Bengal | Staples | Tocchini

BENGAL

(A Comic Connoisseur Native of France)

A rising star within the comic book industry, Bengal has been widely known for his fantastical and whimsical styles on classic characters such as his take on the crime-fighting femme fatales --Supergirl and Batgirl, as you see below. He's had the privilege to become a "go-to artist" for being featured as a variant artist for covers and some interior works such as being chosen to do Batgirl: Annual as well as helming probably one of his bigger works, the Adventures of Supergirl. "Based on the CBS television series Supergirl, to welcome in newer and unfamiliar audiences to the young and sprite cousin of the Man of Steel." (Kelly) Bengal is praised for the elegance he places in the postures and moods of his characters to contrast the fixed, yet visually pleasing perspectives within his backgrounds and environments.

Kelly, Caitlin. "‘Adventures of Supergirl’ #1 Brings Readers Back to the Beginning." Review. Web blog post. Hypable, 30 Jan. 2016. Accessed 21 Feb. 2016.

http://www.hypable.com/adventures-of-supergirl-1-review/

FIONA STAPLES

(The George Lucas of Comics)

If you truly believed the space opera genre was only available in the form of Star Wars, you my friend have been living under a space rock then! In 2012, the full throttled-Fiona Staples along with the bizarre-minded Brian K. Vaughan, presented to the world the Rated-R version of Star Wars, this is SAGA. Fiona's painted simplistic yet vibrant style truly brings out the visuals in not only the characters fashionable wear to contrast their off-world appearance, but also the vast blue, yellow, or purple sky, and deep black void of space. SAGA stands today as my top favorite comic book series because of it's rich lore of two world and races at war with two loves from opposing sides coming together to birth a child that has the entire universe on their horns and wings. "The series has also managed to obtain numerous awards, including a number of Eisner and Harvey Awards in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The first trade paperback collection won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story. It has also been noted for its diverse portrayal of ethnicity, sexuality and gender identity, and for its treatment of war." (Bauman)

Bauman, Nadia. "The Hidden Message of Saga, Or, Why We Can't Help But Love It - Women Write About Comics." Web blog post. Women Write About Comics. N.p., 20 Mar. 2015. Accessed 21 Feb. 2016.

http://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2015/03/20/the-hidden-message-of-saga-or-why-we-cant-help-but-love-it/

GREG TOCCHINI

(A lot of warm tones here, cool tones there)

Take your 10 year old selves' imaginative mind...and dunk it in warm earthy tones, with cool hues to make it feel like you're underwater, cause in LOW, that's where your 10 year old self will grow up!

"The sun is going supernova and the surface of Earth has long since burned into a scorched wasteland. Humanity has fled the surface, seeking refuge from the ravages of the dying star’s radiation in submerged mega-cities on the ocean floor. Before the world burns once and for all, mankind bides its time beneath the sea, clinging to the shred of hope that one of their many probes will find a habitable planet somewhere in the deep expanses of space." (Mutton)

Now that you know the story thus far, let's talk about Tocchini. After reading a bit of LOW, I have a sense that Tocchini just loves playing with warped perspectives, truly immersing you into the ruinous "Under the Sea" world of LOW. There can be so much to look for in one page spread and at the same time be greeted with a sequential side panel of other characters going about their business. His style is very reminiscent of  Renaissance pantings with the fluid gestures he gives the characters, especially within his covers.

Mutton, Robert. "Low #1 by Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini Review." Review. Web blog post. Pastemagazine.com. Disqus, 1 Aug. 2014. Accessed 21 Feb. 2016.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/08/low-1-by-rick-remender-and-greg-tocchini-review.html

- Royal Dunlap

Babs Tarr/Francis Manapul/Annie Wu

Review 1

Babs Tarr’s ‘Batgirl’

By Lindsay Casimir

February 20, 2016

Babs Tarr’s newly redesigned Batgirl has an excellent sense of design and detail.  She is also an excellent fashion illustrator, so when designing the new Batgirl, Tarr made sure that she also had a great sense of style.  Although, Tarr’s background is in traditional illustration, all of her work is digital. 

