Books | Comics: Neal Adams overview illustrates his lasting impact | Seattle Times Newspaper: But those artists, while terrific, were basically cartoonists with excellent individual styles. Adams was something altogether different. He came from advertising, and was a master of the "photorealism" school. His characters had weight and texture. Instead of "spotting blacks" where convenient, his people and objects threw shadows as you'd see in real life. And all his superheroes were anatomically accurate, bursting with the kind of power you see in professional weightlifters.