Me too. My top number one favorite artist of all time. I loved when he took over my favorite Norse God Mythos The Mighty Thor and Conan second favorite.
@@jwanwaldon2509 His Conan was savage and someone to be feared and he drew amazing looking women and horrific monsters. I appreciate Gil Kane but when he took over after Buscema in the ongoing comic series it was a major let down to me.
Not my favorite artist, but I have a lot of great comics by him. My favorite might be the Fantastic Four one where Doom leads the team against Overmind. 116, I think.
Love this interview----- brought back alot of memories. I believe this was Dad's last interview at the San Diego Con. He was sick here, and had to leave and fly back home earlier than planned. Sadly, he passed away 6 months later. A wonderful father, grandfather and husband. We miss him greatly.
He was an amazing artist and a terrible loss to the industry. I don't think he could draw anything badly even if he tried, and elevated everything he did - he was definitely one of the best. I loved his work, especially on Avengers and Silver Surfer, and I actually preferred his work on the Surfer over Jacks. It baffles me that the original surfer books weren't selling as I have them all and still enjoy reading them immensely. Johns artwork on the character was amazing. I recently designed a wraparound image for a mug that I had made to celebrate 50 years of the UKs Mighty World of Marvel comic (printed first week of October 1972, and was my introduction the Marvel Comics), and John had drawn the cover to that first issue. I found his signature and put that on the comic cover in recognition of his contribution. I think that shows, that even after all these years, people like myself still remember and enjoy his work. Because of that, he's never truly gone, and every day I drink tea I see his work on that mug. Kind regards.
John Buscema is the greatest artists in the history of comics. He was the best CONAN artist, (Ernie Chan was his best inker.) and I loved it in the eighties when he drew for THE AVENGERS. The art was incredible! He also drew, "HOW TO DRAW THE MARVLE'S WAY"! I learned how to draw by mastering his style. AWESOME! 👍
Big John was one of the greatest dynamic figure artists of all time. Many artists can "pose" figures, but few can make them come to life like Buscema did.
When I was a kid I used to love the comics he drew without even knowing he drew them because I couldn't even read yet, now I know he was the greatest of all!
John's story about Stan Lee calling him up years later to say that silver surfer #4 was one of the greatest books they ever made together. It was the first time John ever felt he was doing his own Buscema artwork, not Jack Kirby. Wow. Amazing. That book goes for thousands of dollars now 🙌🔥🔥🔥
Excellent interview!❤ I met Big John only once over the years in Ithaca 1985! I asked him why he left Conan to drew Avengers (written by Roger Stern )and curmudgeonly told me” Conan isn’t gonna put my kids through college!” I admire his blunt honesty because he could back it up ! A true professional! This interview is real treat! Thanks forever! Godspeed to Big John Buscema!😎🎯👍❤️⚡️😢
I hear John about the money but he was born to draw Conan. At least we got quite a few of the beautiful black & white Savage Sword of Conans though. Jeez I pull those mags out all the time.
Big John was In my estimation thee premier action artist of Marvel. There was a time I wouldn't buy a comic unless he was the artist on it. I matured since then and Appreciated more the other artist work ...But if Big John was on it it was a a definite buy.
It was great to hear he was proud of his work on Conan. I think he deserves almost as much credit for designing his current look as Frank Frazetta. At least he deserves praise for illustrating the character the most in history to this day.
IT'S SAD TO REALIZE THAT BIG JOHN DIED A YEAR AFTER GIVING THIS INTERIVEW...BUT I'M VERY GLAD TO SEE THAT HE WAS THIS HAPPY AND CONTENT AT THE TIME, AND DIDN'T SUFFER FOR YEARS OR ANYTHING BEFORE HE PASSED...HIS WORK WILL ALWAYS BE BEAUTY INCARNATE TO ME, AND I'M THRILLED TO KNOW THAT IT CAME FROM SUCH A NICE GUY, AND A TRULY GREAT HUMAN BEING!! R.I.P. BIG JOHN--YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN, SIR. 🎨 👑👌
This man is an absolute legend, and a huge part of my childhood. I will forever treasure his work, especially with Conan. He created the look of the character for me in my mind's eye, which is so iconic and memorable. You immediately know when it's a Buscema piece. He is very much missed.
You have no idea how excited I am for this! I've never heard Buscema talk for a long period of time (except the How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way video). I just bought an autographed Silver Surfer poster he signed back in 2000 from a dealer!
