Comic Book Art

Whenever I pick up the new releases, I am sometimes so enthralled in the adventures of Hal Jordan or Scrooge McDuck (or whoever) that I forget to notice the artwork attached to the words floating in white bubbles.

The originators of the comic book artform were lucky in that they were creating something new. It seemed that the duty of the art was to push the story forward, never mind the artsy detail.Looking back at the art for classic Action Comics, Detective Comics or other classic comic books, one can see the style and skill inherent in every line, but at the time they were published, I wager that readers were more concerned with how Batman would get out of a tight jam rather than the page layout.

As a reader of pop comics published by Marvel and DC Comics, I first noticed the effect of color and line with Daredevil: Born Again.

The art by David Mazzucchelli altered to fit the mood of the panel, something I had never seen before. In one key scene, Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich is listening to as man getting brutalized on the phone, but he cannot cry out in public or he’ll get the same. Since Mazzucchelli was limited by the script, he could not show Ben cry out or react in the traditional comic book manner. Therefore, as the screams on the phone get harsher, the lines and colors making up the image of Urich’s face change, denoting fear and anxiety.

The use of line and color has become more sophisticated of late, but usually stays on the cover as far as the big boys (Marvel and DC) are concerned. Here are a few books to check out which center entirely on the art of comic book artists.

Painter James Jean has been developing covers for titles such as Batgirl and Fables for years now and his dreamlike lines and ethereal use of colors never fails to catch the eye. A sequel to his initial collection Process Recess has just been released, I highly recommend it.

One of my all time favorite comic book artists, the too-cool-for-school Paul Pope is no slouch in the line work department. It’s rare to see a comic book artist use the traditional ink brush as the masters back in the day did. Pope’s line work carries a wild energy and a unique sense of humor that adds a level of character to his pages.

Looking over his body of work from THB to the recent Batman Year 100, it’s interesting to see how he has grown as an artist. The recently released PulpHope book makes that trip a bit easier.

Ashley Wood has been wowing readers in everything from Uncanny X-Men to Pop-bot and DOOMED.

Working as a commercial artist for over ten years, Wood, alongside TP Louise, formed the entertainment company 7174 PTY LTD, which published PopBot and Lore through IDW Press.

A thoroughly distinctive and modern artist, Wood’s characters appear as both jagged and smooth, occupying the page in a strangely abstract yet photo-realistic manner. I always wondered if this was in response to the photo-realism of artists like Alex Ross.

Due to his unsettling and jarring linework, Ashley Wood’s art lends itself well to both horror and sci-fi, which made his work in the horror anthology Doomed all that more welcome.

The IDW Press series Sparrow is entering it’s third issue. The series looks at comic book artists in beautifully laid out and designed editions. Future volumes will include: George Pratt, Jim Mahfood, James Jean, Kent Williams, David Choe, and Jock.

Sounds like a very proper way to celebrate comic book art.

Recommended reading:

Swallow
PulpHope: The Art Of Paul Pope
Process Recess 2: Portfolio
The Silver Age of Comic Book Art
City of Glass
Daredevil Legends Vol. II: Born Again

Budget Gaming

Medal of Honor- Frontline

$3-5 Used

Oh sure, we got inundated with WWII games in short order back in the day, but the first wartime shooter for the XBox remains the best.

Developed by EA Games, Medal of Honor – Frontline follows the military career of Jimmy Patterson as he crawls on the beaches of Normandy and later embarks on covert missions to destroy Nazi U-Boat bases.

The gameplay is top notch and even though the franchise spawned two sequels (with the first next-gen game coming out very soon), Frontline remains at the top of many gaming pros for its level design, AI, and overall ease of play. Today you can pick up Frontline for a collection of nickels and let me tell you, it’s a worthy addition to your game library.

Red Dead Revolver

$5 Used

The Western genre is often overlooked in videogames. Perhaps this is down to Atari so perfectly capturing the reality of the old west in their thrilling Outlaw game?

