Comic Pet Hates

[Dunder Ed]

I was wondering what everyone pets hates are with comics. Something that really annoys you about them. Mine is when a spin off strip tries to draw other characters even though they aren't the proper artist. One example of this is Gordon Bell's Pup parade. He is good at drawing the dogs but when he tries to draw the Bash Street Kids its not very good.

What are your pet hates?

[Marionette]

Bad writers or artists who inexplicably keep getting work when much better writers and artists don't.

[philcom55]

...Or to put it another way - people like Vince Colletta! (Though, to be honest I didn't always dislike Vince's stuff)

I think editors like them because they're insanely fast and never miss a deadline - even if it does mean that they rub out great chunks of artwork in the process. (And vague rumours of mafia connections don't hurt either! )

- Phil R.

[felneymike]

I never liked "scientific inaccuracy". For instance in a Beano strip set in the future, Dennis is sent to prison for "100 light years", just because it sounds "futuristic".

Also dumbed-down captions to explain the jokes. In one strip I remember, Gnasher and Gnipper helped somebody run "21 and a bit miles" and got "21 and a bit bones". A caption helpfully pointed out "the bit".

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Great observation, Ed, and I do agree that whenever I recieve my 1968 Beanos via e-bay, it's always a bit of a groaning disappointment when I turn to the centre pages, and Gordon Bell is revealed as that weeks' Bash Street Artist--- he done loads of 60s centrespreads-------he's great on his own material, but not that good on Baxendale material---he even done an inappropriate Dennis ghosting in 1970, the very week after the final David Law contribution!

[Marionette]

...Or to put it another way - people like Vince Colletta! (Though, to be honest I didn't always dislike Vince's stuff)

I think editors like them because they're insanely fast and never miss a deadline - even if it does mean that they rub out great chunks of artwork in the process. (And vague rumours of mafia connections don't hurt either! )

- Phil R.

Or Rob Liefeld, who hasn't improved his basic drawing skills in twenty years, and still composes pictures to hide feet because he can't draw them very well.

But I was actually thinking of the aptly named Badesa in Tammy, whose thin scrawl seems a permanent fixture, while the likes of Giorgio Cambiotti and Dudley Wynne are rarely seen.

[DavidKW]

Any change of artist whom is not suited to strip they are drawing/taken over.

[Lew Stringer]

Great observation, Ed, and I do agree that whenever I recieve my 1968 Beanos via e-bay, it's always a bit of a groaning disappointment when I turn to the centre pages, and Gordon Bell is revealed as that weeks' Bash Street Artist--- he done loads of 60s centrespreads-------he's great on his own material, but not that good on Baxendale material---he even done an inappropriate Dennis ghosting in 1970, the very week after the final David Law contribution!

Each to his own, obviously, but personally I always thought Gordon Bell did a commendable job on his Bash Street and Dennis strips. I felt it made a refreshing change and I liked the fact that he wasn't trying to mimic Dave Sutherland or Davey Law too closely, but did things his own way, and in a very humourous way too.

[stevezodiac]

I have a soft spot for Gordon as well. Occasionally the Swots and the Blots would be drawn by a fill-in artist and it was usually awful. Can't think of the artists name right now though.

[Lew Stringer]

I have a soft spot for Gordon as well. Occasionally the Swots and the Blots would be drawn by a fill-in artist and it was usually awful. Can't think of the artists name right now though.

If you're talking about the IPC Smash! it was sometimes Les Barton who filled in for Leo Baxendale on the weekly, and Terry Bave did some for the Smash! Fun Book.

Prior to that, on the Odhams Smash!, there were various artists drawing The Swots and Blots. Mainly Ron Spencer and Mike Lacey. (Leo Baxendale didn't draw the strip until IPC took over of course.)

[stevezodiac]

Yes it was Les Barton - he had an ugly, stiff style of drawing.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

tsk, tsk, Steve---the guy was a genius in my book! His stuff was so alive and vital---but yes, it takes all sorts......

[stevezodiac]

Just a poor choice for a Baxendale clone.

My pet hate was the way George Tuska drew teeth like great big rocks. I had two copies of an Iron Man so went through one with a black felt tip making all the teeth smaller - it was a great improvement. Anyone want to diss Gil Kane's up the nose shots?

[Raven]

tsk, tsk, Steve---the guy was a genius in my book! His stuff was so alive and vital---but yes, it takes all sorts......

But his taking over Harry's Haunted House from Reg Parlett was so, so wrong.

For his "own" strips, like Ma Kelly's Telly, I thought his style worked well.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Yes, Steve and Raven, it's quite astonishing just how much ghosting material Les Barton done for IPC----something I never really appreciated at the time-----even the odd very untypical subject-matter, like KID KONG ----his natural style was clearly very different to that of Bob Nixon, but Les never seems to have balked at any assignment, and just seems to have stormed into any subject offered to him.