comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major
pop-culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
conglomerate
Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to:
* Conglomerate (company)
* Conglomerate (geology)
* Conglomerate (mathematics)
In popular culture:
* The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes
** ...
. His younger brother Sal Buscema is also a comic book artist.
Buscema is best known for his run on the series '' The Avengers'' and ''The Silver Surfer'', and for over 200 stories featuring the
sword-and-sorcery
Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the ...
hero
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and ''Conan the Destroyer''), ...
. In addition, he
pencilled
A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...
at least one issue of nearly every major Marvel title, including long runs on two of the company's top magazines, '' Fantastic Four'' and ''
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, ...
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York City, from Sicilian parents who emigrated from Pozzallo, Ragusa, John Buscema showed an interest in drawing at an early age, copying
comic strip
A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics ter ...
s such as '' Popeye''. In his teens, he developed an interest in both
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
Hal Foster
Harold Rudolf Foster, FRSA (August 16, 1892 – July 25, 1982) was a Canadian-American comic strip artist and writer best known as the creator of the comic strip '' Prince Valiant''. His drawing style is noted for its high level of draftsmanship ...
's ''
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'' and ''
Prince Valiant
''Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur'', often simply called ''Prince Valiant'', is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stretc ...
'',
Burne Hogarth
Burne Hogarth (born Spinoza Bernard Ginsburg, December 25, 1911 – January 28, 1996) was an American artist and educator, best known for his work on the ''Tarzan'' newspaper comic strip and his series of anatomy books for artists.
Early life
...
's ''Tarzan'',
Alex Raymond
Alexander Gillespie Raymond Jr. (October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956) was an American cartoonist who was best known for creating the ''Flash Gordon'' comic strip for King Features Syndicate in 1934. The strip was subsequently adapted into many ...
's ''
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established '' Buck Rogers'' adv ...
Terry and the Pirates
''Terry and the Pirates'' is an action-adventure comic strip created by cartoonist Milton Caniff, which originally ran from October 22, 1934, to February 25, 1973. Captain Joseph Patterson, editor for the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate, ...
N. C. Wyeth
Newell Convers Wyeth (October 22, 1882 – October 19, 1945), known as N. C. Wyeth, was an American painter and illustrator. He was the pupil of Howard Pyle and became one of America's most well-known illustrators. Wyeth created more than 3,000 ...
,
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of the country's culture. Rockwell is most famous for the ...
Albert Dorne
Albert Dorne (February 7, 1906 - December 15, 1965) was an American illustrator and entrepreneur, and was co-founder of correspondence schools for aspiring artists, photographers, and writers. Dorne was co-founder of the Code of Ethics and Fair Pr ...
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
's High School of Music and Art. He took night lessons at Pratt Institute as well as life drawing classes at the Brooklyn Museum. While training as a boxer, he began painting portraits of boxers and sold some cartoons to '' The Hobo News''. Seeking work as a commercial illustrator while doing various odd jobs, Buscema found himself instead entering the comic book field in 1948, landing a staff job under
editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
. The Timely "bullpen", as the staff was called, included such fellow staffers as established veterans Syd Shores,
Carl Burgos
Carl Burgos (; born Max Finkelstein ; April 18, 1916 – March 1, 1984) Note: Gives only month and year of death. was an American comic book and advertising artist best known for creating the original Human Torch in ''Marvel Comics'' #1 (Oct. 1 ...
, Mike Sekowsky, George Klein, and Marty Nodell. Fellow newcomer Gene Colan, hired roughly two months earlier,Steranko, Jim, in Spurlock, p. 5 recalled that "... John never seemed very happy in comics ... there always seemed to be something else he really wanted to do."
His first recorded credit is penciling the four-page story "Till Crime Do You Part" in Timely's ''Lawbreakers Always Lose'' #3 (Aug. 1948). He contributed to the "real-life" dramatic series ''True Adventures'' and ''Man Comics'' (the premiere issue of which sported one of Buscema's earliest recorded comic book covers), as well as to ''Cowboy Romances'', ''Two-Gun Western'' (for which he drew at least one story of the continuing character the
Apache Kid
Haskay-bay-nay-ntayl ( 1860 – in or after 1894), better known as the Apache Kid, was born in Aravaipa Canyon (25 miles (40 kilometers) south of San Carlos Agency) into one of the three local groups of the Aravaipa/Arivaipa Apache Band (in Apa ...
