Comic Artist: Harvey Kurtzman

 

 

I got a bit of a chuckle out of Kurtzman's work. There is a bit of perversion and eroticism that I noticed, at least in the few that I found, but with a sense of humor. His characters are very animated, and fluid, and full of motion that helps to lead the eye around the page. I quite admire that. It wanted me to keep on looking.

Comic Artist: Chris Ware

 

  

We had gone over Chris Ware before, in class. He has a really wonderful sense of line and simplicity to his work. The thing I admire most is that simplicity. His line, however, leads your eye across the page, and allows you to go through the narrative without a single halt. 

Comic Artist: Julie Doucet

 

Julie's work is kind of crude to look at it. There's a lot of emphasis on line and contour, and a LOT of information to take in each of her panels. I would not really consider it 'pretty', but it all has a certain character to it, which makes interesting to look at. It is a far cry from people like Walt kelly and Jaime Hernandez, but it still catches my eye nonetheless. It is probably not something I would usually look at it, as it IS so different form what I see in mainstream comics nowadays, but it's nice to at least try something different for a change. 

Comic Artist: Jaime Hernandez

 

 

At first glance, his work reminded me a little of Jack Kirby's work - due to the same kind of weight in line, and inking methods. Though, his work appears more soft, and youthful. It looks more like it would be aimed toward women audiences. (Especially the Maggie image up there, with it's little heart dotting the 'i'). He focuses a lot on the main shape, and blackens out what is necessary to make the character pop. Overall, it's still very pleasing to look at it. His has mainly contributed to his story "Love and Rockets" with his work.

Comic Artist: Walt Kelly

 

I am not going to lie. When I first heard his name, the name 'Walt Disney' soon followed. But I cast that thought aside and began looking at what he had to offer. What I want to note are his lovely whimsical looking lines, (which sort of or reminds me of Disney, too, but that's besides the point...). Though, researching his name now, I learned that he did in fact work for Walt Disney studios, which, in my opinion, makes a lot of sense. He has contributed to films such as Pinnochio and Fantasia. His art and lines just speak of youth, and are very simple and lovable, and fun to look at it.

Comic Artist: Jim Woodring

 

 

The first thing that caught my eye with Jim Woodring's work is amazing use of line, and the emotion and environment that it brings to the table. Honestly, it blew me away. His inking and those LINES are just absolutely phenomenal. There is so much time and effort put into every single detail. And despite all that detail, it doesn't take away from the characters at all. He handles the characters completely differently. Blocking them with hard black, with crisp white to contrast it. With this method, he makes sure nothing is overtaking the other. 

Comic Artist: Rene Pellos

Sometimes, you need to look a little further beyond just your own nation to find talent. I decided to take a look outside the US, and make my way to France. Rene Pellos was a French comic cartoonist best known for his work on Futuropolis. He has the impeccable ability to tell a great story, as seen in these images I've provided.

 

^Above is the image of Futuropolis that I mention previously.

 

Also, an example of his work as a Sports cartoonist. This is not exactly the sort of work I have seen or am familiar with before, but nevertheless, I have to admire his ability to still be able to tell a good story/action.

Comic Artist: Charles Addams

Now for someone a little bit different.

I'm sure most of you out there have heard of the Addams Family, no? Well, this man (yes, that one up there ^) is the creator of these memorable characters. He is not only known for them but for his macabre and dark sense of humor when it came to his comics.

  

I am seriously fawning over his nice use of grayscale, and ability to create a dark kind of atmosphere to his work. It adds a whole new layer of emotion, and drags you into the environment. 

  

The rich use of blacks is also greatly appreciated, and just adds to the dark and 'gothic' atmosphere he is known for. It's astounding how much of an atmosphere can be created with such simple characters.

Comic Artist: Brian Bolland

Sticking to the comic book theme of Superheroes and Villains, and action-packed fun... 

(I swear, we'll go to something different next time!). 

This is the work of Brian Bolland. Now, I will firstly say I am a major fan of Joker. The original Joker straight from the comic pages. One of the most astounding that featured the Clown Prince of Crime was the The Killing Joke. The book was filled with darkness and madness, and a compelling story to give a little background to the Joker. It was absolutely captivating, and I read it all in one go in the aisles of a Books-A-Million. 

The Killing Joke was completely drawn by Brian Bolland.  All his work is incredibly detailed, and each drawing was clearly drawn with love and care. I sincerely admire and appreciate the importance that went to every single line. The line work and mark making is all just impeccable.

Seriously, words can not describe how much I recommend this book. It's a quick read, and the art is something not to be missed.

Comic Artist: Jack Kirby

Note: I realize this is the first post of 2012, and it's already over halfway through the year, but I am reviving this blog. Originally, this blog was used for a photography class - a class I have completed and finished 7 or 8 months ago. Now I am using it again for another class. This time, Illustrated Story I. A class I have been looking forward to for months. I hope to take several more follow up courses to it in the future. Now that that's explained, I'll go continue...

In the past I have always been a massive fan and avid reader of Comic Books. DC. Marvel. And the likes... Alright, so maybe not a an avid reader, but I still consider myself a fan and comic book nerd, nonetheless. The kind of fan that quotes from Batman, and puts on a Thor helmet to go see the Avenger's movie, while shouting out, 'For Asgard!' Yes, that kind of a nerd.

That said, I wanted to approach my research with something I am a little familiar with and find close to my heart. I began punching in names into Google, unsure what I'd find. Until I came across Jack Kirby...

Needless to say, my interest was peeked, and I declared this to be my very first Comic artist I would research. A little backstory...He worked for a number of popular companies, such as DC and Timely Comics. He contributed in the creation of several well known characters, though, his most popular is most likely to be Captain America. What I find most interesting, and most impressive, is that he helped co-create several big characters in the comic book universe with Stan Lee (a major inspirational artist for me). He has been given several awards for his work, including Best Pencil Artist in 1967. 

^Thor...a personal favorite of mine.

I am absolutely in love with this man's penciling. The detail he exerted into his work was astounding. The last example above is, no doubt, my favorite. I understand why he was considered such a talented pencil artist. The direction and entire composition of the piece shows a sense of motion, and draws my eye around the piece, and brings me into the action. It's reasons like this that I fell in love with DC and Marvel comics.