RIP Joe Kubert
August 12, 2012 9:06 PM Subscribe
Comic book artist Joe Kubert has died. Kubert, who started a New Jersey school of cartooning that cemented his legacy as an industry great, has died after a hospital stay. He was 85.
Long before I was a socialist, I wanted to be a soldier. Thanks for all the dreams, Mr. Kubert. You were always my favorite. Rest well.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 9:10 PM on August 12, 2012
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 9:10 PM on August 12, 2012
I have the first poster shown in this article. (sniff)
posted by HopperFan at 9:11 PM on August 12, 2012
posted by HopperFan at 9:11 PM on August 12, 2012
That REH poster is amazing.
If I were a big Howard fan I'd want that.
There's something about artwork like that, of Kubert's era that breaths.
A lot of stuff I see today looks "hot" but soulless.
And then there's Greg Land.
But Kubert? You can see how he put it together, that you just might be able to do the same thing.
posted by Mezentian at 9:15 PM on August 12, 2012
If I were a big Howard fan I'd want that.
There's something about artwork like that, of Kubert's era that breaths.
A lot of stuff I see today looks "hot" but soulless.
And then there's Greg Land.
But Kubert? You can see how he put it together, that you just might be able to do the same thing.
posted by Mezentian at 9:15 PM on August 12, 2012
Speaking of CSBG, here's a gallery of 25 Great Kubert Covers.
posted by Mezentian at 9:17 PM on August 12, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Mezentian at 9:17 PM on August 12, 2012 [3 favorites]
.
posted by mustard seeds at 9:19 PM on August 12, 2012
posted by mustard seeds at 9:19 PM on August 12, 2012
The school. Pretty cool move. And I grew up on his war comics.
.
posted by djrock3k at 9:21 PM on August 12, 2012
.
posted by djrock3k at 9:21 PM on August 12, 2012
.
posted by dragonplayer at 9:23 PM on August 12, 2012
posted by dragonplayer at 9:23 PM on August 12, 2012
My grade school art teacher wondered why I always drew guns and tanks and fighter planes and RAT-TAT-TATs and BLAMs.
"What's that man throwing at that tank?"
"It's not a tank, Ms. Powell. It's a Kraut bunker with a machinegun nest in it, and that's Sgt. Rock tossing a satchel charge in it to blow the Jerries sky-high!"
When my violent art came up during parent-teacher conferences, my dad laughed and said, "Oh, he really likes Roy Liechtenstein," but we both knew my inspiration was Joe Kubert.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 9:31 PM on August 12, 2012 [8 favorites]
"What's that man throwing at that tank?"
"It's not a tank, Ms. Powell. It's a Kraut bunker with a machinegun nest in it, and that's Sgt. Rock tossing a satchel charge in it to blow the Jerries sky-high!"
When my violent art came up during parent-teacher conferences, my dad laughed and said, "Oh, he really likes Roy Liechtenstein," but we both knew my inspiration was Joe Kubert.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 9:31 PM on August 12, 2012 [8 favorites]
I read about this earlier. The name didn't ring a bell, so I looked him up. And then I was sad, and regretted not having heard of him sooner.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 10:21 PM on August 12, 2012
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 10:21 PM on August 12, 2012
Sigh. I guess the school is still running though. Always wanted to sign up but only ever got as far as the weather announcements.
posted by circular at 10:44 PM on August 12, 2012
posted by circular at 10:44 PM on August 12, 2012
Joe Kubert was one of those artists who did amazing things on every job. What always struck me with it was that if you didn't pay close attention to it, it was easy to miss just how good it was, as Kubert was never flashy, his art always in service to the story. So much of it was also done outside of the superhero ghetto, out of the spotlights, for DC's warbooks, making it easy to dismiss, but to which his earthy realism was so well suited, grounding the exploits of the fighting joes of Easy Company and Sgt Rock himself, who sometimes seemed as invulnerable as Superman.
That same realism worked great in those early sixties Hawkman stories too, which were really some of the best work he ever did.
And then there was Tor, his 1950ties caveman strip he returned to every odd decade or so.
His work on Tarzan and Korak, much better than these really deserved.
The school, perhaps his greatest achievement. It's telling how often that comes back in interviews with cartoonists who've been through it.
posted by MartinWisse at 12:14 AM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
That same realism worked great in those early sixties Hawkman stories too, which were really some of the best work he ever did.
And then there was Tor, his 1950ties caveman strip he returned to every odd decade or so.
His work on Tarzan and Korak, much better than these really deserved.
The school, perhaps his greatest achievement. It's telling how often that comes back in interviews with cartoonists who've been through it.
posted by MartinWisse at 12:14 AM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best Hawkman artist ever. A complete master of the form, he taught more up-and-coming artists about how to draw comics than any man who ever lived. Perhaps the last of the great Golden Age artists, his work is so timeless that it is still published with regularity by DC Comics. His influence has been so great, that his loss is commensurate as that of Kirby or Eisner.