Batgirl’s new costume is something anyone could go to the store, and put together on your own.  It makes Batgirl appear to be more down to earth, and relatable to everyday people.  In the past, woman were often represented in comics wearing the same thing with the same hair style.  Tarr gives each girl their own style and color palette, and each character styles her hair differently.  Leaving the former dark Batgirl behind, she becomes more independent by moving to a new city and making her own suit.

Being a Fashion Design major, I was drawn to Babs Tarr’s work because of her sense of fashion and style.  Her fashion illustrations blend well with the characters she creates in her comics.  I love that she takes the time to give each of her characters a specific style and originality.

Spending more time on a character’s fashion can be rather intimidating for the male comic illustrator.  Having more female illustrators like Babs Tarr, can give some of the female characters a lot more credibility in the superhero world. 

1. Beedle, Tim, “Building a New Batgirl: An Interview with Babs Tarr,” dccomics.com, last modified October 10, 2014, http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2014/10/10/building-a-new-batgirl-an-interview-with-babs-tarr.
2. Babs Tarr, “babsbabsbabs’ (blog), February 21, 2016, http://babsbabsbabs.com/.
3. Beedle, Tim, “Are You Ready for Batgirl’s Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr?” dccomics.com, last modified June 20, 2015, http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2015/06/25/are-you-ready-for-batgirls-brenden-fletcher-and-babs-tarr.

Review 2

Francis Manapul’s work in ‘The Flash’

By Lindsay Casimir

February 20, 2016

Francis Manapul is the artist and cowriter of The New 52 Flash.  Manapul is a Filipino-born comic book artist, who was awarded the 2011 Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding Comic Book Artist.  He currently resided in Toronto, Canada.

Manapul’s 52 title series introduced a new villainous group, with new character designs.  Manapul is known as an outstanding painter, sketch artist, graphic designer, and computer graphics expert. 

I noticed that Manapul’s line work style has more of a retro feel to it, rather than the more ‘modern’ styles of Wu and Tarr.  His characters seem to keep that nostalgic appeal to them.  Giving his illustrations a more classic comic book aesthetic.  His characters are much more masculine, and lack the femininity that Wu and Tarr bring to their characters. 

“His work on DC Comics’ Flash has consistently been the best mainstream comic art in the past few years.” (Gaffin).  Manapul’s dynamic line work brings a new look to some of the most popular characters and villains from The Flash.

A hardcover edition of Manapul’s New 52 version of the Flash is set to be released in March of 2016, and will feature the extraordinary era of the Flash collected into one deluxe edition. 

1. Hyde, David, “Francis Manapul on THE FLASH,” dccomics.com, last modified July 16, 2011, http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2011/07/06/francis-manapul-on-the-flash.
2. Gaffin, Bryan, “20 Awesome Comic Book Artists to Follow on Instagram’ konbini.com, July, 2015, http://www.konbini.com/us/entertainment/20-great-comic-book-artists-follow-instagram/.
3. DCE Editorial, “A Look at Francis Manapul’s Artwork from THE FLASH” dccomics.com, last modified March 2, 2010, http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2010/03/02/a-look-at-francis-manapuls-artwork-from-the-flash.

Review 3

Annie Wu’s ‘Black Canary’

By Lindsay Casimir

February 20, 2016

Growing up in central Florida, and graduating from Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore; Annie Wu is a newcomer to the DC Universe, and she has become the artist behind DC Comics’ new Black Canary.  Her characters actually feel like real people, and they have a little bit of an imperfection in the way that she draws them. 

Coming from someone who has a lot of difficulty drawing what I see (or in my head, for that matter); I find myself drawn to artists who embraces their imperfections, and turns it into part of their drawing aesthetic. 

