Neal Adams, now there’s a name people love to bring up. The man has a unique style about him that just makes everybody feel good. The art books in dedication to his runs with Batman show a dynamic energy. That same momentum propels Adams to give voices to the overlooked such as certain Jewish people. However whenever he creates stories on his own, everyone including Adams lose themselves in the energy. Let’s see what makes Adams such a dynamo.
Early Days of Neal Adams
Adams’ passion for comics seems to stem in the Golden Age, the time superheroes reach public consciousness. Contrasting with the Comics Code Authority are the embodiments for change like Superman and Batman. Unlike their modern counterparts these characters are sensational reactions to pop culture. Adams being Jewish likely has his creative inspirations come from the many creators of the era; Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, and many more. It’s little wonder why he enrolled in the School of Industrial art.
Getting into comics however is a little hard even during those early days. He fails to get into DC, because after 20 years of publishing, only the best can get in. The greenhorn Adams instead finds work at “Archie Comics” after some staff find his artwork. Eventually, some things lead to work in advertisement and newspaper comic strips. It’s there that Adams reveals his dynamic style. In just the Ben Casey strips, there is a sense of tension accompanying a whiplash of urgency. This style is a means of revealing both the chaotic times and the desperate needs in the real world. For Adams, that desperation manifests in his need for work between two recession periods. Now how does that mindset end up in Silver Age comics?
Neal Adams: Silver Age Architect
The Silver Age defines itself through its fantastical settings as well as relatable characterizations. However that’s not to say that everything is juvenile humor; screw you Comics Code! For Neal Adams, his comeback in comics begins in Warren Publishing’s horror anthologies. Being a genre under attack from the Comics Code, Adams takes the opportunity to incorporate the tension in other comics.
Making Horror Relevant
Not least of which is Deadman, a ghost haunted by his murder. Adams displays Boston Brand’s anxiety in full through Strange Adventures #207’s cover art. The fact that anybody could be his killer overwhelms and nearly drives Deadman insane. When Adams takes the full helm of the story, he narratively expresses his concern about being on the chopping board. After a lifetime of hits and misses and the fact that anyone could have his position terrifies Adams. Comics are what Adams dedicated his life towards; the thought of losing this job is practically a death sentence. Ultimately, these struggles pay off with Adams going on to portray another supernatural DC character, The Spectre.
Yet the Spectre is a bit campier in comparison to Deadman; his powers to control time accidentally summons a dinosaur for example. This is likely because with a job secure, Adams can now have more fun with the surreal situations. Because with Deadman over with, why stay dour?
It’s Not the Bronze or Iron Age Yet
That amount of dourness subsides once Adams begins to further develop his expressional style. At Marvel, he works along with Roy Thomas on the almost cancelled X-Men. It’s rather fitting that someone who goes against Holocaust deniers would join this title. With the presence of the mutant-killing Sentinels, separated families, and reunions it’s easy to see how.
According to Thomas, Adams “did most of the plotting, including the entire plot for issue #65”. But it’s also a time of rediscovering fun with the Savage Land. While the X-Men couldn’t remain, Adams and Roy Thomas continue to collaborate. Some of those collaborations give rise to some Marvel highlights like the Kree-Skrull War. That’s not to say he spends no time at DC.
Adams most iconic time in DC is quite easily through Batman and Dennis O’Neil. O’Neil reintroduces the dark and brooding Crusader along with some iconic villains. Joker and Two-Face are some good times but new characters help grow the world of DC. The League of Assassins finally get their time in the limelight through the introduction of Ra’s al Ghul. Originally just a one-off group from Deadman, their leader shows how much of a threat they are. Ra’s and his daughter Talia hold Batman in a difficult position. The kind that force him to question his vow and what he wants out of life. For Adams people needed to know about difficult subjects.