John was and is one of my comic favorite artists. I learned a lot and still is learning from his style of drawing. They way he does page layouts and his anatomy drawing of different characters. A master I'm little sad to hear him say he is not into super hero character. 😊He is one of the Goats in comics😊
When I met Big John back in 1982. He was gruff but pretty cool. I went on to edit biker magazines in NYC: I finally received a letter from Marvel’s editor-in-chief, Jim Shooter. He’d been Stan Lee’s right-hand man from the late ‘70s into the ‘80s, and, as a fanboy who’d made good, Shooter was an inspirational figure to any geek with ambitions for making it in the comic book business. He started writing for DC as a 14 year-old in the 60s. In the letter, he offered pretty much the same encouraging critique as Len Wein, but added in particular that my version of Ghost Rider was “too violent.” The letter on Spiderman-themed stationery got a lot of attention at the Ranch, and prompted one of the kids to mention that his mother was good friends with a “big shot at Marvel.” I didn’t think much about it, but during the next visiting day, the mom sought me out and confirmed that her best friend was the wife of Big John Buscema. I was floored. Buscema was the biggest artist at Marvel. He became the company’s go-to guy when Jack Kirby defected to DC in 1970 after a falling out with Stan Lee. There was no replacing the mad genius of Kirby, the visionary who had created much of the Marvel universe in the previous decade, but Buscema was a master of the medium, a powerhouse who’d carried Marvel through the 70s. Buscema had long historic runs on all of Marvel’s major titles, including the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Thor, Conan, and, one of my all time favorites, Silver Surfer. He literally wrote the book on comic art. His How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way occupied a place of honor in every comic book freak’s library. The juvie mom offered to arrange a meeting. I didn’t quite believe it, but a few days later she had secured an appointment for me to visit the man himself. Not at Marvel, but at his home in Port Jefferson, which was just a few miles down Jericho Turnpike. So on a beautiful, bright, sunny Saturday morning, Deborah sat behind me on the Harley, clutching the portfolio, and Walker followed on his 650. He was a huge comic fan. While we were in high school, he’d attended one of the first Comic Cons in NYC. He’d met some of the 1970s comics greats---Mike Kaluta, Howard Chaykin, Bernie Wrightson, Jeff Jones. These guys were among the New Wave of artists that broke into comics in the late 60s, bringing a more idiosyncratic sensibility to the medium. Artists like Buscema were old school professionals that had created the comic industry in the 30s and 40s with a tried and true formula that was still selling millions of comics a year in the early 80s. There was a bit of friction between the forces of established commercialism and new experimentation that we were about to experience first hand. We rolled down Route 25 to Port Jefferson. It was one of the more Gatsby-style communities along Long Island’s North Shore, unlike Riverhead and Farmingdale and the other blue collar towns of the interior. I tried to keep the Harley from backfiring along its pristine streets, and grew nervous as the neighborhoods became increasingly posh. Soon we were riding through a gently hilly subdivision with mansions piled all around its wide streets. We pulled into the driveway of what I hoped was the correct address, and killed our engines. The house was stately. It looked like a modest Vanderbilt residence, columned and grey with a tasteful spray of ivy, surrounded by manicured hedges and a freshly mown lawn. “Gosh,” said Deborah, as she uncinched her helmet and looked around, “very nice. It looks like he’s done well.” She bent and flipped her hair up. “Well, he’s been at it since the 40s,” said Walker. “He’s one of those guys that practically invented comics. Dude is a legend. I can’t believe we’re going to meet John Buscema.” The front door opened and Buscema’s wife Delores came out to greet us. She was quite gracious. “Come on inside and have some lemonade,” she said. It was a bit different from crashing the gates at Marvel with a speeding Harley. “John’s downstairs,” said Delores, “we’ll see him after we cool off a bit.” “Your house is beautiful,” said Deborah. We sat in the dining room. There was a floral centerpiece on the table and paintings on the walls. The lemonade pitcher glistened and sat on a silver tray, and we drank from carved crystal glasses. “Oh, thank you, dear,” said Delores. “My friend tells me you’re in charge of the horses there at Timothy Hill. You know, you’re very popular with the boys, but I think they’re all rather afraid of you.” “Really? Why?” Deborah sincerely did not know why. We laughed. She looked around the table. “Why would I scare anyone?” We finished the lemonade and prepared to meet the man. Delores led us downstairs into her husband’s studio-den. We walked through a gallery of his framed original art, some of the most famous images in the history of comics. John Buscema was sitting on a couch reading a newspaper. He peered at us over his glasses, offered a smile to his wife through his grey goatee. He stood and kissed her, and watched her leave. He was indeed a big guy, well over six feet and at least two hundred and fifty pounds. He folded the newspaper and tossed it on the couch.. I could tell immediately that we’d made a terrible mistake. Our presence was clearly an imposition. The house, the lawn, the dining room, the den, everything was ordered and had its place. We were unnecessary, an intrusion, an unwanted interruption of the routine of Big John Buscema’s Saturday. He was just humoring his wife. His goodwill did not extend to interlopers. “Who’s your favorite artist?” he asked me. “Well, I’ve always liked Barry Smith.” Smith had been Marvel’s first artist for Conan, from 1970 to ‘73. His painstakingly detailed, illustrative style, influenced by his study of the Pre-Raphaelites, was perfect for the hallucinatory dreamlike quality of Robert E. Howard’s Conan tales, but was ill-suited for the hectic tempo of the comics world. Smith had trouble meeting deadlines and only lasted for twenty-two issues of the