Secret Teachings of a Comic Book Master: The Art of Alfredo Alcala

by Heidi MacDonald, Phillip Dana Yeh, Gil Kane (Introduction)

"Alfredo Alcala is one of the most disciplined and perceptive artists inking in comics. The years of distinguished work have earned Alfredo a special place in comics history."—Gil Kane.
In the late 1960s, an extremely talented group of Filipino illustrators took the American comic book industry by storm—and Alfredo Alcala led the way, working for both Marvel and DC on such popular characters as Conan the Barbarian and Batman. This unique work is loaded with amazing art and pointers on observational methods, composition, and other techniques. In addition to insightful interviews with Alcala, the book features pages from his groundbreaking masterwork, Voltar, which was hailed as a new concept in comic book form, an epic in narrative art, and a milestone in sequential art illustration. Students, professionals, teachers, and fans will treasure this inspiring volume and its insider's look at comic book artistry.

Genres: Comics, Nonfiction, Art

72 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2015

Reviews

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

~3.5
I think the most important factor determining whether you will enjoy this book is your expectations. When I picked it up, I was more focused on the "Secret teachings" bit of the title and description than the "Art of Alfredo Alcala" bit. I'm not actually a reader of comics, and before reading this, I had absolutely no idea who Alfredo Alcala was. I have an amateur interest in art, and I was mostly interested in any potential tips for figure drawing, scenery, or dynamic composition.

In actuality, however, I think this book is geared towards fans of Alfredo Alcala rather than anyone interested in an art manual. The book itself is very short--under 80 pages, and probably under 60 if you don't count the introductions-- and spends most of the pages detailing Alcala's origins and experiences, as well as his own comments on his life and career. The book is positively chock-full of his art; I'd guess that at least half of the content is given over to imagery. As seems reasonable in retrospect, the actual art tips are minimal. There is a very brief description of composition, and a much longer (and quite interesting) discussion of Alcala's stylistic influence on comics. Overall, if you are a fan of Alcala, or you're interested in the changing styles of comics, this is definitely worth a look.

~~I received an advanced reader copy of this ebook through Netgalley from the publisher, Dover Publications, in exchange for my honest review.~~

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book purports to be the teachings of a comic book master; an artist’s teachings for other artists. Specifically those who like to paint and draw. And there’s a lot of good advice in here if that’s what you want to do. But the thing I really like about this book, and about Alfredo Alcala, is that this applies to any kind of art - not just drawing.

The thing about this book is it’s a real insight into the external world - things that we all deal with from day to day; but also real insight to the internal world - looking at ourselves and what makes us tick.

The author says something interesting about Alfredo when they began this book:

“When we began this project, Alfredo was going through a period of his life when he wasn’t doing a lot of comic book work. The majority of the new batch of editors have short memories and little respect for age and wisdom (are they any different from the rest of youth-obsessed America?).”

The reason this is so interesting is that I’m experiencing it at my own job - 20 years after this book was published! It’s as if everyone is saying, “Let’s get rid of these old, experienced people who we have to pay more money, and replace them with young, inexperienced people because they’ll be cheap.” How is that good business? (See what I mean about this book being about insights into the real world?)

The author suggests 10 secret teachings gained from studying Alcala:

1. Look inside yourself to find the artist. Not the craftsman who can merely do the work, but the artist who sees the world in a fresh, new way, and creates something beautiful.

2. Don’t do what’s popular at the moment. Create honest art. Don’t follow the crowd. Create from your heart.

3. Seek knowledge from an older person who has real wisdom. The hard part here is finding that person.

4. Sit down and work and you will finish the job. This one seems obvious. But it’s really not; and, as any artist knows, it’s not always easy to do.

5. Travel light and always carry your art supplies. Well, as a writer, this means always having something to write on. Since that’s my phone, I can keep that with me, and concentrate on the traveling light!

6. Learn to observe everything around you. It may save your life some day. Interesting, and maybe important, advice.

7. If you really want to be smart, READ on your own. I’m amazed at how many people don’t get this. It’s why I’m reading this very book.