Bronze Age Boogie
Giving characters depth through some of these difficult subjects is what defines the Bronze Age. For Adams and O’Neil however that comes with the iconic Green Lantern/Green Arrow series. Adams gives Green Arrow a more distinct look to differentiate himself from his Robin Hood inspiration. Along with this comes a story about how the world functions away from superheroics. Adams and O’Neil attempt to consider both liberal or conservative views. But as a Strange Parts of the Brain video points out, it ends up becoming a parody of its message. Instead of providing answers to real world problems, it just displays how irrelevant superheroics are. Fortunately the same video highlights how human these characters are.
Human however doesn’t mean clear-cut, it means having to deal with flaws. Not least of which is how Green Arrow reacts to his ward Speedy’s heroin addiction. Some people including the Comics Code or Green Arrow see higher morals as absolute. Most of them don’t even want drug mentions anywhere close to young viewers. Adams however is a firm believer in rehabilitation from addiction and tries to show those struggles to the readers. Because anyone who ignores or prefers to see watered down versions of these struggles ignores the world. Sadly sales and the inability to separate fantasy and realism puts this series aside. So Adams decides to make reality a little more bearable.
Neal Adams Makes Reality Fantastic
In the pages that Adams draws in subsequent comics, he shows a balance between fantastical superheroes and normal life. From Superman taking care of a baby to a crossover with Spider-Man. Perhaps the biggest piece is Superman’s boxing match with Muhammed Ali and losing. Despite the absurdity there is something to gain from all of this. Adams believes that comics can mean something in more than just the industry. He co-founds Continuity Associates with Dick Giordano for that very reason.
Artists in comics don’t make a lot of money, the average annual salary being around $20,000. Continuity Associates allows these artists to provide middleman products from ads to storyboards. Some artists like Howard Chaykin, Jim Starlin, and even Walt Simonson did work there. Neal Adams genuinely believes in having a fair voice and work environment. Too bad his more modern works shows can’t measure up to his achievements.
Stick to Collaborations Adams
In recent years, Neal gets opportunities to create stories with characters he helped make famous; all of his written work however comes with very poor, but surprisingly enjoyable results. The most notable is Batman: Odyssey, a series that has a reputation for being “So Bad, It’s Good“. It has everything people love about Neal Adams; his expressive and emotionally appealing artwork, his stance against censorship, and Silver Age nuttiness. It also houses some of his personal beliefs; unlike the above topics this story features the pseudoscientific theories of Hollow Earth. But people take the time to look at Odyssey regardless.
While a pair of Comics Alliance writers have fun with it, they find no meaning. Everything that comes out of this implies that Odyssey is just a meme-inducing improv session. It’s more than likely that Adams puts the story together through storyboards in no particular order. However, the transitions are so smooth it’s actually comparable to the production of Mad Max: Fury Road. This actually isn’t too far off from Adams other work.
Writers and Critics Are Not Fans of Improv
Skateman, a creator-owned title actually has a similar reputation to Batman Odyssey. From the dynamic action to conflicts that try to overlap one another. Only nobody knows if this is actually by Adams or by someone at his publishing company. What it does say is that Adams’ and the people under his influence, prefers to let art do the talking. But when people are actually speaking in Adams work it sounds insanely funny. The dialogue in 2017’s Deadman perfectly encapsulates the overall insanity. There’s so much self-contradictory sentences an editor would have a field day with it. Unlike Adam’s original Deadman which highlight his struggles, these comics are really Adams just having fun. But isn’t that what creatives are supposed to do?
Neal Adams Through and Through
Neal Adams loves all parts of his job, it’s how he’s met so many great people. Some people in DC still call him for collaborations like in Kamandi Challenge. The energy in body language and movement is also why he gets a part in Detective Comics #1000. However, he’s more than willing to admit that he didn’t get famous alone. In fact it’s his willingness to give people a voice that Adams is comfortable with his identity. It is what leads him to collaborate with Mark Waid for Fantastic Four Antithesis. While Adams is still nostalgic to fans, he should probably use his fame to help aspiring creators get by more.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.