Wu not only draws the characters in Black Canary, but she also has a lot in common with the main character of the comic.  Annie Wu is stylish and bold, has her own sense of style, and loves music and fashion.  It is apparent that Wu has fallen in love with creating the main character of Black Canary.

Music also plays a big role in Black Canary.  Mixing a goth-tinged rock band with superhero powers, the music must parallel the tone of each story.  With the main character in a band, Wu illustrates her holding a microphone, fishnet stockings, and an all-leather suit.

“It’s a rock n roll kung-fu road trip” (Wu)

1. Beedle, Tim, “Are You Ready for Black Canary’s Annie Wu?” dccomics.com, last modified June 17, 2015, http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2015/06/17/are-you-ready-for-black-canarys-annie-wu.
2. Foxe, Steve, “Guest List: Annie Wu Kicks out the Jams with Black Canary” pastemagazine.com, last modified June 15, 2015, http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/06/guest-list-annie-wu-kicks-out-the-jams-with-black.html.

Stan Lee | Jeff Smith | Mike Mignola

Stan Lee

             Born Stanley Martin Leiber on December 28th, 1922,  Stan Lee grew up between New York and Washington Heights, Manhattan, in a small apartment with his parents and younger brother. In his younger years, he did many small jobs, such as writing obituaries and delivering sandwiches, and selling newspaper subsciptions; he was extremely enthusiastic about writing and aspired to create a novel that  would someday become famous. Stan Lee graduated high school early at 16, and that same year, after having been influenced strongly by books and movies throughout early life, became an assistant at Timely Comics. This was also around the time that he shortened his name to "Stan Lee". Years later, TImely Comics evolved into Marvel. In 1961, alongside Jack Kirby, Stan Lee helped create and released Fantastic Four. Lee also worked frequently with Steve Ditko. Alongside these things, Lee has assisted in the inspiration, creation and publishing of multiple other Marvel heroes, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, Iron Man, and many, many others. Lee is included in the  Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame as of 1994, the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame as of 1995, and received a National Medal of Arts in 2008. Lee has worked as a publisher, writer, and editor, amongst other things, and has continued to create throughout the years. Lee released new work as recently as 2012, aged 90.

Jeff Smith

             Jeff Smith was born February 27th, 1960 in Mckees Rocks, Pennsylvania. Smith, intrigued by the idea of comics right from a young age, felt largely inspired by Peanuts and Carl Barks comcis, and his works with his Bone comics can be dated back to when he was as young as nine years old. For a long time he aspired to do newspaper comics, and while in college, he tried to balance animations and trying to do such; however, newspaper companies continuously tried to buy out his work, so that dream was dropped. Aside from that, for a while, Smith attempted to manage his own company in animation, but that also ended up to be something he was rather unsure of, and in the end he sold the company. Smith wanted control over his own work rather than having somebody take it and do the work for him. He wanted to be able to express his characters as he saw them without modifications or complete changes from outside sources. Neither animation nor newspaper strips would provide for this sort of freedom; and so, for a long time, Smith produced and published his comics, until his wife eventually left her job in order to assist him with sales. Smith's Bone comics are widely regarded as some of the greatest graphic novels of all time, recognized by fans and critics worldwide. The Bone comcis have been completed as of 2004, and another series of his, RASL, has been completed as well as of 2012. Smith's most recent works are on his ongoing comic, Tuki. 

Mike Mignola

            Michael Joseph Mignola was born September 16th, 1960 in Berkeley California, and grew up in Oakland nearby. From a young age, Mignola started drawing monsters for no reason other than that he liked it. He has explained in the past that he had a very strong, memorable moment around age 12, when he read Bram Stoker's Dracula and realized that that genre was exactly the way he wanted to express himself and what he wanted to make a career out of; through stories of the supernatural. His career began around 1982 after graduating from California College of the Arts for Marvel, where he worked on The Hulk ( as an ink artist) and Rocket Racoon (as the penciler), and throughout that time, he began to develop his own style. In the following years (between 1988 and 1990), he worked on larger name projects, such as Cosmic Odessy and Gotham by Gaslight. In 1993, Mignola moved to Dark Horse comics, where he created his comic Hellboy, which is completed, but has a subseries titled Hellboy in Hell. This series is ongoing as of today. Mignola worked as a production designer on the Disney movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and was Guillermo Del Toro's Blade II, as well as the Hellboy movie and its sequel, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.

