Gorgeous! Barry Windsor-Smith's Flawless Wolverine Comic
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- Опубликовано: 26 фев 2023
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Barry Windsor-Smith is an auteur - a storyteller who writes, pencils, inks, colors, and letters his own comics. This episode follows his work history from unofficial Marvel pinups, to Conan to Weapon X to Monsters. It breaks down what makes his work unique paying close attention to Weapon X in particular, daring to show us a glimpse into Wolverine's origins at the height of his popularity. 
Развлечения
As a kid who started out reading Transformers comics in the mid-80s, this was the comic that made me realize comics are an art form, and not just for children.
Though you gotta give it up to those Transformers comics, man. I think comics can be high art, and pop art. And everything in between, and all are valid in their own way.
@@soysaucefool Oh yeah, all due respect to the Transformers comics, I still love ‘em!
For me, it was Frank Miller. Daredevil and Dark Knight. They came alive.
I don’t read comics much anymore. But I’m glad for their past, and I’m glad they are still going.
@@soysaucefool perfectly put, my friend.
100% true for me. That and Batman Arkham Asylum with Dave McKean.
As a teen, I was blown away at Barry Windsor-Smith's collaborations with Chris Claremont. Specifically on the Life Death II issue of X-men (198). The story and artwork together drove this emotional solo Storm story forward. The desolate desert screens give weight to the peril faced by Storm and the villagers. So much so that the sacrifice at the is relatable and believable.
If you liked that you might want to track down Windsor-Smith's 'Adastra in Africa'. Which is basically the final act of LifeDeath.
Does Storm have any really good or classic stories?
I used to think the mid-1980s was the APEX of the artform of comics, but it was really just the last time the Big Two (Marvel and DC) were putting out anything good or worth reading. Eventually, talent like Windsor-Smith migrated to independent publishing. I truly loved the 80s but by the 90s I was exclusively buying indie and foreign graphic novels. So in a way, the demise of DC/Marvel paved the way for indies.
@@Walter-Anderson I wasn’t a fan of that. It was a little suicidey. 😢
@@cjhepburn7406 I don't think Marvel cared for it for those same reasons.
Windsor Smith's Red Nails is one of the greatest comic books ever produced and certainly is the pinnacle of Conan in comics. His draughtsmanship is pretty much as good as it gets, his call back to Pre Raphaelites allows him to produce the most detailed flora from any artists working in the world of graphic design and illustration, an area of art as amazing as any fine art around. So there.
Holy guacamole last time I was this early Aunt May was alive in Comics.
What did you say aunt may is still alive well fuck you one more day hahahahahahhahahaha. -The JOKER
Please don't keep doing that, please?
His X-Men issues, 186 and 198, Lifedeath and Lifedeath II, were stunning. Love his art.
Yeah he used to do a ‘fill in’ for JRJR every few years/months. I say that jokingly as the quality was off the hook. One of the greatest artists out there.
Lifedeath is not only a gripping story because of mastermind Chris Claremont. His art propelled it even higher
205 was beautiful too.
Saw BWS at Philly's Comic Art Con in '77. I was a doe-eyed kid with a Conan #1, and Mr. Smith was kind enough to put a beautiful signature on it. High point of my collecting days 😏
Weapon X is the definitive Wolverine origin story. All that came after were either derivative or uninspired. I always recommend Windsor-Smith's story to any looking for a canonical jumping on point for Wolverine.
Smiths Weapon X series set the tone (if not the plot) of subsequent X-Men movies when they touched on Wolverines origins particularly the second movie. Arguably the best of the series.
Weapon X was sort of an origin story that still left questions, which was perfect. Then Marvel shamelessly did the complete Origin 2000 series that killed any mystery about him
That Machine Man 4 issue series is definitely worth a video of it's own. Great story and fantastic art. I would set all 4 issues side by side and just look at the covers for awhile, they're that cool.
I think the painted Conan covers he did were incredible. The one for Conan Saga #2 is one of my favorite pieces of art ever.
This cover made me get into comics when I was a kid. Best wolverine artwork.
I wish Barry got to do more with his Storyteller books from Darkhorse in mid/late 90s, I found those books pretty interesting and im sure he was more passionate as those were his own creation.
