The body of work Neal Adams, who died last week, that he produced in his lifetime caused something akin to a revolution in the look of comic book art itself. It’s no surprise his passing, aged 80, has prompted many heartfelt tributes from friends and fellow creators around the world, and this week author and artist Arlen Schumer begins a series of free memorial webinars taking a detailed look at his legacy.
“Adams’ unique blend of dynamic anatomy and photographic realism made the fantasy worlds of superheroes visually believable in ways never before seen,” says Arlen. “His heroes walked, ran, leapt and flew in smooth, flowing movements that belied their superhuman bulk; cartoony, stock expressions were replaced with a full range of human emotions. As Adams once said, ‘If superheroes really existed, they would look like the way I draw them.’”
During the late 1960s and early ’70s, Adams forged new, definitive artistic identities for several of DC and Marvel Comics’ leading characters, including Batman and The X-Men.
“Without Adams’ groundbreaking versions, neither would be the multimillion dollar franchise they are today,” Arlen feels.
The cumulative effect of Adams’ visual acuity enabled his writer collaborators to break new ground telling the kinds of stories that could be told in comic books, and in doing so, impacted an entire generation of today’s comic creatives. For Neal Adams is the bridge between the 20th Century and, with its plethora of graphic styles, today’s Modern Age of comic book art.
So join comic book historian (writer/designer, The Silver Age of Comic Book Art) and Adams aficionado (editor/designer, The Neal Adams Sketchbook) Arlen Schumer (who also worked for Adams at his Continuity studio, and moderates the Facebook group Neal Adams Almanack) as he begins a series of seven weekly Neal Adams Memorial Webinars, starting Wednesday 4th May 2022 and continuing until 15th June (which would have been Adams’ 81st birthday); all will start at 6.00pm EST.
Even if you’re a fellow Adams aficionado, you’ll still see Adams’ greatest works as if for the first time!
MAY 4 ZOOM MEETING: https://bit.ly/3LA4Hfp | MEETING ID: 892 0383 5830| PASSCODE: 861564
MAY 11 DEADMAN
MAY 18 BATMAN
MAY 25 MARVEL WORKS
JUNE 1 GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW
JUNE 8 SUPERMAN V MUHAMMAD ALI
JUNE 15 ADAMS ECLECTICA
• Information for each webinar will always be listed at ARLENSCHUMER.COM/EVENTS
A visual tribute to the incredible comic artist Neal Adams
• Neal Adams Official Site: nealadams.com
• Neal Adams Almanack (Facebook Group)
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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