title’s first twenty- four. He was replaced by John Buscema and I never cared for Big John’s oafish version of Conan, which was too much informed by trite superhero convention. As for Smith, he only worked sporadically for Marvel after his brief run at Conan. As it was, my response was utterly foolish. Of course, I should have claimed Big John Buscema as my favorite artist. Although I wasn’t a fan, I’d bought hundreds of the comics he’d illustrated, and was familiar enough with his career that I could have cited specific instances of his great work, many examples of which surrounded us. I did genuinely love his Silver Surfer stuff. It would’ve been nice to have complimented Marvel’s greatest artist for his work on one of the most significant characters in comics history. “Barry Smith? Barry Smith is a dirty hippie!” said Buscema. He turned to Walker, “Who’s your favorite artist?” “Uh. I kinda like Neal Adams.” We were both hopeless dolts. We’d intruded on Big John’s Saturday and now insulted him in his own house. “Neal Adams couldn’t draw his way out of a paper bag!” bellowed Buscema. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.” He took my portfolio and opened it. “What is this, Ghost Rider? That’s a crap title, going nowhere.” He shuffled through the pages, pausing and pointing. “Okay, perspective’s off there. These panels are all wrong, they make no sense, the reader would be lost. There are no leg muscles that look like that. Your anatomy’s weak.” He stopped at another page. “Okay, that’s a pretty good action sequence.” He squinted through his glasses at another. “Hmm, decent set of back muscles there. Alright.” He handed the portfolio back to me. “You really ought to consider digging ditches for a living,” he said. Had I anything other than the awareness of an amoeba, I would have recognized the encounter for the opportunity it presented. I should have pursued a relationship with Buscema, whether he wanted one or not. I knew where he lived. I should have become a pest. I should have persisted and shown up at his door every Saturday with new Ghost Rider drawings concentrating on remedying the weak areas he critiqued. As it was, I deferred to the legend, and took him at his word. Not that I should give up, but that my skills needed a lot of work before I could even consider a return visit with any comic professional.
Loved this interview. Buscema's Conan will forever stand as the iconic Conan in my mind. It's how I picture the Cimmerian even when I re-read Howard's stories. No other artist has been able to capture Conan's swagger, savagery, wit and dynamism the way that Big John did. That said, I am genuinely excited by the announcement of Roberto De La Torre picking up the mantle as the next principal Conan illustrator for the Titan Comics run scheduled for 2023. De La Torre's style is so very close to John's - closer than anyone else I've seen in 20 years - that it feels like he's channeling the Conan from those early Savage Sword and CtB years. De La Torre is more than a Buscema clone, though. Kid's got amazing talent, and I think John would be proud to see Conan in capable hands, finally.
My favorite Mavel artist of ALL TIME with Romita at #2 & Kirby at #3...His Silver Surfer illustrations were unmatched who was 1 of my favorite characters as well as Black Panther & Spiderman
Buscema seemed to have a strong understanding of the power of talent. "When you are making money for a publisher, the world is yours." This is my first time seeing him speak. This is a great insight into him and the history of the medium. Thanks, Ed & Jim, for bringing this forward.
Thank you for this upload! I was introduced to Marvel in 1981, 6 years old, with Amazing Spider-Man #196-198. In the mid 80s I learned more about, (and read), the Silver Age and the artists of the time. Therefor, my favorite artists became those titans who took the more older and "childish" style of Everett, Ditko, (early) Kirby, Joe Orlando, Don Heck etc. to another level in the mid/end 60s. These include: John Romita Sr. Neal Adams Gil Kane Gene Colan Jack Kirby Sal Buscema and of course.. *John Buscema* Except from Romita Sr. (R.I.P., legend) I learned about the passing of most of these masters years after they died. Therefor, their passings didn't struck me as bad as with Romita Sr. Still, I have always been saddened about their deaths - and especially learning that John Buscema (one of my all time favorites) had passed already in 2002. It felt all too early - and watching this confirms that thought to the fullest.
Love John Buscema's artwork. His storytelling was my intro to the Avengers with the 70s reprint title, Marvel Super Action starring The Avengers and the treasury edition of The Avengers.
Buscema & Silvestri, the two best human figure artists in the buisness. How bout that Silvestri Batman Black Label art, his style has changed so much but unmistakably Silvestri figures & faces at a glance. Beautiful. And of course John is unparalleled, but I think Silvestri always deserves a shout out when Buscema is mentioned, he clearly studied Buscema and is the best of his generation, never enough recognition.
All those things John said about Jack Kirby can be said about John, too. I think he made a beautiful line and had a style more like a renaissance artist.
Absolutely wonderful interview with one of the greatest comic artists of all time. I've been a fan of Big John Buscema since Avengers #41 came out here in England - John just got better and better. Great to hear his stories and his straight talking - what a guy! Many many thanks.
Great interview 👍 Savage Sword has always been my fav & it's neat to hear John say it's his too. I love his Silver Surfer, the deepest of all the superheroes. I guess not surprising that it didn't register with the US audience, whereas it did in Europe.
Great interview. One of the first names in comics that I became aware of when I started collecting comics in the early 80's as this friend of mine (that got me into the hobby) had every appearance of Conan.
I am really surprises me he didn't like drawing Spider-Man since he loved to animated organic figure work so much. You would think it would be his favorite even over Conan. That one drawing he did of Spider-Man in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way swinging on his web is one of my all time favorites.
