Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Which Keith Giffen art style was better?

Acknowledgement goes to Cobalt Kid for giving me the 'nudge' to intro another query:

Keith Giffen's run on the LEGION was phenomenal and from LEGION 285 (Princess Projectra-Karate Kid spotlight story) to the first few pages of LEGION 307, his art was superb...then it became rushed and sloppy. However, thats my point of view. Others may disagree (and that's reasonable enuff)

Who among the Legion Worlders had a favourite Giffen run? Was it:

1)The first run (LEGION 285-313)
2)The second run (LSH 50-63)
3)The third run (LEGION 5YL 1-38)?

and give some reasons why. It may be interesting to find out...

First run all the way!

It was Giffen at his peak. I agree, his later art looks sloppy and hurried. It's a murky mess and everybody looks the same.

But, at his peak, I wanted to draw just like him!

Hi Gary!

I remember the Star Boy spotlight - it was Giffen's last good job...He drew a particularly handsome Thom and made Wildfire look as "super" as he was when Cockrum was doing the art chores.

What went wrong?

ahhh this is tough. i love all his art.

if i was forced (i mean really forced) to choose i would say second run.

First run, definitely, for the reasons stated above.

Look at those faces! (And everything else {ahem})



First run. No contest. Giffen's faces and bodies actually had some classic definition. In his third run, especially, too many fine details faded into a sketchy and shapeless mass -- and he portrayed emotion primarily by scrunching up faces.

Even in his prime, inkers such as Larry Mahlstedt were his better half. Such as on that famous poster (reprinted in the first edition of "The Great Darkness Saga" TPB) with hundreds of characters.

Whatever gave him an evocative visual technique somehow vanished, in the middle of the "Omen and Prophet" story line, and never came back. It may have been that poster that made him burn out, from some reports.

Thanks for the shout-out Brian!

I'd have to agree with Giffen's first run too all the way. His art was so refreshing and crisp, and his takes on the various characters is part of what made GDS so much fun.

I do have to say, however, that I loved his nine-panel grids in TMK. They were reminescent of Steve Ditko and the Silver Age, and they were a distinct form of Legion story-telling.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Greybird:
[QB] Look at those faces!

Excellent job of digging up those few panels of Saturn Girl and Light Lass bonding in sister-in-lawish fashion, Greybird

Tho its difficult to pinpoint when the scenes took place...before the Great Darkness stories, obviously.

While I like all of Giffen's styles, I actually put his first run as *third* - as well done as that stuff was, stylistically it never wowed me.

It's hard for me to decide between the other two styles because I loved them for different reasons. I guess the TMK stuff would be #2 because I loved the darker tone, the thick black brushwork, even the faces unrealistically half-covered in shadow! Loved the nine-panel grid, love the grit! It was perfect for the kind of stories they were telling (I also loved the "Dr. Fate" mini he did prior to TMK which had a similar style).

But based on visual style alone, I'll go with his second run which hit its peak during the Emerald Empress two parter. Yeah, some of his faces were a bit inflated (and maybe a little too "Maguire-like"), but I loved how clean that style was and how he had simplified his linework. Not crazy about the redesigned costumes, but that's another thread...

All Giffen's art rawks, with the sole exception of that sketchy mess he used for his TRENCHER series.

His 5-years Later luscious lips come close to toppling Mike Allred from the Luscious Lips Throne!

I like all three runs a lot, and overall, Giffen has been my all time favorite Legion artist, whichever style he was working in.

But I think I like the first run best. A lot of it comes from Levitz really being at his peak story-wise. And Giffen's style and storytelling were much more clear...easier to follow what was going on, and much easier to tell exactly which character was which at any given time. Basically, friendlier and more accessible to new readers.

The 5 years later stuff in particular, while I love it, could be very off-putting for new people who didn't already know who the characters were, and their relationship to each other. I worked at a comic book store for a while during this period, and a common complaint I would hear (from the relative few who read it), was that they would mistake similar-looking characters for each other.

