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Rich Buckler Has Died

Rich Buckler has passed away at the age of 68. He was a solid artist who did some good work despite the controversy surrounding him. He created Deathlok of course, but I'd say his biggest contribution to comics was giving George Perez his start in the business as his assistant.

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  • bralinatorbralinator Posts: 5,967
    edited May 2017
    Rich Buckler
    1949-2017
    Creator of Deathlok and many great stories...

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  • Mark_EngblomMark_Engblom Posts: 343
    What was the "controversy" surrounding him? Seemed like a pro's pro to me.
  • nweathingtonnweathington Posts: 6,748

    What was the "controversy" surrounding him? Seemed like a pro's pro to me.

    It depends on how you feel about swiping. Lots of artists have done it, but he was pretty blatant about it.
  • CaptShazamCaptShazam Posts: 1,178
    To clarify:

    In 1983,The Comics Journal accused Buckler of plagiarism, saying that he had a reputation as a "swipe" artist who copied poses and layouts from previous artists' work.[17][18] Buckler sued the magazine for libel,[19] but later dropped the suit.[20]

    Info taken from Wikipedia. The sources referenced are Comics Journal #83, 86, 88, and 93.
  • Mark_EngblomMark_Engblom Posts: 343
    As someone who's been a professional illustrator & designer for 30 years, I'm here to tell you EVERY SINGLE ARTIST SWIPES! Those who say they don't are lying. Comic book artists are much more vulnerable to being "caught" (for lack of a better term) than other types of artists because their work can so readily be compared to earlier work by a very...well, let's be polite and say "fastidious" fan base. It's sad how many comic book fans love to play the "GOTCHA" game with a phenomenon no visual artist hasn't done to some degree, whether consciously or unconsciously.

    Rick Buckler was a professional's professional, no matter what the "GOTCHA!" class thinks of him.
  • nweathingtonnweathington Posts: 6,748
    edited May 2017
    To further clarify, now that I'm actually at my computer rather than my phone, here’s what George Pérez told me:

    “When I was working with Rich, I didn’t get to do all that much beyond look for Jack Kirby reference for his Fantastic Four and Thor work.”

    When I asked him why he left his position with Rich, he said, “Well, a lot of it was Rich’s desire to use a lot of swipes. I didn’t feel I was growing there, and my wife was not happy about it, and there was an unfortunate blow-up where Rich said something along the lines of the heck with my wife, or something more inflammatory than that, which I might be blowing out of proportion just by memory now.”

    [Edit: I should also say that George did credit Rich for teaching him some things about storytelling (mainly through explaining things about Kirby’s storytelling) and perspective.]

    And, yeah, pretty much every artist has swiped at some point or other. Some do it a lot more than others. Usually it involves using a photograph of something that they're not good at drawing, or to get reference for the lighting of a figure, or it’s something of a technical nature from real life—a car, a gun, etc. But Buckler was swiping character figures from other comic artists—namely Kirby—and doing it so regularly and so accurate to the reference that other artists noticed. Look back at those FF and Thor comics, and it often looks like Kirby drew them instead of Buckler—though I’m sure having Joe Sinnott as the inker added to that. Regardless, a lot of artists felt that he crossed the line between using reference to better his drawing, and stealing from another artist. It stained his reputation a bit.

    Once Buckler started on “Deathlok”, I think he finally began developing his own style, and began using the swipes more as reference rather than a direct guide. And like I said, I think when all was said and done he was a solid artist. Plus, he was a fan of Salvador Dali, and was doing his own surrealist paintings the past few years, so he can’t be all bad.
  • bralinatorbralinator Posts: 5,967

    To clarify:

    In 1983,The Comics Journal accused Buckler of plagiarism, saying that he had a reputation as a "swipe" artist who copied poses and layouts from previous artists' work.[17][18] Buckler sued the magazine for libel,[19] but later dropped the suit.[20]

    Info taken from Wikipedia. The sources referenced are Comics Journal #83, 86, 88, and 93.

    It's too bad we can't let him Rest In Peace today instead of debating the merits of a reported controversy that's almost 35 years old.
  • Mark_EngblomMark_Engblom Posts: 343


    It's too bad we can't let him Rest In Peace today instead of debating the merits of a reported controversy that's almost 35 years old.

    Exactly...but comic book fans seem to take a special pride in cataloging and reciting all the dirty laundry, perceived slights, and petty office politics of decades past. So many experts among us.
  • Mr_CosmicMr_Cosmic Posts: 3,200
    Well, I was interested in the controversy as well. Unfortunately I knew little of Rich Buckler other than he was a comic artist. As is often the case I seem to learn more about people after they have passed.
  • nweathingtonnweathington Posts: 6,748
    One of Buckler’s paintings, a tribute to Dali, in case anyone else is interested in that aspect of his career. As a fan of Dali myself, I find it pretty fascinating, given that his comic book work tended more to the photorealistic end of the spectrum for most of his career. And there is a mix of realism and surrealism in this one. I'm not sure if it works entirely, but it’s interesting.