Such a wonderful person and a GREAT artist 🎨! Always loved his work from his early Avengers to Silver Surfer to Conan. Loved his figure work and panel layouts. Awesome video.
After Kirby & Ditko, he was the third Marvel artist whose work made an early impression on me as a kid. But while Kirby & Ditko's art felt like in theory at least, could be copied more easily and a young artist could be influenced by them, , Buscema's work seemed that much more "adult" and sophisticated , partly because at that time, despite his early misgivings, he could certainly draw women.
It's hard to believe he's been gone so long. I remember the day I got his autographed Vanguard sketchbook in the mail, hearing he died the same day. It was heartbreaking, but almost like I'd been given a gift.
Thank you so much for uploading this, I love this artist and it's amazing to hear his memories. I am so, so glad this man who gave me so much pleasure with his art lived such a good life. He deserved it.
His art was perfect for Conan! I do like Barry Smiths but John embodied that character. I bought both comics and BW magazines back in the 70s. You really felt you went back to an ancient world!
My favorite comic artist. Imagine what he could have accomplished if he actually enjoyed drawing comics! From merely fantastic work to artistry of mind-boggling magnificence.
Besides Joe Kubert’s and Russ Manning’s Tarzan designs, John Buscema’s Tarzan design is also one of the comic book bases for Glen Keane’s iconic Tarzan design, made for and appearing in Disney’s first Tarzan movie.
What a wonderful interview, can’t tell you how many memories this brought back in books this guy Drew always was my favorite artist no matter what era I’ve lived in, and I’ve been reading comics since the 60s. This man’s laugh the it’s just my job attitude I love that reminds me so much of how my father was did his job to feed his family happen to be good at it, just an amazing interview like I said. Thanks for the upload.
This guy is legend!!I'm an old school guy....my very first love of a cover was the Avengers...with the Vision standing all regal and dramatic against a red background...with the other figures below. This cover just mesmerize me...I would just set and stare at this cover. DC had nothing on Marvel...oddly, DC was just too cartoonish and basic for me. Buscema's Silver Silver was Epic. Nice interview!
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My all-time favorite comic book artist. The guy literally could draw anything. His Conan is unmatched.
Me too. My top number one favorite artist of all time. I loved when he took over my favorite Norse God Mythos The Mighty Thor and Conan second favorite.
@@jwanwaldon2509 His Conan was savage and someone to be feared and he drew amazing looking women and horrific monsters. I appreciate Gil Kane but when he took over after Buscema in the ongoing comic series it was a major let down to me.
Not my favorite artist, but I have a lot of great comics by him. My favorite might be the Fantastic Four one where Doom leads the team against Overmind. 116, I think.
Absolute legend in the comic field
And mine too
Love this interview----- brought back alot of memories. I believe this was Dad's last interview at the San Diego Con. He was sick here, and had to leave and fly back home earlier than planned. Sadly, he passed away 6 months later.
A wonderful father, grandfather and husband. We miss him greatly.
Hi Dianne! So glad you enjoyed this. I shed a tear after editing this interview. I sent you a friend request on FB. Cheers, Alex
A talented and down to earth man. Best to you and yours,
I'm sorry for your loss. He was an amazing artist, and obviously a good human.
He was an amazing artist and a terrible loss to the industry. I don't think he could draw anything badly even if he tried, and elevated everything he did - he was definitely one of the best. I loved his work, especially on Avengers and Silver Surfer, and I actually preferred his work on the Surfer over Jacks. It baffles me that the original surfer books weren't selling as I have them all and still enjoy reading them immensely. Johns artwork on the character was amazing.
I recently designed a wraparound image for a mug that I had made to celebrate 50 years of the UKs Mighty World of Marvel comic (printed first week of October 1972, and was my introduction the Marvel Comics), and John had drawn the cover to that first issue. I found his signature and put that on the comic cover in recognition of his contribution. I think that shows, that even after all these years, people like myself still remember and enjoy his work. Because of that, he's never truly gone, and every day I drink tea I see his work on that mug.
Kind regards.
I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but his work influenced my own comic career and my respect for his work is boundless. A legend without peer.
John Buscema was very humble, talking about Jack Kirby.
John Buscema is the greatest artists in the history of comics. He was the best CONAN artist, (Ernie Chan was his best inker.) and I loved it in the eighties when he drew for THE AVENGERS. The art was incredible! He also drew, "HOW TO DRAW THE MARVLE'S WAY"! I learned how to draw by mastering his style. AWESOME! 👍
Ernie Chan was definitely the best inker for Conan but I love Joe Sinnott for the super hero stuff.
@@simonbeaulieu7960 What about John?
Big John was one of the greatest dynamic figure artists of all time. Many artists can "pose" figures, but few can make them come to life like Buscema did.
Animators
Yeah. Especially when Conan would swing with his sword. He would take down three or four dudes with a single stroke. 🗡️
When I was a kid I used to love the comics he drew without even knowing he drew them because I couldn't even read yet, now I know he was the greatest of all!
John's story about Stan Lee calling him up years later to say that silver surfer #4 was one of the greatest books they ever made together. It was the first time John ever felt he was doing his own Buscema artwork, not Jack Kirby. Wow. Amazing. That book goes for thousands of dollars now 🙌🔥🔥🔥
One of my favorite artists, right up there with Neal Adams, John Byrne and Sal Buscema.