I don't think it's a coincidence that LSH was the 2nd highest selling DC title at the time of Levitz/Giffen's first run, and held a much lower position during following runs.

well i actually liked all 3 versions of the LEGION by Keith Giffen !!

if i had to choose one, it would have to be his first take on the team, around the "GREAT DARKNESS SAGA" !! just amazing character detail, and costume designs, also the locations and building looked so cool !!

but going onto his later work, i also really liked the re-designed costumes during the "MAGIC WARS" and his "heavier" features on the characters, and then finally during the "5 Year Gap" his style really suited that too IMO !!

Matthew.

The first run. His first few issues weren't that good but after that he was amazing.

But like the others I'm a fan of all three styles. If anything his storytelling has gotten better over the years. But I still love everything from #300 to #315 big time.

First run.....i copied alot of Giffen's art at that time with i was learning to draw. Even though our styles are quite different, Giffen at that time period is one of my biggest artistic influences.

I prefer the third run. It was crazy, scratchy and still a bit obsessive with the nine-panel grid. Very cool. It was not superhero or science fiction, but some new entity.
The darkness in the series also went strangely well with the humour of the comic.

Charlie E/N

In last place, I'd put his second run. His storytelling has never been in question, but at this point he didn't seem interested in details and the Legion is all about details. The art did seem rushed, casual. I thinked I liked it just because it was Giffen. I thought Mike DeCarlo's inks were the absolute worst match ever for Giffen's pencils. That ruined it for me.

In second place, the TMK issues. I actually liked the challenge of figuring out what was going on and who was who. Yes, the art worked for the kind of stories that were going on. It matched the tone and mood of the era. I had no problem with the nine panels or the repeated panels.

My favorite is definitely his first run. He basically re-designed the look of the Legion's universe. His take on architecture and machinery and technological gizmos was used all the way until Coipel came along. He designed the Mission Monitor board and its icons. Also, he made each Legionnaire look more dynamic in action than anyone before him. Sun Boy, Lightning Lad, Shadow Lass, etc etc. Each of his panels were clean and detailed. The GDS still amazes me. That poster still amazes me. I remember when his style shifted to that more hectic, more cartoony look. I wasn't pleased. I knew an era was over.

I liked the hectic cartoony look with Kesel inking. Loved it. Element Lad flying in some strange pose changing elements? Man that rocked.

Who killed Laurel Kent was good as well.

Giffen rules while others space-drool.

Love all his styles...they all have different things to offer. Even love his Kirby phase he's going through right now.

All y'all Giffen haterz need to calm y'alls tits.

Oh Calm, you're a breath of fresh air, darling!

5YL is my favorite. His current style has most of the same characteristics, but everyone (everyone!) is thick and has an ugly, distorted face. If I wanted to see that there are plentyof mirrors in my house.

I thought his first Legion run is still the best, even if the characters were a bit stiff. His artwork and story telling with Paul Levitz is what made the GDS and stories soon after still the best Legion run to date. The detail and character anatomy were much better than the next two Legion runs. The shadow faces in 5YL were goofy and really disappointed me.

Have to say that in my comic maturation I have really come to admire and respect Jack Kirby art and I think Keith Giffen has paid homage to him and his style and flow better than anyone. I have really enjoyed the New52 run of OMAC - too bad it has been cancelled. I still maintain Keith Giffen did some major damage to the Legion both in story and artwork during his 5YL time but I have liked some of his recent Legion work, such as the Emerald Empress annual.

I liked his first run best and it is my 3rd fav of all art ever on the Legion (With Lightle first and Sherman second).

Didn't care for the second style at all. As others have said, it looked rushed.

Third style was different and pretty good. While not mind blowing, it fit the theme and tone of the book at the time very well.

I like his Kirby phase he's going through now also. I recall that prior to his first run on the Legion that he was known as a Kirby imitator. With his current Kirby phase he seems to have gone full circle. Does anyone have a link to images of his earlier Kirby influenced work?