Recent Quickies

Just thought I'd load up a few recent pics done for the Weekly themed Art Board...these are just fun little jobs, drawn at A4 to get them in quick in between everything else the average person has to do on their average week...

DCPu!!!!

Recently, I came into the possession of New Avengers #7. Given, it was drawn by Romita Jr so I was never going to like the art but at least he knows how to pace a story, which is just as well as this was another 5-minute read. I like Bendis' dialogue and that helped maintained interest in a comic comprised of only four scenes. I thought this was a perfect example of how modern mainstream comics have become poor value for money, a five minute read that's instantly forgettable.

And then I read the new Justice League. Better art, less characterisation and only TWO scenes. Yes, that's right. #1 consists entirely of Green Lantern teaming up with Batman in Gotham, then buggering off to Metropolis, where they interrupt football practice and meet Superman. THAT'S it.

And the big two wonder why they're losing readers? I have no problem with serialised storytelling but make each issue not only worth the reader's time but worthy of time in general. I'm reading DC Comics Presents: Metal Men at the minute: each chapter takes longer to read than either of the above two comics and represents better value as a result. Imagine paying for a cinema ticket only to be shown the pre-titles sequence before the end credits roll, because that's what a lot of current comics have become. The worrying thing is, with 70% of the US comic market shared between Marvel and DC, if they go down, the infrastructure supporting the smaller publishers collapses too.

Be afraid, comics readers, be afraid...

More Webdings

Just thought I'd bung up some more random images cribbed from the net...

We start with Spidey by Mike Wieringo...he drew one of the best Spideys in my opinion, I was surprised to read recently that his art was not popular at DC, despite his excellent run on the Flash (pun intended)...Jimmy Cheung started out at Marvel Uk, and I love this image featuring the classic Captain Britain stories from the 80s...
I absolutely love Bolland's work and his art combined with the simplicity of this Zatanna cover make it one of my favourite images ever...
I like seeing modern artists take on "classic" characters, so dig this Art Adams Ms Marvel...
Wish I could justify the expense of the above Black Widow PVC statue, one of the more tempting pieces of merchandise for a while...
Just love this Jason Pearson pic of Mary Marvel and Supergirl...
Again, simplicity helps this image sing...
While clearly riffing on Adam Hughes' work, I still can't help loving Ryan Sook's version of Lois Lane...
Spaaaaaace Ghoooooost!!!!
One of my favourite artists drawing one of my favourite characters, what's not to like?
Done by the same artist who did Ms Marvel on my last post, I love this: stunning but simply, elegantly done...

Not especially an Elektra fan but this is one of the most striking covers I've seen, really love this...

Webdings!

I've mentioned previously that I tend to haunt the net cribbing artwork that catches my fancy from time to tome, everything to published art, designs, sketches, preliminary art, convention sketches, etc so just thought it might be fun to show a few pix (in no particular order) and explain why they speak to me...

Darwyn Cooke's Judge Anderson: other than being one of the few 2000AD characters I have any affection for, it's always cool seeing a character handled by a totally unexpected creator...

I've always loved Cockrum's Ms Marvel redesign but this art just blows me away, don't know who did it but it really sings for me...
As a kid, I loved the original Wonder Man design but later looked back on it as kitschy. Today i kinda like it again and Art Adams' version really knocks it into shape...

I had to include a Hughes piece so chose this Wonder Woman cover, comparing the lineart against the colour version...
I also love some of the merchandise currently being produced but can't afford most of it. Swinging by at Bowen Designs fills me with joy and sadness at the same time...
Occasionally I'll find nuggets like this Kevin maguire Beetle and Booster pic, always a treat for this JLI fan...
Couild spend ages looking at his Simpson jam...

Also love JH Williams' art and love this design sheet, nice art and clear motivation for the design choices...
Also a big fan of Steve Rude, here with a Gwen Stacy pic that caught my eye...

Oh, look who it is again!
Bruce Timm has loads of Good Girl art online but his heroes are pretty cool too, and obviously I'm gonna like this one....
One of my favourite Invisibles covers, this is the uncoloured version by Brian Bolland...I love the open, unrendered art here, reminds me of the ligne claire or animation-inspired art styles...
Always love Dave Stevens' art and this cropping from one of his Rocketeer pages features probably his most striking depiction of Bettie Page...
I quite like looking at model sheets, especially ones that feature pre-existing characters as it shows how much you can change a character's look while remaining true to the concept. This is Arisia from the original Green Lantern animated DVDs...

Frustration

Well, BICS was last weekend, quieter than normal but still fun. After nearly 2 hours, gave up waiting for Chris Sprouse as he only did four sketches in that time and I was feeling nauseous standing on the spot for so long. I trundled about and picked up a few bits but the real bargain was the Wolverhampton branch of FP, who were having a sale on the Sunday. As well as picking up two Euro albums and Bigg Timme for £4 each, I also picked up Skizz for the same price.

I've always wanted to try this but the art has always put me off but for £4, I gambled and picked up a winner. Alan Moore and Jim Baikie (who's art I soon warmed to here) crafted a solid "ET meets Boys From The Black Stuff in Birmingham" story that rolls along at a great pace. Unable to add as much complexity as his later work due to the four-page instalments, Moore still turns in an emotional level that helps make this book sing. If you've never read it, give it a go (and I rate it much higher than Halo Jones).

Wish I could say the same with my art...I've been pushed for time for the past two weeks and everything I try to do just comes out shit...I'll have to slow down and not try to rush through stuff so much, as the above work shows...