Word Association Game (and more): Michael Netzer

Michael Netzer is one of the most interesting fellows in comics. I don't think I really know how to tell you about the man himself. I point you to his biography on his website and encourage you to explore his site further. The man himself and his ideas are genuinely fascinating. He's also very nice and pleasant to talk to, I'll add.

I can tell you a little about his comics work, though. Well the DC stuff, at least. (I suggest you look at the gallery on his website, though, which has work spanning his entire career from mainstream to indy to work outside comics.) His time spent regularly working in mainstream comics is relatively brief, doing work for DC and Marvel in the mid 70s (back then he was Mike Nasser).

At left is an unpublished drawing of Superman done in 1979 (the year i was born!).

He did work in many anthology titles, telling stories with Batman (a character he has a knack for I'd put on par with Aparo or Adams), Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow & Black Canary, the Legion Of Super Heroes and others. You'll note not a lot of work with the Superman family. (His brief time with the LOSH was during the years Superboy was a prominent member, though.) In the 90s he did more work on the Batman family of titles working with a style very different from his past work. If he's identified with a character at DC, it'd be Batman. How cool is this?



When I look for creators and ask them to play my silly little word association game, I look for people I feel have a strong association to the Superman family for many in one way or another, or have done something I personally connected with. Netzer did the second. He did this.

If you grew up around comics or Superman merchandise of almost any kind in the 80s, you probably know that image. That image is one of the things that defines Superman for me. That thing was every where in the 80s; in ads & promos and on merchandising packaging. I used to cut it out of various things and glue it to my school notebooks.

Michael went above and beyond the word association game, but we'll start with that.

SIB: Hero
Michael: Circumstance

SIB: Supergirl
Michael: Daughter

SIB: Flying
Michael: Dying

SIB: Inspiration
Michael: Life

SIB: Lex Luthor
Michael: Purpose

As something special for SIB, Michael shared a very cool thing. The image above was originally inked by Neal Adams done over Mike Nasser's pencils over 20 years ago. Here we have Michael Netzer inking that image today.

I'll be adding more about Michael's work soon, as I've been wanting to do more with the Folks Who Know the Score series* and Michael really fits the bill with his take on Superman's look.




*In my ongoing efforts to bring this blog back around to being a positive and fun thing.