), ''
Lorna the Jungle Queen
Lorna the Jungle Girl, initially called Lorna the Jungle Queen, is a comic book jungle girl protagonist created by writer Don Rico and artist Werner Roth. She debuted in ''Lorna the Jungle Queen'' #1 (July 1953), published by Marvel Comics' 1950s ...
'', and '' Strange Tales''.Buscema/sort/chrono/ Archived from the original December 5, 2011. Until the bullpen was dissolved a year-and-a-half later, as comic books in general and superhero comics in particular continued their post-war fade in popularity, Buscema
penciled
A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...
and
inked Inked may refer to:
* ''Inked'' (video game)
* ''Inked'' (magazine)
See also
* Ink (disambiguation)
{{dab ...
in a variety of genres, including
crime fiction
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
Buscema married in 1953. He continued to freelance for Timely, by now known as
Atlas Comics Atlas Comics may refer to
* Atlas Comics (1950s)
Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic-book publishing label that evolved into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitud ...
Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark" ...
' '' Roy Rogers Comics'' #74–91 (Feb. 1954 – July 1955) and subsequent ''Roy Rogers and Trigger'' #92–97 and #104–108 (Aug. 1955 – Jan. 1956 & Aug.–Dec. 1956); and the Charlton Comics series ''Ramar of the Jungle'' and ''Nature Boy'' — the latter, Buscema's first
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
work, with a character created by himself and
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...
Four Color
''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic ...
'' series. Buscema recalled, "I did a bunch of their movie books ... that was a lot of fun. I worked from stills on those, except for ''The Vikings''. ... I think one of the best books I ever did was ''Sinbad the Sailor''."
He drew at least one issue of the radio, film, and TV character the
Cisco Kid
The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in ''Everybody's Magazi ...
one-shot
One shot may refer to:
Film and television
* One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so
* ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake
* ''One Shot'' (2 ...
''Life Stories of American Presidents''.
During a late 1950s downturn in the comics industry, Buscema drew occasional mystery,
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
, and
science-fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
Adventures into the Unknown
''Adventures Into the Unknown'' was an American comic-book magazine series best known as the medium's first ongoing horror-comics title. Published by the American Comics Group, initially under the imprint B&I Publishing, it ran 174 issues (cover-da ...
'', and '' Forbidden Worlds'' before leaving comics to do freelance commercial art.Steranko, p. 6 He began a freelance position for the New York City
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
firm the Chaite Agency, which employed such commercial artists as Bob Peak and Frank McCarthy.
1960s
Buscema spent approximately eight years in the commercial-art field, freelancing for the Chaite Agency and the studio Triad, doing a variety of assignments: layouts,
storyboard
A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, in t ...
s, illustrations, paperback book covers, etc. in a variety of media. Buscema called this time "quite a learning period for me in my own development of techniques".
He returned to comic books in 1966 as a regular freelance penciller for
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often ...
" story in '' Strange Tales'' #150 (Nov. 1966), followed by three "
Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...
" stories in '' Tales to Astonish'' #85–87 (Nov. 1966 – Jan. 1967). He then settled in as regular penciller of '' The Avengers'', which would become one of his signature series, with #41 (June 1967). ''Avengers'' #49–50, featuring Hercules and inked by Buscema, are two of his "best-looking ssuesof that period", said comics historian and one-time Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas, who wrote those issues. Thomas and Buscema introduced new versions of the Black Knight and the Vision during their collaboration on ''The Avengers''.
In order to adapt to the Marvel Comics style of superhero adventure, Buscema "synthesized the essence of ackKirby's supercharged action figures, harrowing perspectives, monolithic structures, mega-force explosions, and mythological planetscapes into a formula that he instantly integrated into his own superbly crafted vision," wrote comics artist and historian Jim Steranko. "The process brought Buscema's art to life in a way that it had never been before. Anatomically balanced figures of Herculean proportions stalked, stormed, sprawled, and savaged their way across Marvel's universe like none had previously".
