To celebrate the life of legendary artist Neal Adams, we’ll be taking a look at the following:
The above are by no means the only Superman-related comics by Neal Adams in our fabulous library. However, they are among some of what turned out to be his last modern work with The Man of Steel.
Read and discuss the above selections, and…please feel free to highlight other Super-favorites of yours by Mr. Adams (be they in our library or otherwise) down below.
Also, if you’d like to share your memories of Mr. Adams and his legendary work within DC, please do so in this thread.
Enjoy our featured reads as we celebrate the absolute giant of a talent that Neal Adams was, and always will be, in our fan hearts and minds.
The great Neal Adams, may he rest in peace. Embarrassed to say that aside from this late work of his, I haven’t really read a lot his work. Since I’m a vary late bloomer when it comes to comics, this may just be the only full story I’ve read that was drawn by him. I’ve come to understand the significance of his contributions to comics though, what with his work on stuff like Batman, Green Lantern, and Superman vs Mohammed Ali. That last one still sits on my shelf unread, one of many I just haven’t managed to get to yet. I’ve also noticed that a lot of the iconic art, especially Batman, that I’ve admired over the years on products and websites is Neal Adams’ art. When someone’s work is that ubiquitous, it’s enough to tell me that they did something right. Apologies if I am showing my relative greenness with the work of an all-time great here, but even this Neal Adams’ novice knows of the man’s significance. God bless his soul.
On to the book. I read Coming of the Supermen sometime during the early days of the pandemic. The art is out of this world. So dynamic and bursting with life. Action! Epic battles! Space! Visually, there’s just a lot to take in, in the best possible way. Almost every panel and spread is worthy to be framed and displayed. Adams’ rendition of Superman straddles the line between lean & mean and big and muscular. He’s got the trunks, a big S (with black outlines), and a new version of the belt. I likes it quite a bit. Let’s get a statue or figure, please.
I mentioned on another thread how I didn’t enjoy the writing so much. I speed read through the book before writing this to remind myself of what I did and didn’t like. I would get into it in more detail, but the man just passed. I find writing about what didn’t work for me to be of very poor taste at this juncture. Instead I will (honestly) say this: I liked it more the second time around. It’s a sprawling space sci-fi that has great action and lighthearted fun, and with Superman’s powers, wits, and all around good nature on full display. Add Adams’ art to that and, well… read it; you’ll like it Sam I Am!
It was a fun little series and I loved the costume. Even if the art isn’t quite as good as it was in the 1970s, it is still SPECTACULAR, It turns out that this was by far the biggest slice of Superman interior art in Neal’s lifetime of work. He may have done a number of covers, but he did very little on the interiors of Superman comics.
He did World’s Finest #175 and 176 and inked a couple of Terra Man stories.
He did one backup for the Private Life of Clark Kent in Superman #254.
Outside of that his only other Superman interior work is this all time classic.
Superman #233 is very likely one of my all-time favorite comic covers, be it DC or otherwise. Its just awesome, and has been a fav since I was a kid.
The cover of #252 is also a winner. Whenever I pull it out of its long box, I usually just stare in awe at it for a few minutes.
Action #419’s cover is so good that its been utilized on posters, interior decor (like the stuff Hobby Lobby carries, i.e. wall art and the like) and other tchotchkes. I have a book about “living the Superman life” and Action #419 was used for that book’s cover.
