A Memoriam In Four Colours – Sam Kieth
Last week we lost the great Sam Kieth. He was an artist who left a long-lasting impression. As a reader, you never forget your first Sam Kieth comic. It seems obvious each time I write one of these that we shouldn’t be sad they are gone; we should be grateful for the art he has left behind. Sam Kieth walked in a time of comics as perhaps a wild outsider artist, so that others could run. His work has the sort of energy that, when you first see it, you imagine he burst onto the scene fully formed. Upon seeing your first Kieth page, it’s like he is saying here is my style, here is my philosophy and here is my mission statement. With a few strokes of a pencil, he says, “I’m Sam Kieth and I’m here to make awesome comics!”
“Sam Kieth did not bend for comics. Comics bent to him… No filter between his imagination and the printed page.” – Phil Hester on X
It seems like each time I do a Memoriam in Four Colours, there is a more personal connection. Younger me wouldn’t be able to write this piece with any justice to the brilliance of Kieth. One day at my LCS in 2002, on a whi,m I bought the new collected edition of Blood Hungry (collecting Kieth and Peter David’s story from MCP #85-92). Like I said, younger me was an idiot. On first reading, it wasn’t my favourite Wolverine story, probably not even top 10! Now most of the was due to the script, I’m not a complete idiot. What I would learn later, as my tastes developed, is that Sam Kieth’s art is way more impactful on newsprint paper. The fact that Blood Hungry follows the Weapon X story in MCP and is considered its visual equal, if not better, speaks volumes. Simply put, Kieth’s Wolverine is a force of nature. Perfectly short, perfectly bulky. A snarling, fur ball! Yes, Sam Kieth draws the best Wolverine arm hair! At times, the hair or the fins of the mask become a character on the page all on their own. In the days after his passing, social media was flooded with his peers, the next generation he influenced and fans saying we need more Kieth comics in our lives. I would settle for just one more Wolverine story.
Looking at his career in this retrospective manner, it feels easy to say Kieth’s Career represents quality over quantity. A series of well-selected projects to best showcase his energetic talents. A career that began with inking Matt Wagner on Mage to his own creator-owned series The Maxx at Image, getting its own animated series on MTV. These are both series that still to this day have a hardcore following, so the legacy continues. Talking of comics with a huge adoring public and critical acclaim, Sam Kieth was on ground zero for the beginning of Sandman. He pencilled the first six issues, and this may get lost of the behemoth of the juggernaut Sandman would become. But being there at the start means he established the look of Morpheus and his world. You wonder how much he took from working under such an accomplished writer as Neil Gaiman. The Maxx made its debut in 1993 in Darker Image #1 as part of Image’s second wave. After the first wave was met with scorn for missing deadlines, incoherent and late storytelling. The Maxx ongoing lasted 35 issues between 93′ and 1998. I’m sure the Image 7 were more than happy to have him on board. There is no doubt they were all influenced by the Marvel portion of his career. Kieth would do a fill-in on McFarlane’s Hulk (#368) run that brought him into the mainstream. As I was saying earlier about his rendition of Wolverine’s mask fins taking over the page, McFarlane definitely was inspired for the cape work on Spawn. Two years after The Maxx #1, it was picked up for a thirteen-episode animated series on MTV. It is very fitting that one of comics’ most unique voices was able to create this perfect 90’s synergy of the MTV generation and the Image generation.
Sam Kieth has this amazing ability to work on an already well-established character and completely make them his own. His Wolverine work has already been well documented. After launching Sandman at DC he produced Aliens: Earth War at Dark Horse. If you could hand-pick a movie property best suited to Kieth’s talents, Alien would easily make the top three. It goes back to making the right choices. Batman (Batman Confidential #40-43) is another visually instantly recognisable character that Kieth was able to put his spin on. The cover to #40 puts a completely fresh take on the dynamic of Batman and Jim Gordon. Lobo again is a perfect fit for Kieth; there will be fans who have his work above Bisley. In hindsight, I can say perhaps the higher-ups at Marvel weren’t prepared to give such a unique style time on a leading seller. But Marvel Comics Presents, whether as cover artist or interior artist, is a perfect playground for him to showcase his talent. The cover to #99 might be the most mainstream work he ever produced. It is a beautiful homage to the famous John Byrne panel of Wolverine in the sewers below the Hellfire Club. Inexpensive issues for fans of his art to track down #136 cool cover, #134 cool cover, #132 cool cover. #117-122 are a Wolverine and Venom team-up. Again, Venom instantly is character-perfect for Kieth and again he makes him his own. He made Venom cool again after a dry spell, something that flew under the radar for years and is now hot because of the movies! MCP #100 is a rarity in the series. Where all three stories actually connect. You have Wolverine, Ghost Rider and Dr Doom fighting Nightmare. Kieth at his best and with an art assist from Outlaw comics front runner Tim Vigil.
Sam Kieth leaves behind some of the most beloved and totally awesome visuals comics have ever seen! A body of work that will hopefully influence generation after generation. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
