Barry Smith - Fantastic Four "And The Dark Does Die!" Sample Splash Page Original Art (1968)....

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Barry Smith - Fantastic Four "And The Dark Does Die!" Sample Splash Page Original Art (1968). Barry Windsor-Smith didn't walk into his make-or-break meeting with Stan Lee armed with pin-ups and poses. He brought big guns, including one with very literal firepower. This full-page splash introduces an original villain, crackling with Kirby-esque design and power, and it did more than show off draftsmanship. It showed Lee that this wasn't just a talented kid imitating Marvel, but a storyteller and world-builder ready to create new threats from whole cloth. Twice-up scale in ink over graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 12.5" x 18.5". Toning, smudging, staining, whiteout correction, text paste-up, abrasion in lower left image area, creasing, and handling wear. Signed and dated in the lower margin. In Very Good condition.


More Information: In 1968, a teenage Barry Windsor-Smith crossed the Atlantic armed with nothing but a portfolio and an audacious dream: to work for Marvel Comics. He walked into Stan Lee's Manhattan office and laid out his samples. Barry recounts, "In our first meeting at Marvel Comics’ offices, Stan Lee seemed genuinely impressed with everything I’d brought from London. When Stan got to the Inhumans splash page, he stopped browsing and started to lightly read across the first couple of pages. ‘We can't get this,’ he said quietly. Later, I realized what he'd meant by that. He'd seen far too many sample drawings from talented fans who wanted to work for Marvel. In my case, though, I came to his executive office with multi-paneled story pages, not just muscular Iron Man poses or amateur portraits of Sue Storm. With the Inhumans especially -- five finished pages of story and art with script and lettering, to boot -- he realized that I was coming to Marvel Comics as a storyteller, not just a comics penciler. He was nodding positively as he looked through several pages of my Fantastic Four and the Thing. Then, as he opened the double-page spread of the Silver Surfer and Galactus, Stan Lee, the Man himself, looked straight at me, saying, ‘This is worthy of Jack Kirby!’ Stan may not have meant that to be absolutely true, but as an 18-year-old wannabe from a foreign country, I felt practically woozy over Stan's support."
It was the beginning of a career that has spanned several decades, beginning with his debut in The X-Men #53, followed by his industry-shaking run on Conan the Barbarian, his hugely popular "Weapon X" serial, and most recently his Eisner Award–winning graphic novel Monsters. We are proud to present these historic sample pages from Barry Windsor-Smith’s first meeting with Stan Lee.


More information about Barry Smith. See also: Smith, Barry, Barry Windsor-Smith Artist. Lookup the Comic Book in our Guide