Al Williamson
Pencils by (from the top) John Buscema, Rick Leonardi, John Romita, Jr., Arthur Adams, Jack Kirby, Lee Weeks, Joe Quesada, Jack Kirby, Al Williamson, and Curt-motherfucking-Swan.
Modern comic book artwork is primarily done on apps and tablets. Older artists draw on paper, but the younger generation has figured out that turning in a finished page digitally is a lot cheaper (and therefore more profitable for the publishers). Inkers are, frankly, a relic of an older era of the art form. John Buscema’s great gift to comics was not the stuff that he had published as the lead penciler. His legacy is “How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way”, and the laundry list of Inkers that worked with him on Savage Sword. He taught those guys how to draw comics, and most of them went on to have storied careers in comics. Bill Sienkiewicz, Bob McLeod, Pablo Marcos, Tony DeZuniga, and more. All of them started as INKERS.
Now, what does this have to do with Al Williamson?
Al was a penciler for EC Comics. Plotting and storytelling, not finishing. Al had a number of finishers, but the one that did the best for himself? His name was Frank Frazetta.
FRAZETTA WAS AL WILLIAMSON’S STUDENT.
End of Al Williamson’s career. He doesn’t want to plot comics anymore. He wants to finish and get his page rates. He does a few prestige titles. He adapted Blade Runner as the lead artist, with multiple inkers. He did Star Wars for George Lucas, with multiple inkers. But the bulk of Al Williamson’s later career was as an Inker. Finishing for younger talent.
And his trademark as an inker is unmistakeable because he’s almost unique in comics history. Al’s trademark was making the penciler look like the star. He never dominated or “corrected” anybody’s line work. Al’s job was to make the young talent pop. And he was as good at inking legends like John Buscema, Jack Kirby, or Curt Swan as he was at making young talent like Quesada, Lee Weeks, JRJR, or Arthur Adams look as good as they should.
That’s why he’s the best inker in comics history.