Works Cited

Groth, Gary. "The Jeff Smith Interview." The Comics Journal. November 21, 2012. Accessed February 20, 2016.                                                                 http://www.tcj.com/the-jeff-smith-interview/.

"Stan Lee Biography." Bio.com. Ed. Biography.com Editors. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/stan-lee-21101093>.

Mignola, Mike. "Bio." Art of Mike Mignola. Mike Mignola, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2016. <http://www.artofmikemignola.com/Bio>.

"Mike Mignola Biography." Notable Biographies. Advameg, Inc., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2016. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Li-Ou/Mignola-Mike.html>.

-Lewis Cade

Dale Messick|Jack Kirby| Steve Ditko

Dale Messick

Dale Messick was originally born as Dalia Messick, in April 11, 1906, South Bend, Indiana. Messick was the daughter of Cephas Messick, who was an art teacher, and a sign painter. Like her mother, Messick had an interest in art and drawing, and was naturally talented in such fields. Messick also helped her mother sew and design, and put hats together, which started Messick’s fascination with fashion, which became apparent in her Brenda Starr Reporter comics. However, even through Messick was artistically skilled, she struggled at a young age with school, having to repeat the third and eight grade of her school career. She barely made it through high school, only staying to graduate because her parents encouraged her to do so. Later, Messick studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, however, she shortened her studies to pursue a career as a professional artist. Her first professional job was as a greetings card designer. Her salary was greatly reduced by her boss due to the Great Depression taking place at that time. This cut in pay influenced her decision to quit. Being the main and only income for her family at that time, Messick moved to New York to find a new job, landing another job as a greetings card designer with much higher pay. However, Messick at this time was also putting together her first comic portfolio. She was hoping to get a job that provided more enjoyment compared to card designing, along with a higher salary. Despite Messick’s talent and quality of her first comic portfolio, she was rejected multiple times by the publisher of The New York Daily News and the head of the Chicago tribune-New York Syndicate, Joseph M. Patterson, who was very disapproving of women in the workforce. However, Mollie Slott, Patterson’s secretary, recovered Messick’s portfolio submission that Patterson threw away, telling her to make certain small changes in her work in order to get published. Messick took Mollie’s advice and changed the minor details of her work and resubmitted it. Not long afterwards, Patterson finally approved Messick’s new work, first debuting Brenda Starr Reporter on June 30, 1940, which quickly became one of the most iconic comics of its time.

Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby was born August 28,1917 as Jacob Kurtzberg.  He grew up on the Lower East Side of New York where street fighting and self-preservation became a part of everyday life.  He is a self-taught artist that captured techniques of drawing from anyone and everywhere he could.  He studied Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon comic strip and adapted his techniques not styles and made them his own.  He shortened his name to Jack Kirby.  Kirby always had a love of stories and was drawn to comics at an early age.   Kirby’s style of drawing was not to simulate reality but to tell great stories.  His figure drawings depict figures in action.  After working several jobs as an animation and comic illustrator, Kirby started working with Joe Simon.  This partnership lasted for years and produced Captain America.  Kirby worked at Detective Comics (DC) and after World War II, Kirby eventually started working at Marvel Comics.  Kirby and head editor, Stan Lee, created the first Fantastic Four in 1961.  Kirby and Lee developed an interesting way of developing their stories and characters.  Both men would talk about an idea, then Kirby would start to draw the story.  Lee would just add some dialogue and editing.  As Kirby’s work pace slowed down, he was able to improve on his detail.  His comic, Thor, is known for the detailed costumes and majestic landscaping.  Kirby left Marvel in 1970 and went to work again at DC.  In 1975, Kirby returned to Marvel to create the Silver Surfer with Lee.  Kirby passed away on February 6, 1994.  His work and creations are legendary and will live on forever.