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  • nweathingtonnweathington Posts: 6,748
    And here’s a self-portrait.

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  • nweathingtonnweathington Posts: 6,748
    An interesting sidenote on the creation of Deathlok. When Buckler pitched the series, Marvel was trying to get the license for The Six Million Dollar Man, and if they had gotten that license, they would not have done “Deathlok” because they thought the concepts would be seen as being too similar. Luckily Charlton won the bid on the license, so Marvel went ahead with “Deathlok”.
  • CaptShazamCaptShazam Posts: 1,178
    edited May 2017

    What was the "controversy" surrounding him? Seemed like a pro's pro to me.


    It's too bad we can't let him Rest In Peace today instead of debating the merits of a reported controversy that's almost 35 years old.

    Exactly...but comic book fans seem to take a special pride in cataloging and reciting all the dirty laundry, perceived slights, and petty office politics of decades past. So many experts among us.
    You asked the question and you complain about us talking about it?
  • alienalalienal Posts: 508
    Yes, I'll miss his work. I loved his Avengers when he took over sometimes for the Buscemas and Neal Adams.
  • ChrisBeckettChrisBeckett Posts: 535

    What was the "controversy" surrounding him? Seemed like a pro's pro to me.


    It's too bad we can't let him Rest In Peace today instead of debating the merits of a reported controversy that's almost 35 years old.

    Exactly...but comic book fans seem to take a special pride in cataloging and reciting all the dirty laundry, perceived slights, and petty office politics of decades past. So many experts among us.
    You asked the question and you complain about us talking about it?
    Not counter-attacking here, but I didn't read Mark's response as a rebuke of any conversation here. I saw it more as a general commentary on fans denigrating comic artists -- and specifically their approach to hitting deadlines and/or getting the work done by utilizing swipes from other artists -- without ever having been "in their shoes."

    For what it's worth.

    -chris
  • Mark_EngblomMark_Engblom Posts: 343
    edited May 2017

    I saw it more as a general commentary on fans denigrating comic artists -- and specifically their approach to hitting deadlines and/or getting the work done by utilizing swipes from other artists -- without ever having been "in their shoes."

    For what it's worth.

    -chris

    You're exactly right. There's a difference between me simply asking for clarification of the original post's comment that Buckler had "controversy surrounding him" (which could be anything, really), and engaging in the tired old hearsay, gossip, and half-informed anecdotes so many comic fans eagerly repeat and circulate. As far as "complaining" about people talking about it, I was agreeing with branilator's post that it was a shame to be conjuring up 35 year old "controversies" instead of just letting a guy rest in peace.

    But whatever. Think what you want to think, CaptShazam.
  • phansfordphansford Posts: 221
    When Rich Buckler came out doing the FF my buddies and I were excited to see his work. We liked the "Kirbyeque" nature of his work. The wholesale swiping thing was lost on us. We were 14 - 15 years old. And to be clear... there were no "comic art" colleges back in the day. Most artist studied the "star" artists to see how they did things. Granted there is a difference between swiping and studying the work of others to learn how to tell a story graphically.

    Regardless - I always liked Mr. Buckler's work.


    And, yeah, pretty much every artist has swiped at some point or other. Some do it a lot more than others. Usually it involves using a photograph of something that they're not good at drawing, or to get reference for the lighting of a figure, or it’s something of a technical nature from real life—a car, a gun, etc.

    To be clear - this is not swiping. This is using reference material. Milton Caniff had an extensive reference file and even brought models into his studio.

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    The file cabinets are filled with photos and sketches.

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  • matchkitJOHNmatchkitJOHN Posts: 1,030
    I was honored to meet him three years ago at a con in Michigan. His run with the Fantastic Four is what helped get me hooked on comics. RIP Rich.
  • mwhitt80mwhitt80 Posts: 4,637
    phansford said:

    When Rich Buckler came out doing the FF my buddies and I were excited to see his work. We liked the "Kirbyeque" nature of his work. The wholesale swiping thing was lost on us. We were 14 - 15 years old. And to be clear... there were no "comic art" colleges back in the day. Most artist studied the "star" artists to see how they did things. Granted there is a difference between swiping and studying the work of others to learn how to tell a story graphically.

    Regardless - I always liked Mr. Buckler's work.


    And, yeah, pretty much every artist has swiped at some point or other. Some do it a lot more than others. Usually it involves using a photograph of something that they're not good at drawing, or to get reference for the lighting of a figure, or it’s something of a technical nature from real life—a car, a gun, etc.


    The file cabinets are filled with photos and sketches.

    image

    So I had to blow up that picture because I thought Caniff was Hefnering it up with a bare-chested silk PJs. Nope it's an under shirt. I'm both happy and disappointed with my momentary mistake.

