One thing that I haven't seen pointed out, regarding the swipe/homage issue is that when, for example, Liefeld (IMO) swiped poses and panels, it likely made his job easier. 

When JB incorporates a page or sequence that is intended to combine his style and the original way it was drawn to mesh the past and present it is actually more work than just doing his own style(IMO).

One is a way to cheat, the other is a technique in storytelling.

You know, you've hit the nail on the head. That's exactly what appeals to me about Scioli's work: it's exactly the kind of wacky stuff the King was producing near the end of his comic-book career and before his second animation venture; when he pretty much indulged in producing what he wanted.

Some might argue that this was the King in decline, because of failing eyesight and general health. So what if it is? I'll take Kirby at 25% over most storytellers at 100%.

My one criticism about Godland is that I wish it had a black and white backup. Scioli's "The Senescal" looked great in B&W and I'd like to see more of it.

Leifeld was one of those guys who would have been lucky to have the industry kick the crap out of him for a decade before he got a job (to improve his art, I understand his family really needed the money at the time so it was lucky for him personally that he got hired). Why? Because he actually had talent and if he had to work and learn his craft and get turned down and try some new stuff and learn anatomy and storytelling from the ground up he might have been one of the greats instead of... what he became.

That isn't meant to denigrate him, I honestly believe the man had a lot of potential and pissed it away. Which I guess could be taken as denigrating him. I also have sympathy, you get this cool job that you aren't really capable of doing so you do some unethical things just to keep the cool job. I like to think I wouldn't have done something like that in that situation but I'm not certain. 

For my own work, a guy told me that looking at a photo and doing a face of a different character (different species) qualified as a swipe and it stunned me. Why? Because it was freaking hard! I would have thought that a swipe would not have taken three hours to get right. If I had traced it maybe but it was a little picture in the paper and became a full page of my sketch book and I don't have a light box. Now that I have some intelligent information and viewpoints I think I can smile the next time someone calls a photo reference a swipe, then hand them a piece of paper and a pencil and invite them to 'swipe' just like I did.