Talk:Jim Steranko

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography. For more information, visit the project page.
Biography Portal
B This article has been rated as B-Class on the project's quality scale. [FAQ]
This article is supported by the Arts and Entertainment work group.
Photo request It is requested that a picture or pictures of this person be included in this article to improve its quality.

Note: Wikipedia's non-free content use policy almost never permits the use of non-free images (such as promotional photos, press photos, screenshots, book covers and similar) to merely show what a living person looks like. Efforts should be made to take a free licensed photo during a public appearance, or obtaining a free content release of an existing photo instead.
WikiProject Comics
comics
Portal
This article is in the scope of WikiProject Comics, a collaborative effort to build an encyclopedic guide to comics on Wikipedia. Get involved! Help with current tasks, visit the notice board, edit the attached article or discuss it at the project talk page.
B This article has been rated as B-Class on the quality scale. Please explain the rating here.
High This article has been rated as High-importance on the importance scale.

Contents

[edit] Chabon "quote" removal

The Michael Chabon quote in the Quotes section turned out not be an actual quote, but a paraphrase. The original site is now defunct; here is what it says on the cached page at [1]

"The Inescapable Truth" by Adam Messano

What: The first ever meeting between Jim Steranko and Michael Chabon Where: Lee's Comics in Mountain View When: Saturday, December 14, 2002

"The following is a reproduction of questions and answers given at the first ever meeting between legendary Marvel Comics artist and one-time escape artist Jim Steranko, and the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay," Michael Chabon."

As a note before we dive into the transcript, Jim Steranko is reported to be the influence behind Jack Kirby creating Mr. Miracle. Mr. Steranko was an escape artist for years in the late 1950's, before his brief but significant run as a writer/artist at Marvel Comics. This, along with his later chronicling of the history of comic books, served as great influences on Mr. Chabon.

The following was written down during the meeting of Jim Steranko and Michael Chabon at Lee's Comics on Saturday, December 14th. This is not reproduced from a tape recording, and as such should not be considered verbatim quotes.

Michael Chabon (opening remarks): "I would never have written Kavalier and Clay without [Jim Steranko's] History of Comics. It is the standard history. When I first read it in 1970 was when I discovered that comics had a history...I was mind blown by [Steranko's] body of work. The October 1995 Comic Book Marketplace issue has a detailed account of Steranko as a performing escape artist. Up until I read that, I had heard it but never knew how seriously to take that."

Jim Steranko (opening remarks): "First, I'm very grateful to Lee for working hard to get this together. This is my first meeting with Michael. We've looked at each other's work without having contact. I'm like the mouse Walt Disney saw running across the floor. [the success of Kavalier and Clay] is a tribute to Michael's skill, talent, and vision."

Jim Steranko (on anything not historically correct in Chabon's novel): "In Kavalier and Clay, there was only one minor moment in the book. And this was with Joe painting comics covers. Maybe Green Hornet #1 or #9, but typically that was very unusual."

Michael Chabon (on anything not historically correct in his novel): "I made Joe Kavalier a refugee. I thought there were no comic creators who were. But it turns out one was, but I can't remember who it was. I started out [researching comics] as an outsider. I have many more contacts now."

Michael Chabon (on the novel's first title): "I stared out calling it The Golden Age. But people thought it was about old people. So that didn't work. Then a DC series of that name came out too. And then the same month that Kavalier and Clay came out, Gore Vidal published a book called The Golden Age. For awhile too it was called "Kavalier and Clay" only, but I added "The Amazing Adventures" to fit the movie serial element that's in the book."

Jim Steranko (on the moment now of meeting Chabon): "It's staggering to be here because a few minutes ago, Pulitzer Prize-winning Michael asked me to inscribe some comics for him."

Michael Chabon (in response): "I also looked for hand-colored Joe Kubert drawing I did when I was a kid. I used markers to fill in all right colors. I wanted to bring that, but I couldn't find it in time."