John gave me a art career and I am grateful for it. He was the true master.
Hands down one of the most underrated and important artists in comic history.
No, sir. He wrote the book on drawing comics. He is legend.
There's almost no interviews with Buscema. Thank you for posting this. He's the all-time best.
He did a lot of print interviews! Lots!!
I remember him from the home video classic "How to draw comics THE MARVEL WAY!"
I watched it over and over again.
Excellent interview!❤ I met Big John only once over the years in Ithaca 1985! I asked him why he left Conan to drew Avengers (written by Roger Stern )and curmudgeonly told me” Conan isn’t gonna put my kids through college!” I admire his blunt honesty because he could back it up ! A true professional! This interview is real treat! Thanks forever! Godspeed to Big John Buscema!😎🎯👍❤️⚡️😢
Big John shared is gift with the world. I will cherish the art career he gave me. He will always be the true master.
I hear John about the money but he was born to draw Conan. At least we got quite a few of the beautiful black & white Savage Sword of Conans though. Jeez I pull those mags out all the time.
Big John was In my estimation thee premier action artist of Marvel. There was a time I wouldn't buy a comic unless he was the artist on it. I matured since then and Appreciated more the other artist work ...But if Big John was on it it was a a definite buy.
His run on Conan to this day is G O L D.
He is loved and missed.
It was great to hear he was proud of his work on Conan. I think he deserves almost as much credit for designing his current look as Frank Frazetta. At least he deserves praise for illustrating the character the most in history to this day.
John Buscema drawing style = Power and Grace
BUSCEMA is the best ever artist ! Forever!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bucema has a lovely short run on Wolverine!
IT'S SAD TO REALIZE THAT BIG JOHN DIED A YEAR AFTER GIVING THIS INTERIVEW...BUT I'M VERY GLAD TO SEE THAT HE WAS THIS HAPPY AND CONTENT AT THE TIME, AND DIDN'T SUFFER FOR YEARS OR ANYTHING BEFORE HE PASSED...HIS WORK WILL ALWAYS BE BEAUTY INCARNATE TO ME, AND I'M THRILLED TO KNOW THAT IT CAME FROM SUCH A NICE GUY, AND A TRULY GREAT HUMAN BEING!! R.I.P. BIG JOHN--YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN, SIR. 🎨 👑👌
oh man! When he answered "Conan..." that was fucking great....!!!!
Fantastic interview. First time I’ve ever seen a video of John Buscema or heard his voice. Loved hearing him talk about Kirby.
Loved his Avengers and Silver Surfer books.
Did great work on both 2nd Superman/Spider-Man crossover & Stan Lee's Superman.
R.I.P. John Buscema.
This man is an absolute legend, and a huge part of my childhood. I will forever treasure his work, especially with Conan. He created the look of the character for me in my mind's eye, which is so iconic and memorable. You immediately know when it's a Buscema piece. He is very much missed.
This was a very enjoyable interview. John came across as very genuine and likable. Very talented artist.
Amazing artist
That's why I love to get Conan comics and magazines illustrated by him, because he was so good at it and he loved working on Conan most of all.
He did do work for DC. He did the "Just Imagine" Stan Lee Superman.
You have no idea how excited I am for this! I've never heard Buscema talk for a long period of time (except the How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way video). I just bought an autographed Silver Surfer poster he signed back in 2000 from a dealer!
Rest In Peace Big Johnny B. Thank you for your contribution and inspiration.
John and Sal were and are so good. I was hoping he mentioned doing the show “How to Draw the Marvel Way” with Stan.
The Michelangelo of Comics. Met him in 1976. Nice man. Brilliant talent.
Mr. John B is the greatest comic artist of all time. I was a comic collector from the late 60s until '78. John was my favorite! Salute.
Big John is my favorite artist. Even though he disliked costumed heroes, he always brought his A game. A true professional.
His cavalier attitude is cracking me up! I like his energy-gruff on the outside, but jovial on the inside. One of my favorites artists.
John was and is one of my comic favorite artists. I learned a lot and still is learning from his style of drawing. They way he does page layouts and his anatomy drawing of different characters. A master I'm little sad to hear him say he is not into super hero character. 😊He is one of the Goats in comics😊
What a wonderful man. Self-assured yet not egotistical. I greatly enjoyed this, thanks for the upload. Handsome man, too.
When I met Big John back in 1982. He was gruff but pretty cool. I went on to edit biker magazines in NYC:
I finally received a letter from Marvel’s editor-in-chief, Jim Shooter. He’d been Stan Lee’s right-hand man from the late ‘70s into the ‘80s, and, as a fanboy who’d made good, Shooter was an inspirational figure to any geek with ambitions for making it in the comic book business. He started writing for DC as a 14 year-old in the 60s. In the letter, he offered pretty much the same encouraging critique as Len Wein, but added in particular that my version of Ghost Rider was “too violent.” The letter on Spiderman-themed stationery got a lot of attention at the Ranch, and prompted one of the kids to mention that his mother was good friends with a “big shot at Marvel.” I didn’t think much about it, but during the next visiting day, the mom sought me out and confirmed that her best friend was the wife of Big John Buscema. I was floored.