Buscema would pencil an average of two comics a month in collaboration with such inkers as George Klein, Frank Giacoia, Dan Adkins, Joe Sinnott, his younger brother Sal Buscema, Tom Palmer, and, occasionally, Marvel
production manager
In the cinema of the United States, a unit production manager (UPM) is the Directors Guild of America–approved title for the top below-the-line staff position, responsible for the administration of a feature film or television production. Non ...
and sometime inker- cartoonistJohn Verpoorten. John Buscema named Frank Giacoia, Sal Buscema, and Tom Palmer as his favorite inkers.
Among Buscema's works during this period fans and historians call the
Silver Age of comic books
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an in ...
are ''The Avengers'' #41–62 (June 1967 – March 1969) and ''The Avengers Annual'' #2 (Sept. 1968); the first eight issues of ''The Sub-Mariner'' (May–Dec. 1968); ''
The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly per ...
'' #72–73, 76–81, 84–85 (ranging from June 1969 – June 1970 providing layouts finished by either John Romita Sr. or Jim Mooney), and two issues he himself finished over Romita layouts. Buscema drew the first appearance of the Prowler in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #78 (Nov. 1969).
In August 1968, Buscema and Stan Lee launched a new title, ''The Silver Surfer''. That series about a philosophical alien roaming the world trying to understand both the divinity and the savagery of humanity was a personal favorite of Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee, who scripted. Buscema penciled 17 of its 18 issues — the first seven as a 25¢ "giant-size" title at a time when comics typically cost 12¢. "Beautifully drawn by John Buscema, this comic book represented an attempt to upgrade the medium with a serious character of whom Lee had grown very fond," assessed comics historian Les Daniels. Roy Thomas said Buscema considered ''Silver Surfer'' #4 (Feb. 1969), featuring a battle between the Silver Surfer and Thor, "as the highpoint of his Marvel work". Characters Buscema co-created in ''The Silver Surfer'' include the long-running arch-demon Mephisto in issue #3 (Dec. 1968).
Toward the end of the decade, Buscema drew some fill-in issues of superhero series and returned to familiar 1950s genres with a spate of supernatural mystery stories in ''
Chamber of Darkness
''Chamber of Darkness'' is a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by the American company Marvel Comics. Under this and a subsequent name, it ran from 1969 to 1974. It featured work by creators such as writer-editor Stan Lee, writers Gerr ...
'' and ''
Tower of Shadows
''Tower of Shadows'' is a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by the American company Marvel Comics under this and a subsequent name from 1969 to 1975. It featured work by writer-artists Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Johnny Craig, and Wal ...
'', and romance tales in ''My Love'' and ''Our Love''. He then returned to his signature series ''The Avengers'' for 11 issues inked by Tom Palmer.
1970s
The creative team of Roy Thomas and John Buscema introduced new characters such as
Arkon
Arkon is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the warlord and ruler of the extra-dimensional world of Polemachus. The concept of the character is that he is a hero from the sword-and-sorcery ge ...
in ''The Avengers'' #75 (April 1970),
Red Wolf
The red wolf (''Canis rufus'') is a canine native to the southeastern United States. Its size is intermediate between the coyote (''Canis latrans'') and gray wolf (''Canis lupus'').
The red wolf's taxonomic classification as being a separate s ...
in #80 (Sept. 1970), and the Squadron Supreme in #85 (Feb. 1971). With Jack Kirby's departure from Marvel in 1970, Buscema succeeded him on both of Kirby's titles: ''Fantastic Four'' (penciling issues #107–141, following John Romita Sr.) and ''
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, ...
'' (#182–259). He additionally launched the feature " Black Widow" in '' Amazing Adventures'' vol. 2, #1 (Aug. 1970).
Marvel editor-in-chief
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
, who collaborated with Buscema on many stories up to this time, wrote,
Buscema began penciling ''
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and ''Conan the Destroyer''), ...
'' with #25 (April 1973) following Barry Smith's celebrated run, and debuted as the Conan artist of the black-and-white comics-magazine omnibus '' Savage Sword of Conan'' with issue #1 (Aug. 1974). He would eventually contribute to more than 100 issues of each title, giving him one of the most prolific runs for an artist on a single character. He additionally drew the ''Conan'' Sunday and daily syndicated newspaper
comic strip
A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics ter ...
upon its premiere in 1978, and even contributed some storyboard illustrations for the 1982 Conan movie, as well as painting four covers for the Conan magazines. In 2010,
Comics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin was a daily website covering the American comic-book industry.
