Favorite Pre-crisis Superman Artists besides Curt Swan and Wayne Boring

[nightwing]

I will always think of Nick Cardy as a Superman artist, even though I don't have any Superman comics drawn by him.

Don't worry, nobody else does either.  Nick never drew any Superman stories, just covers.

But oh, what covers!

If we're going all the way back to the Golden Age (and why not?), then I have to put in a vote for Jack Burnley, one of the greatest to ever work on Superman or Batman.

Or, for that matter, both at once...

[JulianPerez]

I absolutely love Ross Andru's take on the character, but only post-1978 or so when he returned from his stint on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. When Ross Andru returned to DC, it was absolutely nothing compared to what he was before: he combined his polish with Marvel and Kirby-style action and dynamism. Ross Andru's Superman was handsome and powerful and magnificent to watch, and his women always wore the finest fashoins. Ross Andru's finest work had to have been on those Superman/Spider-Man team-up digests.

Everybody's already shown some love for the incredible Nick Cardy, but my favorite Superboy and the Legion cover artist has to be the incomparable Neal Adams. Compare his photorealistic covers to the Swan art inside, which was wonderful but cartoony, and it was a really shocking turn of events.

[Great Rao]

I agree with all of the names mentioned so far - especially Kurt Schaffenberger, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, and George Perez.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned:

Joe Shuster - the original, the definitive, and still the best.  Just as Siegel understood mythic story in his gut, Shuster  created incredible images without even thinking.
Neal Adams - did some great covers.
Steranko - I liked what I saw in Superman #400.

Not strictly pre-Crisis but worthy of inclusion:
Steve Rude - who should retroactively be awarded pre-Crisis status.
Bogdanove - I like the energy and the Shuster influence.  Although I disagreed with the stories and the characterization during the 90s, I think Bog's love for the character managed to come through in spite of all that and I enjoyed seeing it.

[Super Monkey]

Going back to Kurt, his artwork looks really great in those Showcase book, it is so clean and perfect that it really stands out in B&W. Did you know that he inked Curt Swan's artwork during the 1970's? And of course his final super book was the New Adventures of Superboy in the 1980's, he also drew great covers, here are some:


http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=18246&zoom=4

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=36075&zoom=4

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=17625&zoom=4

[TELLE]

Reiterating a few things discussed in a previous thread:

When I think of the reasons I like the classic Superman, many of them have to do with the aesthetic aspects --the "look" of Superman comics.  So, my favourite artists are those who exemplofy some aspect of the house style at DC.  A mix of the cartoony and the professional advertising art/adventure comic strip/illustrator styles.  Besides the classic linework of Curt Swan and the extremely loveable and clunkily iconic Boring, the other artists from the same time period that I love include Jim Mooney, George Papp, Dick Sprang, Shaffenberger, Shuster and the Shuster studio, etc, etc.

My list would not include anyone who came to the comics after 1970, since dynamic, innovative layouts in the Neal Adams tradition (and I would put George Perez in that category, as well as Garcia Lopez) are really not part of that more-or-less static artisitic tradition --although I do have a soft spot for Neal Adams' Ali book.  Which is not to say the older artists were not innovative or dynamic.  They were, only in a different way.  By the same token, although the dynamic innovator supreme, Jack Kirby, worked on Superman-related stories in the 1970s, he qualifies as neither fish nor fowl in this context.  A mainstay of the Golden and Silver Age, he defined the look of comics for several publishers (but not for Superman).  In the Bronze Age (which he can be credited with starting) his work was still unlike any others --definitely not part of any tradition.

Incidentally, does anyone have a scan of that Boy Commandos cover featuring a Superman parody from 1947 --3 years before Mad?  Kirby drew it.

[Super Monkey]

There are also a few other artists who rarely ever get any credit at all, yet seem to have drawn many of Superman's best stories! The reason is because they use the house style, so they are not look at as being as original as the others mention here, yet they are rock solid.

The 1st one that come stop mind is Al Plastino. Take a few minutes and just think of all the classic stories he drew. Seriously, make a list, and you will be amaze to find that some of the most important stories were drawn not bu Curt or Wayne, but good old Al! 1st ever Kryptonite story and 1st time Superman finds out he is from Krypton, Al drew it. 1st Supergirl story, Al drew it and co created her. 1st Legion story, that's right good old Al! 1st time Superman fights evil kryptonians, that's right Al! 1st brainiac story and co-created him at that. Same with Metallo! And the list goes on and on and on, so please lets give him more credit and show him some love. BTW, he about 85 and still very much alive.

[Aldous]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned:

Well, no one said we had to come up with a comprehensive list.  I suppose a selection of favourites will always snub some very good creators. Whichever old comic I reach for often has more to do with my mood than the intrinsic merits of the artist, and when I read the title of this thread I straight away thought of Nowak & Sikela. Go figure.

Of course any list of the greats should include Al Plastino and Joe Shuster; no debate there.

[Sword of Superman]

My vote are for Gil Kane an Garcia-Lopez,their dynamic Superman is second to none!