Archive for August, 2008
I was excited to hear that Image is reprinting all of Ted McKeever’s work beginning with Transit. Mostly because what I have of his stuff is incomplete here and there. Sad really. Here’s a two part interview from Indie Spinner Rack. I believe from last year. Part two has a bitter admission about Hellboy, speaking of a previous thread on aping other artists. McKeever is to the 80′s what Pope is to present day as far as esthetic influence.
Guess away:
(click image to boobersize)
(previous weeks: 9/12/2005, 9/19/2005, 9/26/2005, 10/3/2005, 10/10/2005, 10/17/2005, 10/24/2005, 10/31/2005, 11/1/2005, 11/2/2005, 11/3/2005, 11/4/2005, 11/5/2005, 11/6/2005, 11/7/2005, 11/14/2005, 11/21/2005, 11/28/2005, 12/5/2005, 12/12/2005, 12/19/2005, 12/26/2005, 1/2/2006, 1/9/2006, 1/16/2006, 1/23/2006, 1/30/2006, 2/06/2006, 2/13/2006, 2/20/2006, 2/27/2006, 3/6/2006, 3/13/2006, 3/20/2006, 3/27/2006, 4/3/2006, 4/4/2006, 4/5/2006, 4/6/2006, 4/7/2006, 4/8/2006, 4/9/2006, 4/10/2006, 4/17/2006, 4/23/2006, 5/1/2006, 5/8/2006, 5/15/2006, 5/22/2006, 5/29/2006, 6/5/2006, 6/12/2006, 6/19/2006, 6/26/2006, 7/3/2006, 7/10/2006, 7/17/2006, 7/24/2006, 7/31/2006, 8/7/2006, 8/13/2006, 8/21/2006, 8/28/2006, 9/4/2006, 9/11/2006, 9/18/2006, 9/25/2006, 10/2/2006, 10/9/2006, 10/16/2006, 10/23/2006, 10/30/2006, 11/6/2006, 11/13/2006, 11/20/2006, 11/27/2006, 12/4/2006, 12/11/2006, 12/18/2006, 12/25/2006, 1/1/2007, 1/8/2007, 1/15/2007, 1/22/2007, 1/29/2007, 2/5/2007, 2/12/2007, 2/19/2007, 2/26/2007, 3/5/2007, 3/12/2007, 3/19/2007, 3/26/2007, 4/2/2007, 4/5/2007, 4/9/2007, 4/16/2007, 4/23/2007, 4/30/2007, 5/7/2007, 5/14/2007, 5/21/2007, 5/28/2007, 6/4/2007, 6/11/2007, 6/18/2007, 6/25/2007, 7/2/2007, 7/9/2007, 7/16/2007, 7/23/2007, 7/30/2007, 8/6/2007, 8/13/2007, 8/20/2007, 8/27/2007, 9/3/2007, 9/10/2007, 9/17/2007, 9/24/2007, 10/1/2007, 10/8/2007, 10/15/2007, 10/22/2007, 10/29/2007, 11/5/2007, 11/12/2007, 11/19/2007, 11/26/2007, 12/3/2007, 12/10/2007, 12/17/2007, 12/24/2007, 12/31/2007, 1/7/2008, 1/14/2008, 1/21/2008, 1/28/2008, 2/4/2008, 2/11/2008, 2/18/2008, 2/25/2008, 3/3/2008, 3/10/2008, 3/17/2008, 3/24/2008, 3/31/2008, 4/7/2008, 4/14/2008, 4/21/2008, 4/28/2008, 5/8/2008, 5/12/2008, 5/19/2008, 5/27/2008, 6/2/2008, 6/9/2008, 6/16/2008, 6/23/2008, 6/30/2008, 7/7/2008, 7/14/2008, 7/22/2008, 8/4/2008)
Here’s what I wrote about the art of Gil Kane and Ross Andru in a recent “Way Back Machine” post:
“Both he (Kane) and Ross Andru after him did a splendid job of creating an environment these characters moved through, rather than dispensing endless pinup shots like most modern artists; as a kid I had a sense of what Spider-Man’s New York looked like, from this infamous bridge to Times Square to Rockefeller Plaza. I was a kid living in the Midwest, but New York lived and breathed for me through the pages of these books.”
Skip ahead three decades and we find a generation of artists who are rewarded for dispensing endless, meticulously detailed cheesecake pinup shots with little discipline or work ethic. I recently picked up X-Men #500 on a whim and found a few examples of some incredibly lax standards on the part of both the artist and editors and couldn’t resist sharing them here. The artist in question is Greg Land, but this sort of laziness seems pretty widespread today.
Exhibit A: The mutants are giving a tour of their new headquarters on Marin Island when Warren Worthington III brags about the wonderful view from their new home…
…and we get a big stretch of empty blue across 2/3 of the panel in question. Apparently tracking down some photo references of San Francisco Bay would have been just too much work. The script practically begs for a depiction of the view Angel is going on about, but the artist is afraid to take a swing at that fastball, apparently. There isn’t a single shot establishing the environment outside the X-Men’s brand new island HQ to be found in the entire issue.
Exhibit B: Moving on with the tour, we come across some construction going on within the headquarters:
Man, check out that hodgepodge of lines vomited onto the page that’s supposed to be “construction.” A nonsensical jumble of ninety degree angles with either 37 different perspective points– or none at all. Someone give this guy a Byrne or Perez book to study, or even the linear perspective chapter of Buscema’s How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way. While we wait for him find his T-square, let’s gaze in wonder at the way he avoided drawing anyone’s features in this panel.
“That’s quite a view, Warren.” AAAAAARRRRGGHH!!! Like Angel says– for the money I paid for this book, I’d better see the friggin’ view!