I especially loved Paradoxman, I would have liked to see how that story ended.
Did those ever get released as separate books? I got Opus 1 and 2.
@@cjhepburn7406 Freebooters and Young Gods were released as hardcovers, with an extra chapter and bonus materials. A Paradoxman hardcover was teased but never released. There was an additional chapter for that story in one of the Opus books.
Weapon X in Marvel Comics Presents and Machine Man 2020 (reprinted in Transformers UK) were the two stories that really connected me with BWS's work. Love his stuff to this day.
BWS had a HUGE impact on my own work. Weapon-X is definitely a high point but my personal favorite work of his was Storyteller.
I also collected everything he did for Valiant-a company BWS essentially carried on his shoulders nearly single-handedly.
I watched some old episode earlier and it confirmed how much I miss the old “co-mick tropes” jingle. It was so uniquely weird and funny. I’ve never heard “comic” pronounced that way. It felt like it was commissioned from a non English speaker on Fiver, and I loved that
This episode has also reminded me I gotta finish reading Monsters
that jingle is my favourite
Really?! I always fucking HATED the "co-mick tropes" guy! The rest of the intro, the music, and the visuals were all fine. But the second that guy would say "co-mick" it would anger me to no end! As a matter of fact, you know how when you watch RUclips on your phone, you can double tap to skip forward 10 seconds? I would do that so much that I started to notice that if you double tapped just as the music started, it would almost perfectly just skip past the guy saying "co-mick" and I started to wonder if Chris had timed it that way because he knew how annoying it was.
What do you call a pair of Irishmen?
Co-micks.
Glad I'm not the only one! That bass was amazing I miss it so bad! 😭
Best part of that Comics Journal pull quote about the Image work is how he goes on to say he solved the problem when he realized the story and characters were essentially meaningless. That specific BWS interview is amazing. Filled with gold nuggets. Highly recommended.
@ComicTropes ⁺𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟑𝟐𝟗𝟏𝟐𝟒𝟏𝟑 Is this a bot reply?
@@whitheringstudios it's a scammer. Don't contact him. And definitely don't give him any personal information or money. Several channels have these weird scam-bots
Tim Sale or Bruce Timm.
I'm still wanting on one of these videos.
Awesome video, BWS's Weapon X, along with Chris Claremont's work on Wolverine are the real foundation of who Wolverine is.
You can see all the X-Men movies borrowed heavily from Weapon-X.
My mom got these for me when I was a kid in Mexico for 'children's day' (one of those holiday not holiday type things) and it blew my mind so hard. It took me years to track down all the MCP issues but I have bought the graphic novel several times in English and Spanish.
Smith's limited Machine Man series is another Marvel masterpiece by him.
There was also a post-Armor Wars issue of Iron Man that he drew. Nothing gory, but still nightmare fuel
I have Iron Man issue 232 by Winsor in original printing and Italian printing. When I was a kid I didn't like his style, it's something I managed to appreciate later growing up as a young adult. Windsor was a major trend setter because he was able to see the whole story and the whole product, not just a few panels.
Fun fact: In the beginning of the story "The Professor" (not X, but still just as bald) is on the phone with Weapon X's unnamed benefactor. It was supposed to be none other than Apocalypse, but they never followed through on it.
Actually I think they did and it turned out to be Romulus. If you don’t know who that is you might be able to guess why nobody mentions it anymore.
@@odolowa1 Unfortunately I know who that is.
@@odolowa1 Luckily, when Hickman was given free reign to reboot X-Men with HoX/PoX. Many _lacklustre_ stories like that, from the last decade, were swept under the rug.
Claremont intended for Apocalypse to be behind Wolverine's Adamantium. BWS included this scene to keep from stepping on Claremont's toes.
I like to imagine that it was Pierre Trudeau, who was seen in Uncanny X-Men 120 ordering Vindicator to retrieve Weapon X from the X-Men.
This reminds me, I think a fascinating idea for a future video might be breaking down the differences between fight scenes in western comics vs Japanese manga. In a Marvel comic for example a fight scene is usually over in just a couple of pages (if not panels) while something like Jojo or Dragon Ball will have fights that last for months. Going over the reasons why this disparity exists, the history of fights getting shorter/longer, examples of western comics trying longer fights and the reactions to it, etc etc would be interesting imo.
