[JCarterVA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel

Steranko is definitely an unsung great deserving more notoriety and I also definitely enjoy his art. The only caveat I'll toss in there is that capturing and interpreting the nuance of artistic styles can be very hit or miss, with recognition and successful interpretation being really slippery slopes. In Hasbro's run, I've only really seen it accomplished twice where it was an obvious nod to a particular artist. Somebody at Hasbro, or one of their contracted sculptors, either knows or is a fan of Humberto Ramos because we've received both Goblin and Hobgoblin send-ups of his work. Now, it took a while for people to settle on a consensus that acknowledges these figs are indeed styled after Humberto's work and the jury's still out as to whether this is even a good thing - no offense to Humberto, I've liked his art too.

The first hurdle is nailing the translation. An easier task with figs and looks like Toy Biz' Bryne/Thing. A harder assignment with Toy Biz' McFarlane/Spidey that many believe might actually be a J.S. Campbell/Spidey. Artists that have specific style quirks like Humberto's feet/hands/faces, or Byrne's iconic Ben Grim brow and flat shale-stone appearance offer easier translations. However, specifically as it regards Steranko, his work is distinguished (IMO) by long limbs, long faces, crazy 70's era advanced-spy-tech (which, as cool as it looked then, most would consider pretty dated now), and trippy 70's era psychedelic backdrops. Only two of those things can be worked into a sculpt. Then there is the matter of recognition. To me Steranko and Gulacy illustrated faces in similar ways - long countenances with large eyes. Is the average collector going to differentiate, or even notice these subtleties? I dunno.

I haven't even gone into the aspect of how aiming for a particular artistic look pulls a figure out of continuity with the other figs of the line. The Humberto goblins were effective, but the figures now stand apart and don't mesh with the other Legends IMO.

Not poo-pooing your wishes, I like Steranko, just walking through how successful a process this has been within the Legends line.

EDIT: All this Shield talk...

BlueMarvel phenomenal dio action shots!
I hear ya but I still want Steranko SHIELD Agents! Hasbro has done well with Jim Lee X-Men. They need a talented sculptor not a CAD/CAM. They need someone who can sculpt a face that is not blank slate.