    $80k a year was 'working bare-chested in silk PJs while a lounging model is just hanging around' money.
  • nweathingtonnweathington Posts: 6,748
    edited May 2017
    If you have a photo off to the side of your drawing board to look at while you draw, it's reference. When you put a photo you cut out of a magazine on your Art-o-Graph projector or light box and trace it off, then ink it, that reference becomes swipe. Al Williamson took a lot of photos of himself and friends to use as reference, but he also swiped heavily. But he would trace the photos fairly loosely so that when he inked he could integrate the swipes into the rest of the art more organically. Wally Wood did the same thing, particularly in the latter part of his career.
  • nweathingtonnweathington Posts: 6,748

    I was honored to meet him three years ago at a con in Michigan. His run with the Fantastic Four is what helped get me hooked on comics. RIP Rich.

    Glad you got to meet him. I never had the pleasure. I don't think he did a lot of shows once he started on his cancer treatment. He did a cover for the MLJ Companion for us about a year ago, and that's the only interaction I ever had with him.
  • CaptShazamCaptShazam Posts: 1,178
    edited May 2017
    I think what I remember the most about Buckler's art is the first few issues of All Star Squadron. A great book.

    I wish DC would collect it in trade besides the b&w showcase edition that came out a few years ago.
  • nweathingtonnweathington Posts: 6,748
    mwhitt80 said:

    $80k a year was 'working bare-chested in silk PJs while a lounging model is just hanging around' money.

    Why do you think most of the comic book artists of that generation really wanted to be comic strip artists? ;)
  • nweathingtonnweathington Posts: 6,748

    I think what I remember the most about Buckler's art is the first few issues of All Star Squadron. A great book.

    I wish DC would collect it in trade besides the b&w showcase edition that came out a few years ago.

    I’ve read in multiple interviews with Buckler that he loved working with Roy Thomas. It was Roy who gave him the go-ahead on “Deathlok”, but I think it went beyond that.

    Yeah, I'm kind of surprised they haven’t collected that in color yet. But then, I think the JSA-related material has been pretty low on their priority list for many years now.
  • CaptShazamCaptShazam Posts: 1,178

    I think what I remember the most about Buckler's art is the first few issues of All Star Squadron. A great book.

    I wish DC would collect it in trade besides the b&w showcase edition that came out a few years ago.

    I’ve read in multiple interviews with Buckler that he loved working with Roy Thomas. It was Roy who gave him the go-ahead on “Deathlok”, but I think it went beyond that.

    Yeah, I'm kind of surprised they haven’t collected that in color yet. But then, I think the JSA-related material has been pretty low on their priority list for many years now.
    They did collect the America vs the JSA mini series last year. It was kind of out of the blue. The post crisis The Last Days of the JSA will be in my next DCS box.
  • CaptShazamCaptShazam Posts: 1,178
    Looking at Buckler's bibliography, there is a lot of his art I have never seen. Besides FF and World's Finest, he did not seem to have any long runs on anything (the info I am looking at may be incomplete though). He did seem like the go to guy for a while if you needed one or two issues.
  • nweathingtonnweathington Posts: 6,748
    edited May 2017

    Looking at Buckler's bibliography, there is a lot of his art I have never seen. Besides FF and World's Finest, he did not seem to have any long runs on anything (the info I am looking at may be incomplete though). He did seem like the go to guy for a while if you needed one or two issues.

    He was pretty fast, and was often brought in to do a fill-in when somebody fell behind schedule on a book. The only reason he fell behind on the artwork on “Deathlok”, a bimonthly, was because he was also drawing FF—which was his top priority—and lots of covers, plus plotting and doing some of the editing on “Deathlok”.
  • nweathingtonnweathington Posts: 6,748
    phansford said:

    And to be clear... there were no "comic art" colleges back in the day. Most artist studied the "star" artists to see how they did things.

    That’s true, but there was the Art Students League, and tons of comic book and comic strip artists studied there (or at least went to live model sessions held there at night) to improve their skills, since the majority of them lived in New York City. And a lot of comic artists came out of the High School of Art & Design and the Cartoonists and Illustrators School (later renamed School for the Visual Arts), where they received vastly better training than the average high school student.
  • mwhitt80mwhitt80 Posts: 4,637
    @phansford welcome back man. You've been missed.
  • kiwijasekiwijase Posts: 451

    If you have a photo off to the side of your drawing board to look at while you draw, it's reference. When you put a photo you cut out of a magazine on your Art-o-Graph projector or light box and trace it off, then ink it, that reference becomes swipe. Al Williamson took a lot of photos of himself and friends to use as reference, but he also swiped heavily. But he would trace the photos fairly loosely so that when he inked he could integrate the swipes into the rest of the art more organically. Wally Wood did the same thing, particularly in the latter part of his career.

    image

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