I love those issues of conan where he transitions to his unique style. Weapon X is an absolute masterpiece, even the coloring is uniquely amazing.
Well I wasn't expecting Chris to mention East Ham Technical College in one of his videos. What a pleasant surprise! 🙂
Contributed to the Indiegogo and hopeful to get the comic perk. I sure hope this leads to what we all want. A full comic by Chris!
Every time i pop open that Weapon X hardcover it always blows my mind somehow : )
Now I really need to pick up Monster. And I never knew about his earlier artwork, I bet I didn't even recognize it before.
I had been collecting anything Smith since the late 70s and I totally agree with you on all of it.
5:35 I have the 4 issue machine man run from back when. Such a good thing! I met him once got him to sign my MCP wolverine comic!
Brilliant artist.
BWS was a rare treat for my comic life; back issues of Conan, any rare stand alone issues or little runs he did were must buys, and I enjoyed Marvel comic presents: weapon X as it came out every 2 weeks. I'd always just wish he did more, but 100% agreed that he is a treasure & top tier comic book creator
Barry is such an integral part of my appreciation for comics that in 75' when I discovered his work in Conan, Arnold was becoming a big time body builder, Frank Frazetta was alive and well, and reading those books was like watching the evolution of cinema as well. Because years later when the Conan film came out, and some were making fun of the producers choice, Arnold, I was amazed because I knew Arnold was a massive star in the body builder circuit. And the film seemed to have been borrowed from my subconscious ♥️ for Barry's comic book work and Frank Frazetta paintings. Barry's the best of the best.👍
Thank you for making these videos, man. We absolutely need people like you to reveal the lore behind such masterpieces, as it makes us appreciate it even more and accentuates the beauty of the work. You rock, dude!
I feel the same until you said "appreciate" I think the word "appreciation" has been overused to the point that it's becoming a gag.
@@JordanWheeler1999 I don't. That's kind of weird and oddly specific.
@Noah well, Noah your nice about it atleast, so I'll give you some slack. There's other ways to use words besides just "appreciate".
I always liked not knowing his backstory when it came to Wolverine. Having glimpses of him at various times, like images of him during WWII, was interesting. I don't know if that could continue forever but maybe having his memories foggy and unsure would have worked for him.
I didn't find Barry Windsor-Smith until he started drawing Rune for Malibu Comic's Ultraverse. His style was like nothing I'd ever seen before!
They should have collected Rune and got BWS to redraw the last few issues. It’s a tragedy this hasn’t happened. Much love to Malibu. Cj
BWS is a wonder. In the 80s, while at university - as a mature student. I used to help out at a local Comic Shop. Most of the time being paid in comics. One week, I chose to take payment with a limited edition collection of BSW's pencil illustrations. I now have them framed and our bedroom wall. His work is still a great joy. Thank you for this overview of a great artist's work. Be well and take care.
Didn't get to read this in its entirety until I got the Gallery edition last year. It was an awesome experience to view his art at that size. All of his work should be reprinted that way.
I totally agree about his view on Art. I never made a separation between Fine art or commercial art. If Roy Lichtenstein doing a blow-up of a comic panel on canvas is art, then why is the comic he copied it from not art as well. I used to annoy my art teachers with that question. They could never give a satisfactory answer.
I am mostly a DC reader. But this is one of the few Marvel stories I have had the pleasure of reading, and it's a beautifully written, and drawn story.
You are undoubtedly one of the best comic book youtubers!
Ditto.
Very impressive journalistic integrity.
👍
This was the first graphic novel I ever bought when I was 14 in 1996. It's still one of the best ever written and illustrated. Berzerker rage!!!
His portrayal of Storm there is some of my favorite art in an X-book.
Also, mad at the sheer breadth of his art... didn't realize he was also responsible for classic Conan... it looks so different from his later work.
