Sal Buscema : A Marvel Treasury !

Sal Buscema, (courtesy www.michaelminneboo.nl)

Sal Buscema is the younger brother of Big John Buscema, whom I have talked about earlier. Although I refer to Sal as being the younger brother of John, Sal, born in 1936, is by now a veteran of the comic book world in his own right. He has drawn an incredible array of characters in the Marvel Comics Universe. He has enjoyed working on The Incredible Hulk, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Marvel Team-Up, The Defenders, Captain America; in short he has drawn just about every character you can find in the world of Marvel Comics.

The Incredible Hulk by Sal Buscema

Sal began by inking over his brother John's drawings on many titles such as SILVER SURFER, but in picking up a lot from his older brother, Sal has made his style recognizable as his own. Where John's art has a beautiful powerful look, vivacious and gripping, Sal's style is more dynamic and has a roughness to it that makes the characters pop right out of the page. Where John draws the more voluptuous women (check out his years of work on SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN for that and mind that you don't drool all over the place) but Sal easily creates very tense gut level action as well as eminently smoochable romance.

Sal Buscema inking John Romita Sr

Sal has worked for DC as well, drawing BATMAN, SUPERMAN, SUPERBOY and WONDER WOMAN. No words can do justice to what Sal has meant to me or to Marvel and DC. He has given fans many hours of wonderful art in his career that has lasted longer than 50 years. 

Sal's Wonder Woman (way before the film came out)

I have been aware of Sal's work for almost as long as I have read comics. In the 1970s, when I started reading Spider-Man comics, his work was not to be missed and set such a high standard that it would be so much the harder for the next guy to put his own stamp on the characters.

Captain America beating the Red Skull by Sal

I have had the opportunity to speak to Sal at a Comic Book Convention in my country way back in the 1990s and I would like to say, Sal, you won't remember me but THANKS for giving  us fans such an incredible amount of work to enjoy, work that can only be characterized as ART. 

Sal's Superman