Excess: The Art of Michael Golden: Comics Inimitable Storyteller and How He Does It

by Michael Golden, Renée Witterstaetter, Todd McFarlane (Introduction)

-Excess reveals the thought processes behind Golden's noted work
-Features a wealth of new and classic images of popular comic-book characters
-In-depth commentary by the artist, Michael Golden Artist/writer Michael Golden is one of the most respected creators in comics, the influence behind generations of artists. He visualizes the finished page completely in his head before he begins; onlookers are amazed to watch him start at one corner of a blank page and work his way down, leaving a fully rendered piece in his wake. Golden's unique, innovative work has been seen in Micronauts, The 'Nam, Star Wars, and Dr.Strange, as well as almost every major character in comics. Excess, the first retrospective of his work, features Golden's own words as he discusses his art and technique in depth. For Golden, excess defines a mind that can form every fold and nuance of a character without being overwhelmed by the frenzy. Like Michaelangelo creating a sculpture, Michael Golden chips away the excess to reveal the artwork within.

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 2007

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Michael Golden is an American comic book artist and writer best known for his late-1970s work on Marvel Comics' The Micronauts, as well as his co-creation of the characters Rogue and Bucky O'Hare.

Reviews

[Tim Lapetino · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, I absolutely love Michael Golden's artwork. He has created dynamic, memorable art for a number of properties, including Batman, The 'Nam, and GI Joe. I was very excited to read this book.

However, I felt the book was lacking in several areas. I wanted to see a much more complete review of Golden's art, and this book just seemed to scratch the surface. Many of the pieces were reproduced at small sizes, which seems odd for a book of this sort. Many pieces were left out, and some of the decisions to focus on books like the licensed Jackie Chan books just seemed like head-scratchers to me. I also would have liked a complete listing of Golden's art, and the back section was labeled as partial, but I don't understand why.

Finally, the text seemed much more congratulatory and conversational rather than providing details, process, or context for an artist who has such a long and storied career as Golden. Also, the interview quotes felt like casual talks over drinks, without any particular insights, whether craft-focused or personal. It seemed like a very chummy approach to interviews and putting Golden into context of different eras, and I would have preferred a more professional treatment to the writing.

All in all, a little bit of a disappointment, considering how great a comprehensive collection of Golden's art COULD have been.