1 4 роки тому +3

      The reason Kirby loved Sinnott's inks on his work was because Sinnott added nothing and took away nothing. He essentially traced Kirby's pencils in ink and that was it. Of course this pleased Kirby immensely. Not saying that was bad or good. Just pointing out something obvious.

  • @CannonfireVideo
    @CannonfireVideo 4 роки тому +54

    When I was a boy in the '60s, I loved Colletta's work on Thor. That book (especially the scenes set in Asgard) seemed to demand a style reminiscent of 19th century illustration. Colletta was the only person in comics who routinely used dip pens with crowquill nibs -- the preferred approach of those illustrators of yore, most of whom would never have considered inking with a brush. I loved the scritchy-scratchy crowquill lines Colletta used to model Kirby's figures. I suspect that Kirby liked the look as well, hence his loyalty to Colletta after the move to DC. The allegation that Kirby NEVER saw the finished product simply is not believable.
    Moreover, I don't buy the suggestion that inking with a brush is more time-consuming than inking with a dip pen. Having tried my hand at both, I think the pen-and-ink approach takes a bit longer. Nib pens are more terrifying because you're more likely to get an unwanted SPLOTCH on your page.
    That said: Over other artists' pages, Colletta's dip-pen approach did not work. His work became downright irritating in the 1970s. The pen works best when you use it to indicate light and shadow through careful, tedious hatching, and Colletta stopped doing anything of that sort. Maybe you just can't do that kind of inking in comics. When the majority of lines are contour lines, the dip pen can seem mechanical and lacking in character, while the brush offers greater liveliness and suppleness. At any rate, as I grew older, I sided with those who greatly prefer to see Kirby inked with a brush.
    I'd like to see a video on Alfredo Alcala. He was the closest thing to Franklin Booth that comics ever produced -- yet, unlike Booth, Alcala did NOT use pen and ink, as I once presumed he did. He created his own fountain pen with a brush head. (He worked fast and didn't like to pause to dip his brush.) Nowadays, you can buy brush pens of that sort -- the Japanese make 'em -- but I've never been able to get the consistent fine lines that Alcala got. I'd love to know how he made those tools!

  • @mysterxyz
    @mysterxyz 4 роки тому +10

    Personally, my favorite regular Kirby inker was Mike Royer. In my early days of reading comics I enjoyed Kirby's Thor work, which was being inked by Colleta. It was not until I saw Kirby's pencils that I realized that a lot of Kirby's detailed pencils were being simplified.
    One thing to remember is that comics were not considered "art" or collectable at one time. I cringe when hear about warehouses of art being destroyed by Marvel, etc because it was taking up room. Yet that was the reality that Colleta worked in.... it was a business, not an art studio.

  • @Aames32
    @Aames32 2 роки тому +1

    Your channel came up randomly on autoplay such good in-depth discussion on these artists. Nice video

  • @Cyprusg21
    @Cyprusg21 4 роки тому +193

    That shirt is straight out of Charlie Sheen's closet from 2003 Two and a Half Men era.

  • @c.a.t.732
    @c.a.t.732 4 роки тому +123

    I actually always liked Vince Colletta's inking with Jack Kirby, particularly with Tales of Asgard. I loved his fine lines, which lent a lighter touch to the art.

    • @johnnyskinwalker4095
      @johnnyskinwalker4095 4 роки тому +16

      Agreed. I thought it was excellent. People tend to only want Jack with Sinnott polishing it. but it's OK that it looks different

    • @MarkLipka
      @MarkLipka 4 роки тому +1

      Startling.

    • @peter-peterpumpkineater4982
      @peter-peterpumpkineater4982 2 роки тому +1

      I mean its *the* art style that is associated with his era's comics.

  • @Him_2024
    @Him_2024 2 роки тому +2

    This was an excellent episode - definitely got me to like and subscribe! Very fair - shocked to learn that Colletta actually ERASED Kirby pencils - but loved the letter at the end. This episode also made me respect Jack Kirby even more (which I didn't think was possible). Excellent work! Now looking forward to watching other episodes!

  • @lanceanthony198
    @lanceanthony198 9 місяців тому +12

    Everyone needs someone in their life as loyal to them as Colletta is to Jim Shooter 😂

  • @jjoshfrank
    @jjoshfrank 4 роки тому +55

    The one I remember bothering me in the 70's was that Colletta was often paired with George Tuska . As a kid I thought I didn't like Tuska until I realized it was Colletta. Kinda ruined bronze age Ironman for me

    • @Norvo82
      @Norvo82 4 роки тому +11

      Judging from, among other things, his fill in job on Marvel's Champions book, George Tuska wasn't a great match for superhero comics in general, though the Colletta inks didn't help any. Tuska is like Don Heck, a great journeyman whose work started to look dated compared to up and comers like Perez, Byrne and even Sal Buscema.

