From: hachiman@stein.u.washington.edu (matt)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: Jim Lee rips off Frank Miller??
Summary: Inquiring minds wanna know...
Date: 16 Nov 92 03:48:09 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

In article <1e6s2aINNhc2@darkstar.UCSC.EDU> isaac@cats.ucsc.edu (Isaac Truder) writes:
>
>
>Lee has seemingly forsaken his much-imitated "little lines" style, and has
>opted for a style that's just like the one Frank Miller used on SIN CITY!

  Well, imitation *is* the sincerest form of flattery...

>The picture they have here is all shadows and black areas, and no lines,
>just like Miller has been doing.  The character shown is a typical Jim Lee
>ultra-macho Punisher-looking character, of course, but the style is so
>Miller it's amazing/pathetic.

  Why is it pathetic?  Because you liked Lee's old style and expect him to
draw in exactly that style for the rest of his life?  Or because he's 
desecrating Miller's style?  Tell me, did you shed tears in memory of Bill
Sienkewisc (howeverthe hellnamehisnameisspelled) when Miller copped his style?

>What's it all mean, friends?  In a world where crazy styles seem to be major
>selling points, where have we come to when anybody who feels like can cop
>someone else's style and make themselves more money out of the imitation?

  I think Lee would make more money by taking the "safe' route and keeping
his style the same.  I doubt that his Milleresque art (which is much less
appealing to most adolescent fanboy types than his 'little line' style) will
sell any better than Miller's Milleresque art.  Miller already has an audience
built up; Lee is just as likely to alienate his current audience as to bring
them with him.  Of course, the ones he does bring are going to be much more 
likely to get interested in Millers stuff as a result...

  From looking at the lack of progression in Lee's artwork over the past
year and a half or so, it seems like he's taken his present style as far he
can go with it.  Either he can stagnate, or he can try to expand, experiment,
grow.  Lee's a great artist, but noone is so skilled that they can't learn by
experimenting and imitating.  The path he's taking now is the same one that
Miller and Bill S. took after starting out as very competent superhero style
artists.  Eventually they got to the point where playing with patterns of black
and white became more seductive and artistically interesting than drawing the
same old Neal Adams/Steve Ditko type superhero face.

>The sad thing to me is that Jim Lee will probably sell a lot more comics 
>using this style than SIN CITY ever did.  

  Hmm... I don't see very many of Lee's comics on the shelves of B. Dalton or
Waldenbooks.  On the other hand Miller has Ronin, The Dark Knight Returns, 
Batman Year Two, etc.  Sin City comes out as a TPB in December.  I don't know
whether or not Dark Horse  has the distribution channels to release TPBs into
"real" bookstores, but even if they don't, I'm sure that Miller'll be making
quite a bit of money off of Sin City.  Maybe not as much as Lee made off of 
X-Men #1, but I doubt that Lee's new style will have quite the fanboy clout
as his X-men style.

>I just don't know -- where's the art in comics now?

  Well, last I heard, Charles Vess was working on some projects with Neil
Gaiman.  He also just had a print released in the Mobius tribute package 
"Legends of Arzach" (Tundra)...
:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)



>Im hoping someone just screwed up and this picture is really just a cover
>Frank Miller did for the DARKER IMAGE book -- I really am.  There's no
>signature on the picture, just a "TM&(C)1992 Jim Lee" next to it... 
>pant pant pant ... maybe... eh eh... maybe it's all a big joke, yeah... heh...
>that must be it... heh! heheh! eh eh eh eh...

  Nope, no joke... but aren't you *glad* that Jim Lee is trying to appeal to
someone besides fanboys!!!!  :)

 _______________________________
|  Matthew B. Downer       	|
|  hachiman@u.washington.edu	|
|  				|
|  Ore no denwa bango wa 911 da.|
|_______________________________|