Buscema was the biggest artist at Marvel. He became the company’s go-to guy when Jack Kirby defected to DC in 1970 after a falling out with Stan Lee. There was no replacing the mad genius of Kirby, the visionary who had created much of the Marvel universe in the previous decade, but Buscema was a master of the medium, a powerhouse who’d carried Marvel through the 70s. Buscema had long historic runs on all of Marvel’s major titles, including the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Thor, Conan, and, one of my all time favorites, Silver Surfer. He literally wrote the book on comic art. His How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way occupied a place of honor in every comic book freak’s library.
The juvie mom offered to arrange a meeting. I didn’t quite believe it, but a few days later she had secured an appointment for me to visit the man himself. Not at Marvel, but at his home in Port Jefferson, which was just a few miles down Jericho Turnpike.
So on a beautiful, bright, sunny Saturday morning, Deborah sat behind me on the Harley, clutching the portfolio, and Walker followed on his 650. He was a huge comic fan. While we were in high school, he’d attended one of the first Comic Cons in NYC. He’d met some of the 1970s comics greats---Mike Kaluta, Howard Chaykin, Bernie Wrightson, Jeff Jones. These guys were among the New Wave of artists that broke into comics in the late 60s, bringing a more idiosyncratic sensibility to the medium. Artists like Buscema were old school professionals that had created the comic industry in the 30s and
40s with a tried and true formula that was still selling millions of comics a year in the early 80s. There was a bit of friction between the forces of established commercialism and new experimentation that we were about to experience first hand.
We rolled down Route 25 to Port Jefferson. It was one of the more Gatsby-style communities along Long Island’s North Shore, unlike Riverhead and Farmingdale and the other blue collar towns of the interior. I tried to keep the Harley from backfiring along its pristine streets, and grew nervous as the neighborhoods became increasingly posh. Soon we were riding through a gently hilly subdivision with mansions piled all around its wide streets. We pulled into the driveway of what I hoped was the correct address, and killed our engines.
The house was stately. It looked like a modest Vanderbilt residence, columned and grey with a tasteful spray of ivy, surrounded by manicured hedges and a freshly mown lawn.
“Gosh,” said Deborah, as she uncinched her helmet and looked around, “very nice. It looks like he’s done well.” She bent and flipped her hair up.
“Well, he’s been at it since the 40s,” said Walker. “He’s one of those guys that practically invented comics. Dude is a legend. I can’t believe we’re going to meet John Buscema.”
The front door opened and Buscema’s wife Delores came out to greet us. She was quite gracious. “Come on inside and have some lemonade,” she said. It was a bit different from crashing the gates at Marvel with a speeding Harley.
“John’s downstairs,” said Delores, “we’ll see him after we cool off a bit.”
“Your house is beautiful,” said Deborah. We sat in the dining room. There was a floral centerpiece on the table and paintings on the walls. The lemonade pitcher glistened and sat on a silver tray, and we drank from carved crystal glasses.
“Oh, thank you, dear,” said Delores. “My friend tells me you’re in charge of the horses there at Timothy Hill. You know, you’re very popular with the boys, but I think they’re all rather afraid of you.”
“Really? Why?” Deborah sincerely did not know why. We laughed. She looked around the table. “Why would I scare anyone?”
We finished the lemonade and prepared to meet the man. Delores led us downstairs into her husband’s studio-den. We walked through a gallery of his framed original art, some of the most famous images in the history of comics. John Buscema was sitting on a couch reading a newspaper. He peered at us over his glasses, offered a smile to his wife through his grey goatee. He stood and kissed her, and watched her leave. He was indeed a big guy, well over six feet and at least two hundred and fifty pounds. He folded the newspaper and tossed it on the couch..
I could tell immediately that we’d made a terrible mistake. Our presence was clearly an imposition. The house, the lawn, the dining room, the den, everything was ordered and had its place. We were unnecessary, an intrusion, an unwanted interruption of the routine of Big John Buscema’s Saturday. He was just humoring his wife. His goodwill did not extend to interlopers.
“Who’s your favorite artist?” he asked me. “Well, I’ve always liked Barry Smith.”
Smith had been Marvel’s first artist for Conan, from 1970 to ‘73. His painstakingly detailed, illustrative style, influenced by his study of the Pre-Raphaelites, was perfect for the hallucinatory dreamlike quality of Robert E. Howard’s Conan tales, but was ill-suited for the hectic tempo of the comics world. Smith had trouble meeting deadlines and only lasted for twenty-two issues of the title’s first twenty- four. He was replaced by John Buscema and I never cared for Big John’s oafish version of Conan, which was too much informed by trite superhero convention. As for Smith, he only worked sporadically for Marvel after his brief run at Conan.
As it was, my response was utterly foolish. Of course, I should have claimed Big John Buscema as my favorite artist. Although I wasn’t a fan, I’d bought hundreds of the comics he’d illustrated, and was familiar enough with his career that I could have cited specific instances of his great work, many examples of which surrounded us. I did genuinely love his Silver Surfer stuff. It would’ve been nice to have complimented Marvel’s greatest artist for his work on one of the most significant characters in comics history.