    • @cha5
      @cha5 4 роки тому +2

      I prefer Tuska’s 1940’s Golden Age art myself, such as some of his Fiction House and Quality Comics work among other companies back then.

    • @VonWenk
      @VonWenk 4 роки тому +5

      @@Norvo82 I really liked George Tuska's Iron Man when Jack Abel inked him in the mid-'70s (as well as the early Johnny Craig-inked issues). Give me a Tuska Iron Man issue over Don Heck issue any day.

    • @56postoffice
      @56postoffice 4 роки тому +3

      @@Norvo82 I always said Don Heck was a poor man's Jack Kirby. Plus, I like Sal Buscema's style. I got friends who don't rate him, but his run on *"The Incredible Hulk"* was fantastic.

    • @jackgrattan1447
      @jackgrattan1447 4 роки тому +2

      @@56postoffice I always called him Don Dreck.

  • @bloke1348
    @bloke1348 4 роки тому +16

    Damn that was interesting. The strangest part of all for me was Colletta own artwork was so accomplished, its strange that he abandoned it so early without so much as a backward glance.

  • @TheMightyPika
    @TheMightyPika 4 роки тому +1

    Binging your videos today. I like your tone - it's the friendly, relaxed, and educated kind of enjoyable I appreciate.

  • @cumulushalo576
    @cumulushalo576 4 роки тому +2

    The way he colored said, this is my job and I'm going to get it done quickly. Artists wanted his colors to say, I respect the detail and time you put into this. I hope the colors enhance the artwork and make this world a vibrant feast for the readers eyes to enjoy.

  • @silvermane9370
    @silvermane9370 4 роки тому +29

    I collected British marvel reprints in the seventies. Every time I saw the name Vince Coletta a deep sigh crawled out. Without the colour some of his work is woeful.

  • @firstnlastnamethe3rd771
    @firstnlastnamethe3rd771 4 роки тому +23

    *His art may have been weak,*
    but his writing was dynamic!
    That letter...💀

  • @joaoandrade88
    @joaoandrade88 4 роки тому +15

    I work in an ad agency and I can easily relate to Vince. Might not be the best inker, but was surely an important piece of the machine.

    • @samwallaceart288
      @samwallaceart288 8 місяців тому +3

      If I was running a studio, I'd want some artists who obsess over fine stand-out work, but 100% I'd also want a couple Vinces around to fill gaps and get the bulk of the work _finished_ while the artístes agonize over their splash pages.

  • @zakaryrichmond396
    @zakaryrichmond396 2 роки тому +1

    5:45 this clip made me gain so much appreciation for comic book art i would have never been able to notice the small difference in penmanship on my own but I was still able to feel the difference in emotion that each held

  • @yeetleslaw8529
    @yeetleslaw8529 4 роки тому +40

    Oh hi, you just caught me getting ready for work. Speaking of hard work, a new episode of comic tropes just been uploaded.

  • @Sheldon-senpai
    @Sheldon-senpai 4 роки тому +12

    Gotta be honest, this episode made me realize how good of an artist Jack Kirby was. I mean, if those originals were the main pages of the comic, he'd be one of my favourite comic-book artists of all time.
    And also how inkers can ruin or improve others work, which I've never questioned myself. Guess the writer and the penciler aren't the only ones that make a comic-book good or bad.

  • @BennyBigIron
    @BennyBigIron 2 роки тому +1

    I really appreciate that you gave a fully nuanced explanation of the guy’s work instead of just trying to sensationalize it to make it easier to swallow. Great video!

  • @o.b.7217
    @o.b.7217 4 роки тому +6

    And yet - nobody noticed, until much later, when the pencils got revealed.

  • @phillyfrenchy6053
    @phillyfrenchy6053 4 роки тому +5

    A new awesome episode, I'm learning so much with you and you have this superpower of making me open a comic book after every episode you download. Thanks a lot!

  • @JackKirbyFan
    @JackKirbyFan 4 роки тому +11

    It was extremely painful for me to see the inking of Vince on the Fantastic Four. It was butchery, but I also understand the situation. Comic artists were paid horribly at the time. Kirby was treated badly by Archie Goodman and to this day -- outside of the comic world, Kirby is not well known and doesn't even had a brick and mortar museum to display his art. That to me is the real crime.

  • @vasp99
    @vasp99 3 роки тому +1

    I've been digging through my comics collection which extends to the early 1960's and I look for Coletta's name now.

  • @popalberta4688
    @popalberta4688 Рік тому +10

    The way Colletta stood by Shooter is a rarity. He was a good man.

