From: maguire@copland.jpl.nasa.gov (Kevin Maguire)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Art Styles (was: Re: CYBER FORCE #1)
Date: 13 Oct 92 22:01:36 GMT
Article-I.D.: 128.maguire-131092145142
Followup-To: rec.arts.comics.misc
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

In article <22905@galaxy.ucr.edu>, zeus@watserv.ucr.edu (Zeus) wrote:
> -->Dave Sim & Gerhard (Cerebus) 
> 
> I like Sims work, but it's not what I would call the traditional comic book  
> art.  Not because, it isn't in color, or the inking is different, but because  
> it isn't 'real' life people.  I think this is more comparable to Disney stuff  
> not saying its content is childish though...
     Actually, I wouldn't nominate Dave Sim as an artist for X-Men either
(tho
I would like to see him try), but for a book like the Superman titles with
a
lot of focus on supporting cast, his gift for capturing people's
personality in
the way he draws them would be great.  He would have to tone down the
"editorial
cartoonist" excesses he uses for characters like Mrs. Thatcher though, for
such
a job.


> -->Ben Dunn      (Ninja High School) 
> Have seen it... its not bad, but once again the above comment is valid.  It's  
> more cartoonish and its japanimation, which is NOT what I was talking about  
> intially.
     On the other hand, I think Ben's style would be GREAT for X-Men as
long
as the manga touches (big hammer hit & bugged out eyes when male lead
offends
female lead) were left out.  Look at the early issues of NHS featuring the
RNC
armies and Kenterminator to see how well he draws military tech and big
hulking
dudes and hot babes, without feeling the need to make the military gear
insanely
futuristic (Liefeld, Byrne) or to make all the guys huge and all the girls 
babes (Lee, Lee).

> -->Matt Wagner   (Mage, Grendel, Demon mini, Aerialist) 
> Definitely a different style - like Mignola.  Not bad, but I prefer the  
> detailed styles.  Also I don't think that Matt has a grip on anatomy as much as Lee and Silvestri.
     Which Matt Wagner style are we discussing?  His work in Mage looks
pretty
different from his work in LOTDK recently.  I think his grasp of anatomy is
equivalent to theirs, he just doesn' tmake everyone a perfect physical
specimen.
I think that's better, your mileage may vary.  I liked Lee's characters
when
I first saw his art, but I've gotten tired of everyone being such a buff 
physical specimen, particularly when buff-ness has been retro-applied to 
characters who used to be much smaller (Storm, Betsy).

> -->Frank Miller  (Sin City, Daredevil, Dark Knight, Wolverine mini)
> He is a better writer than he is an artist.  I got the feeling that Miller  
> draws the way he does because he likes it (obvioulsy) but also because he 
> can't do it any better.  In other words, I would respect his art more if I 
> knew he could draw like Lee, but prefers to draw the way he does.
     I was FLOORED by the use of B&W in Sin City.  But, the style he used
in
old Daredevils and the Wolverine mini was very different - softer around
the
edges than the Sin City style or Lee's, and is also quite good.  How much
of
this is Miller using different styles and how much is due to Mazzuchelli
and
Janson's inking is unclear, at least to me.
 
> -->David Lloyd   (first name may be wrong, V for Vendetta, Miracleman)
> -->Michael Zulli (Puma Blues, TMNT)
> -->John Totleben
> -->Matt Howarth  (Post Bros, Savage Henry, Keif Llama)
> -->Will Eisner   (Spirit)
> -->Scott McCloud (Zot)
> -->Kyle Baker    (Shadow, Why I Hate Saturn)
> 
> The rest of these guys are passed me.... sorry.
> 
      Check them out.  You may be pleasantly surprised.  Remember 2000AD
readers
saw Bisley's fully painted work long before he started doing pencils for
DC.
Lots of the above books should sell for cover or less, too.

      Finally, I'd just like to mention that I do like Lee and Silvestri's
art.
It's a good style for the stuff they do, and much better than a lot of the
hacks Marvel has on some of their poorer-selling books, I just don't think
they're so good that no one else even comes close.

     I also realized last night that most of the artsists I like, I like
for
their work on stories which were really well written, and this may bias my
judgement.  When the story sucks eggs, and when story inconsistencies turn
up
in the art through no fault of the artist, this will create a negative 
impression of the artist as well as the writer.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin Maguire                         No, not THAT Kevin Maguire
maguire@copland.jpl.nasa.gov          I'm a rocket scientist, not an artist