Don Heck: A Work of Art

by John Coates, Eric Nolen-Weathington (Editor), Don Heck (Illustrations)

Don Heck remains one of the legendary names in comics, considered an "artist's artist," respected by peers, and beloved by fans as the co-creator of Marvel Comics characters Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Black Widow, and for his long stint on Marvel Comics' team book The Avengers. In Don Heck: A Work of Art, author John Coates has meticulously researched and chronicled information on Don's storied 40-year career, including his time at DC, Dell, Gold Key, and as "ghost" artist on Lee Falk's The Phantom newspaper strip. From personal recollections from Don's surviving family, long-time friends, and industry legends, to rare interviews with Heck himself (where he discusses his career, artistic technique, triumphs, frustrations, and love of drawing), this book is full of insight into -- and first-hand anecdotes from -- the early days of Marvel Comics. It also features an unbiased analysis of sales on Don's DC Comics titles, an extensive art gallery (including published, unpublished, and pencil artwork), a Foreword by Stan Lee, and an Afterword by Beau Smith.

Genres: Comics, Art

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 2014

About the author

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Reviews

[Tim Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Don Heck was clearly one of the architects of the Marvel Age of Comics, he always stood in the shadow of Kirby and Ditko. However, as one of the co-creators of Iron Man his work is part of the foundation that created Marvel as we know it and all that came after.

Heck finally gets his due in this book which largely consists of two long interviews with Heck (spliced together) along with supporting material. One of the more interesting parts is a look at the sales on Justice League, The Flash and Wonder Woman after Heck took over those books (hint, contrary to popular belief only one of the three lost sales and it was the one that was always the weakest seller).

I was never a huge fan of Heck's work at the time. To an extent I think it is because his style wasn't well suited to super-heroes and he would have been better served doing other genres. But I've come to appreciate him a lot more. And this is a very nice look at a very professional artist.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

I try not to be biased but I've been a comic fan since childhood and Don Heck and his peers played a large part in that and this made me feel really nostalgic yet remorseful that I didn't pay closer attention to the 4-color creative masters of my youth. No, Don Heck wasn't the greatest comic artist since sliced bread but his vision and talent played just as great of a role in forming some of the most iconic characters in the history of comics.
This book has some great interviews and uses some amazing examples of his work. It's a shame it wasn't written when he was still alive.
John Coates does a remarkable job in compiling these interviews and samples.

[Gary Sassaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Late to the party on this one; it was originally published in 2014 by TwoMorrows, almost 20 years after Don Heck’s death. It’s a great compliation of art and interviews with the Marvel/DC artist, who often gets a bad rap as “Don Hack.” I wasn’t much of a fan growing up Marvel in the 1960s, but you have to admit Heck was a part of the House of Ideas, doing yeoman’s work on Ant-Man/Giant Man, Iron Man, and the Avengers for many years. John Coates does a nice job of compiling both art and vintage interviews with the artist, while offering an honest apprasial of his work. I like his 1950s through the ‘60s stuff the best, including his early Marvel Age of Comics art; his later DC stuff on titles like Wonder Woman … well, not so much. Still, this is a very nice package of Heck’s career, in a deluxe hardcover edition

[PJ Ebbrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a youngest my heart would drop when I saw Don's name on the credits. I preferred John Buscema, who was a fan of Don's work. On reviewing this book, you can see a wider range of his work. I can see now, he was an artist for any other genres but superheroes dominated from the 60s/70s/80s and artist have to live.

[Johnathon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biography of the comics legend featuring full color reprints of his art and interviews from his contemporaries. I must for comic book fans.