Carmine Infantino: Penciller, Publisher, Provocateur by Jim Amash with Eric Nolen-Weathington (book review).
I’ve been intending to read ‘Carmine Infantino: Penciller * Publisher * Provocateur’ by Jim Amash with Eric Nolen-Weathington for quite some time. It seems fitting to delve into it now. The book includes an extensive interview discussing how Infantino acquired his skills by observing cartoonists in various studios and performing menial tasks before climbing the career ladder. Surprisingly, Infantino even scripted some early stories, which I wasn’t aware of.
Despite his achievements, he seldom appreciated his own art enough to examine it in print. Jack Kirby once advised him not to be too content with his work, lest he lose the desire to improve. Although I understand the sentiment, I believe one must recognize successful pieces of work as milestones in their creative journey. Then, the focus should shift to how one can further refine their skills.
Chapter 5, which is the most detailed and lengthy section of the book, highlights Infantino’s evolution as a designer. While still working on comics, he attended night college courses taught by designers William C. McNulty and Jack Potter. His gradual transition into design spanned over two years, causing initial frustration for Julius Schwartz at DC, but ultimately led to substantial improvements. Infantino’s mastery in guiding the reader’s eye across the page earned him the role of DC’s cover designer. One misconception that I had to abandon was about the disproportionately large heads in Infantino’s figurework. It turns out this stylistic choice was attributable to his inker, Joe Giella, not Infantino himself.
Chapter 6 offers even more revelations, detailing Infantino’s tenure as DC Comics publisher—a position he was thrust into rather than one he actively pursued. Although the book doesn’t delve into this, none of the other editors were considered for the role, probably due to their individual powerbases within the company. Infantino was keen on injecting fresh talent into DC and revitalizing the company. His duties likely mirrored those of many publishers today. In American business, profitability is paramount—if you can’t generate revenue, you’re out. This philosophy, coupled with the parent company Kinney’s lack of regard for DC Comics at the time, likely added to Infantino’s challenges.
The latter part of Infantino’s career saw him return to his roots as a comic book illustrator. His work, though efficient, had a certain workmanlike quality to it. Nonetheless, the inkers at Marvel enhanced his illustrations, making him look impressive despite his utilitarian approach—a stark contrast to his early career.
The book’s final section showcases Infantino’s art gallery. As an objective observer, it becomes evident that while his panel composition is commendable, his lack of enthusiasm for his subjects surfaces more towards the end. This is quite surprising given that he has created some of DC Comics’ most iconic covers. Notably, he also designed the modern-day costumes for Flash and Kid Flash, and later added Jessica Drew’s hair to Spider-Woman.
From a historical perspective, this book is valuable as it traces Infantino’s unexpected ascent and swift departure from his role as a publisher—an experience that seems to have negatively impacted his drawing. Despite this, his warm-up sketches on the backs of comic book pages clearly demonstrate that his artistic prowess remained intact.
GF Willmetts
July 2023
(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 220 page illustrated softcover. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-60549-056-4. Direct from them, you can get it on sale for $10.00 (US))
check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=95_93&products_id=896
