By Dan Brown

Sal Buscema wasn’t my favourite Marvel Comics artist.

But he was the one whose work defined Marvel’s style more than any other comic creator in the 1970s. At least to me.

When I think of that era in the venerable publisher’s history, I think of Sal Buscema’s Hulk bounding across the countryside, his Silver Surfer about to crash into Thor, his ROM emerging from a flaming crater.

Buscema, who died on January 24 at 89 years old, was part of an artist family: His older brother, John, also worked on a number of Marvel titles in roughly the same period.

Unlike John, Sal was a workhorse, not a showhorse. 

What I mean is, he was known for doing solid work on a tight deadline, not for his creative flourishes. As an adult also toiling in another deadline-driven industry (journalism), I can appreciate that. 

There were other Marvel pencillers, chiefly John Byrne, Michael Golden, and George Perez, whose drawing excited me more. 

But perhaps by dint of being ubiquitous, Buscema’s heroes and villains also became imprinted on the inside of my skull.

Born in the late 1960s, I missed out on powerhouses Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. When I began reading comics in the mid-1970s, that new generation was taking Marvel’s heroes and villains in exciting new directions.

All the while, Buscema kept plodding along. One of his strengths was that he could work fast, maybe even as fast as Kirby.

I saw Buscema’s art in the pages of The Incredible Hulk, ROM: Spaceknight, and Captain America mainly. His fight scenes were dynamic, invariably including one panel depicting a punch so forceful that the punchee flips over backwards.

This may sound strange, but there was another recurring detail I noticed: His books also typically had an open-mouthed character yelling, with a thin strand of spit visible, extending from the tongue to the roof of the mouth. The funny things you notice as a kid, hey?

My personal favourite storyline that he pencilled spread over four issues of Marvel Team-Up, starting with No. 82. He was paired with inker Steve Leialoha. The results were magical. 

It’s a moody, sprawling yarn in which Spidey joins forces with Shang-Chi, Nick Fury and the Black Widow. It even features a guest appearance from then-U.S. president Jimmy Carter.

What I gather from reading the coverage of his passing is how other creators loved to work with Buscema because he wasted no time at the drawing table. As an adult, I fully appreciate those special people who aren’t daunted by tight deadlines, who can produce on time, which is not a minor thing in a deadline-driven industry such as comics. Or journalism. 

As a young comic fan, I didn’t understand how important that ability was in creative endeavours, and in life in general. Getting stuff done counts for a lot.

Sal Buscema may have been a journeyman, yet when I think of Marvel Comics in the Me Decade, it’s his clear lines that stand out in my imagination.

And I can’t be the only one with those memories.

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Which artist defines Marvel for you?

Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 33 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.