From Kara To Omega
March 31, 2008 by The Fortress Keeper
We’d like to take a moment to honor a great craftsman who is responsible for bringing some of our favorite comics characters to life - Jim Mooney.
The artist passed away Sunday and left behind a legacy of work that still moves fans to this day. He drew the definitive Supergirl and was brought vivid detail to some of Steve Gerber’s most memorably creepy and audacious work on Man-Thing and Omega The Unknown.
The aspect that unites all his output is an ability to draw some of the most expressive figures in comics. A reader could easily identify with Kara’s insecurities or recoil at the horrible crimes of The Scavenger because the character’s emotions were depicted so clearly in the art.
It’s a skill too few artists possess today, no matter how closely they trace magazine photos and movie stills.
We send our best wishes to Mr. Mooney’s family and friends.
Continuing what we were saying over at my blog…yeah, what made his stuff work in such a variety of contexts was his fundamental love of drawing people. He drew Linda Danvers like a person, and her supporting cast as people, so we could really get into the stuff he drew as stories about people. On the occasions when he drew the Legion of Super-Heroes…well, the secret to success as an artist on that series has always been being able to give a cast of two dozen regular characters distinctive, individual, expressive faces. When he achieved greatness with Gerber, it was because those stories were all about people: Gramps, John Hedley, Amber, Ruth, and Dian…those were the stars of Omega, not a guy in blue tights. Hell’s Kitchen was full of regular people, and Mooney excelled at that.
One thing, though: you want to talk weird and creepy Gerber/Mooney stuff? Check out Son of Satan. That the guy who drew those stories also drew Tommy Tomorrow is mind-bending…
You know, as much as I love Gerber and Jim Mooney those issues are a little TOO weird and creepy.
They’re kind of like The Exorcist and the original Night Of The Living Dead - such effective pieces of horror that I never really want to look at them again.
Ah Jim, like Curt Swan he had real emotional content. In retrospect he was the perfect Supergirl artist…gave her a real “Girl next door super-powers and all” patina. You don’t see that anymore, it’s an extinct style.
I bought some artwork off Mr. Mooney a few years ago, he was a nigh perfect gentleman thru-out the transaction…I will miss him.