John Buscema

John Buscema
Buscema in a 1975 Marvel publicity photo
BornGiovanni Natale Buscema
(1927-12-11)December 11, 1927
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 10, 2002(2002-01-10) (aged 74)
Port Jefferson, New York, U.S.
Area(s)Penciller, Inker
Notable works
The Avengers
Conan the Barbarian
Fantastic Four
Silver Surfer
Tarzan
Thor
AwardsAlley Award, 1968, 1969
Shazam Award, 1974
Eagle Award, 1977
Inkpot Award, 1978
Eisner Award Hall of Fame, 2002

John Buscema (/bjuːˈsɛmə/ bew-SEM-ə;[1] born Giovanni Natale Buscema, Italian: [dʒoˈvanni naˈtaːle buʃˈʃɛːma]; December 11, 1927 – January 10, 2002)[2] was an American comic book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop-culture conglomerate. 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 hero Conan the Barbarian. In addition, he pencilled 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.

He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2002.[3] In October 2024, Buscema was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame.[4]

Biography

[edit]

Early life and career

[edit]
Timely Comics' Man Comics #1 (Dec. 1949), one of Buscema's earliest recorded comic-book covers

Born in Brooklyn, New York City, from Sicilian parents who emigrated from Pozzallo, Ragusa,[5] John Buscema showed an interest in drawing at an early age, copying comic strips such as Popeye.[6] In his teens, he developed an interest in both superhero comic books and such adventure comic strips as Hal Foster's Tarzan and Prince Valiant, Burne Hogarth's Tarzan, Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon, and Milton Caniff's Terry and the Pirates.[7] He showed an interest in commercial illustration of the period, by such artists as N. C. Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, Dean Cornwell, Coby Whitmore, Albert Dorne, and Robert Fawcett.[8]

Buscema graduated from Manhattan's High School of Music and Art. He took night lessons at Pratt Institute as well as life drawing classes at the Brooklyn Museum.[9] While training as a boxer, he began painting portraits of boxers and sold some cartoons to The Hobo News.[6] Seeking work as a commercial illustrator while doing various odd jobs, Buscema found himself instead entering the comic book field in 1948,[10] landing a staff job under editor-in-chief and art director Stan Lee at Timely Comics,[11] the forerunner of Marvel Comics. The Timely "bullpen", as the staff was called, included such fellow staffers as established veterans Syd Shores, Carl Burgos, Mike Sekowsky, George Klein, and Marty Nodell. Fellow newcomer Gene Colan, hired roughly two months earlier,[12] recalled that "... John never seemed very happy in comics ... there always seemed to be something else he really wanted to do."[13]

His first recorded credit is penciling the four-page story "Till Crime Do You Part" in Timely's Lawbreakers Always Lose #3 (Aug. 1948).[14] 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), Lorna the Jungle Queen, and Strange Tales.[14] 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 and inked in a variety of genres, including crime fiction and romance fiction.[12]

1950s

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Buscema married in 1953.[15] He continued to freelance for Timely, by now known as Atlas Comics, as well as for the publishers Ace Comics, Hillman Periodicals, Our Publications/Orbit-Wanted, Quality Comics, St. John Publications, and Ziff-Davis.[14]

Buscema's mid-1950s work includes Dell Comics' 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 work, with a character created by himself and Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel.[14]

Buscema next produced a series of Western, war, and sword and sandal film adaptations for Dell's Four Color 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."[16]

He drew at least one issue of the radio, film, and TV character the Cisco Kid for Dell in 1957,[14] as well as one- to eight-page biographies of every U.S. president through Dwight Eisenhower for that company's one-shot Life Stories of American Presidents.[17]

During a late 1950s downturn in the comics industry, Buscema drew occasional mystery, fantasy, and science-fiction stories for Atlas Comics' Tales to Astonish, Tales of Suspense, and Strange Worlds, and American Comics Group's Adventures into the Unknown, and Forbidden Worlds[14] before leaving comics to do freelance commercial art.[18] He began a freelance position for the New York City advertising firm the Chaite Agency, which employed such commercial artists as Bob Peak and Frank McCarthy.[18]

1960s

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The Avengers #41 (June 1967), Buscema's first issue of a signature series. Cover art by Buscema and inker George Roussos.