History Silver Bullet Comicbooks
The site was founded in January 2000 as Silver Bullet Comicbooks by its New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice.
During thi ...
ranked Buscema's work on ''Conan the Barbarian'' seventh on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels".
For about ten years, he would produce an average three to four books' worth of pencils a month, such as '' Nova'' (1976) and '' Ms. Marvel'' (1977). In addition to his regular assignments he would pencil covers and fill-in issues of titles including ''
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
Daredevil
Daredevil may refer to:
* A stunt performer
Arts and media Comics
* Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro
* Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superhero ...
Red Sonja
Red Sonja is a fictional sword and sorcery comic-book superheroine created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino.
Marvel Comics p ...
science-fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically cate ...
''
Worlds Unknown
''Worlds Unknown'' was a science-fiction comic book published by American company Marvel Comics in the 1970s, which adapted classic short stories of that genre, including works by Frederik Pohl, Harry Bates, and Theodore Sturgeon.
Publication h ...
''.
Buscema contributed as well to Marvel's black-and-white comics magazines, including the features " Ka-Zar" in '' Savage Tales'' #1 (May 1971) and "
Bloodstone
Bloodstone may refer to:
*Heliotrope (mineral) or bloodstone, a form of chalcedony
Film
* ''Bloodstone'' (1988 film), an Indian-American action/comedy film
*'' Bloodstone: Subspecies II'', a 1993 horror film
* Bloodstone: An Epic Dwarven Tale, ano ...
" in ''Rampaging Hulk'' #1 (Jan. 1977), and '' Doc Savage'' #1 and 3 (Aug. 1975, Jan. 1976). Other magazine work ran the gamut from horror (''Dracula Lives!'', ''Monsters Unleashed'', '' Tales of the Zombie'') to
humor
Humour (Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids in ...
(''Crazy'', ''Pizzaz'').
Buscema left the ''Thor'' title for a time to launch the Marvel version of the Edgar Rice Burroughs character
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
in 1977. Other licensed projects include a 72-page '' The Wizard of Oz'' movie adaptation in an oversized " Treasury Edition" format with DeZuniga inking. For Power Records, which produced children's book-and-record sets, Buscema drew ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' and Conan the Barbarian comics. He contributed some superhero drawings for ''Pro'', the NFL official magazine (1970), and penciled some chapters of the first issue of '' Marvel Comics Super Special'' featuring the rock group
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
(1977).
In 1978, small-press publisher Sal Quartuccio released ''The Art of John Buscema'', a retrospective that included an interview, previously unpublished sketches and drawings, and a cover that was also sold as a poster.
Buscema capped off the decade penciling writer Doug Moench's three-issue Weirdworld epic-fantasy tale "Warriors of the Shadow Realm" in ''Marvel Super Special'' #11–13 (June-Oct. 1979).Pacific Comics released an accompanying portfolio of six signed, colored plates from the story.
Teaching
In the mid-1970s, Buscema ran the John Buscema Art School, which advertised for students in the pages of many Marvel titles. Stan Lee made appearances as a guest lecturer at Buscema's school, and some of the school's graduates (including Bob Hall and Bruce Patterson) went on to become professional cartoonists. Buscema later said that teaching the class was "very gratifying" but that having to make the 60-mile drive after a day's work was too exhausting, and ultimately forced him to give it up. Buscema then collaborated with Lee on the book ''
How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way
''How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way'' is a book by Stan Lee and John Buscema. The book teaches the aspiring comic book artist how to draw and create comic books. The examples are from Marvel Comics and Buscema artwork. It was first published in ...
'' (
Marvel Fireside Books
''Marvel Fireside Books'' were a series of full-color trade paperbacks featuring Marvel Comics stories and characters co-published by Marvel and the Simon & Schuster division Fireside Books from 1974 to 1979. The first book, 1974's ''Origins of Mar ...
, 1978), a primer on comic book art and storytelling based on the comic art classes Buscema had given a few years prior, and has remained in print for over 25 years, in its 33rd printing as of 2007.
1980s
After drawing the first issue of ''The Savage
She-Hulk
She-Hulk (Jennifer "Jen" Walters) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in ''The Savage She-Hulk'' #1 ( cover-dated February ...