Probably not.

In any case, the genre has been poorly represented in video games despite the fact that it has so much to offer in terms of gameplay and design (just look at the excellent Gun reviewed here).

Rockstar, the guys behind Max Payne, released in 2004 to the delight of gamers. Every bit a spaghetti western, Red Dead Revolver even features the theme tune to Lo Chiamavano King, which I guarantee you will have stuck in your head after hearing it only once.

While the game does develop the story of shootist Red, it also allows the player to control a series of characters throughout the game including English trick gunman Jack Swift and Native American Red Wolf.

Strangely, most of the villains are undead clowns and circus performers, but the rules are the same as any game… shoot everything that moves. One of Red Dead Revolver’s unique innovations is the ‘duel’ mechanic that allows the player to actually feel like he/she is dueling with the AI. Time slows down and you only get a short period of time to decide where your bullets will go. Not exactly, bullet-time, but close enough.

Psi Ops – The Mindgate Conspiracy

$5-7 Used

In 2004, Midway Games released this mixed play game to add to the variety of third-person shooters. In the game, you uncover the vast conspiracy involving the development of a psychically aware army. As you play through the game, you develop new powers including your basic TK ability (throwing people around the room with your mind), Pyrokinesis (causing enemies to combust) and Mind Control (take over an enemy and use him to kill his fellow soldiers for you).

The story of the game is broken up with numerous flashbacks that introduce new psychic abilities which you must then hone to a keen weapon. Ammo is in short supply which pushes you to rely more on your mental abilities rather than simply shooting your way through problems.

A very exciting and fun game, Psi-Ops has a unique feel that it is based on a comic book, novel or feature film. The characterizations of main and supporting characters and colorful end bosses are very well done, but it’s the addition of the psychic ability to hurl/burn/control your enemies that really makes this game a must buy.

Project Snowblind

$5-7 Used

A ’spiritual sequel’ to Warren Spector’s Desus Ex: Invisible War, Project Snowblind takes place in a cyberpunk future riddled with war and sci-fi technology.

While Snowblind is essentially a straight ahead first person shooter, the addition of cybernetically-enhanced abilities adds to the mix. Much like Desus Ex: Invisible War, players have two options in attack; the straight forward approach or the sneaky/smart way.

Hardware in the game runs the gamut from machine guns, sniper rifles, and rocket launchers to portable force fields and EMP grenades, so going in guns blazing is hardly boring.

However, should you decide to be sneaky and smart, you have many options such as Ice-picking your enemy’s weapons from turrets to robots, turning yourself invisible or even firing an electrical charge straight from your own cyborg body.

While the game is far too short, it is a lot of fun and features complex level design in addition to the aforementioned cybernetic abilities.

Available on Amazon:

Medal of Honor Frontline
Red Dead Revolver
PSI-Ops The Mindgate Conspiracy
Project Snowblind

David Tennant to star in Extras

This just in…

Doctor Who’s Tennant to be an Extra

Wednesday 5th September

Doctor Who star David Tennant has landed a part in Ricky Gervais‘ hit comedy Extras.

David, who has proved a big hit with viewers as the Time Lord, will join a huge cast of stars for the 80-minute Christmas special, according to reports.

TV bosses are keeping quiet about David’s appearance in the final episode of the award-winning comedy – but insiders have hinted that it will be linked to his role as The Doctor.

One said: “David’s a huge fan of the show and extremely popular, so we’ve signed him up. He’ll be in good company as we’re lining up some other great names.”

I know that Ricky Gervais has been after Russell T Davies for permission to film an Extras episode based around Doctor Who only to be met with scheduling problems, but this might be the next best thing.

The comedy of Extras is typically very ‘blue’ for its audience which is a little odd since Doctor Who is still very much a children’s program. However, given that David Tennant will be one of many stars in a Christmas Special, this might soften the adult humor.

Ofcourse, this has hardly been a problem in the past, as seen below.

David Tennant on the Friday Night Project