8. When reading or watching a film, learn to think like the director or author. The creative process is so fascinating, sometimes it’s hard not to think about the creative process that came about for a film or book I’m experiencing.

9. Learn to draw and talk at the same time. Hmmmm…this is the first one that is difficult to apply. Maybe, “Learn to multitask”?

10. Don’t get into the arts for the money. Yeah. The only problem with this, is if you get a job first, it’s hard to get back.

Alfredo is a fascinating character. While famous for his inking, he could create a comic from beginning to end - writing, layouts, pencils, inks, lettering, publishing - and has done it. He would hardly ever sleep - and when he did, it was often at his drawing table.

One of the things he suggests is to have a reference library for pictures of things you might have to draw. One of the resources he left out that some modern artists use is porn. Ha! (I’m sorry - if you have no idea what I’m talking about, Google “Greg Land” or read this article - not really NSFW, but the link does contain the word “porn”.)

And there’s some great stuff on composition. He walks through a comic describing how he laid it out - this would be great info for any artist - or any movie director.

Although it seems like the publisher just got the rights to this book written 20 years ago and republished it, I might be tempted to get a hardcopy of my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dover Publishing for a copy in return for an honest review.

[Bruno Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro de pocas páginas centrado en el trabajo de unos de los mejores artistas filipinos que participaron en la invasión setentera de dibujantes de ese pais en el mercado del tebeo norteamericano. Un libro denso en sabiduria sobre el dibujo y el arte de hacer historietas que es lo que apasionaba a este autor. También es un alegato a vivir una vida que te guste y como impedir que la obsesión por el trabajo trunque tus otros propositos.

Lleno de consejos sobre el arte y la vida es una lectura que no te dejará indiferente. Para rematar el libro, el propio autor comenta sus decisiones a la hora de realizar el primer trabajo en solitario del que se sintió orgulloso donde se adelantó al genero de espada y brujería unos cuantos años antes de que surgiera Conan y derivados en los que trabajó profesionalmente años mas tarde.

Si te gustan los tebeos y como se hacen, es una lectura recomendabilisima que no te decepcionará.

[R E · Rating 4 out of 5]

While dated, there are some good points for younger artists here. Especially helpful would be the last quarter where Alcala walks the reader through his compositional and visual storytelling using pages from his Voltar comic. That said, this is largely an artistic biography of Alcala rather than an exposition of his “secrets.” And once you see his Voltar work you’ll immediately understand why Alcala was the perfect inker for John Buscema’s incredible artwork/pencils. Although I think it’s changed, historically inkers received too little (or even no) credit for what comic readers finally saw on the page - whereas in reality there’s be nothing to see without inkers, who were largely responsible for the ultimate visual feel of a comic.

[Leander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het "Secret Teachings" in de titel doet meer vermoeden dan je krijgt. Dit is niet echt een leerboek over de technieken van Alcala maar het is wel een mooi boek vol fraaie illustraties in een stijl van striptekenen die je eigenlijk niet meer ziet tegenwoordig. Hypergedetaillieerde arceerkunst die naar huidige maatstaven misschien te weinig ruimte laat voor de tekening om te ademen en daardoor gaat soms het contrast verloren. Het blijft wel interessant om de tekeningen te bestuderen van een vakman die ieder arceerstreepje bewust neerzette.

[Marc Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course the illustrations are excellent but how did they get so excellent? Even if you are not a fan of this genre skip to the second half where Alfredo Alcala walks you through a Voltar story panel by panel explaining how and why he created each one. The first half is how cool Alfredo Alcala is—and he is very cool—and how to tell the difference between a “real artist” and a phony. Simple: “real artists” are people like Alcala. Phonies are not like Alcala.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.5 of 5

I remember in the 1970's being eager each month for the latest issue of The Savage Sword of Conan to be on bookseller's shelf. The black and white art in this over-sized comic book typically was much more impressive than that in the smaller color comics, and a big part of the reason for that was because of Alfredo Alcala. And so, when I saw this book was available (again), I couldn't resist getting my hands on it.