Steve Ditko

Steve Ditko was born on November 2, 1927 in Johnstown, PA.  Ditko attended Cartoonists and Illustrators School in New York.  He started his professional illustrator career in 1953 for Charlton Comics.  Ditko started working at Marvel Comics in the early 60s.  It was here that Ditko and Stan Lee created Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.  Ditko also did work on The Incredible Hulk.  Ditko has a unique style and technique.  His landscapes are surreal, very detailed and his characters express mood and anxiety.  After several years at Marvel, Ditko and Lee had a falling out.  Ditko moved to DC Comics where he was granted more freedom to express his personal philosophy.  In his work on The Question and Killjoy, Ditko was inspired by Ayn Rand and Aristotle, the Greek philosopher.  In his creation of Dr. A, Ditko took a controversial position against criminals.  This caused some loss of the fan base but the comic continued until the end of the 70s.  It was revived later on without Ditko in 2000.  Ditko created Shade, the Changing Man that eventually became one of DC longest running comics in the DC vertigo series.  Ditko is a very private man and has not granted an interview since the 60s.  His contribution to comic illustration is also legendary.

Works Cited

Henderson, Ashyia N. "Dale Messick Biography." Story. Accessed February 20, 2016. http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2006-Le-Ra/Messick-Dale.html.

  "Jack Kirby (Earth-1218)." Marvel Database. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.

           "Steve Ditko." Marvel Database. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.

-Nancy Brockert

            

Adam Hughes | Terry Dodson | Stanley Lau

Adam Hughes is a well known and respected cover artist for DC Comics, Marvel, and Dark Horse. His most memorable work is that of his Wonder Woman covers as well as his Catwomen.

Adam Hughes was not always just a cover artist. Back in the 1980’s he did interior work as well as covers until 1990 when he started to do mainly cover artwork gaining popularity with what is known as “good girl art”. His lines and rendering are reminiscent of Art Nouveau as well as the 50’s pin up illustrations. Adam Hughes continues his work on mainly covers but as of late has done a few interior pieces for Watchmen. (Allison)

 Sohn, Allison. "Biography." Just Say AH! ::. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. <http://www.justsayah.com/biography/>. 

Terry Dodson has been a professional since 1993. Not  only did he work for the comic industry on titles such as Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, the X-Men, and Harley Quinn, but for Hasbro Mattel, ESPN, and Hanna-Barbera. He and his wife, Rachel, are a duo as he draws out the scene and she inks it. (About)

Much of Dodson's work is also very Nouveau reminiscent, especially in the hair lines and soft way he colors. His women are strong yet curvy ad he usually likes to accentuate their cheekbones. His lines are always very curved and have a subtle thick to thin quality.

 "About Terry Dodson." The Bombshellter -. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. 

 "The Bombshellter - Terry Dodson's Portfolio." The Bombshellter - Terry Dodson's Portfolio. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.

Originating from Hong Kong, Stanley Lau (aka Artgerm) works as an illustrator, designer, and concept artist. His works have graced DC Comics, Marvel, and Capcom. His style is very Eastern influenced with some sprinkles of Western added in. If you've dabbled in online art communities there's a great chance you've seen some of his work, as he's very popular. Currently, Stanley is giving a course in Digital Design & Illustration in Singapore.(Artgerm)

 

Lau's women are usually tall and of athletic build with noticeable makeup such as eye shadow which can be rather rare in others' works. Their hair is flowy and their noses are small and or thin which is a nod to the traditional look of contemporary Eastern art.

 

"Artgerm's DeviantArt Gallery." Artgerm's DeviantArt Gallery. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. 

 "Artgerm™ Stanley Lau (artgerm) on About.me." About.me. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. <https://about.me/artgerm>.