From the interview:
DB: You worked with Neal Adams - how much did he influence you?
TG: Again, great draftsmanship and compositions. I worked for him for about 5 years. ‘Nuff said!
DB: What was Neal like?
TG: Hmmm, open question huh?! Well lets see...I used to say everyone in the comic book industry should go up to Continuity and see how long they would last working with Neal. Hahahaha! He is a tough person to deal with. In addition, the work that I did for him had nothing but his stamp all over it. Ad agencies wanted Neal's work and that’s exactly what they got. Not Tom Grindbergs art. It was a house style approach. Otherwise, Neal is like a father type figure that likes great art and likes to draw a lot, just like me. He's a big fanboy just like me.
I figured as much, that Adams demands artists at Continuity draw in the "house style", which is Neal Adams down to the last pen-stroke.
Even Grindberg's signature looks like Neal Adams'.
I'd like to see what Grindberg considers of his own work to be representative of his own individual style, once moving on from his clear Adams influence.
Probably many leaving Continuity for Marvel and DC would say the same thing. Like Bill Sienkiewicz and Rich Buckler. Drawing like Adams definitely provided them with a very attractive and marketable style, but definitely not their own. Sienkiewicz in particular also spent about 5 years of his career drawing just like Neal Adams, before finally developing an individual style. It must have taken a bit of courage to break away from what you know sells, to express your individual style that might not sell as well. Keith Giffen's precipitous drop in quality in 1984 comes to mind.
Whoever transcribed that interview can't spell for shit. It was pretty annoying throughout. Saying "there" for "their" and so forth.