'' (Feb. 1980), Buscema abandoned regular superhero work in order to spearhead art duties on all three Conan titles. The popularity of the character spurred the release of a Conan movie in 1982; Buscema provided pencils and inks for a 48-page movie adaptation.
He continued to tackle other high-profile projects such as a Silver Surfer story for '' Epic Illustrated'' #1 (Spring 1980), a
King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as ...
story in '' Marvel Preview'' #22 (Summer 1980), the St. Francis of Assisi biography ''Francis, Brother of the Universe'' (1980), the second ''
Superman and Spider-Man
''Superman and Spider-Man'' is an intercompany comic book jointly published by DC Comics and Marvel Comics in July 1981. Number 28 (and final) in the ''Marvel Treasury Edition'' series, it is a "sequel" to 1976's '' Superman vs. the Amazing Spider ...
'' team-up (1981), and an adaptation of the 1981 movie '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''.
He left ''King Conan'' in 1982 after nine issues, although he remained with Marvel's Robert E. Howard franchise with a revival of the ''
Kull Kull may refer to:
Arts
* Kull of Atlantis, a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard
** ''Kull the Conqueror'', a 1997 fantasy action film based on Howard's character and starring Kevin Sorbo
* King Kull (DC Comics), a Fawcett Comics and D ...
'' series for 10 issues, and left ''The Savage Sword of Conan'' in 1984 with #101 with a series of stories that he plotted himself. After pencilling the ''
Conan the Destroyer
''Conan the Destroyer'' is a 1984 American epic sword and sorcery film directed by Richard Fleischer from a screenplay by Stanley Mann and a story by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway. Based on the character Conan the Barbarian created by Robert E. ...
'' movie adaptation in 1984 and the ''Conan of the Isles'' graphic novel in 1987, he left ''Conan the Barbarian'' with #190 in 1987, ending a 14-year association with the character.
After nearly five years away from superheroes, except for the first two issues of the X-Men-related, four-issue miniseries ''Magik'' (Dec. 1983 – March 1984), Buscema returned to familiar ground as regular penciller on ''The Avengers'' from #255–300 (May 1985 – Feb. 1989). He was regular penciller on ''Fantastic Four'' for its 300th issue, during a 15-issue stint from #296–309 (Nov. 1986 – Dec. 1987). Additionally, he fit in the three-issue film adaptation ''
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by ...
'' (Nov. 1986 – Jan. 1987) and the four-issue miniseries '' Mephisto'' (April–July 1987), starring a character he created with Stan Lee in ''The Silver Surfer''.
Buscema reteamed with Lee on the Silver Surfer himself with the 1988 graphic novel ''Silver Surfer: Judgment Day'', self-inked and done entirely as full-page panels. That year he and inker Klaus Janson drew a
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a musc ...
solo feature in the biweekly anthology ''Marvel Comics Presents'', followed by self-inked Wolverine series in that title. He pencilled the first 14 issues (Nov. 1988 – mid-Nov. 1989) of the first Wolverine ongoing series, self-inked on #7-8.Bill Sienkiewicz, who inked the last five issues of that run, recalled Buscema's pencil work as "the sturdiest foundation an inker or an embellisher could possibly hope to build on, and their beauty was not in their attention to fastidiously rendered minutiae, but instead were marvels of deceptive simplicity. Each page an example of grace, elegance and power."
Later career
Buscema began his sixth decade in the field by joining Roy Thomas for a return to ''The Savage Sword of Conan'' with #191 (Nov. 1991) for a 20-issue run. ''Conan the Rogue'', a
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
Buscema plotted, pencilled, inked, and colored over a period of five years in his spare time appeared that same year. He both penciled and inked the graphic novel '' Wolverine: Bloody Choices'' (Nov. 1993).
Buscema returned to
crime fiction
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
with ''
The Punisher War Zone
''The Punisher War Zone'' or ''Punisher War Zone'' is a comic book spin-off title featuring the Punisher, a fictional character published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The first installment of the series ran for 41 issues and two 64-page ...
'' #23–30 (Jan.–Aug. 1994, self-inking #26–29), that title's 1993
summer annual
An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical l ...