Yeah, Barry nailed it with how handled Wolverine's back story, including the claws
Winsor Smith Definitely had a profound impact on the comic world merging fine art with it! Its such a perfect blend with wonderful stories that helped me get into the works of Frank Cho and Adam Hughes! Also Great job on the cover Comic Tropes! Nothing wrong with a great plug here or there!
A man who appreciates comics as art from moment one
You know that we're dealing with a true king in the making.
You do know that there's other words besides "appreciate" right?
what a coincidence, just got the Monsters book today... Very hyped to read it. Also in a couple of months in Spain Pannini (publishes marvel in europe) is going to put out a Gallery Edition of Weapon X which obviously I'm going to cop.
One of the very best, I wish he did more work. I actually love his Kirby-style. I do admit that Young Gods was baffling, though; I tried and tried and it just didn't hook me. I should give it another go
Still one of my favorite collected editions I have ever owned. Great dive into BWS!
I still have my cherished BWS comics. Each issue as they came out. Even as a child, I had the mental capacity to see his art shine a bit brighter than others. But, my personal favorite is his Machine Man limited series.
Oh my god I remember this comic. It was one of those comics that as a kid I would constantly reread just to learn how things are drawn when I was learning how to draw
I always loved the artwork on Weapon X, but watching this video and going through those issues in my mind, I also realize what an interesting and unconventional piece of story-telling it also was. Thanks!
And for what it's worth, Barry Smith's version of the Roges in the House Conan story might have been the first comic love of my life. Still awesome.
I’ve been waiting years for this episode
One of my all time favorite artists. I got to shake his hand at a convention years and years ago. His Wolverine and Conan depictions are some of my favorites ever.
Thank you for covering this story and this author! I think that Weapon X is the only story I've read (other than Watchmen) that really shows off the strengths of comics as a unique medium--through the insane colors, the meandering text boxes, and the shifts in art style (as you mentioned)--and not just more material to adapt into a movie or tv show.
I’m so glad that you thought “Monsters” was the best comic of 2021 becasue I felt the same and when I told people that they found all sorts of reasons to say I was wrong. But if you think the same way then I’m in good company! Another great show!
I loved his work on Weapon X, that my man is my formative teenage years, it brings back so many memories, such a great story.
Couple years ago I picked all these Barry books run for $75, all 9.4 and above. The guy even sent them in mylar bags and heavy stock boards! Amazing art! His attitude about the industry reminds me of Alan Moore's critiques.
I appreciate the clips of Friday the 13th Part 8 Jason Takes Manhattan, clearly you're a man of fine tastes
I only recently got a copy of the trade Weapon X. It has honestly become one ofnmynfavorite comics of all time.
Barry Windsor Smith's amazing art, along with the colors, and writing, which I think are done so perfectly.
It has become one of my favorite comic series. It is at the same time horrific and cruel as it is beautiful.
I love how he writes some conversation as Logan might be hearing it, fragmented. Logan is in and out of consciousness.
It is really an amazing story. So well executed.
I honestly put it up there with Batman Year One and other great collections of works.
It has a couple of my favorite pages in all of comics in it.
Weapon X is truly one of the great comics. Bar none.
Ah, so good. I own that run in MCP. My parents bought me the lot when I was around 13 and I was in heaven.
Ordered my copy of Vampirella! Had to go with the B&W cover, it just looks so clean. Congrats on the opportunity Chris!
Thank you!
ONE OF MY FAVORITE COMICS GROWING UP IN THE 80'S!!!!!!!!!!! HAD A LOT OF THIS DUDES WORK BACK THEN. THIS IS WHY I'LL ALWAYS BE A HUGE WOLVERINE FAN.
BWS is a treasure. His work on X-MEN in the 80s blew my young mind. Really showed me how comic art could be fine art.
Wolverine has been my favourite superhero since I was a kid and first read X-Men in the 80s.
Wolverines run on MCP was fantastic and Barry Windsor-Smith's tale was the pinnacle of this. Utterly incredible. Its still one of the best Wolverine stories ever told
Would you ever wanna talk about Hirohiko Araki's art evolution? I think it's really interesting how he managed to find his style after referencing a lot of popular tropes of the manga industry during that time. Love your work, love your videos.
Sorry for my bad English I appreciate a lot what you do on your channel man. Keep up the good work. And as always.... keep reading comics my friend.
