Originally Posted by Wonder Boy
Man, they're dropping like flies!


Re-reading the 100-page "Manhunter" issues of DETECTIVE (issues 438-443) I was struck by how many of my favorites have died in recent years. Dick Giordano, Jim Aparo, Joe Kubert, Carmine infantino, Marshall Rogers, and just recently Berni Wrightson.

I always enjoyed Buckler's work, despite the obvious swipes. Particularly on Batman, virtually every artist, including Giordano, was swiping Adams' style anyway, just not quite as obviously (Grell, Brunner, Buckler, Byrne, Nasser...)
I love that Batman 265 issue, with Buckler inked by Wrightson, a one-time only collaboration, and surprisingly Wrightson's style does not dominate, it just looks like a very cleanly inked Buckler.

I was recenly going through some of Buckler's work, and thought I would update this topic with some new working links, for easy access to Buckler's stories.

Here are his two BATMAN stories, that I thought were quite good

issue 265, by Fleisher and Buckler/Wrightson.... https://readallcomics.com/batman-v1-265/ July 1975
issue 297, by Reed and Buckler/Colletta............. https://readallcomics.com/batman-v1-297/ March 1978



[Linked Image from blogger.googleusercontent.com]
BATMAN 265 cover, Buckler/Giordano art





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My first sample of Buckler's work was a Robin backup series in BATMAN 241 and 242.

I recall a Buckler interview (probably in COMIC BOOK ARTIST) where Buckler described editorial criticism of his early 70's work, that it morphed from story to story and didn't have a distinctive "voice" and individual style. And when he started imitating Neal Adams, they ironically said "You've found your voice!"
Compare, for example, the 1971-1972 work of Buckler's on the Robin backups in BATMAN, and his simultaneous "Rose and the Thorn" backups in LOIS LANE, that are almost unrecognizable as the same artist.

Here are the Robin Backups. I'd forgotten the ones in 239 (which continues the O'Neil/Adams storyline from BATMAN 237 for one more story), and 240.
And the other stories from 241 and 242

https://readallcomics.com/batman-v1-239/ (with supporting cast of Gerry Conway, Al Weiss, and Berni Wrightson !) Feb 1972
https://readallcomics.com/batman-v1-240/ March 1972
https://readallcomics.com/batman-v1-241/ May 1972
https://readallcomics.com/batman-v1-242/ June 1972

And concurrently, in the same months, Buckler's "Rose and the Thorn" backups in LOIS LANE 117-121
https://readallcomics.com/supermans-girl-friend-lois-lane-117/ Dec 1971
https://readallcomics.com/supermans-girl-friend-lois-lane-118/ Jan 1972
https://readallcomics.com/supermans-girl-friend-lois-lane-119/ Feb 1972
https://readallcomics.com/supermans-girl-friend-lois-lane-120/ Mar 1972
https://readallcomics.com/supermans-girl-friend-lois-lane-121/ April 1972
( the same "Rose and Thorn" backup series ran in 105-130, with other episodes by Andu/Esposito, Morrow, Giordano, Roth, Buckler, Rosenberger, and Heck )


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Buckler's first pro work for DC was a HOUSE OF SECRETS 90 issue in 1971, where Neal Adams inked the story to help Buckler make that first sale to DC.

"The Symbionts", Wolfman story, Buckler/Adams art, 6 pages.... https://readallcomics.com/house-of-secrets-1956-090/ March-April 1971


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Buckler was one of many "hack" artists at Marvel in the early/mid 1970's, that just churned out stuff in the house style.
I think Buckler's main series was FANTASTIC FOUR (roughly 140 to 180, Buckler, Perez and J Buscema alternating the art chores).
140 (Buckler cover only), 142-144, 147-153, 155-159, 161-163, 166 (cover only), 168-169, 171

https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-140/ Nov 1973 (Buckler cover only)

https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-142/ Jan 1974
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-143/ Feb 1974
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-144/ March 1974

https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-147/ June 1974
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-148/ July 1974
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-149/ Aug 1974
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-150/ Sept 1974
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-151/ Oct 1974
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-152/ Nov 1974
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-153/ Dec 1974

https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-155/ Feb 1975
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-156/ Mar 1975
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-157/ Apr 1975
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-158/ May 1975
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-159/ June 1975

https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-161/ Aug 1975
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-162/ Sept 1975
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-163/ Oct 1975

https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-166/ (Buckler cover only) Jan 1976

https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-168/ Mar 1976
https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-169/ Apr 1976

https://readallcomics.com/fantastic-four-v1-171/ June 1976



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Buckler's most distinctive and individual work was his DEATHLOK series with writer Doug Moench in ASTONISHING TALES 25-36, circa 1973-1976.
(Concluded much later in MARVEL SPOTLIGHT 33, in 1977)

