Neal Adams: A Legend in Comics and Beyond
A photo of Neal from a few years ago.
I just found out that Neal Adams turned eighty years old the other day. I’m short on time but respects must be paid and props must be given. Neal Adams revolutionized the look of comics in the 1960s. He went on to create some of the coolest renditions of Tarzan and Conan ever…and he didn’t stop there.
I'm not going into detail vis a vis Neal's career. You can check out the thorough link above. Something I noticed while looking up things about Neal for this blog entry: Neal has about three websites. In general, he doesn't spend much time talking up his resume/past achievements. He kind of assumes you know who he is. He's Neal Frikkin' Adams, after all.
One thing I remember reading about Neal is that more than one artist got their start simply from showing their portfolio to Neal and then Neal calling up Marvel or DC to put in a good word. The man was respected that much back in the '70s and '80s. Neal was also the foremost champion of creator’s rights in the comics industry for over twenty years. He fought hard for those rights when hardly anyone else was doing so.
Neal influenced well over a generation of artists. Everyone from Mike Grell to Howard Chaykin to John Byrne to Bill Sienkiewicz to Butch Guice to Todd McFarlane to Jim Lee...and on and on and on. His more 'realistic' approach and his incredible mastery of dynamic anatomy blew the minds of countless artists in and out of the comics industry back in the day. It still does.
Did I mention that Neal was buds with Frank Frazetta?
Gaze in wide wonder on the Neal Adams gallery below. It's a little scant on his ERB and REH work simply because those parts of his oeuvre deserve their own posts.