“Barry Smith? Barry Smith is a dirty hippie!” said Buscema. He turned to Walker, “Who’s your favorite artist?”
“Uh. I kinda like Neal Adams.”
We were both hopeless dolts. We’d intruded on Big John’s Saturday and now insulted him in his own house.
“Neal Adams couldn’t draw his way out of a paper bag!” bellowed Buscema. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.” He took my portfolio and opened it. “What is this, Ghost Rider? That’s a crap title, going nowhere.” He shuffled through the pages, pausing and pointing.
“Okay, perspective’s off there. These panels are all wrong, they make no sense, the reader would be lost. There are no leg muscles that look like that. Your anatomy’s weak.” He stopped at another page. “Okay, that’s a pretty good action sequence.” He squinted through his glasses at another. “Hmm, decent set of back muscles there. Alright.” He handed the portfolio back to me.
“You really ought to consider digging ditches for a living,” he said.
Had I anything other than the awareness of an amoeba, I would have recognized the encounter for the opportunity it presented. I should have pursued a relationship with Buscema, whether he wanted one or not. I knew where he lived. I should have become a pest. I should have persisted and shown up at his door every Saturday with new Ghost Rider drawings concentrating on remedying the weak areas he critiqued. As it was, I deferred to the legend, and took him at his word. Not that I should give up, but that my skills needed a lot of work before I could even consider a return visit with any comic professional.
Loved this interview. Buscema's Conan will forever stand as the iconic Conan in my mind. It's how I picture the Cimmerian even when I re-read Howard's stories. No other artist has been able to capture Conan's swagger, savagery, wit and dynamism the way that Big John did. That said, I am genuinely excited by the announcement of Roberto De La Torre picking up the mantle as the next principal Conan illustrator for the Titan Comics run scheduled for 2023. De La Torre's style is so very close to John's - closer than anyone else I've seen in 20 years - that it feels like he's channeling the Conan from those early Savage Sword and CtB years. De La Torre is more than a Buscema clone, though. Kid's got amazing talent, and I think John would be proud to see Conan in capable hands, finally.
My favorite Mavel artist of ALL TIME with Romita at #2 & Kirby at #3...His Silver Surfer illustrations were unmatched who was 1 of my favorite characters as well as Black Panther & Spiderman
Silver Surfer #4 is still the most exciting cover I’ve ever seen.
Buscema seemed to have a strong understanding of the power of talent. "When you are making money for a publisher, the world is yours."
This is my first time seeing him speak. This is a great insight into him and the history of the medium. Thanks, Ed & Jim, for bringing this forward.
Thanks, and no Ed and Jim in this case. David and Alex
Cant go wrong with big J, Avengers and Surfer for me.
Lovely to see this, do wish we had many more interviews with him.
❤
This is amazing cause when I was 11 or 12 i brought the book "How to Draw Comics The Marvel Way" by Stan Lee and John Buscema.
My early introduction to comics was a hardcover collection of Wolverine by John, instantly loved his art 💛
The ultimate master of the Marvel way. He could draw circles around anyone in my opinion. He’s very missed.
Great interview. Classy guy. Probably my favorite comics artist. His work in Savage Sword of Conan, especially where he inked his own work, so good.
Very good interviewer
"...and a couple other Conan things I've done I'm proud of." he says! A couple! All those Savage Sword of Conans he did. A couple! Bruh.
Thank you for this upload! I was introduced to Marvel in 1981, 6 years old, with Amazing Spider-Man #196-198. In the mid 80s I learned more about, (and read), the Silver Age and the artists of the time. Therefor, my favorite artists became those titans who took the more older and "childish" style of Everett, Ditko, (early) Kirby, Joe Orlando, Don Heck etc. to another level in the mid/end 60s. These include:
John Romita Sr.
Neal Adams
Gil Kane
Gene Colan
Jack Kirby
Sal Buscema
and of course..
*John Buscema*
Except from Romita Sr. (R.I.P., legend) I learned about the passing of most of these masters years after they died. Therefor, their passings didn't struck me as bad as with Romita Sr. Still, I have always been saddened about their deaths - and especially learning that John Buscema (one of my all time favorites) had passed already in 2002. It felt all too early - and watching this confirms that thought to the fullest.
I like how outspoken he is about not caring for comics. I met him in the early 1990s in Italy, very kind person, he made me a nice drawing.
Myfavourite artist when I was growing up
A have always enjoyed Mr. John Buscema I am very grateful for all the joy he has given me.
Great run on the Avengers with Roy Thomas
Yes JACK KIRBY is the ABSOLUTE MAN!
Love John Buscema's artwork. His storytelling was my intro to the Avengers with the 70s reprint title, Marvel Super Action starring The Avengers and the treasury edition of The Avengers.
Buscema & Silvestri, the two best human figure artists in the buisness. How bout that Silvestri Batman Black Label art, his style has changed so much but unmistakably Silvestri figures & faces at a glance. Beautiful. And of course John is unparalleled, but I think Silvestri always deserves a shout out when Buscema is mentioned, he clearly studied Buscema and is the best of his generation, never enough recognition.
