When you go to a great restaurant, and have a great meal...maybe a really fabulous rack of lamb, or a particularly great salmon fillet, or maybe a great glass of wine...unless you are a professional, you may not be able to say
why you liked it. At the end of the day, it was just, well, REALLY good. With wine, I like a good glass as much as the next person, but I can't tell if it is because of a great nose of earthy notes with a hint of cinnamon, or whatever...I just know, after having had quite a few bottles in my time...what is good and what isn't.
Well...this cover is a great example of that same sentiment. I am not an artist. I can't necessarily speak to you about the technical aspects of what is an is not great composition or what specific aspects of a pictures execution make it better than the next. I might try, but at at the end of the day, I know what I like...and I can usually tell when an artist is committed to their craft.
Frazetta had command on this cover and the others in the series. And while I am not an artist...I know well drawn figures when I see them. And while I may not be trained, I think I have a sense for good composition...for good story telling that is accomplished without words. Everyone knows today that people can't just float around in space...I suspect they knew that back in the early 1950's too...but that doesn't matter here. The beautiful girl in distress, our fearless hero (Buck Rogers), the lunatic alien thugs and their fleet of ships. The image is bold and dynamic. It moves. It brings back images in my mind of Mystery in Space #1...also a classic black covered sci-fi book from the early 1950's with cover art by Carmine Infantino.
So there it is...classic 1950's sci-fi that is really timeless. Why? Because these artists were serious about what they were doing and were not just turning the crank. Thanks fellas!
Until next time...
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