Product Description

Out of the back pages of Detective Comics came the surprise hit of 1973, “Manhunter,” and its illustrator, Walter Simonson. The series garnered awards and accolades, and the artist quickly became a star sensation. Ten years later he cemented his name among the legends of the comic book field with his epic saga, Thor. From Fantastic Four and X-Factor, to Battlestar Galactica and Star Wars, to Conan and Elric, Simonson can handle any genre with ease, and his stylized, dynamic artwork is an influence on many of today’s top artists. This, along with a grand sense of adventure and powerful storytelling, makes Walter Simonson the subject of the next volume in the Modern Masters series! This 128-page trade paperback looks at his life and work, and features an extensive, career-spanning interview lavishly illustrated with rare and unpublished art from his files! Plus, it features an enormous sketchbook section with some of the most amazing illustrations Walter has ever produced. One look and you’ll agree—Walter Simonson is a true Modern Master!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #758385 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

From Booklist
The newest Modern Masters interview spotlights an artist who burst on the scene in the early 1970s with an imaginative updating of DC Comics' vintage Manhunter character. Though he later returned to DC for such projects as a continuation of Jack Kirby's New Gods characters, Simonson remains best known for a 1980s stint at Marvel Comics, where his dynamic illustrations revitalized such titles as X-Factor, Thor, and Fantastic Four. Simonson also scripted the latter two, leading to a second career writing comics illustrated by others. As shown by the comics pages, character sketches, and other rare drawings that accompany the interview, Simonson's approach is ideally suited to superhero stories, expressing a power perfect for the genre, coupled with design sense that sets his work apart from his peers'. Three decades after entering the field, he remains as active as ever--currently he's drawing Michael Moorcock's sword-and-sorcery character Elric for DC--so this volume may prove more popular than prior series entries. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

ONE OF THE ALL-TIME GREATS!
When I think about the nearly 45 year history of Thor, only three artists come to mind: Jack Kirby, John Buscema, and Walt Simonson. They not only had among the longest runs on the title but also the most noteworthy. Kirby guided it from the beginning and through the Silver Age. Buscema picked up the baton and guided it into the Bronze Age of the 1970's including the classic Thor #193. Simonson then brought Thor into the Modern age and embraced its Norse mythology with a magnificent run that began with Thor #337. The Thunder God could sure use any of their talents today!

Walt Simonson is the subject of volume eight TwoMorrows Publishing's Modern Masters series and is a most worthy choice. If I had one word to describe Simonson's style it would be epic. Very few artists have the ability to make almost everything they do seem monumental...there's Kirby at his peak, Perez, Adams, a few others, and Simonson.

The book is essentially a long (90 plus pages!) interview with Simonson that traces his career from the beginning to the present day, complement with scores of Walt's art. He talks about his first big break in comics with DC working with the late Archie Goodwin on Manuhunter, a back-up feature in Detective Comics. That short run won over not only many fans, but many of his peers as well. Often forgotten, Simonson actually had a shorter run on Thor as artist only for about ten issues in 1977, some six year before his famous stint that began in 1983.

Simonson had been a big fan of Thor himself since college and as both writer and artist, it gave him the opportunity to use ideas that he had come up with nearly twenty years older, and developed a dynamic mythology for the Thunder God and the realm of Asgard. Simonson discusses the concept of Beta Ray Bill and exactly why he designed him to look the way he did. Fascinating Stuff! Walt also fills readers in on the hilarious Thor frog story, influenced by no less than longtime Disney artist Carl Barks.

After leaving Thor, Walt would move on to X-Factor that was being written by his wife Louise. The pair enjoyed a run of almost three years on the title which would feature the revamping of Angel into Archangel and the death of Madelyne Pryor.

We can all be happy that Simonson, approaching his 60th birthday, continues to be very active in the comic book field. He brings an element of majesty to everything he does. Besides being a great artist, Simonson is also a great storyteller, a skill sadly lacking among many of today's artists. The book concludes with a 28 page Simonson art gallery featuring both finished pieces as well as sketches. This latest edition of Modern Masters shows why Simonson is one of the all-time greats!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

One of the best!
Walter Simonson is one of the best and most dynamic designers in the business. This is a great overview of his career, with insights into, well, how he does it! Packed with great art! Buy it or miss out!