Nick Fury #11 - Barry Windsor Smith cover
Nick Fury, Agent of Shield #11, 1968 - On this oddly composed cover, two figures float in space while an agonized face screams in the background. Nick Fury and his foe are clumsily placed, heavily obscuring the spaceship in the distance. A gloved arm reaches toward us, poorly foreshortened and overly distorted. Barry Smith clearly struggles with his earliest works for Marvel, but quickly progresses toward the end of the decade. This is number 2 of 3 Nick Fury issues with Smith art and/or covers. See today's posts or more Smith or Nick Fury issues. See also this blog's Barry Windsor Smith checklist.
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Smith cover pencils (Frank Springer inks) = **
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6 comments to date:
I don't think Barry Smith pencilled this cover. The face of Nick Fury is by Smith, but the rest of the cover art appears to have the distinctive line of Frank Springer, the interior artist.
Nick Caputo
Overstreet gives credit to Smith and I tend to agree. The (bad) foreshortening on this cover is comparable to his Captain Marvel #11 and Daredevil #52 covers. Upon closer inspection, it is entirely possible that Springer may have done the inks.
I'd say the truth is in the middle. Likely Smith produced the cover and it had to be redrawn so heavily by Springer when he inked it, that it become his for all practical purposes.
The layout does smack of Smith at the time, but as has been said only Fury's face seems to hold any of the details. I'd have to say we can credit Smith only "breakdowns" on this one.
Rip Off
I consider Smith's early work, especially on S.H.I.E.L.D., to be poor. I'd love to know why Marvel hired him in the first place. Perhaps someone perceived his potential. While it is laudable to provide opportunity to a nascent talent, this may subject readers of a comic title to lousy art...as in this case.
According to Roy Thomas, Stan Lee saw potential and gave him work. I agree that his initial stories were very crude, but I thought with his Daredevil stories he was beginning to mold the dynamics of Kirby and Steranko and develop a personality of his own.
Nick Caputo
I would note that Frank Springer's signature is barely visible underneath the "Marvel Comics Group" logo, so unless Smith's name is above Springer's, he likely pencilled and inked the cover. I certainly see his distinctive line.
Since Smith was in the states and apparently on staff for a short while, he could easily have been asked to make corrections.
For more on Smith's nick Fury work (uncredited), go to my Blog:
http://nick-caputo.blogspot.com/
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