Comments on: 365 Reasons to Love Comics #234

By: clem robins

clem robins — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:52:47 +0000

Gaspar did not do the sound effects on the Batman TV show. there is a rumor that Joe Letterese did, but I don't believe this; it doesn't match Joe's sfx style. my guess is that it was done by 20th Century Fox's in house art department.

and please add my name to the pantheon of letterers who consider Gaspar the best of all time.

By: chroom

chroom — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:30:21 +0000

Laura Martin, nee DePuy. John Cassaday wouldn't be the great big popular artist drawing guy he is without her.

By: Comics Should Be Good! » 365 Reasons to Love Comics Archive

Comics Should Be Good! » 365 Reasons to Love Comics Archive — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 03:52:20 +0000

[...] 234. Gaspar Saladino [...]

By: Lucion

Lucion — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 23:10:18 +0000

I second the Laura Allred nomination. I don't know too many colorists, but her colors of Mike's story in FF 543 made me take notice. I loved the way the mole men were colored and for that she gets my vote.

By: Ian Astheimer

Ian Astheimer — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 21:54:27 +0000

Christina Strain!

By: Rob Allen

Rob Allen — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 19:46:29 +0000

Gaspar did not letter those Henry Boltinoff filler strips. That credit was in the GCD for several years based on Tom Orzechowski's ID of Gaspar's style, but people kept questioning it, and eventually someone asked Gaspar and he said he didn't letter them. Since Boltinoff's signature in those strips looks very similar to the lettering, it seems that Boltinoff just had a very Gaspar-like lettering style.

By: Apodaca

Apodaca — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 18:57:18 +0000

I think Laura Allred deserves to be listed under the best colorists. Jamie Grant is also pretty awesome.

By: Rodrigo Baeza

Rodrigo Baeza — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:07:39 +0000

Oh, one thing I forgot to comment: The Grand Comics Database (http://www.comics.org) is welcome to any input you might have about lettering (and other credits).

The GCD currently records several of those "page one" credits by Gaspar on those 1970's Marvel comics, but we're probably still missing a few.

(Several of those 1970's comics also have another uncredited letterer: Irving Watanabe, who could sometimes be found doing uncredited work on the last pages of many Marvel comics. I assume he was used when a book was running late. Watanabe used to work for the Johnstone-Cushing agency before that, you can find his work on some 1960's comic-book ads, and also in the "Ben Casey" daily strip that Neal Adams did.)

By: Rodrigo Baeza

Rodrigo Baeza — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 14:58:54 +0000

Thanks for the post, I've recently been seeing a lot of Saladino's work in DC's Showcase reprints, enjoying what he did there. One piece of trivia: Saladino did some work for Marvel using a pseudonymn, "L.P. Gregory".

By: avengers63

avengers63 — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 14:09:00 +0000

If you want input for colorists, look at Barry Windsor-Smith. Actually, you can lool at him for every job involved in the art-side of a comic. While his writing is only interesting for so long, his art is amazing. Consider the fact that he does the writing, penciling, inking, coloring (painted with water colors, usually), and lettering, you can't NOT give him a ton of credit. At this point, I don't think I'd want anyone to color BWS art but BWS himslef. His use of color is more like fine art than traditional comics coloring. Who was the dude that did the Avengers in the Buisek/Peres run. Was it Tom Smith? He'd get a vote from me as well. For inkers, you have Terry Austin, Klaus Janson. They're the only two I can name immediately. I usually love it when the penciler inks his own stuff. I think we get a better repsentatoin of the artist's vision that way.

By: Bully

Bully — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 13:35:36 +0000

A great choice, especially since it's one I wouldn't have thought of off the top of my head. Bravo Gaspar! Which makes me think: your continuing feature is a thing of beauty because it serves double-duty: it reconfirms stuff I love in an enthusiastic and articulate way, and it brings to the spotlight characters, books and creators that I might not have in my "top pantheon" but which I'm interested to learn more about. Even if I don't agree with a choice I'm a sucker for people articulating why they do like something in an intelligent and energetic way. Well done. Best "Page a Day" calendar on the web!

By: Todd Klein

Todd Klein — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:09:25 +0000

Nice article. One correction: Gaspar started lettering in 1951, not 1940. I'm sure he'd say, "Fifty years was long enough!" He was a mainstay on Julie Schwartz books such as Strange Adventures and Mystery in Space, then Justice League of America, The Flash, and many more. When I started in 1977 he was doing most of the war stories as well as plenty of super-hero and mystery stories. Thanks for the link to that interview, too, I hadn't seen it.

By: J to the AAP

J to the AAP — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:56:39 +0000

To be honest, my first reaction was "Gaspar who?". But Arkham Asylum does have exceptionally good lettering come to think of it, so I can't get mad at this choice. It's your column anyway, als long as you stand behind your choices that's fine enough. Good pick nonetheless. As for colorist, Dave Stewart and Lynn Varley have my vote.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:54:07 +0000

I'm a member in good standing of the Boy Wonder's Booty Patrol. It's totally real.

By: davidwynne

davidwynne — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:12:15 +0000

favourite colourist?

Steve Oliff.

By: Steve Flanagan

Steve Flanagan — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:02:24 +0000

Good lord. Is "The Boy Wonder's Booty Patrol" a genuine story title, or a piece of photoshoppery - particularly with that splash panel?

By: Dan (other Dan)

Dan (other Dan) — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 05:50:21 +0000

Ooh, colorists! I've been waiting! Since I appear to be first, I'll list some of the more obvious: Dave Stewart, Matt Hollingsworth, Tatjana Wood, and Frazier Irving.