Spider-Man mid 1980s-1990s art was really bad

[CTTT]

Sorry Todd Macfarlane fans but I felt like the art style for Spidey really took a dip in quality after John Romita Sr. left. In my mind, he was the best artist for Peter, and I wish that other artists had tried to mimic that style as best as they could. Then you had him in costume drawn with big eyes. Starting around the 2 aughts the art has slowly gotten back I feel to the classic style from the 60s and 70s. I guess they figured out what worked.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Sorry Todd Macfarlane fans but I felt like the art style for Spidey really took a dip in quality after John Romita Sr. left.

Romita Sr. left in the early 70s and he was long gone by the time the 80s rolled in. It's a really strange place to make a cut off mark for a thread focusing on the mid 1980s-1990s.

And in any case after Romita Sr. you had Gil Kane, you had Ross Andru, you had Keith Pollard, you had Romita's own kid John Romita Jr. (in my view better than Dad). So the answer is wrong in either case.

In my mind, he was the best artist for Peter, and I wish that other artists had tried to mimic that style as best as they could.

They did. Gil Kane and Ross Andru did follow on Romita Sr's designs (not least because he was the unofficial editor of Spider-Man titles and art director of Marvel at the time).

The point is as time passed and things changed, that art style was seen as outdated and passe.


In either case you are dead wrong. The art of Spider-Man Comics in the 1980s to 1990s was a creative peak for the titles.
-- Ron Frenz on ASM with Tom Defalco. Frenz also illustrated "The kid who collects Spider-Man" for Roger Stern.
-- Mike Zeck on KRAVEN'S LAST HUNT.
-- Todd Macfarlane on Amazing Spider-Man which was radical and revolutionary and special.
-- Sal Buscema on Spectacular Spider-Man with J. M. DeMatteis.
-- Erik Larsen on Amazing Spider-Man.
-- Mark Bagley after Larsen.

[Spidey_62]

Romita Sr. left in the early 70s and he was long gone by the time the 80s rolled in. It's a really strange place to make a cut off mark for a thread focusing on the mid 1980s-1990s.

And in any case after Romita Sr. you had Gil Kane, you had Ross Andru, you had Keith Pollard, you had Romita's own kid John Romita Jr. (in my view better than Dad). So the answer is wrong in either case.



They did. Gil Kane and Ross Andru did follow on Romita Sr's designs (not least because he was the unofficial editor of Spider-Man titles and art director of Marvel at the time).

The point is as time passed and things changed, that art style was seen as outdated and passe.


In either case you are dead wrong. The art of Spider-Man Comics in the 1980s to 1990s was a creative peak for the titles.
-- Ron Frenz on ASM with Tom Defalco. Frenz also illustrated "The kid who collects Spider-Man" for Roger Stern.
-- Mike Zeck on KRAVEN'S LAST HUNT.
-- Todd Macfarlane on Amazing Spider-Man which was radical and revolutionary and special.
-- Sal Buscema on Spectacular Spider-Man with J. M. DeMatteis.
-- Erik Larsen on Amazing Spider-Man.
-- Mark Bagley after Larsen.

/endthread

Stuff changes, if they're sticking to the same type of basic style for too long then you run the risk of not letting the character evolve visually.

[Immortal Hulk]

Romita Sr. left in the early 70s and he was long gone by the time the 80s rolled in. It's a really strange place to make a cut off mark for a thread focusing on the mid 1980s-1990s.

And in any case after Romita Sr. you had Gil Kane, you had Ross Andru, you had Keith Pollard, you had Romita's own kid John Romita Jr. (in my view better than Dad). So the answer is wrong in either case.



They did. Gil Kane and Ross Andru did follow on Romita Sr's designs (not least because he was the unofficial editor of Spider-Man titles and art director of Marvel at the time).

The point is as time passed and things changed, that art style was seen as outdated and passe.


In either case you are dead wrong. The art of Spider-Man Comics in the 1980s to 1990s was a creative peak for the titles.
-- Ron Frenz on ASM with Tom Defalco. Frenz also illustrated "The kid who collects Spider-Man" for Roger Stern.
-- Mike Zeck on KRAVEN'S LAST HUNT.
-- Todd Macfarlane on Amazing Spider-Man which was radical and revolutionary and special.
-- Sal Buscema on Spectacular Spider-Man with J. M. DeMatteis.
-- Erik Larsen on Amazing Spider-Man.
-- Mark Bagley after Larsen.