, and the 1994 graphic novel ''A Man Named Frank'', a parallel-universe Punisher Western tale. He pencilled the Punisher portions of 1994's ''
Archie Meets the Punisher
''Archie Meets the Punisher'' or ''The Punisher Meets Archie'' is a one-shot (comics), one-shot comic book and intercompany crossover written by Batton Lash with art by Stan Goldberg, John Buscema, and Tom Palmer (comics), Tom Palmer. It was pub ...
'' team-up. No longer attached to a regular series after his ''Punisher'' run, he penciled and inked ''The Avengers Annual'' #23 (1994) and five more black-and-white Conan adventures, serving as that Marvel franchise's final artist on ''The Savage Sword of Conan'' with #235 (July 1995) and on the short-lived spin-off ''Conan the Savage'' with #10 (May 1996). Through 1999, he penciled a variety of superhero comics; both penciled and inked a black-and-white short story for ''Shadows and Light'' (1998); and made a final return to Conan with the ''Death Covered in Gold'' three-issue miniseries (1999).
Buscema worked with
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...
for the first time in 2000, initially doing both pencils and inks on a " Batman Black and White" short story in '' Batman: Gotham Knights'' #7 (Sept. 2000). He reunited with Stan Lee on the 2001 one-shot '' Just Imagine Stan Lee and John Buscema Creating Superman''.
He finished the pencils on 2003's ''Superman: Blood of my Ancestors'', begun by Gil Kane, who had since died, and had just signed on for a five-issue miniseries with Roy Thomas, ''JLA: Barbarians'', though he died after finishing the first issue.
An 11 x 17-inch lithograph print of the late 1960s/early 1970s Avengers, penciled by Buscema and painted in
watercolor
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...
Dynamic Forces
Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptations ...
, was Buscema's last professional work. Reprinted in
Buscema's passion for drawing was such that he continued to draw and sketch in his spare time, often on the back of comic book art pages, and these images form a considerable body of work in their own right. His brother Sal Buscema recalled,
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...
, at the time of his death, was married to Dolores Buscema, with whom he had a son, John Jr., and a daughter, Dianne. His granddaughter
is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist, who started out as an inker for her grandfather.
Cancer and death
Buscema was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and died on January 10, 2002, at the age of 74. He was cremated with an artist's pen in his hand.
Awards
*1968: Alley Award for Best Full-Length Story, for Marvel Comics' ''
The Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first ...
'' #1: "Origin of the Silver Surfer", by Stan Lee and John Buscema (tied with
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...
' ''
The Brave and the Bold
''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by two mini-series in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing title in 2007. The focus of the series has varie ...
Neal Adams
Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...
): also Best New Strip for ''The Silver Surfer''.
*1969: Alley Award for Best Full-Length Story for ''The Silver Surfer'' #5: "... And Who Shall Mourn for Him?", by Stan Lee, John Buscema, and Sal Buscema.
*1974: Shazam Award for Best Penciller (Dramatic Division).
*1977: Eagle Award for Favourite Single Comicbook Story for ''Howard the Duck'' #3: "Four Feathers of Death", with Steve Gerber.
*1978: Inkpot Award
*1997: "Author that We Loved" award at the Spanish
Haxtur Award
The Haxtur Award (''Premios Haxtur'') is a Spanish award for comics published in Spain. It is awarded annually at the Salón Internacional del Cómic del Principado de Asturias (International Comics Convention of the Principality of Asturias). It ...
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...
: Blood of My Ancestors'', one-shot, (with Gil Kane) (2003, posthumous)
Dell Comics
*''
Four Color
''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic ...
The Sharkfighters
''The Sharkfighters'' is a 1956 American adventure film about U.S. Navy scientists working to invent a shark repellent to protect military personnel down at sea. Directed by Jerry Hopper, it stars Victor Mature, James Olson, and Claude Akins. T ...
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
''The 7th Voyage of Sinbad'' is a 1958 Technicolor heroic fantasy adventure film directed by Nathan H. Juran and starring Kerwin Mathews, Torin Thatcher, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer, and Alec Mango. It was distributed by Columbia Pictures ...
, #1006:
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the ...
The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly per ...
Archie Meets the Punisher
''Archie Meets the Punisher'' or ''The Punisher Meets Archie'' is a one-shot (comics), one-shot comic book and intercompany crossover written by Batton Lash with art by Stan Goldberg, John Buscema, and Tom Palmer (comics), Tom Palmer. It was pub ...