Buscema spent approximately eight years in the commercial-art field, freelancing for the Chaite Agency[Note 1] and the studio Triad, doing a variety of assignments: layouts, storyboards, 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".[19]

He returned to comic books in 1966 as a regular freelance penciller for Marvel Comics, debuting over Jack Kirby layouts on the "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." story in Strange Tales #150 (Nov. 1966), followed by three "Hulk" stories in Tales to Astonish #85–87 (Nov. 1966 – Jan. 1967).[14] 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 [issues] of that period", said comics historian and one-time Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas, who wrote those issues.[20] Thomas and Buscema introduced new versions of the Black Knight[21] and the Vision[22] during their collaboration on The Avengers.

In order to adapt to the Marvel Comics style of superhero adventure, Buscema "synthesized the essence of [Jack] Kirby'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".[23]

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 and sometime inker-cartoonist John Verpoorten. John Buscema named Frank Giacoia, Sal Buscema, and Tom Palmer as his favorite inkers.[24]

The Silver Surfer #4 (July 1969). Cover art by Buscema and inker Sal Buscema. One of Buscema's most famous covers.[25]

Among Buscema's works during this period fans and historians call the Silver Age of comic books 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 #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).[26]

In August 1968, Buscema and Stan Lee launched a new title, The Silver Surfer.[27] 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,[28] 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.[29] 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".[30] Characters Buscema co-created in The Silver Surfer include the long-running arch-demon Mephisto in issue #3 (Dec. 1968).[31]

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 and Tower of Shadows, 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.[14]

1970s

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The creative team of Roy Thomas and John Buscema introduced new characters such as Arkon in The Avengers #75 (April 1970),[32] Red Wolf in #80 (Sept. 1970),[33] and the Squadron Supreme in #85 (Feb. 1971).[34] 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[Note 2] (#182–259).[14] He additionally launched the feature "Black Widow" in Amazing Adventures vol. 2, #1 (Aug. 1970).[35]

Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee, who collaborated with Buscema on many stories up to this time, wrote,

One thing I loved about Big John is the fact that I didn't have to spend time writing synopses for him. ... He'd always growl over the phone, 'Don't bother sending me any outlines, Stan. I hate to waste time reading them. Just tell what you've got in mind over the phone. I'll remember it.' So I'd tell him the story I wanted, and I have a hunch he didn't even write any notes while I spoke — because I spoke too fast — but it didn't matter. He remembered every last detail and the stories always came out perfect — at least as far as I was concerned.[36]

Buscema began penciling Conan the Barbarian 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,[14] 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 upon its premiere in 1978,[37] and even contributed some storyboard illustrations for the 1982 Conan movie,[38] as well as painting four covers for the Conan magazines. In 2010, Comics Bulletin ranked Buscema's work on Conan the Barbarian seventh on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels".[39]

For about ten years, he would produce an average three to four books' worth of pencils a month, such as Nova (1976)[40] and Ms. Marvel (1977). In addition to his regular assignments he would pencil covers and fill-in issues of titles including Captain America, Captain Britain (Marvel UK), Daredevil, The Frankenstein Monster, Howard the Duck, Master of Kung Fu, Red Sonja and Warlock. He also drew a story for the science-fiction anthology Worlds Unknown.[14]

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" 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 (Crazy, Pizzaz).[14]

Buscema left the Thor title for a time to launch the Marvel version of the Edgar Rice Burroughs character Tarzan in 1977.[41] Other licensed projects include a 72-page The Wizard of Oz movie adaptation in an oversized "Treasury Edition" format with DeZuniga inking.[14][42][43] For Power Records, which produced children's book-and-record sets, Buscema drew Star Trek and Conan the Barbarian comics.[44] 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 (1977).[14]

In 1978, small-press publisher Sal Quartuccio released The Art of John Buscema,[45] 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).[14] Pacific Comics released an accompanying portfolio of six signed, colored plates from the story.[46]

Teaching

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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)[47] 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.[48] Buscema then collaborated with Lee on the book How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way (Marvel Fireside Books, 1978), a primer on comic book art and storytelling based on the comic art classes Buscema had given a few years prior,[48] and has remained in print for over 25 years,[49] in its 33rd printing as of 2007.

