I know I'm probably gonna catch some shit for this but keeping things interesting around here every week doesn't come from me sugar coating my opinions and thoughts on things. That being said I've never been a real big fan of
Fred Hembeck's work. A lot of the behind the scenes humor for Marvel's production staff that Hembeck's art often centered around didn't really resonate with me as a kid back in the early 80s. I'm not saying he sucks or anything and in all fairness I'm not all that crazy in general about caricature type renderings when it comes to my favorite comic book and sci-fi characters. There have been exceptions ofcourse such as in the case of the parodies done in
MAD Magazine and similar type satire.Well, it so happens that this Hembeck sketch card that I found on ebay recently is also an exception. I actually like I don't know why but I think it has some charm to it. So what do you think, like it?
Here's a
Torpedo redesign. I really like it but at the same time I can't help but want to see that new suite drawn in a less "cartoony" way it would have really kicked ass then.
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You all remember that posting of me lambasting those preliminary designs for The Micronauts cartoon that never was right? Well just by the animation style alone I knew it would have sucked and done an all around disservice to the original Bill Mantlo series. Just like a really really bad movie sequel to a great original.
And speaking of great things that Mantlo helped inspire here's a couple of Sabra sketch cards I found recently. As you can see both are quite excellent in terms of what the respective artists were going for but as usual I'm more partial to the one that is a more accurate representation (minus the cape) of Marvel's premier mutant power house of The Promise Land.
And speaking of fan made art of all sorts we've made some other new discoveries of stuff posted in recent weeks:
http://www.deviantart.com/art/ROM-Spaceknight-396822744
http://www.deviantart.com/art/ROM-399788046
http://aaronsynn.deviantart.com/art/Salem-Uncommons-1411-394364693
Speaking of my kinda art look what just turned up from Dann Phillips again. We've seen so much new ROM fan art from this guy he must be able to do it in his sleep or something.
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Hembeck is okay... He can actually draw not in that cartoon-ish style really well!
ReplyDeleteHahaha- if you start sugar-coating your opinions we'll all know you have brain cancer.
-Should have thrown up that Our Valued Customers ROM drawing I showed you, too- make us appreciate Hembeck's style even more! What a load of shit that was: https://twitter.com/OurValuedComics/status/375357370706444288/photo/1
& Torpedo does not need redesigned- just look at his jock- it's spectacular.
yeah the art at that link is pretty much what i'm talkn about. i mean don't get me wrong i can appreciate the Rom fandom but i just don't want to see stuff like that. the Dann Phillips piece i just updated this posting with is more my thing.
ReplyDeleteby the way folks despite all the stuff i've got going on in today's posting there's even more coming in just a couple or so days.
Personally, I've always liked Hembeck.
ReplyDeleteFrom as far back as I can remember (pretty sure I first "discovered" him in the late 1970's/early 1980's) and always loved his stuff (although, SOME of his strips were insanely verbose).
That ROM is charming as all heck.
It must be the tiny smile.
That Torpedo redesign isn't bad.
But yeah, lose the 'toon feel to it (unless it is actually going to be an animated show - like Batman Adventures or Justice League).
sooo about the Torpedo. He was pretty much a failure at protecting Clairton huh? I like how he died...:)
ReplyDeletedon't be too hard on The Torpedo he was just in over his head once the Dire Wraiths decided to mount an all out assault on Clairton while Rom and Starshine were away. plus we find out later in the New Warriors series that The Torpedo armor had more capabilities Brock never knew about. not to mention he left behind a wife and two kids when he was murdered by the Wraiths.
Deletetrue! I like the character. Its just like you said though...in over his head. Curious....what other powers did it have?
Deleteat the end of the New Warriors first series the armor had been appropriated by the dire wraith queen Volx. apparently it was capable of disrupting or redirecting energy discharged at it's wearer.
DeleteMinor correction (because I'm anal like that): The Torpedo had three kids -- Annie (or Tammy), Danny, and baby Nell. And after all these years I still haven't sat down and figured out whether "Annie" or "Tammy" is "correct." (They used both.)
DeleteI agree Torpedo was just not on the level needed to deal with the Wraith! Not enough protection either, as I've said in the past, I hated how he went out!! Nothing more aggravating then a hero getting distracted and not watch his back!
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the Fred Hembeck toon like drawing of Rom Na not my cop of tea either. I also agree with you Shlomo on the Torpedo new design its cool but a less cartoon look would look better. That over sized torso look works to a point but I do like the redesign of the gauntlets.
well fortunately that Hembeck or any kind of "cartoony" art is something i hardly ever feature here. and yeah as far as the Torpedo redux drawing style those clown feet need to go as well. always good to hear from you i'm glad you like what i've been posting i assure you the next one in a couple of days won't disappoint you either.
Deletejust a heads up to everybody over at the sanctum sanctorum blog (see blog roll) Ptor posted a cool "Toy Story" like back feature by Bill Mantlo from Marvel Fanfare #56
Brock was a football player...not a fighter. In one of his early appearances a Rocketeer kicked his arm so his own turbo punch hit him in the face and knocked him out....I kid you not....LOL
DeleteFirst pic from Hembeck is cute cartoony but i like it. I do not like the upgrade to torpedo.i loved how he died right when he was going to call it quits them bam tounge in the brain. It was a shocker then before everyone else died later.That Dann the Man Phillips is again great. The scope of it.though honestly this would be my least fav of his ROM work but thats not to discredit this one. All of his works are awesome and we are proud to own some.
ReplyDeletein the last 5 - 6 weeks what i posted here by my count is the 4th Rom related illustration Phillips has done. i assume your favorite is the one you're using as your profile icon?
DeleteI actually like the last one best with starshine blasting a hole in the hound.my profile pic second,the one inside the ship third ,and then this one.actually this one and the ship are kinda of tied. I liked his other rom stuff to before these four. Im a fan of his for sure.would love to check out his own cosmic comic that he made and did all the art in.
Deletecheck your face book page.
DeleteIt really depends on the work if I go for the cutesy look. This one's fine. I've seen some versions of the "lil Endless" that I go gooish over. I tend to really like James Hance, although he doesn't so much do cartoony work as much as make Chewbacca look like Winnie the Pooh. Which is awesome. I like it even better if the teeny tiny version of the hero is doing something funny. Like swiping for something out of reach. I don't know. It just cracks me up. I know. I'm a girl.
ReplyDeleteThe Dan Phillips piece is lovely. The Wraiths look more pissed off than usual. :)
not to mention the look on Hybrid's ugly face it's like he's saying "no you didn't!". by the way you'll like tomorrow's posting given that if i recall correctly you picked up ROM #32 recently.
DeleteI like all the postings, but most especially when I actually know what people are talking about. Makes me feel smart. :)
DeleteRegarding the three Deviant Art links. The first looks like they were using the action figure as a reference. (Look at the shape of his head and his chunky thighs.) And the zBrush piece looks like an excellent start!
ReplyDeleteNow, maybe I'll start an all-cartoon Rom art blog. :-)
i don't know if you caught the comments on the zBrush piece but that guy said he might do a full body ROM but we'll see if that comes to pass. thanks for the correction on Brock's kids i just caught that mishap earlier this morning while browsing at issue #50. all those kids on a high school football coach's salary? by the way Lee i think you'll really like tomorrow's posting it's from some stuff Gary Martin Jr. picked up on ebay and i don't believe he's shared it with anyone yet.
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