Yeah, that's it.

[Snoop Dogg]

there is something really bad about the average 90's spider-man comic and it's not the art

[Ozymandias]

In either case you are dead wrong. The art of Spider-Man Comics in the 1980s to 1990s was a creative peak for the titles.
-- Ron Frenz on ASM with Tom Defalco. Frenz also illustrated "The kid who collects Spider-Man" for Roger Stern.
-- Mike Zeck on KRAVEN'S LAST HUNT.
-- Todd Macfarlane on Amazing Spider-Man which was radical and revolutionary and special.
-- Sal Buscema on Spectacular Spider-Man with J. M. DeMatteis.
-- Erik Larsen on Amazing Spider-Man.
-- Mark Bagley after Larsen.

Compared to Romita Jr. they were all a step back, no a peak.

[shooshoomanjoe]

McFarlane became a superstar because he's artwork on Amazing Spider-Man. Kind of the same for Larson. IMO, Steven Butler did some beautiful work on Web of Spider-Man. Bill Sienkiewicz inking Sal Buscema's artwork was the worst I've seen on Spidey titles.

[Ozymandias]

That means very little, Dwayne Johnson is the best paid actor, is he the best? Not really.

[Mister Mets]

Romita Sr. left in the early 70s and he was long gone by the time the 80s rolled in. It's a really strange place to make a cut off mark for a thread focusing on the mid 1980s-1990s.

And in any case after Romita Sr. you had Gil Kane, you had Ross Andru, you had Keith Pollard, you had Romita's own kid John Romita Jr. (in my view better than Dad). So the answer is wrong in either case.



They did. Gil Kane and Ross Andru did follow on Romita Sr's designs (not least because he was the unofficial editor of Spider-Man titles and art director of Marvel at the time).

The point is as time passed and things changed, that art style was seen as outdated and passe.


In either case you are dead wrong. The art of Spider-Man Comics in the 1980s to 1990s was a creative peak for the titles.
-- Ron Frenz on ASM with Tom Defalco. Frenz also illustrated "The kid who collects Spider-Man" for Roger Stern.
-- Mike Zeck on KRAVEN'S LAST HUNT.
-- Todd Macfarlane on Amazing Spider-Man which was radical and revolutionary and special.
-- Sal Buscema on Spectacular Spider-Man with J. M. DeMatteis.
-- Erik Larsen on Amazing Spider-Man.
-- Mark Bagley after Larsen.

Yeah, it was a pretty good time for art.

[HypnoHustler]

Sorry Todd Macfarlane fans but I felt like the art style for Spidey really took a dip in quality after John Romita Sr. left. In my mind, he was the best artist for Peter, and I wish that other artists had tried to mimic that style as best as they could. Then you had him in costume drawn with big eyes. Starting around the 2 aughts the art has slowly gotten back I feel to the classic style from the 60s and 70s. I guess they figured out what worked.

I mean I’m not sure what to say. That’s Mark Bagley’s heyday and most people would rank him in the top 3 Spidey artists of all time (I’d personally put him at number one above your Jazzy Johnny Romita).

And I still miss the big eyes.

[Ozymandias]

I'm not sure what the standard is around there, but in Spain, Bagley would never get his diploma in a College of Fine Arts.

[Snoop Dogg]

I'm not sure what the standard is around there, but in Spain, Bagley would never get his diploma in a College of Fine Arts.

well colleges are bad and mark bagley is good so

[JTHM]

I'm not sure what the standard is around there, but in Spain, Bagley would never get his diploma in a College of Fine Arts.

Wow. Spain must have a really big problem in terms of art colleges

[Ozymandias]

Wow. Spain must have a really big problem in terms of art colleges

Or we have a lot of good artists.

[HypnoHustler]

Or we have a lot of good artists.

I’d take Mark Bagley’s version of Spider-Man over that of your BEST Spanish art school graduate. And it wouldn’t even be close.