You done good, Joe.
posted by ten pounds of inedita at 12:14 AM on August 13, 2012
You done good, Joe.
posted by ten pounds of inedita at 12:14 AM on August 13, 2012
Drawing Crazy Patterns – Joe Kubert’s “False Sense of Security” Covers.
I have to say, I never read many war comics as a kid (but they were there, especially the odd Sgt Rock, Action Battle Weekly and those ubiquitous A5 "Combat" etc magazines, so I am not fit to judge, but Kubert's drawings there are pretty amazing.
Especially the second last one.
posted by Mezentian at 3:32 AM on August 13, 2012
I have to say, I never read many war comics as a kid (but they were there, especially the odd Sgt Rock, Action Battle Weekly and those ubiquitous A5 "Combat" etc magazines, so I am not fit to judge, but Kubert's drawings there are pretty amazing.
Especially the second last one.
posted by Mezentian at 3:32 AM on August 13, 2012
He was one of the greats, I think the first comic I ever bought with my own money was a DC war comic, and I spent my hard-earned 15 cents on it based on Kubert's cover. Enemy Ace was always my favorite of the many characters he worked on.
posted by marxchivist at 4:53 AM on August 13, 2012
posted by marxchivist at 4:53 AM on August 13, 2012
.
posted by Halloween Jack at 4:57 AM on August 13, 2012
posted by Halloween Jack at 4:57 AM on August 13, 2012
A section in the Scott McCloud book Understanding Comics discusses the development of artists, and how as one learns the art, one gains an appreciation of talents earlier dismissed. One panel showed a caricature of a scruffy, self-impressed artiste looking at an old comic, a shocked look on the man's face as he declared "THIS GUY WAS A GOD!"
Kubert always makes me think of that panel.
posted by Harvey Jerkwater at 5:23 AM on August 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
Kubert always makes me think of that panel.
posted by Harvey Jerkwater at 5:23 AM on August 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
.
posted by Jubal Kessler at 6:06 AM on August 13, 2012
posted by Jubal Kessler at 6:06 AM on August 13, 2012
.
posted by isnotchicago at 7:23 AM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by isnotchicago at 7:23 AM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
.
Here's a sweet, simple tribute by one of the many, many comics artists he inspired: Darwyn Cooke.
posted by The demon that lives in the air at 12:49 PM on August 13, 2012
Here's a sweet, simple tribute by one of the many, many comics artists he inspired: Darwyn Cooke.
posted by The demon that lives in the air at 12:49 PM on August 13, 2012
Initially DC's statement of condolence only mentioned the currently shipping product that Joe worked on. Thankfully it has been amended.
posted by phearlez at 1:54 PM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by phearlez at 1:54 PM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Come on now. When Jerry Robinson died DC ran an obituary in all their books, and they've done the same thing for other golden age greats like Will Eisner. It's not always about promotion.
posted by Kevin Street at 2:21 PM on August 13, 2012
posted by Kevin Street at 2:21 PM on August 13, 2012
There was something very promotiony about the focus on what, let's face it, is a very minor and soon to be forgotten peice of it. kind of tacky. Not nearly as tacky as the guy who used this as an opportunity to freak out at him for doing the Before Watchmen stuff though.
posted by Artw at 2:37 PM on August 13, 2012
posted by Artw at 2:37 PM on August 13, 2012
I was hooked on his Tarzan work in the '70s; he had such a great, seemingly effortless line. Amazing that the quality draughtsmanship was there right to the end.
.
posted by Bron at 5:17 PM on August 13, 2012
.
posted by Bron at 5:17 PM on August 13, 2012
He was one of the ones who could draw, and by that I mean proper drawing. You could see it in his work. Not the kind that learns drawing from reproducing comic imagery, but drawing by seeing what he was actually seeing and learning how to draw what he was seeing.
.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 5:53 PM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 5:53 PM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
r those of you interested in either attending the funeral at Randolph, NJ, donating some money in honor of the comic book legend or perhaps sending a condolence note, here is the information you need via CSBG.
From the same site: A Collection of Joe Kubert Firsts.
posted by Mezentian at 4:21 AM on August 14, 2012
From the same site: A Collection of Joe Kubert Firsts.
posted by Mezentian at 4:21 AM on August 14, 2012
CSBG has The Line it is Drawn: A Tribute to Joe Kubert today.
posted by Mezentian at 12:24 AM on August 18, 2012
posted by Mezentian at 12:24 AM on August 18, 2012
« Older arts & crafts blogging, subset: geek | The boat with two captains sinks. Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
.
I was just looking at some of his art at CSBG on the weekend.
Even at the end he could still draw at an uncanny level.
posted by Mezentian at 9:09 PM on August 12, 2012