1980s

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After drawing the first issue of The Savage She-Hulk (Feb. 1980),[50] 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.[14]

He continued to tackle other high-profile projects such as a Silver Surfer story for Epic Illustrated #1 (Spring 1980), a King Arthur 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 team-up (1981),[51][52] and an adaptation of the 1981 movie Raiders of the Lost Ark.[14]

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 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 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.[14]

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 (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.[14]

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.[53] That year he and inker Klaus Janson drew a Wolverine 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.[14] 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."[54]

Later career

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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 Buscema plotted, pencilled, inked, and colored over a period of five years in his spare time appeared that same year.[55][56] He both penciled and inked the graphic novel Wolverine: Bloody Choices (Nov. 1993).[14]

Buscema returned to crime fiction with The Punisher War Zone #23–30 (Jan.–Aug. 1994, self-inking #26–29), that title's 1993 summer annual, 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 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).[14]

Buscema worked with DC Comics 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.[14]

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,[14] though he died after finishing the first issue.[57][58]

An 11 x 17-inch lithograph print of the late 1960s/early 1970s Avengers, penciled by Buscema and painted in watercolor by Alex Ross for the publisher Dynamic Forces, was Buscema's last professional work.[59]

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,

This guy used to eat, sleep and breathe drawing. It didn't matter what was going on around him. He would get bored with it and start sketching. ... He just couldn't stop drawing. [His back-of-board sketches were] better than some of the stuff that he did on the front. ... He'd get a spark of inspiration and turn the page over and draw whatever was in his skull.[60]

Personal life

[edit]

Buscema, who lived in Port Jefferson, New York,[2] on Long Island, at the time of his death, was married to Dolores Buscema, with whom he had a son, John Jr., and a daughter, Dianne.[57] His granddaughter Stephanie Buscema is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist, who started out as an inker for her grandfather.[61]

Death and legacy

[edit]

Buscema was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and died on January 10, 2002, at the age of 74.[57][58] He was buried with an artist's pen in his hand.[59]

On October 11, 2024, the Harvey Awards announced[62] that Buscema was one of five comics creators to be inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame at the 36th annual Harvey Awards ceremony on October 18 at the New York Comic Con.[4][63] The other four inductees were Akira Toriyama, Larry Hama, Sergio Aragonés, and Arthur Adams. Upon learning of the accolade, Buscema’s daughter, Dianne Buscema Gerogianis, stated, "We are honored on behalf of my father and wish to thank all who have selected him for the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame. Thank you for keeping his legacy alive."[64]

Awards and accolades

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Bibliography

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DC Comics

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Dell Comics

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Marvel Comics

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Simon & Schuster

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  • How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, with Stan Lee, teaching book, Marvel Fireside Books, 1978, ISBN 978-0671530778