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
Chamber of Darkness
''Chamber of Darkness'' is a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by the American company Marvel Comics. Under this and a subsequent name, it ran from 1969 to 1974. It featured work by creators such as writer-editor Stan Lee, writers Gerr ...
'' #1, 3 (1969–1970)
*''
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and ''Conan the Destroyer''), ...
Crazy Magazine
''Crazy Magazine'' is an illustrated satire and humor magazine that was published by Marvel Comics from 1973 to 1983 for a total of 94 regular issues (and two ''Super Special''s (Summer 1975, 1980)). It was preceded by two standard-format comic ...
Daredevil
Daredevil may refer to:
* A stunt performer
Arts and media Comics
* Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro
* Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superhero ...
Dracula Lives
''Dracula Lives!'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 13 issues and one '' Super Annual'' from 1973 to 1975, and starred the Marvel version o ...
Fantastic Four 2099
''Fantastic Four 2099'' was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the Fantastic Four in the alternate future of Marvel 2099 (Earth-928). It ran for eight issues in 1996.
Plot
In the year 2099, Mister Fantast ...
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...
'' #7–10 (1973–1974)
*''
Galactus
Galactus () is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role ...
Girl Comics
''Girl Comics'' is the name of two comic-book series published by Marvel Comics and its forerunners, Timely Comics and Atlas Comics. The first, debuting in 1949, ran 35 issues, changing its title to ''Girl Confessions'' with issue #13 (March 1952 ...
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a musc ...
The Punisher War Zone
''The Punisher War Zone'' or ''Punisher War Zone'' is a comic book spin-off title featuring the Punisher, a fictional character published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The first installment of the series ran for 41 issues and two 64-page ...
'' #23–30, ''Annual'' #1 (1993–1994)
*''
The Rampaging Hulk
''The Rampaging Hulk'' is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The first volume was a black and white magazine published by Curtis Magazines (an imprint of Marvel) from 1977–1978. With issue #10, it changed its format to color and its ...
'' #1 (1977)
*''Rangeland Love'' #1 (1949)
*''
Red Sonja
Red Sonja is a fictional sword and sorcery comic-book superheroine created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino.
Marvel Comics p ...
'' #12–13, 15 (1978–1979)
*''Romances of the West'' #1–2 (1949–1950)
*'' Rune/Silver Surfer'' #1 (1995)
*''
Savage She-Hulk
She-Hulk (Jennifer "Jen" Walters) is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in ''The Savage She-Hulk'' #1 (cov ...
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, ...
Tower of Shadows
''Tower of Shadows'' is a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by the American company Marvel Comics under this and a subsequent name from 1969 to 1975. It featured work by writer-artists Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Johnny Craig, and Wal ...
What If
What If may refer to:
Film
* ''What If'', a 2006 TV film starring Niall Buggy
* ''What If...'' (2010 film), an American film
* ''What If...'' (2012 film), a Greek film
* ''What If'' (2013 film) or ''The F Word'', a Canadian-Irish film
Telev ...
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a musc ...
Worlds Unknown
''Worlds Unknown'' was a science-fiction comic book published by American company Marvel Comics in the 1970s, which adapted classic short stories of that genre, including works by Frederik Pohl, Harry Bates, and Theodore Sturgeon.
Publication h ...
'' #4 (1973)
*''Young Men'' #4–5 (1950)
Simon & Schuster
*''
How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way
''How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way'' is a book by Stan Lee and John Buscema. The book teaches the aspiring comic book artist how to draw and create comic books. The examples are from Marvel Comics and Buscema artwork. It was first published in ...
'', with
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
, teaching book,
Marvel Fireside Books
''Marvel Fireside Books'' were a series of full-color trade paperbacks featuring Marvel Comics stories and characters co-published by Marvel and the Simon & Schuster division Fireside Books from 1974 to 1979. The first book, 1974's ''Origins of Mar ...
, 1978,
Notes
References
Further reading
* ''Comic Book Artist'' #21 (Aug. 2002): "Remembering John Buscema: A CBA Tribute", pp. 3B-39B
* ''Big John Buscema'', Palma de Mallorca: Ajuntament de Palma, 2009.
External links
*
* , Samcci.comics.org: Silver Age Cover Gallery, Retrieved on 2008-11-26; original site unresponsive 2008-12-02; from the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
*
*
John Buscema at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...