Best Conan artist ever!! Him and Frazetta !! 👌 Magnifico lol
Legend
All those things John said about Jack Kirby can be said about John, too. I think he made a beautiful line and had a style more like a renaissance artist.
Absolutely wonderful interview with one of the greatest comic artists of all time. I've been a fan of Big John Buscema since Avengers #41 came out here in England - John just got better and better. Great to hear his stories and his straight talking - what a guy! Many many thanks.
This is marvellous much appreciated upload well done
Great interview 👍
Savage Sword has always been my fav & it's neat to hear John say it's his too. I love his Silver Surfer, the deepest of all the superheroes. I guess not surprising that it didn't register with the US audience, whereas it did in Europe.
Great interview. One of the first names in comics that I became aware of when I started collecting comics in the early 80's as this friend of mine (that got me into the hobby) had every appearance of Conan.
I am really surprises me he didn't like drawing Spider-Man since he loved to animated organic figure work so much. You would think it would be his favorite even over Conan. That one drawing he did of Spider-Man in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way swinging on his web is one of my all time favorites.
7:07 some of those tentacles or branches or whatever they are remind me of Todd Mcfarlane’s spaghetti webbing
Thank you for this interview. Lovely words said about Jack Kirby. John was an awesome talent!
Such a wonderful person and a GREAT artist 🎨! Always loved his work from his early Avengers to Silver Surfer to Conan. Loved his figure work and panel layouts. Awesome video.
My favorite comic artist, a true legend.
John and Sal, amongst my all-time favorites, when comic books were about heroes and story telling unlike today, just saying
Very down to earth guy.
Legend.
Thank you for posting this. Great addition for the history books!
Picture of health here. He was enjoying retirement and doing private commissions. A year later he died. RIP
John and Sal are my favorite comic artists. I grew up on their books.
Thank you!!!✨👌🌟☀️
After Kirby & Ditko, he was the third Marvel artist whose work made an early impression on me as a kid. But while Kirby & Ditko's art felt like in theory at least, could be copied more easily and a young artist could be influenced by them, , Buscema's work seemed that much more "adult" and sophisticated , partly because at that time, despite his early misgivings, he could certainly draw women.
This man was and still is a legend.
It's hard to believe he's been gone so long. I remember the day I got his autographed Vanguard sketchbook in the mail, hearing he died the same day. It was heartbreaking, but almost like I'd been given a gift.
Thank you so much for uploading this, I love this artist and it's amazing to hear his memories. I am so, so glad this man who gave me so much pleasure with his art lived such a good life. He deserved it.
There is no shortcut to be a master . 6:15. Draw everyday constantly. Thats why he is master
Thank you so much for this - what a treat! Time well spent!
Fantastic John Buscema interview. I wish I met him and had a conversation. Fortunately, you did that for us. Thanks!
Legendary artist
An incredible talent that has dominated my whole life.
Excelente!!!
His art was perfect for Conan! I do like Barry Smiths but John embodied that character. I bought both comics and BW magazines back in the 70s. You really felt you went back to an ancient world!
Kirby, Buscema, Steranko .... my BIG 3. Everybody else can get in line.
check out my Steranko interview if you haven't. cheers! th-cam.com/video/MyLfgrsyL-g/w-d-xo.html
@@ComicBookHistorians Oh WOW. Thanks! I will.
Great stuff. 👍 Buscema was on of the greatest ever
My favorite comic artist. Imagine what he could have accomplished if he actually enjoyed drawing comics! From merely fantastic work to artistry of mind-boggling magnificence.
Besides Joe Kubert’s and Russ Manning’s Tarzan designs, John Buscema’s Tarzan design is also one of the comic book bases for Glen Keane’s iconic Tarzan design, made for and appearing in Disney’s first Tarzan movie.
Check out his work on Stan Lee presents Superman in the early 2000s.
hard on the sound like a broken microphone diaphragm but worthy interview for knowing John's great trek.
How to draw comics the marvel way is still an indispensable tome for me thirty some odd years later. Crom bless you Mr. Buscema♥️
Fabuleux, extraodinaire John Buscema ...!! Le Michel Ange des comics .
To think he died on the next year. creepy to think. he was my fav. artist in my childhood because of Conan comics.
He was diagnosed with stomach cancer right after this interview
@@ComicBookHistorians yeah ik. sad.
What a wonderful interview, can’t tell you how many memories this brought back in books this guy Drew always was my favorite artist no matter what era I’ve lived in, and I’ve been reading comics since the 60s. This man’s laugh the it’s just my job attitude I love that reminds me so much of how my father was did his job to feed his family happen to be good at it, just an amazing interview like I said. Thanks for the upload.
Buscema is an american national treasure
This guy is legend!!I'm an old school guy....my very first love of a cover was the Avengers...with the Vision standing all regal and dramatic against a red background...with the other figures below. This cover just mesmerize me...I would just set and stare at this cover. DC had nothing on Marvel...oddly, DC was just too cartoonish and basic for me. Buscema's Silver Silver was Epic. Nice interview!