First...this is not a portfolio. This is not just drawing after drawing to ogle over, though there is plenty of art inside, it's not being reproduced on a frame-able quality.

Second...this book is only eighty pages long and more than a quarter of it is taken up with introductions (by Gil Kane and Roy Thomas, at least).

Third..."Secrets Teachings" is a bit of a misnomer - there really aren't any secrets here, but we do get some insight into Alcala and his technique and his thought process as he develops a comic book. And this is what makes the book worth-while.

Before his work on Conan, Alcala created and illustrated a series called Voltar (a clear predecessor to Conan), and this book selects one issue of Voltar and Alcala walks the reader through the entire issue, explaining his thought process to the layout of the page and for each panel and even why some things are light, some dark, etc. It was really fascinating to read how much thought goes into this from the artist's point of view.

Because, when I think of Alcala's work, I think of his incredibly detailed work, I would have liked to have more insight into his actual process of inking. I did appreciate his mentioning how artists need to be able to draw (not just 'finish'), and how learning about the human body and how it reacts in different poses is important (and he gives an example of when it doesn't work).

Alcala mentions using both pen and brush as tools in his art, and here again I would like to know more. I had always assumed his work (look at the drawing on the cover as pictured above) was purely pen and ink. Where and when would he use a brush?

Though I still have questions about his work, I really enjoyed this book, both for the art and for what I learned. I recommend this book very highly for anyone interested in art, not just comic books.

Looking for a good book? Secret Teachings of a Comic Book Master: The Art of Alfredo Alcala is a wonderful look at the thought process of one of the best artist/inkers in comic book history and should be read, not just by comic book fans but by anyone who appreciates great art.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Secret Teachings of a Comic Book Master: The Art of Alfredo Alcala' is like sitting over coffee with an amazing artist and having him tell you all his secrets.

The introductions alone should make you take notice. There are intros by Gil Kane and Roy Thomas, who are comics legends, and they express their deep respect of Alfredo. There is a more personal introduction by Phil Yeh that talks about travelling with Alfredo. The bulk of the book is called, The Art of Observation, and Alfredo's tips to young artists are to draw everything and pay attention to everything around you. The book finishes with a kind of artist's commentary to an unpublished Voltar story.

Throughout the book are examples of Alfredo's work here in the States and from his early years in the Philippines. He was an influential artist on Conan the Barbarian and his own book Voltar. His style is bold and action-oriented. His figures have muscular anatomy and are finely detailed. I really appreciated learning more about this artist and getting to understand how much work he puts into every panel.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having met this publishing house through their compilations of public domain texts, it was a surprise to find something as esoteric as this on their books – a thirty-plus-year-old appreciation of a master comics artist from the Philippines. Certainly he'd never come my way before now, or not knowingly. But Alcala was worth learning about – his character, his work ethic, background and style – even if nothing had been updated or added to prove his continued influence or indeed the value of this old text. It makes itself most valuable, not in the lengthy hagiographic introductions, nor the guides to style, craft and composition Alcala gives the author, but in his making-of discussion of an incredibly choppy but exceedingly artistic sword-and-sorcery epic, from his own self-created muscleman that predates the comic Conan while looking exceedingly similar. The writing here, regarding everything he was clearly very good at, from page design, visual narrative and more, clearly bests just about any DVD-extra styled bonus sections from the current crop of comic publishers, meaning this really would go down well with anyone interested in emulating a past master. A small audience is expected for this volume, but a very appreciative one.

[Jon Huff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great, short little book, a straight reprint of one that came out in 1994. Really glad they reprinted it, though, as I never realized such a book was dedicated to Alfredo Alcala. I knew him mostly for his work on Masters of the Universe in the 80s, which I loved. So getting to know more of his (very extensive) body of work was fantastic. The illustrations here were gorgeous, and made me long for a full art book.

[John Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing
it is all at once
a illustrator's text book
giving insight from a master in the field
a personal biography of an incredible artist
and best of all
an collection of his incredible, groundbreaking comic illustrations

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

The secret teachings were exactly what I wanted to hear.