Okay, you might ask why I’m talking about the Harvey Awards from last fall. Well, like many fans, I can’t keep up with everything going on in the world of comics. An article came across that prompted me to explore last year’s Hall of Fame a little more closely.
They were an interesting mix of creators, and I think they deserved a little more attention. Some names you will recognize and, perhaps, some you don’t but should. I like my heroes, but I realize that for the comic industry to continue to grow—we all need to look beyond what we’ve been reading as fans.
Five iconic creators were inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame. Newer fans might not realize how fantastic this is and what the Harvey Awards are all about. Named after writer/artist Harvey Kurtzman, the awards were founded in 1988. All five have made significant contributions to comic books, and for both new and die-hard fans, here’s a sampling where you can find out more about their work.
First up, artist John Buscema had his start in the Golden Age, but he left the industry to work in the commercial art field. He finally returned to Marvel in 1966, and his body of work is legendary. Long-term fans remember the iconic runs on the Avengers and Amazing Spider-Man. When Jack Kirby left the Fantastic Four, Buscema replaced him—penciling issues 101-141.
Of course, Conan fans know of his long run of Conan stories. He was a prolific artist, and during the 1970s, you would sometimes see his work, sometimes four titles a month. Any fan can find tons of Buscema, except in one area: romance comics.
Romance comics, created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, were once among the biggest sellers. Marvel also had several popular romance comics going through the Silver Age. Unfortunately, Marvel or DC is not all that interested in making those classics more readily available for newer fans.
Except for one exception, Marvel did put out a small volume aptly named Marvel Romance. Here, you do get to see the seldom side of a few Buscema romance strips. As a bonus, other artists—like Colan and Giordano—take on romance tales are also presented.
Another well-known Marvel artist was also inducted—Arthur Adams. Another super-star artist who many fans will fondly remember his take on X-Men. Marvel has just the thing for you, clocking in at 1200 pages: Marvel Universe by Arthur Adams. It contains his X-Men/New Mutants material and all the six issues of Longshot—the title that launched his career.
Artist and writer Sergio Aragonés, who’s now 87, has been doing comics since 1963, and many fans recognize his distinctive work. He worked continuously at Mad Magazine from the start all the way until the magazine went to an almost all-reprint format. In the late 1960s, he started doing work at DC—most notably their line of horror anthologies.
But fans will also know him for his long-running Groo the Wanderer, which started appearing in now long-gone Pacific Comics. Over the years, Groo has had a few homes, the latest being Dark Horse Comics, which is also putting out some Groo-centric content.
Like the recently released Louder Than Words, Actions Speak, which reprints both (duh!) the six-issue runs of Louder Than Words and Action Speaks. The 320-page collection gives a broad overview of the genius and fun of Aragonés. If you need a few good laughs—look no further! Not only that, but after reading it—you’ll be looking to track down more of his work.
Unfortunately, manga artist Akira Toriyama passed away a few months before the awards and is best remembered for creating Dragon Ball. Starting back in 1984, it has become one of the best-selling manga series of all time, with over 260 million copies worldwide. There are tons of places to discover his work, but I suggest starting at the beginning with Dragon Ball, Vol. 1: The Monkey King. It was serialized in Japan through 1995, and not only is it fun for all ages, but it also serves as an excellent introduction to manga comics in general.
Rounding off the new Harvey Hall of Fame is writer Larry Hama. He’s another legend whose contributions are seemingly endless. But, perhaps the one thing he is most known for is as the writer of G.I. Joe.
Initially, the series began at Marvel—and as luck would have it— Hama became the writer because every other Marvel had turned it down! It turned out to be a big hit, lasting 155 issues from 1982 until 1994.
Over many years, the series was brought back by different publishers, with Hama as the writer for each return, including the recent relaunch at Image Comics, which has recently released G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero Compendium Vol. 1. Here, Image reprints the first fifty issues of the original Marvel Series. Not enough Joe for you? You can also read new Hama stories, too! For over a year now, Image has continued the series, and it is also a fantastic series.
There you go—last year’s Harvey Hall of Fame! Creators are people whom all fans should know more about because of their contributions to comic books. Now, on your next trip to your comic shop—take some time to look for things by these creators. You might be surprised to find yourself a new fan of a comic or creator you didn’t think you’d enjoy.
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