Notes

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  1. ^ This advertising agency, not to be confused with New York City's similarly named Lawrence G. Chait Agency or Chiat \ Day, was responsible for, among other things, the one-sheet for the James Bond movie Thunderball, per "Exhibitions & Events: 'Poster Galore'". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010.
  2. ^ Also called The Mighty Thor per "Thor (I) • The Mighty Thor (I) (1966–1996)". Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators. Series is named Thor in the indicia [copyright] information, but most covers have the title [trademark] The Mighty Thor.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way part=1. Event occurs at 1:34 – via YouTube.[dead YouTube link]
  2. ^ a b Social Security Death Index for Buscema, John N., Social Security Number 108-20-9641.
  3. ^ "2002 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on April 20, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c Gustines, George Gene (October 11, 2024). "Harvey Awards Inducts 5 Comic Creators to Hall of Fame". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 12, 2024. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  5. ^ Crepaldi, Silvia (March 2017). "Tina Colombo racconta suo zio John Buscema, disegnatore per la Marvel / Tina Colombo talks about her uncle, Marvel illustrator John Buscema". Freetime (in Italian). p. 97. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-07. Mio nonno Giovanni ... sposò mia nonna Concetta, pozzallese e si trasferì a Pozzallo dove faceva il barbiere. Emigrò in America come tanti, ma partì solo ... / My grandfather Giovanni ... married my grandmother Concetta and moved to Pozzallo where he was a barber. He emigrated to America like so many others ...
  6. ^ a b Quartuccio, Sal; Keenan, Bob (1978). The Art of John Buscema. New York, New York: Sal Q Productions. p. Preface.
  7. ^ Spurlock, David J.; Buscema, John (2001). John Buscema Sketchbook. Lebanon, New Jersey: Vanguard Productions. pp. 60–61. ISBN 1-887591-18-4.
  8. ^ Spurlock, p. 27
  9. ^ Irving, Christoper (August 2002). "The Life of Legendary 'Big' John Buscema". Comic Book Artist (21). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 5–B.
  10. ^ "John Buscema". Lambiek Comiclopedia. December 28, 2007. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014.
  11. ^ Sanderson, Peter (2008). "1940s". In Gilbert, Laura (ed.). Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. London, UK: Dorling Kindersley. p. 39. ISBN 978-0756641238. After answering a newspaper ad, John Buscema was hired by editor Stan Lee to be a staff artist.
  12. ^ a b Steranko, Jim, in Spurlock, p. 5
  13. ^ Field, Tom (2005). Secrets in the Shadows: The Art & Life of Gene Colan. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 92. ISBN 978-1893905450.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x John Buscema at the Grand Comics Database Buscema/sort/chrono/ Archived from the original December 5, 2011.
  15. ^ Quartuccio, Preface
  16. ^ Peel, John (September–October 1984). "John Buscema". Comics Feature (31).
  17. ^ Life Stories of American Presidents #1 (Nov. 1957) at the Grand Comics Database
  18. ^ a b Steranko, p. 6
  19. ^ Spurlock, p. 35
  20. ^ Thomas, Roy (June 2002). "'Big John' & 'Roy the Boy'". Alter Ego. 3 (15). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 5 (Conan cover side of flip-book magazine).
  21. ^ DeFalco, Tom "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 128
  22. ^ DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 132: "The new Vision, drawn by John Buscema, was a synthezoid – an android with synthetic human organs – who could control his density and discharge blasts of solar energy."
  23. ^ Steranko, in Spurlock, pp. 6–7
  24. ^ Cooke, Jon B. (January 1998). "John Buscema Interview". The Jack Kirby Collector (18). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
  25. ^ Thomas, Roy (June 2002). "Drawing Was His Life!". Alter Ego. 3 (15): 31 (Buscema self-portrait cover side of flip-book magazine).
  26. ^ Manning, Matthew K. (2012). "1960s". In Gilbert, Laura (ed.). Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. London, UK: Dorling Kindersley. p. 49. ISBN 978-0756692360. In this tale written by [Stan] Lee and drawn by the team of John Buscema and Jim Mooney, window washer Hobie Brown became fed up with his dead-end job and used his inventive mind to craft the identity and weapons of the Prowler.
  27. ^ DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 131: "When Stan Lee was told to expand the Marvel line, he immediately gave the Surfer his own title ... Since Jack Kirby had more than enough assignments, Lee assigned John Buscema the task of illustrating the new book."
  28. ^ Lee, Stan (1975). Son of Origins of Marvel Comics. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster/Fireside Books. p. #?. ISBN 978-0671221669.
  29. ^ Daniels, Les (1991). Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics. New York, New York: Harry N. Abrams. p. 139. ISBN 9780810938212.
  30. ^ DeFalco, Tom (August 2002). "Memories of Brother John". Comic Book Artist (21). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 34-B (caption).
  31. ^ DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 133: "Created by editor Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, Mephisto hated the Surfer the moment he became aware of him."
  32. ^ Sanderson, Peter "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 145
  33. ^ Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 146: "Red Wolf was Marvel's first Native American super hero."
  34. ^ Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 148
  35. ^ Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 146: Amazing Adventures contained a series about the genetically enhanced Inhumans and a series about intelligence agent the Black Widow ... writer Gary Friedrich and artist John Buscema teamed up for the adventures of the Black Widow, the former Russian spy turned American superhero."
  36. ^ Irving, p. 6B
  37. ^ Thomas, "'Big John'", p. 14
  38. ^ Thomas, "'Big John'", p. 15
