Granted, this isn’t quite a splash page, but what the heck…as long as I’m posting the pages for this feature, I figure I can bend the rules a bit:
From the incomparable J.H. Williams III. Does he sometimes sacrifice storytelling in service of a gorgeous page design? Yes, absolutely. Is it technically not “good” comic book art? Maybe. Is the end result, the sum of the parts, an enjoyable comic book experience? Hell yes.
The above double-page splash is from Batwoman #4, published by DC Comics, December 2011.
I think Williams does it all the time, which I why I can’t read it. He does weird things with bat shapes. It’s the kind of thing editors slam potential artists on during portfolio reviews.
I think this is a case of “if you’re good enough, you can break the rules.”
I agree with Tony. Sure, it’s a slippery slope and quite subjective, but for me, it totally works. I absolutely hate decompressed storytelling, and let’s face it, Batwoman is fairly decompressed. But it more than makes up for it in sheer visual pyrotechnics, atmosphere, and mood.
I am totally breaking my grilled cheese rule for Batwoman. Love that book.
Holy crap! If the book is strong enough to win over “Boisterous” Craig Bogart, you know it’s got some serious mojo.