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| Copyright REBELLION |
More KEN REID you said, Crivs, so more Ken Reid you get. Revisiting old territory for Ken (the seafaring theme first witnessed in JONAH), we now turn our attention to the very first appearance of QUEEN Of The SEAS, as published in SMASH! #1, cover-dated February 5th, 1966. For those who only know Ken's art from his much later, and, it has to be said, more stiff and sedate work in the '80s, it may come as a revelation to see that his earlier pages were more alive, vital, spontaneous, manic, crowded and teeming with detail.
But why take my word for it? The pleasure of discovery (or rediscovery for older readers) now lies before you.
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Excellent stuff indeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd I learned something as well.
When I read the title I immediately thought of Jonah.
I did not know they were separate strips.
Enough of this making constant reference to Crive-ites! We Criv Kids demand equal time!
ReplyDeleteEach panel of Ken's work deserves close inspection. The storyline quickly becomes irrelevant as you take time to enjoy the art work, which as you as say, is bursting with life. You can almost smell the brine and feel the sea winds blowing in your face! Classic work from an artist at the very top of his game.
ReplyDeleteKen.
The guy truly was awesome. Back in the sixties and early seventies I would buy these comics featuring Ken Reid and enjoy them but not really appreciate the level of detail he bestowed upon the strips he produced.
ReplyDeleteWhen you look at some of the crap being produced by so called artists today,and I don't mean just comic book artists,they would do well to learn from him. He really should have a higher profile in the art world at large. Be great to see a collection of his work displayed in the Glasgow Art Gallery.
Well, one was for D.C. Thomson and called 'Jonah', and the other was for Odhams Press and called 'Queen Of The Seas'. However, I can understand your confusion, Baab - they were both brilliant.
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And you've got it, Criv-kid BS.
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Agree with everything you said there, Ken. He was right at the top of the tree.
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Hey, wouldn't that be something, Moony! I'd even pay an entry fee to view his original art up close - and I own some myself.
I am always reminded whenever revisiting either of Ken's naval strips , of him sat there with an encyclopedia of naval vessels, painstakingly copying every minute detail, making sure each craft was 100% accurate. There's dedication for you!
ReplyDeleteMakes me wonder how the lesser Dandy artists in the comic's final year had the cheek to think that what they were churning out came anywhere near the standard of work that Ken produced in his heyday.
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