[edit] Accuracy of pre-1965 material

The account of his life before 1965 (when he started at Marvel) is of questionable accuracy. Almost everything sources back to Jim Steranko himself with no external validation. Examples include:

- That he played with Bill Haley and the Comets - That he put the first go-go girls onstage - His taking up boxing and fencing - That he worked in nightclubs doing magic and escape 12.96.162.45 19:36, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

This is not an accurate statement. Steranko was featured in a 1962 and a 1964 issue of Genii magazine. Steranko's card magic book Steranko on Cards was published in 1960. Tony Robertson 15:58, 18 February 2007 (UTC)
Steranko was not "featured" in the Genii articles, he wrote both of those articles. One is on cards and the other is a self-promotional retrospective on escapes. Its been a long time since I've seen the articles, but I dont remember that they proved whats at issue. The escape article in particular read like the work of someone using a variety of other sources. The card book also doesn't prove that he was doing magic in clubs. It proved that he was around magic and interested in magic, but not that he was doing club shows. 12.96.162.45 21:13, 23 February 2007 (UTC)
The sources are cited, and include more than Steranko's own bio, as the footnotes list. The article already says of single-source statements that, for example, "Steranko claims [emphasis added here] to have put the first go-go girls on stage," or that "one biography states that such-and-so." Additionally, the Steranko print references cited include images of old playbills, newspaper clippings, etc.
Regarding Haley and the Comets, it was common during the early days of rock'n'roll for recording artists to use local talent as backup musicians in each town; it wasn't like arena rock and VIP passes. --Tenebrae 19:24, 20 February 2007 (UTC)
The primary cite right now is to a dragoncon bio without an author. Its a really poor source. Can you tell me exactly which "print references" include the images of old playbills and newspaper clippings? If there are better sources, I'd rather use them than the dragoncon thing. As far as Haley and the Comets, there needs to either be some form of real proof or the statement should be backed off to Steranko claims. I know it was common, but if the statement is made as fact there should be some proof. 12.96.162.45 21:13, 23 February 2007 (UTC)
Well, I can't argue with a request for more specific cites! I'll go pull the Steranko slipcase thing out from wherever I've stored it and see what I can come up with. Good vetting, partner!! --Tenebrae 00:45, 24 February 2007 (UTC)
Update: Sorry for the delay. I have the slipcase set and will dig it out. Promise! --Tenebrae 02:34, 14 April 2007 (UTC)
OK, got some more cites and bio in today.--Tenebrae 20:30, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] RE: Lead section etc. comment in edit summary

I'm sure we could remove the Hulk image without affecting the quality of the article, as the Hulk wasn't a signature character the way Fury and Capt. America were.

I think we're on safe ground with the cover gallery, since in terms of comics history they're seven of the most famous, influential, and subject-of-homage-and-tribute images ever in the medium; one rare homage page is even given in the article. They're also extremely small, very low-res, postage-stamp-sized images, which has bearing on fair use. --Tenebrae 02:39, 14 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Kirby full-page, double-page spreads

I've commented out this claim until we can get confirmation. I'm virtually certain comics' first full-page story art was Kirby in an early Captain America Comics, but have no verification of that. I've heard anecdotally that Kirby also may have done comics' first double-page spread, but have no no confirmation of that either. Can anyone pin these down? --Tenebrae (talk) 16:52, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

I have the Simon & Kirby Captain America reprints somewhere, so I can try and verify that. Could take a while to find, though. Meanwhile, it appears that Kirby was certain doing full-page artwork by 1957 in Challengers of the Unknown1 and double-page spreads by FF Annual #1 (1963), which would at least pre-date Steranko, if not prove categorically that Kirby pioneered the technique. (Indeed, surely Eisner's Spirit comes close to being - if not IS - the first full-page artwork...? Although that would generally have been on 'covers' rather than interior work, and not necessarily "comics" per se, so may not be relevent.) ntnon (talk) 18:39, 16 April 2008 (UTC)