Huckleberry knew he wasn’t the sharpest hound in the world and was absolutely at ease with that. As a child, I loved him completely. Harvey Eisenberg was the first to draw many of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters for Dell comics, and his work is iconic. His character design in this sprawling tale of political ambition is a wonder to behold, all so perfect in form and function; and his panels have precise balance. This is from Four Color No. 1141, October 1960. All scans are from my own comic.
A few more examples of Eisenberg’s fluid greatness from the inside front and back covers - sans color to better appreciate his tremendous brush and line work.
Posts
9 comments:
I love that bank robber in the earlier part of the book
I love that bank robber in the earlier part of the book
KW: - Me too!
Damn, Mykal, that really is a terrific comic.
I've always loved the Hanna-Barbera stuff too, and it looks like my penis-envying over your collection of all-ages comics will continue into the new year.
I regret that I didn't buy more of these gems on the first pass, and also that I had actually held onto more of the ones that I did purchase.
Chuck: Thanks for stopping by. There are still tons of the Four Colors of this vintage around. Granted, they aren't a dime anymore! -- Mykal
What I like about this story -- and most of Harvey Eisnberg's work -- is that his training in animation shows. He moves the story visually so that we don't get a bunch of characters standing around talking. It's probably the hardest thing to learn as a comic book artist and one of the biggest faults in today's comics. Thanks for a good post, Mykal.
Gary: Great Point! Eisenberg is one of those artists that I stare at, trying to figure out what makes him so special. I think you've really got something. -- Mykal
What Chuck said goes for me...why I did not load up on these gems when I was a kid (ahh, the bane of being only into super heroes, sigh) Huck and Yogi together, what a combo. My favorite chapter was with Quick Draw (my favorite HB character, I think).
Harvey Eisenberg's art flows like a giant story board; great pacing and great dialogue.
RE: Yes, great flow and great pacing. I agree. He was a master and moving the eye right along. -- Mykal
Post a Comment