Pretty much all of us first got to 'know' Superman in some manner from his many incarnations as envisioned in comic books, paintings, novels, games, movies, & TV shows. My very first introduction to the character was during the Eisenhower era, when I was just a little squirt waiting my turn in an Ohio barbershop, where dozens of coverless DC comics were strewn about.
The artist was Wayne Boring, whose distinctive style many times showed Superman running through the air, rather than flying. Another element that Mr. Boring showed a lot was the city of Metropolis shining in the background, using vertical ink lines, giving the fictional city a distinctive personality. The panel showing here was from a puzzle page in a '50s comic that I remember as one of the first images I ever saw of the guy.
No reason for posting this now, but when I look at this iconic drawing, I can vividly recall the smell of the barbershop with the Old Spice and other manly aromas. I loved being a kid.
Wayne Boring
Funny, but even in Scotland, we had Superman comics in barber shops. I remember the barber letting me take one home once - I can't remember the number offhand, but I did a blog post about it. You may even have commented.
ReplyDeleteWayne Boring also provided some assistance to Hal Foster on the PRINCE VALIANT comic strip, when Foster was in the hospital.
ReplyDeleteThat's an awesome image!
ReplyDeleteI too found after many years that I liked Wayne Boring's drawings of Superman. His Krypton is how I still picture it, no matter what the movies show.
ReplyDelete