The combined efforts of Ploog and Mooney resulted in some especially interesting renditions of Ghost Rider. Both artists had strengths and weaknesses, but this panel from the the first page is especially effective: scary without being merely a hollow-eyed skull (as some more recent artists have rendered him). I think a trend toward realism denies Ghost Rider the plasticity of expression that the character really needs. Okay, he's a skull, but he's also a demon. I like being able to tell the difference between when he's mad and really really mad!
I also really like the coloring on this panel ~ the use of blues and purples adds a nice cast. Much of the early coloring in these books is somewhat crude due to press limitations, but here the unnamed colorist took special care.
I also really like the coloring on this panel ~ the use of blues and purples adds a nice cast. Much of the early coloring in these books is somewhat crude due to press limitations, but here the unnamed colorist took special care.
The second panel here is a hilarious, but effective action shot in which Ghost Rider is being attacked by Snake Dance's serpents. The snakes in this issue and the subsequent issues are rendered horrifically.
Comic book artists seem to be notoriously bad with animals, which is just a shame. Horses and snakes are particularly poorly treated; as though the artist had never seen one or bothered to look at pictures or film of how their anatomy actually worked. Of course, artists back then didn't have as ready access to models in order to study these things, so I would be much harder on an illustrator today for this kind of work.
This particular panel is not nearly as bad compared to most of the others.
Come back on Thursday for the exciting continuation of this riveting storyline ~ and new costumes, including what all the sacrificial girls are wearing out west in the early 70s.
Comic book artists seem to be notoriously bad with animals, which is just a shame. Horses and snakes are particularly poorly treated; as though the artist had never seen one or bothered to look at pictures or film of how their anatomy actually worked. Of course, artists back then didn't have as ready access to models in order to study these things, so I would be much harder on an illustrator today for this kind of work.
This particular panel is not nearly as bad compared to most of the others.
Come back on Thursday for the exciting continuation of this riveting storyline ~ and new costumes, including what all the sacrificial girls are wearing out west in the early 70s.