KAMANDI the Last Boy on Oerth!
Posted: November 29, 2011 Filed under: art, comics, inspiration, monsters 5 CommentsLook at this picture from O.D&D of a ‘barbarian’:
Barbarian wears boxers, not briefs
Does anyone think that if I had all the back issues of Jack Kirby’s “Kamandi” comic that I wouldn’t eventually find the image of Kamandi that K. Bell used to copy his barbarian drawing?
I love Jack Kirby’s art. And I don’t think that pointing out that K. Bell, whomever he was, traced or copied a lot of drawings from comic books is a slag on K. Bell or early TSR — K. Bell may not have been a great artist, but at least he chose great artwork to copy. And I’ll take his scribblings over the airbrushed perfection of late era TSR ‘professional grade’ calendar art illustration any day simply because I find them more entertaining to look at. If I want to admire a painter’s illusion of reality, I’ll go to the museum and look at a Titian.
Now check out this picture of Kamandi about to get chowed by a purple worm:
Run, Kamandi, run!
You’re likely on to something. Bell used a lot of comic book art as models for his OD&D illustrations. The famous “Fight On!” guy at the end of Volume 3 is based on Nick Fury, for example, so I can readily believe that Kamandi might have been a model for that barbarian.
I have seen blog and forum posts dedicated to what comics Bell stool from – he seems to be an avid Marvel reader. Its almost like a game: trying to figure out were it all comes from. He cant be blamed for being a total plagiarism, as he makes some meaningful changes, and they have a charm about them. I cant blame him for coping off Jack “Fucking” Kirby, because one dont use that middle-name to lightly, and even other comic book artists coped off of his style. When I did the art for Creatures of the Wastelands (a third-party supplement for Mutant Future), I added an Ape-man from Kamandi – using the the same unique style as Kirdy – as an homage to his work.
Kirby was truly The King. I dig the picture from the LBBs of the sorcerer’s chamber bitten off (i believe) Ditko’s Doc Strange sanctum. Gotta love Ditko as well. He made Amazing Adult Fantasy, early Tales to Astonish, etc. absolutely worth reading despite the countless recycled plots.
P.S. We would all do well to remember the Bugbear illustration. Superior to any subsequent rendering i am aware of. Technique is nothing if you have no ideas (like me most of the time)
Don’t blame you on the blogger bugs …
Nice illustrations. Comic illustrations always seem so filled with emotion, which is something I always like about the art there.