In the Spotlight: Gil Kane

Gil Kane was probably one of the first comic book artists whose style I recognized as unique when I was a kid. He was such a huge figure in comics in my first years reading them, that it's hard to believe he's been gone for so long. Gil Kane died in Florida January 31st, 2000 at the age of 74.

His amazingly fluid, dynamic figure work stood out brilliantly from other artists of the 70s, when I began reading comics. Later, of course, I would easily distinguish Curt Swan as being different from, say, Ross Andru -- but Kane's style was so singular, so -- visionary -- that it's hard to imagine a comics reader of any age wouldn't be able to pick up on him pretty quickly.

Kane's work on Spider-Man and Daredevil for Marvel Comics was what first caught my attention. His depictions of these characters was perfect -- not a line was wasted. That was true of most of Kane's work.

Later I sought out his earlier work, the work I was born too late to buy off the racks. Green Lantern, The Atom, the extraordinary His Name Is Savage -- Kane always had it, it seemed -- that ability to illustrate the human form at a state of perfection. And then to cast those perfect superbeings into the chaos of violence.

Unlike many of the greatest artists of the artform, a company in which Kane certainly belongs, he was recognized as a master. I don't know if he received the financial reward his work deserved (probably not, I'd guess; few comics artists born before the mid-'60s ever got what they deserved from the companies that profited off them) -- but he received many accolades over the years, and one hopes he knew how much his work was loved.

A great example of that is the story Alan Moore wrote for him that was published as Judgment Day: Aftermath, originally published by Rob Liefeld's Awesome Comics and later reprinted in trade paperback form by Checker Books. Moore created a story that celebrated Kane's imagination and skill, and best of all we got to see the story drawn by Kane himself. If you haven't read this story, seek it out; it's a treat for the eyes and Moore's ending is touching.

It's ironic that Rob Liefeld's Awesome published that story, because I've often said I'd give my left arm if I could draw like Kane. I've also said I'd gladly give both arms to not be able to "draw" like Liefeld. It seems even the rightly-ridiculed, talentless Liefeld recognized what a great comics artist Kane was.

Kane's talent was best served when he inked himself, as he usually did in the latter part of his career. I still remember the crushing disappointment I felt after discovering Danny Bulanadi had been hired to embellish Kane on Marvel's Micronauts series. I never much cared for the stories in that comic, but the artwork was nothing short of amazing when the title was introduced with penciler Michael Golden. When Kane took over, I was thrilled at the news, but Bulanadi's heavy-handed inking was wholly inappropriate to the task at hand, and Kane reportedly preferred his own inking in most cases anyway.

Kane completed a two-part Atom/Green Lantern story for the DC anthology series Legends of the DC Universe, which was released soon after his passing. Kane's pencil work was inked by Klaus Janson, always one of Kane's better collaborators, and wrioter Steven Grant tailored the story to Kane's storytelling strengths. It was a fine story to go out on, and one worth looking for.

Another wonderful example of Kane's powerful, latter-day work is The Last Heroes, a hardcover collection of Kane's 1990s series (also with writer Steven Grant). You won't find a more visually powerful superhero story.

A lot of Kane's best work remains in print, but one thing I would like to see is a collection of his 1970s Marvel covers. Kane was Marvel's main cover illustrator for quite a stretch in the '70s. A hardcover collection of the best of those covers would look great on any collector's bookshelf, and if any penciled versions of those covers could be included for comparison, the book would truly be a valuable historical document of the artform.

Kane did some wonderful, Pre-Crisis Superman work, which I would love to see collected in a hardcover with perhaps some of the production sketches he did for the 1980s Superman cartoon.

There is a generally recognized elite of comics artists of the 20th Century: Kirby, Kurtzman, and Kane are now gone, but their work lives on. Make sure, as you explore the wonders of the comics artform, that you take the time to see why they are so well respected long after their passing. You won't regret it a bit.

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