The Incredible Hulk and Friends and Enemies! And How! 1980 Albert Bigley Art! Marvel Comics?!

Wow. Talk about the "big one!" Dig this repugnant painting I whipped up (in 1980 at age 15) of the ever-incredible Hulk and his cast of thousands! Inspired by the work of Jim Steranko, as well as the many wrap-around panoramic paintings that adorned such books as the HULK! magazine of the day, I wanted to include every darned Hulk friend and foe in one big (18 by 30 inch) watercolored wall-busting whopper! You can see I tried to tell the Jade Giant's tale, in a left-to-right fashion starting with his origin, his main cast (General Ross, Betty, Rick, etc.), then added his early foes, characters who appeared later in his drama-drenched strip, some of his superhero pals, even slipping in a nod to the then-current HULK CBS-TV series! Oh, to be young and have this kind of time and boundless energy again... Click to enlarge!

Note the influence of actor Bill Bixby on my depiction of "Dr. Banner!" Bixby, of course,
was then portraying the good doctor on the CBS HULK TV series!

Bonus! Click below to see a pic of me, in 2013, holding up this oversized art, displaying the size of this colossal canvas!

Al Bigley, holding aloft this 1980 watercolor-and-ink poster,
elicits reactions on the streets of Detroit, Michigan!

More Vintage Albert Bigley Paintings Revealed! 1979 MESSterpieces! Hulk! Dr. Strange!

It has been awhile since I threw a lingering light on my past forays into brush-and-canvas painting, but, thanks to a recent feverish rampage in my attic, here are three unearthed painted pictures from my 9th-grade past! First up: A 1980 acrylic rendering of ol' Captain America himself, based on a then-current cover of Cap's own mag! Click each image to enlarge!

My 1980 painting (above, left) and John Byrne's cover (right) for
CAPTAIN AMERICA #238! Which do you prefer? Don't answer that.

Next up is another acrylic paining, whipped up by me in late 1979! Here is Dr. Strange, looking a bit elongated and gaunt, as he casts a spell over an entranced audience! I recall creating tons of glazes for applying over the hands and circular "spell" areas! This painting was even part of a student art display event at my high school! Yow.

Are those Doc's hands, or inflated sausages on display?! The idea of
getting reference, or having somebody pose their
hands similarly for me? At that time, I thought
that would be copying and cheating!

And, finally (and mercifully,) here is a 1979 Hulk image, painted in acrylic on flat canvas board! The Hulk breaks free from a dark prison, with an image of the "Banner-to-Hulk" transformation posted overhead! You can tell I used Bill Bixby (then the star of the INCREDIBLE HULK TV series) as my inspiration for that lead face! I was also influenced by my newly-acquired FANTASTIC FOUR index, with Jim Steranko's amazing cover painting! Note Jim's almost monochromatic orange area (with the facial close-ups) on his cover below...These paintings aren't bad for a 15-year-old comic artist wannabee, but...

My 1979 painting (above, left) and Steranko's influential FF INDEX cover painting (right)!

Go Upside Down With The Monkees! 1980 Original Art by Albert Bigley! Davy Jones?!

It's 1980. I was 15, and in 10th grade. THE MONKEES show hadn't run in syndication in my area since late 1977 (and I won't see it air regularly again until MTV famously runs it in 1986), but I still dug the group (since the early 70s), and the four LPs (and two 8-tracks) in my possession. I was just about to embark on collecting the remaining albums and fan magazines and such, due to obtaining my newly-minted driver's license (and transportation to comic conventions and pop culture dealers) in about 6 months, but, in those days before eBay and the internet, it was quite a difficult (but rewarding) job! About that time, I decided to whip up a drawing of the group, as I recalled them (no VCRs yet to record the show, but I had used my audio recorder for the 70s reruns) performing in some scenes in front of the famed "seamless rainbow" set! I also tried to remember their dress, instrument set-ups, and positions in such segments, getting almost none of those details right, all without benefit of many photos. Click to enlarge this ink-and-colored-pencil monstrosity, if you feel you must.

So, exactly what is Micky wearing?! And, is that a speaker or an amp behind Micky, or a steamer trunk?

1980 Albert Bigley HULK Oil Painting! Original Marvel Comic Art!?

Yikes! This time we dig deep to bring you this 1980 oil painting of ol' Jade Jaws himself, the Incredible Hulk!  I was 15, in 9th grade then, and having already "conquered" tempera and acrylic paint mediums, was ready to tackle the ever-fickle world of oils! How'd I do?  Heh. I recall working on this beauty every day after school for a couple of weeks, fussing and changing this and that. Well, Bob Larkin I wasn't, but at least I tried! Click to enlarge!

