Comics / Cult Favorite

Drawing Under The Influence

By Philip Schweier
April 4, 2005 - 11:01

The following comment was overheard in my friendly neighborhood comics shop: “I’ve been curious about this guy’s work. He draws a lot like Mark Schultz.” It came from a young man, college age. There is an art school in my town, and a lot of aspiring comics artists go there. He may have been a student, I couldn’t say. He was looking at a bound volume of Russ Manning’s Tarzan.

“No, young man. Mark Schultz draws like Russ Manning, not the other way around.” I didn’t say it, but I thought it. No need to be rude to someone who may simply be uninformed. The fact that he sought out Russ Manning’s work is an encouraging sign; he is willing to see how one artist may influence another generation.

“The one guy who really pushed me out of amateur to professional was far and away Wally Wood,” says Schultz. “I tried to emulate his style, but over time moved away from it as a matter of course.”

But Wood is only one of the many influence Schultz cites. Creating comics requires a number of skills, and for today’s artist/writers, it is necessary to cull froma variety of sources. “I got my dry brush technique from Dan Smith, a turn-of-the-century illustrator,” Schultz admits.

Many an artist has influenced another. Craig Hamilton said, while looking at an Ariel illustration he did over 20 years ago, “How much John Byrne is in THAT?” You see it all the time.



Byrne himself has said how copying a good artist, and getting it right, helps build a strong underpining for the artwork. Better artists continue to grow, and actually evolve away from the styles of the artists they started out copying. One case in point would be Bill Sienkeiwicz, whose early work on Moon Knight is directly influenced by Neal Adams, but whose work today is distinctively his own.

There certainly is nothing wrong with looking for inspiration in the work of someone you admire. It offers one a level to which to aspire. And one can pick a much worse starting point than Neal Adams.

I am troubled when I hear musicians cite their obvious influences. Which came first, Ratt or Poison? One band inspiring another until it all blurs together is a disconcerting thing. It diminishes other bands. More successful musicians will find something in a completely separate style and adapt it to their own needs, such as The Rolling Stones influences from the likes of Muddy Waters.

Any creative person – writer, artist, or musician – has people whose work has influenced their own. And not just in the same genre or medium. Musicians are influenced by writers, writers by filmmakers, filmmakers by artists, etc. The circle perpetuates itself in different directions, much like a spider-web, following different threads across formats, periods, and cross-pollinating in a cultural smorgasbord until the end product is more than the sum of its parts.

I heartily applaud originality, but at the same time I can appreciate an adaptation of sorts. West Side Story is an original take on an old classic, which never tried to distance itself from its roots. I recently read Stars My Destination, an excellent science fiction story by Alfred Bester. As much as I enjoyed it, I couldn’t help but see more than a little bit of The Count of Monte Cristo in it.

Serialized fiction has a pitfall in that often the creative well runs dry. Television series often recycle plots from old movies, or other shows. Comics have been known to do the same. I don’t mind the occassional homage, but sometimes the source is so obvious, it borders on plagiarism. It’s a fine line to walk.

For years, artists have used “swipes,” adapting poses or composition from one artist to use on another character. Often this is done by the same artist on two separate characters, sometimes it’s a sharing between studio mates. Generally the only rule is to swipe from the best, and acknowledge the original in some way.

The only solution lies in one’s own talent, and the ability to distill the influences of everything from high school history, old Saturday Night Live reruns, and the art of Edward Hopper. With practice and experience comes the ability to obscure the obvious sources, and bring out the threads of originality.

One generation of artists will always serve as inspiration for another. One should choose a creative compass with the understanding that someone came before them, and someone else before that. Once you have a path to follow, ask yourself where it will lead you, and if it will blaze a trail for the next generation. •

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12