Editor: Eric Nolen-Weathington and Roger Ash
ISBN: 1-893905-64-0
Publisher: TwoMorrows
TwoMorrows has declared Walter Simonson to be a Modern Master of art and storycraft. You'll get no argument from me. The Modern Masters series continues with its usual exceptional level of quality and thoroughness.
The chapters of the square-bound trade paperback encompass an in depth interview with Simonson that covers everything from his early life to a few snatches of conversation involving his current project Hawkgirl--or is it Hawkman now, I really haven't been paying attention to the title.
Simonson comes off in the interviews as a genial, experienced talent. He reveals information about his stint on Star Wars, Starslammers, Thor, X-Factor--an extremely confusing passage for anybody who hasn't attended a semester of Advanced X-Men--Orion and that which supplied my personal interest The Metal Men and Manhunter, the backup strip in Detective Comics not the Kate Spencer series. He also gives insight into his more obscure works such as Hercules Unbound, Robocop and Wonder Woman. I particularly enjoyed his talking about Trevor Barnes, a character in Wonder Woman I hated with a passion.
Simonson is something of a jack-of-all trades, and Modern Masters covers each of this trades: art, writing, scripting, adapting and lettering. In the interview, you will learn how office politics create well-documented confusion and convolution. You will also see how the climate to DC and Marvel comics changed over the years. This is particularly evident in the anecdote of how Hercules Unbound reached its last two issues.
A gamut of artwork, depicting breakdowns, pencils and full illustration, accompanies the interview. The collection represents an evenhanded look at his style: which combines Kirbyesque dynamism and Terry Austin's precision. I'll be true to myself and choose the Dr. Fate and Supergirl illustrations as being my favorites out of the book.
It's so very easy to recommend this latest volume of Modern Masters for fans and neophytes alike. The subject deserves to be recognized, and the walk through his life as a creator entertains, informs and offers lessons for the reader.
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