Hooo-boy. Seriously, I‘d be humiliated to sign my name to this. Overlooking the criminal level of decompression shown here, Deodato is told to depict a monster approaching Cleveland, so… he draws the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (apparently three stories tall, judging by the relative size of the visitors) in the middle of an empty field before a lake with no apparent boat traffic of any kind, and sticks a “Welcome to Cleveland” sign in front of it, as if it sits on the friggin’ outskirts of the city. This is Liefeld-caliber work.Sean McGurr picked this week’s subject: Rorschach. Liz gets to pick next week’s character, and she’s going with Dazzler.
Here are this week’s entries from our fellow PANEListas:
Brent Bowman (Rorschach vs. Horshack):
I remember walking past the huge crowd gathered around when they were filming the bit with Wolverine. Also, Scott Kurtz of PvP fame gets skewered too.
With gas prices rising (and my waistline expanding), I’ve started biking to work a few days a week. It takes about 25 minutes, depending on how motivated I am, to get from downtown to Grandview Heights.
However, it’s only a few blocks out of my way to hit Discount Paperback, that comic shop by campus. It’s a pain to find parking at Discount Paperback, but you can nip in and out with a bicycle. And they sell new comics for 10 percent off.
So … I’m saving money on gas, but spending all that money on comics.
Link:
Sorry about the really late posting. I’ll try and get these things back on schedule. Anyway, this is supposed to be Character Wednesday for last week (7/30)…
Brent picked the week’s subject: John Carter of Mars. Sean picked the next character: Rorschach (which I’ll post tomorrow)
Here are this week’s entries from our fellow PANEListas:
Steve Black (wip):
Sorry for the skip week last week. I was still recovering from Comic Con. Here’s this week’s page:
(click image to enlargefy)
(previous weeks: 9/12/2005, 9/19/2005, 9/26/2005, 10/3/2005, 10/10/2005, 10/17/2005, 10/24/2005, 10/31/2005, 11/1/2005, 11/2/2005, 11/3/2005, 11/4/2005, 11/5/2005, 11/6/2005, 11/7/2005, 11/14/2005, 11/21/2005, 11/28/2005, 12/5/2005, 12/12/2005, 12/19/2005, 12/26/2005, 1/2/2006, 1/9/2006, 1/16/2006, 1/23/2006, 1/30/2006, 2/06/2006, 2/13/2006, 2/20/2006, 2/27/2006, 3/6/2006, 3/13/2006, 3/20/2006, 3/27/2006, 4/3/2006, 4/4/2006, 4/5/2006, 4/6/2006, 4/7/2006, 4/8/2006, 4/9/2006, 4/10/2006, 4/17/2006, 4/23/2006, 5/1/2006, 5/8/2006, 5/15/2006, 5/22/2006, 5/29/2006, 6/5/2006, 6/12/2006, 6/19/2006, 6/26/2006, 7/3/2006, 7/10/2006, 7/17/2006, 7/24/2006, 7/31/2006, 8/7/2006, 8/13/2006, 8/21/2006, 8/28/2006, 9/4/2006, 9/11/2006, 9/18/2006, 9/25/2006, 10/2/2006, 10/9/2006, 10/16/2006, 10/23/2006, 10/30/2006, 11/6/2006, 11/13/2006, 11/20/2006, 11/27/2006, 12/4/2006, 12/11/2006, 12/18/2006, 12/25/2006, 1/1/2007, 1/8/2007, 1/15/2007, 1/22/2007, 1/29/2007, 2/5/2007, 2/12/2007, 2/19/2007, 2/26/2007, 3/5/2007, 3/12/2007, 3/19/2007, 3/26/2007, 4/2/2007, 4/5/2007, 4/9/2007, 4/16/2007, 4/23/2007, 4/30/2007, 5/7/2007, 5/14/2007, 5/21/2007, 5/28/2007, 6/4/2007, 6/11/2007, 6/18/2007, 6/25/2007, 7/2/2007, 7/9/2007, 7/16/2007, 7/23/2007, 7/30/2007, 8/6/2007, 8/13/2007, 8/20/2007, 8/27/2007, 9/3/2007, 9/10/2007, 9/17/2007, 9/24/2007, 10/1/2007, 10/8/2007, 10/15/2007, 10/22/2007, 10/29/2007, 11/5/2007, 11/12/2007, 11/19/2007, 11/26/2007, 12/3/2007, 12/10/2007, 12/17/2007, 12/24/2007, 12/31/2007, 1/7/2008, 1/14/2008, 1/21/2008, 1/28/2008, 2/4/2008, 2/11/2008, 2/18/2008, 2/25/2008, 3/3/2008, 3/10/2008, 3/17/2008, 3/24/2008, 3/31/2008, 4/7/2008, 4/14/2008, 4/21/2008, 4/28/2008, 5/8/2008, 5/12/2008, 5/19/2008, 5/27/2008, 6/2/2008, 6/9/2008, 6/16/2008, 6/23/2008, 6/30/2008, 7/7/2008, 7/14/2008, 7/22/2008)
I know, I know, you’re sick and tired of my incessant self-promotion. This is the last one, I swear. Comic Book Resources talks about my IDW series…
“Set in 2017 ” a year before the story of “Terminator: Salvation” ” the early 2009-debuting prelude series will take the core concept of the “Terminator” films and give them a more global scope according to Naraghi. “The main focus of the book isn’t going to be John Connor. He’s going to be in it, but I wanted to show the rest of the face of the resistance ” everyone else who’s either trying to survive or actively part of the resistance, and not just in North America. In all the movies, it’s all in L.A., or in the future scenes it’s just small clips. I wanted to show what’s going on around the world or in other places, so it’s going to have more of an international flavor to it.””