  • @Gojitron1
    @Gojitron1 4 роки тому +11

    As a young reader in th 70's I quickly learned the names of all of Marvel's creators thanks to the splash page credits. I also learned who's work I liked and didn't like. I never liked Coletta's work for the reasons you mentioned, especially when compared to other inkers like Sinnott.

  • @jeanne-emerycoleman214
    @jeanne-emerycoleman214 4 роки тому +118

    Any tradesman knows every tool has its job. Not everything takes a hammer.

    • @stevenwitcher8087
      @stevenwitcher8087 4 роки тому +22

      I know quite a few engineers, and more than one has said something like:
      Always use the right tool for the Job.
      The right tool can be substituted with a hammer in most cases.
      Any tool can be a hammer if you swing it hard enough.

    • @jeanne-emerycoleman214
      @jeanne-emerycoleman214 4 роки тому +3

      @@stevenwitcher8087 hey that's true
      My dad was an engineer, and a big wrench? Hammer. Banana? Liquid Nitrogen the dang thing, that's a hammer.

    • @notjimpickens7928
      @notjimpickens7928 4 роки тому +8

      @@jeanne-emerycoleman214 i love using my highly fragile bottles of liquid nitrogen as a hammer, gives my hand a funny, cold feeling.

  • @stegokitty
    @stegokitty 4 роки тому

    So glad I stumbled upon this video and your channel. Very well researched; entertainingly presented with heart; a fascinating, eye-opening, educational story. Well worth watching to the end. I think I'm hooked :)

  • @stephenvelez9710
    @stephenvelez9710 Рік тому +1

    This is fascinating. Great research and analysis!

  • @fieryvengeance2795
    @fieryvengeance2795 4 роки тому +51

    Imagine if colletta inked something like berserk.

  • @sokitaoshiwade7255
    @sokitaoshiwade7255 4 роки тому +274

    So far as his art goes, Colletta should've gotten betta.

    • @ilitardo160
      @ilitardo160 4 роки тому +8

      Sokita Oshiwade thank you

    • @TheSerpentsEye
      @TheSerpentsEye 4 роки тому +5

      *slow golf swing*

    • @maddoxtolliver
      @maddoxtolliver 4 роки тому +1

      *you know i really wanted to hate on this comment. **_...REALLY wanted to._** but you win. **_👍🏿❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️_*

    • @maddoxtolliver
      @maddoxtolliver 4 роки тому +1

      @matt fahringer *oh don't get me **_WRONG._** it's **_definitely a GARBAGE_** joke. but i'm giving **_TOTAL_** points to the boldness of such an obvious **_HACK OFFERING._*

    • @maddoxtolliver
      @maddoxtolliver 4 роки тому

      @Heavy Metal Collector *no! **_...NO! NO! NO! NO! ...NO! ...just._*

  • @conorlamere399
    @conorlamere399 4 роки тому

    New to your channel, great video! I've subscribed and look forward to trawling the longboxes of your videos.

  • @MrKyGuy
    @MrKyGuy 2 роки тому

    Omg. Totally worth waiting til the end. So wild!! Cool history video!!

  • @TheBlackBrickStudios
    @TheBlackBrickStudios 4 роки тому +60

    He definitely had his ups and downs, his work on Thor, while yes he did tamper with Kirby’s work, it had a simplicity to it that really fit the style of the book. I was always a huge fan of that initial Thor run and its art. His work on Wonder Woman and elsewhere at DC was fantastic as well. But Fantastic Four and New Gods almost got ruined by his shortcuts. Does he compare to Sinnott? No, but along the same lines that’s like comparing Greg Capullo to Jim Lee, one is an icon and a master, but the other isn’t without merit. I equal parts respect Coletta and dislike him. Comics were a cutthroat industry back then and meeting his deadlines like he did was an invaluable tool, even if he did take many liberties that earned the ire of his contemporaries.

    • @VonWenk
      @VonWenk 4 роки тому

      I've been a fan of Capullo since Quasar. You don't think his work on Batman has raised his standing among fans?

  • @brucegrossman3531
    @brucegrossman3531 4 роки тому +42

    I remember going to Boston Comic Con and seeing a panel of some old school guys. They ripped into Vince throughout. I remember Sinnott was there.

    • @Zilegil
      @Zilegil 4 роки тому +4

      Bruce Grossman so he’s essentially the Rob Liefeld of the inker’s world

    • @afonsolucas2219
      @afonsolucas2219 4 роки тому +12

      Zilegil He would be but the guy can actually draw unlike Liefeld

    • @mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299
      @mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299 4 роки тому

      Vince never suffered ''Defeat'' unlike Rob

    • @niallreid7664
      @niallreid7664 4 роки тому

      Eh did he take that ok? Comic fans can be mean.

    • @brucegrossman3531
      @brucegrossman3531 4 роки тому +2

      @@niallreid7664 he laughed. I mainly remember it was Trimpe, Chaykin and Layton ripping Vince.

