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December 30, 2005
Michael Golden: A Retrospective and a Gallery
After writing about his Doctor Strange work, I realized that Michael Golden doesn't have much of an Internet presence. He's an artist of great renown among industry veterans, but I suspect that today's fans don't much about him. He's worked so infrequently over the past 25 years; Golden doesn't have a website, nor does he attend conventions that often. Here's a little retrospective, with some suggestions for you to hunt in the back issue bins. I'll include a couple of pictures here, but I've got scans of nearly everything that I mention in the Michael Golden Gallery.
I first noticed Golden in Batman Family (issues #15-20, circa 1978). His fluid, cartoony art style was a breath of fresh air, along with his dynamic panel layout. He drew some Man-Bat stories, the one shown above guest stars the Demon and Morgaine Le Fey. Golden soon graduated to the main Batman feature and became one of my favorite Batman artists of the time, along with Marshall Rogers. In 1984, Golden returned to the character in Batman Special #1. "The Player on the Other Side" was one of the best Batman stories of the decade. Written by Mike Barr, it told the story of a villain called the Wrath. The Wrath had the inverse origin of Batman: his parents were criminals, killed by James Gordon as a young cop. The Wrath grows up to be a master criminal who seeks revenge on Gordon and the Gotham Police. The fight scene between Batman and the Wrath was pretty exciting, and about the only thing wrong with the story is that the Wrath died at the conclusion. DC should have kept him around as a new adversary for Batman. This story has been reprinted in the anthology "Batman in the Eighties".
Marvel helped make Michael Golden a big name when they gave him a new series called the Micronauts. Based on a toy line, writer Bill Mantlo weaved a mythology around the central characters that was reminiscent of the Star Wars films. A band of freedom fighters who opposed the darkly evil Baron Karza, the Micronauts escaped tyranny by flying into the Marvel Universe-where they happened to only be a few inches tall! In the hands of a lesser artist, this series probably wouldn't have taken off. Mantlo's fun script coupled with Golden's dynamic visuals made it a big hit for Marvel. Golden lasted for a total of thirteen issues before taking off for greener pastures.
Golden's assorted Marvel work are hard to find, but they are unique gems and worth the hunt. Marvel Fanfare was a series aimed at the direct market (comic shops), printed on slick paper, and the early forerunner of today's high tech comics. Michael Golden's artwork graced the first two issues with a story that featured Spider-Man and Angel (of the X-Men) venturing into the Savage Land. Chris Claremont was the writer, who again teamed with Golden in Avengers Annual #10. This featured the Avengers teaming up with Spider-Woman to fight the new Brotherhood of Evil-and it also introduced a new mutant woman called Rogue. Later, Golden tackled a less serious subject when he took on Howard the Duck in his new black and white magazine. Howard the Duck Magazine #5 had a story where Howard met Dracula. The nerdy nebbish Howard H. Howard from Tomb of Dracula also makes an appearance to help Howard resist Dracula's charms. Howard the Duck Magazine #6 features Howard returning to Duckworld along with Beverly. The artwork is black and white in both stories, but it is really great stuff, especially with Bob McLeod providing excellent ink and tone embellishment.
I had all but forgotten Michael Golden's greatest work until I read a comment to the Doctor Strange article. In 1986, Golden teamed with a writer named Doug Murray to produce The 'Nam. This series chronicled the life of a soldier in the Vietnam War. With no superheroes or fantasy at all, it was a very daring series for Marvel to publish. Golden worked on 'Nam 1-13 and his work had never been cleaner or more vivid. The stories are very realistic, since Murray was a Vietnam vet who wrote from his experience as well as his friends. Private Marks arrives in Vietnam and reports to his First Sergeant, who regards him suspiciously. Marks is too naïve to know that the Sergeant is expecting a bribe in return for a cushy job. Since he fails that test, Marks is sent to a unit involved in front line patrols. In issue #3, Marks and his buddies get a day off in Saigon, but it proves almost more dangerous than the patrols. My favorite story was in issue #7, where they present a story on a Viet Cong guide who switched sides to help the Americans. Murray presents the VC point of view, and while it may be too brief in twenty two pages, you have to give him kudos for trying to explain the motivations of North Vietnam.
As far as I know, Golden hasn't worked too much in the past ten years. He's done some covers at DC for series like Nightwing. He did a Spartan X 4-issue mini-series for Topps that was a black and white kung-fu story for the Jackie Chan crowd. This year he drew Birds of Prey 66 in a style that slightly morphed into Alex Toth for a tale about the first Black Canary. I just wish he could do a project that would really show off his skills and be collected to show future generations. In the meantime, we have these assorted gems and the Golden Gallery. Nuff said.
See also:
Michael Golden Gallery
Michael Golden Wikipedia Entry
Doug Murray Interview on the Nam
Comments
The 'Nam was an absolutely amazing comic, and I remember there was some flak at the time about Golden's art being too exaggerated, but I thought it rocked. I was 16 at the time, and somehow convinced the faculty advisor to the high school newspaper that I needed to call Doug Murray and Jim Shooter so we could do a story on its launch. It was a blast. Wish I'd kept a copy.
Posted by: Ron | December 29, 2005 8:05 PM
I could swear I read on some news site, over the past few years or so, that Golden spent the better part of the 90s as an in-house Marvel artist.
I so need to dig out my Micronauts.
Posted by: Nala | December 30, 2005 7:37 AM
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Posted by: xbox 360 console | January 31, 2006 5:11 PM
I read that Image was going to publish a book called "Heroes and Villains: The World and Art of Michael Golden". The release date was January 2006 (http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&products_id=8015). Regretfully, the book never came out. I hope it will someday.
Alex-
Posted by: Alex Sheikman | February 16, 2006 1:07 PM
I've always loved Michael Golden's work. I just googled for him, and was pleased to find this entry. Thanks. I collected Micronauts as a kid, and various other things that he did, but my single favorite issue was Star Wars #38. Oh, my, how I loved that book. I read it til the covers came off, and then kept it all through college. Eventually I bought several more to replace it. Excuse me: I'm going to go read more Golden now.
Posted by: J.D. Roth | March 13, 2006 8:34 PM
I have been a fan of Mike Goldens work for years, and I'm glad a book of his work is finally being produced. He is the reason I have chosen art as my profession and he is my biggest influence. In my mind there is no one better.
Posted by: Scott Blocker | April 6, 2006 7:25 PM