  39. ^ Sacks, Jason (September 6, 2010). "Top 10 1970s Marvels". Comics Bulletin. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  40. ^ Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 176: "Seeking to create a new teenage Marvel super hero in the tradition of Spider-Man, writer Marv Wolfman and artist John Buscema presented Richard Rider, alias Nova."
  41. ^ Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 179: "Writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema created Marvel's new Tarzan series, based on author Edgar Rice Burroughs' character."
  42. ^ Abramowitz, Jack (December 2012). "The Secrets of Oz Revealed". Back Issue! (61). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 29–32.
  43. ^ McAvennie, Michael (2010). "1970s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.). DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, UK: Dorling Kindersley. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. The Yellow Brick Road from Munchkin Land to the Emerald City was also wide enough to accommodate DC and Marvel as they produced their first-ever joint publication ... Roy Thomas scripted a faithful, seventy-two page adaptation of Dorothy Gale's adventure, while John Buscema's artwork depicted the landscape of Oz in lavish detail.
  44. ^ Bails, Jerry; Ware, Hames. "Buscema, John". Who's Who in American Comic Books 1929–1999. BailsProjects.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011.
  45. ^ "Quartuccio, Sal". East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University Libraries, Special Collections Division, Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection: "Qualities" to "Quartz". Archived from the original on August 13, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  46. ^ Maillot, Michael. "The John Buscema Checklist". Mike.Jersey.free.fr (fan site). Archived from the original on July 20, 2011.
  47. ^ "Cables of Champions", Champions #10 (Marvel Comics, Jan. 1977).
  48. ^ a b Boatz, Darrel L. (November 1988). "John Buscema". Comics Interview. No. 62. Fictioneer Books. p. 25.
  49. ^ Spurlock, pp. 19–20
  50. ^ DeFalco "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 197: "With the help of artist John Buscema, [Stan] Lee created Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner."
  51. ^ Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 194: "In an oversized treasury edition carrying a hefty $2.50 price tag, the Man of Steel paired for the second time with Marvel's iconic web-slinger ... The issue came together thanks to the script of writer Jim Shooter, a bit of plotting assistance by Marv Wolfman, the pencils of longtime Marvel luminary John Buscema, and a veritable fleet of inkers."
  52. ^ Greenberg, Glenn (December 2012). "Tabloid Team-Ups The Giant-Size DC-Marvel Crossovers". Back Issue! (61). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 33–40.
  53. ^ Lee, Stan; Buscema, John (1988). Silver Surfer: Judgement Day. Marvel Comics. p. 64. ISBN 978-0871354273.
  54. ^ Sienkiewicz, Bill; et al. (August 2002). "Remembering Buscema: Over 25 of the Master's Peers Reminisce about John and his Art". Comic Book Artist (21). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 22B.
  55. ^ Thomas, "'Big John'", pp. 16–17
  56. ^ Conan the Rogue at the Grand Comics Database
  57. ^ a b c Nash, Eric (January 28, 2002). "John Buscema, 74, Who Drew Classic Comic Book Characters". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012.
  58. ^ a b Gravett, Paul (April 16, 2002). "John Buscema Illustrator whose pen made superheroes masters of the universe". The Guardian. London, UK. Archived from the original on February 5, 2010.
  59. ^ a b David, Peter (2002). "Big Bad John". Comics Buyer's Guide. Reprinted in David, Peter (2009). More Digressions: A New Collection of "But I Digress" Columns. Des Moines, Iowa: Mad Norwegian Press.
  60. ^ Sal Buscema quoted in DeFalco, "Memories", p. 35-B
  61. ^ The Art of Stephanie Buscema (official site). WebCite archive.
  62. ^ "THE HARVEY AWARDS HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES INDUCTEES FOR 2024". First Comics News. October 11, 2024. Archived from the original on October 12, 2024. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  63. ^ Zalben, Alex (October 12, 2024). "Harvey Awards Announce Hall Of Fame Inductees: Larry Hama, John Buscema, More". Comic Book Club. Archived from the original on October 12, 2024. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  64. ^ MacDonald, Heidi (October 11, 2024). "NYCC '24: Five inducted into the 2024 Harvey Award Hall of Fame". Comics Beat. Archived from the original on October 12, 2024. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  65. ^ "1968 Alley Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013.
  66. ^ "1969 Alley Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013.
  67. ^ "1974 Academy of Comic Book Arts Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013.
  68. ^ "Eagle Awards Previous Winners 1977". Eagle Awards. 2013. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  69. ^ "Inkpot Award Winners". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012.
  70. ^ "1997 Haxtur Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013.
  71. ^ "Will Eisner Hall of Fame". The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. 2014. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014.
  72. ^ "2002 Haxtur Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013.

Further reading

[edit]
  • 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. ISBN 978-84-87159-38-1
[edit]

Audio/video

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Preceded by The Avengers artist
1967–1969 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Thor artist
1970–1977 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Fantastic Four artist
1971–1973 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Conan the Barbarian artist
1973–1987 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
n/a
 Savage Sword of Conan artist
1974–1984 		Succeeded by
Gary Kwapisz
Preceded by
Walt Simonson
 Thor artist
1978–1979 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Avengers artist
1985–1989 		Succeeded by
Rich Buckler
Preceded by Fantastic Four artist
1986–1987 		Succeeded by
Keith Pollard
Preceded by
Mike Docherty
 Savage Sword of Conan artist
1991–1993 		Succeeded by
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