Probably will someday, yeah.
@@ComicTropes Great!
weapon x and steve mcniven's wolverine origin one and two along with old man logan
are some of the best work to come out of marvel in the past 20yrs.
I remember reading Machine Man 2099 and being blown away by the art. The detail and layouts were amazing. Just a phenomenal artist.
Great video, Chris! I too love this story. Though the whole simulation angle felt like kind of a copout when it was revealed, I still realized I couldn't put the book down when I first read it in a collected edition. I got the recent Gallery Edition as well, and it looks truly amazing. I still have yet to read Monsters, even though I own it. There's just too much great stuff out there!
Oh man, I still remember the excitement of waiting for each of these to hit the newsstands.
Rob Leifeld loves shoulder pads and Barry Windsor-Smith is wild over tubes. Later period Windsor-Smith had tubes going in and coming out everywhere.
One of my favorite comics of all time!
You do such a fantastic job of featuring these artist and giving their history and insights! A joy to listen to!
I love these artist highlights you do
I began collecting comics right about the time that Smith was doing the 'Machine Man' limited series. Since then he's been one of my favorite artists. I even bought the Marvel Legends Machine Man action figure when it came out a few years ago because his work on the comic had left me with an affinity for the character.
I still have to get the Iron Man 2020 figure to go with the Machine Man one, to.
Great video; you always achieve to reignite my interest in comics.
Love BWS, thanks for this episode!
I’ve been waiting so long for you to covers this piece of work ❤ thank you for your hard work!
I have a weapon x comic but never realized it was Windsor-Smith’s artwork but I loved pouring over every detailed panel. Im gonna have to give it a re-read lol
This was the first graphic novel I ever read it hooked me after I read it I’ve been collecting comics ever since
Man, I always love getting a notification that you've released a new video.
You're always a pleasure to watch and your passion for the medium is contagious as I always reach for a comic book after.
This was one of the very first thing I read when I got into comics
I swear Chris you must be reading my mind because I literlly just finished reading the "Weapon X" anthology trade 2 days ago. God what a creative tour de force. I am a professional artist much like yourself (love th Vampirella variant) and I really appreciated his attention to detailed lines in his work. The sea of cables running out of the unconscious Logan's body were so excellently drafted. The have weight to them that really maked me as the reader feel the heavy weight Logan endures. Good video as always. Can't wait for your next one!
I love this I had this saved for the perfect time to check it out
This is what you were editing??? Super happy!
I was young enough that the reveal of the simulation in weapon x blew my mind.
My first Barry Windsor-Smith comic was Uncanny X-men 205 with Wolverine on the cover connected to cables a foreshadowing of the Weapon X run.
That’s one awesome issue. Prolly the best BWS UXM issue. Cj
I just wanted to reach out and say this is/was a fantastic video. You always bring new insight into these works and I love to watch! Please keep up the great work!!!
Delightful and informative as always
I re-read this last week. Still as impressed with it now as I was then.
Second film is different director, same writer. I recommend looking into the writers filmography, very impressive. Prisoners is my favorite Villeneuve film. Highly recommend.
As usual, a great retrospective of one of the all time greats.
My favorite Wolverine comic
Outstanding video once again.
I've long felt Windsor-Smith is the most tragically under-appreciated comics creator of his generation.
Excellent stuff, as always. Thanks to Chris!
Excellent work Chris!
Thank you!
Great topic for a video presentation. Thanks for putting in the effort to recognize this great artist and one of his greatest works. At the time that story was running in MCP, I was still pretty new to comics, and I was blown away. I remember showing it to my Dad, who remarked that the artwork was far better than he expected from "comics for children."
It's been more than a decade, maybe two, since I last read Weapon X. I got a spoiler from your video because I forgot the simulation part of the ending 😂 I always found Windsor-Smith interesting, and this video makes want to check out more of his work. You said it, seeing an artist grow, mature, and challenge himself is one of the best things about art.
Thx for this episode. BWS is one of my personal favorites. Well done! Wishing you success on your cover!
Great episode! Love Windsor-Smith work. A "Hello" from Brasil and keep the good work!