1980 Albert Bigley X-MEN vs HULK Original Comic Art! Marvel Comics?!

Another biggie from me, drawn at age 15 (in 1980)! Hulk vs the still-new "new X-Men," in an blazing (?) action scene! Looks like I used markers, Flair pen, and maybe even brush, on this bumbling, fumbling, attempt! The revived X-MEN book was the hottest thing going at the time (due to it simply being amazingly good), and I wanted to try my hand drawing these well-designed (mostly by artist Dave Cockrum) characters! Click to enlarge!

1980 Albert Bigley CAPTAIN AMERICA Original Artwork?! Marvel Comics?!

Yup! In this look at another hand-drawn comic book from my past (1980-age 15), here is the watercolor/ink illustration for my own CAPTAIN AMERICA comic book! You can tell I was influenced then by artist Jim Steranko, most specifically his cover to the Marvel CAP index (below, right), hence the many vignettes and oh-so-serious design! I would tape the audio from the afternoon MARVEL SUPERHEROES cartoon reruns, then use that as a "script" for my own comics! This issue was based on the famous mid-60s Stan Lee-penned tale, "The Girl From Cap's Past!" I also completed a full comic featuring the Hulk, as well as another CAP, FANTASTIC FOUR, and others! Whew! Click to enlarge!

The X-MEN?! 1980 Albert Bigley Original Comic Art! Wolverine! Cyclops! Marvel?!

Another blast from my art-ridden past! Here is my version of not only the "original" X-Men, but also the (then) new team! Achieved by (what else?) taping two standard drawing sheets together side-by-side, this extra big illustration is jam-packed with such Marvel Comics favorites as the Beast, Cyclops, Angel, Wolverine, Iceman, Storm, and Nightcrawler! You even get TWO great shots of the ever-sexy Professor X! Drawn by me in 1980 (age 15), I was inspired by the super-hot ('cause they were so good) Chris Claremont/John Byrne X-MEN comics, then gaining major attention due to the quality of the book. I was still struggling with anatomy, composition, and inking (all inked by Flair pens bought from the local Eckerd drug store), to the extent that this now looks sorta like a precursor of the over-cooked "Image style" to come in ten years time! Glad I learned that "less is more!" Click to enlarge!

The AVENGERS! 1980 Albert Bigley Original Comic Art! Captain America! Marvel Comics?!

Sheesh! Moving forward a bit to 1980, here is my huge (around 12 by 17 inches!) family portrait of the Avengers, as drawn by me, age 15! I loved this period of the book, coming off it's incredible 70s run, and still featuring great George Perez art, and a stellar line-up of Marvel superheroes, including the Falcon! Note the small details in the background of this piece, including the Hulk (founding member) and Jarvis portraits, Cap's mug, etc.! I still had a looong way to go! Click to enlarge!

Albert Bigley THOR Original Art? Shirley Bigley Scripts! Bill Bixby Gets Zapped!

This HAS to be the oddest piece of art from my own archives I've ever run. Inspired by NOT BRAND ECHH, Marvel Comic's parody and humor magazine, I drew this little beauty, but left the word balloons blank, handing over the Stan Lee-like scripting chores to my Mom, Shirley! She took the ball and ran with it, giving Stan Lee a run for his money! You now get a 1980 titanic tale featuring Lou Ferrigno, Bil Bixby (then the stars, of course, of the TV series INCREDIBLE HULK), Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Mighty Thor! Huh? Click to enlarge, if ya must!

1980 Albert Bigley CAPTAIN AMERICA Art! Marvel Comics?!

Ah, another classic from my past. Created at age 15, this is the final tear-jerking, senses-shattering pencil-and-ink page from my adaptation of some mid-60s CAP "Tales of Suspense" comics. I was fixated then on straight-edges, Flair pens purchased from the local Revco, and George Perez's art. You can read all about it here, but for now, be contented with simply gazing upon this sparkling treasure from the storied past of 1980. Click to enlarge!

Above, left: The final page to my 1980 adaptation of this famous tale, and (right) the actual 1966 John Romita-drawn version (which I had no access to, at the time)! My comic was based on an audio tape-recorded rerun episode of the MARVEL SUPERHEROES cartoon take on this tale!