  • @mikequinlivan8842
    @mikequinlivan8842 4 роки тому +1

    I am not horribly into comics anymore. I find myself just catching up on old comics I wanted to read, but wasn't old enough to buy when I was younger.
    But I digress. I just wanted to thank you for this channel. Even a cursory look at comics on UA-cam shows some sort of crazy contest on who can be the next Dave Sim. I appreciate your focus on the history of comics, and when offering critiques, you are eminently fair. So, thank you sir! I enjoy the positivity. :)

  • @Tysto
    @Tysto 11 місяців тому +4

    Seems like a great guy. Sure, you didn't want him inking your work, but that's because he specialized in making your late work still hit the shelves on time. That's a great weapon for an editor to have when comic book artists get a little too artsy.

  • @anon-ud9mq
    @anon-ud9mq 4 роки тому +72

    I wouldn't care if he "ruined" the art by just simplifying it, but it's an entirely different matter when you start erasing work

    • @franklincolletta
      @franklincolletta 4 роки тому +19

      Erik Larsen: (Former Marvel and DC penciler):Years later, I look back and get a kick out of it. It was the last issue of Thor that Vinnie Colletta ever inked and the last issue Stan Lee ever scripted, so it was like I was filling in for Jack Kirby as part of the classic Thor creative team. In retrospect, it really wasn’t as bad as I seemed to think it was. And it one case, what I took to be a shortcut on Vinnie’s part aided the storytelling. Vinnie had made an incidental foreground figure bald, which, in retrospect, eliminated a distraction that helped focus the readers attention on what it should have been focused on: the battle, which raged behind him. This foreground figure was unimportant - the battle was.

  • @someonewhocommentsonyoutub3779
    @someonewhocommentsonyoutub3779 4 роки тому +15

    "Marvel editors, you are the droppings of the creative world."
    Please tell me there's a video of Harry reading the entire letter because this is hysterical

  • @ddd1234ify
    @ddd1234ify 2 роки тому +4

    “Sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive.”
    Did not expect a Harry Partridge cameo going into this, amazing

  • @Dan-sx9gl
    @Dan-sx9gl 2 роки тому

    This was a really fascinating and fun video!

  • @davidbjacobs3598
    @davidbjacobs3598 4 роки тому +45

    This just makes me respect Jack Kirby that much more. Didn't know that was possible.
    "Hey, did you know this guy's been sabotaging your work for a decade?"
    "Eh, keep him on."
    "He's literally bringing your work to the competition, which you left."
    "Eh, keep him on one book."

    • @davidbjacobs3598
      @davidbjacobs3598 4 роки тому +4

      @Dennis Morrigan McDonough Argh I typo'ed!! Fixed it. I blame food poisoning.

    • @oldmanlogan9616
      @oldmanlogan9616 4 роки тому

      @Dennis Morrigan McDonough lmao

    • @mrhoapro1
      @mrhoapro1 4 роки тому +3

      i mean, everyone agree that Vince is a nice guy. That maybe enough to convince Jack to keep him

  • @gbaysinger
    @gbaysinger 4 роки тому +12

    The first Kirby art I read was the exact episodes of Thor you showed in the intro. I hated it so much I avoided Kirby stuff for a very long time. Didn't understand how great his work was until much later when I started collecting older books.
    There are some amazing inkers. But they definitely can destroy things. Sienkewicz was hit by this a number of times, too.

  • @rafaelnunez7240
    @rafaelnunez7240 11 місяців тому +64

    Im sorry, but i'm gonna guess that most people who watch this video have never worked on a project that requires drawing or any kind of art form. I work in animation and let me tell you if you fuck up the deadline then your entire carreer is fucked more than if you cut a few corners. I respect this guy for being able to consistently work on multiple inking projects without being delayed at all because it's honestly incredibly hard not only because of the little amount of time these projects give the artists, but also because inking is incredibly stressing to the mind and body (especially the arms and back). Yes there are people who can do it better, but that doesn't change that he is definitely good at his job. And yeah, to artists its a job, even if we love doing it we also do it because we need the money, and we will prioritize finishing the work over doing it perfectly because if we don't we won't get paid. Blame the capitalist system that pressures artists into ridiculous deadlines if you want to blame someone.

    • @___AVARICE___
      @___AVARICE___ 8 місяців тому

      Mad cuz bad

    • @Gon-hx4df
      @Gon-hx4df 8 місяців тому +6

      ​@@___AVARICE___Your pfp is literally the definition of mad cuz bad lol

  • @TimelordRick
    @TimelordRick 3 роки тому +3

    "Let's replace Chic Stone with Vince Colletta!"
    top 10 pictures taken before disaster.