( See also the one-shot DEMON-HUNTER 1, from 1975, published by the short-lived Seaboard-Atlas company. Buckler and Kraft brought that Demon-Hunter character back under another name at the end of the Deathlok series for Marvel, in MARVEL SPOTLIGHT 33, but still clearly the same character by another name.
https://readallcomics.com/demon-hunter-1975/ )

( Also a new Deathlok story after , not Buckler, in MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE 27 https://readallcomics.com/marvel-two-in-one-027/ ) May 1977 by Wolfman and Wilson / Marcos

https://readallcomics.com/astonishing-tales-v1-025-1974/ Aug 1974
https://readallcomics.com/astonishing-tales-v1-026-1974/ Oct 1974
https://readallcomics.com/astonishing-tales-v1-027-1974/ Dec 1974
https://readallcomics.com/astonishing-tales-v1-028-1975/ Feb 1975

https://readallcomics.com/astonishing-tales-v1-030-1975/ June 1975
https://readallcomics.com/astonishing-tales-v1-031-1975/ Aug 1975
https://readallcomics.com/astonishing-tales-v1-032-1975/ Nov1975
https://readallcomics.com/astonishing-tales-v1-033-1976/ Jan 1976
https://readallcomics.com/astonishing-tales-v1-034-1976/ March 1976
https://readallcomics.com/astonishing-tales-v1-035-1976/ May 1976
https://readallcomics.com/astonishing-tales-v1-036-1976/ July 1976

and
https://readallcomics.com/marvel-spotlight-v1-33/ April 1977

https://readallcomics.com/demon-hunter-1975/ June 1975

https://readallcomics.com/marvel-two-in-one-027/ May 1977

Originally Posted by WB
Another was an early McGregor Killraven story in AMAZING ADVENTURES 25, in 1974.

https://readallcomics.com/amazing-adventures-1970-024/ (Buckler/Janson cover only) May 1974
https://readallcomics.com/amazing-adventures-1970-025/ (full issue, McGregor story, Buckler/Janson art) July 1974

Originally Posted by WB
Buckler also did a few issues of McGregor's Black Panther series in JUNGLE ACTION 6-24 in the same period.

https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-006 July 1973 r AVENGERS 62, Thomas J.Buscema/Klein ( Romits Sr cover )

https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-006/ Sept 1973 McGregor Buckler/Janson ( + Buckler/Giacoia cover)
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-007/ Nov 1973 McGregor Buckler/Janson ( + Buckler/ Janson cover)
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-008/ Jan 1974 McGregor Buckler/Janson ( + Buckler/Giacoia cover)
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-009/ May 1974 McGregor Kane/Janson, + McGregor Buckler/Janson 4p ( + Kane cover)
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-010/ July 1974 McGregor Graham/Janson ( + Kane/Giacoia cover)

https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-011/ Sept 1974 McGregor Graham/Janson (+ Kane/Adkins cover)
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-012/ Nov 1974 McGregor Graham/Janson ( + Buckler/Janson cover)
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-013/ Jan 1975 McGregor Graham/Russell ( + Kane/Janson cover)
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-014/ March 1975 McGregor Graham/Marcos ( + Kane/Marcos cover)
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-015/ May 1975 McGregor Graham/Green ( + Kane cover)

https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-016/ July 1975 McGregor Graham p & i ( + Kane cover )
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-017/ Sept 1975 McGregor Graham p & 1 ( + Kane/Giacoia cover)
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-018/ Nov 1975 McGregor Graham/McLeod (+ Kirby/Janson cover) )



https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-019/ Jan 1976 McGregor Graham/McLeod ( + Kane/Adkins cover)
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-020/ Mar 1976 McGregor Graham/McLeod ( + Buckler/Adkins cover)
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-021/ May 1976 McGregor Graham /McLeod ( + Buckler/Romita cover)
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-022/ July 1976 McGregor Graham/McLeod, Mooney (+ Buckler/Giacoia cover)
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-023/ Sept 11976 r DAREDEVIL 69, Thomas Colan/Shores ( + Byrne/Adkins cover )
https://readallcomics.com/jungle-action-1972-024/ Nov 1976 McGregor Buckler/Pollard ( + Buckler/Giacoia cover)



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After that Buckler went over to DC and for a while was their primary cover artist from 1977-1982. The series I recall most of his from that period was his run in WORLD'S FINEST (nice art but very unmemorable stories by Haney, O'Neil and others),.
And a few scattered but really nice issues of TIME WARP, JONAH HEX, DC SPECIAL (Captain Comet, with dinosaurs), JLA, and BATMAN.
In that same period, Buckler was doing a lot of work for Continuity Associates (which is to say Neal Adams) so not surprisingly his work increasingly came to resemble that of Adams. That was a job requirement at Continuity. As seen at Continuity comics through the 80's and 90's, even artists as distinctive as Rudy Nebres would draw like Neal Adams.

.

I'll link Buckler's DC stuff in a later post.