straight for the art
Straight for the art | Ming Doyle’s Daria, Storm, and more
Daria and Jane by Ming Doyle
Daria, the cult-hit MTV animated series that spun out of Beavis and Butt-Head, is maybe the most iconic look at disaffected ’90s high-schoolers this side of My So-Called Life, and it finally hit DVD this week. What better way to celebrate than checking out artist Ming Doyle’s gorgeous tribute to this joyous occasion, featuring Daria and Jane?
- May 13, 2010 @ 11:30 AM by Sean T. Collins
Straight for the art | Jeff Smith’s ‘Read’ poster for ALA
Jeff Smith's poster for the American Library Association's "Read" campaign
The American Library Association asked Bone creator Jeff Smith to participate in its “Read” campaign, which promotes the joy of reading. The result is this original art of Smiley Bone, available from the ALA website as a poster or a bookmark.
- May 7, 2010 @ 02:25 PM by Kevin Melrose
Straight for the art | 2010 Doug Wright Awards art auction
Catwoman by Jillian Tamaki
Since my repertoire of Canada-based witticisms is entirely derived from half-remembered viewings of Strange Brew, I’m just gonna skip the clever opening and point you straight to this rather amazing gallery of (mostly) DC Comics superheroes drawn by (mostly) alternative comics artists (entirely) from Canada. It’s The Doug Wright Awards 2010 All-Star All-Canadian Art Auction, in which these pieces are being sold on eBay to help fund the annual award program. That’s Jillian Tamaki’s gorgeous take on Catwoman above (DC editors, are you paying attention?); click here to see Kate Beaton’s Wonder Woman, Chester Brown’s Batman, Jeff Lemire’s Hawkman & Atom, Matt Forsythe’s Hawkman, Marc Bell’s Iron Man (guess he didn’t get the “DC Comics characters” memo), original art from Bryan Lee O’Malley and more, and click here to start bidding.
(via Tom Spurgeon)
- May 6, 2010 @ 10:00 AM by Sean T. Collins
Straight for the art | Michael Cho’s Best American Comics cover
Cover for "The Best American Comics 2010," by Michael Cho
On his blog, illustrator Michael Cho unveils his cover for the 2010 edition of Houghton Mifflin’s The Best American Comics, which is guest-edited by Neil Gaiman. “Like most of my favourite cover assignments, the concept for this one came together pretty intuitively and I had an idea of what kind of response the image should provoke,” Cho writes.
On Twitter the artist also offers a look at a beautiful Peter Parker/Spider-Man painting that he’ll be taking with him this weekend to the Toronto Comics Art Festival.
- May 5, 2010 @ 12:00 PM by Kevin Melrose
Straight for the art | E.J. Su’s covers for Transformers: The IDW Collection
"The Transformers: The IDW Collection," Phase One, by E.J. Su
Chris Ryall, publisher and editor-in-chief of IDW Publishing, shows off artist E.J. Su‘s beautiful covers for The Transformers: The IDW Collection, a two-volume oversized hardcover collection of the company’s entire run of the series. The first volume will be released on May 26 with the second due out later this year. Visit Ryall’s blog to see the cover of the second volume.
- May 4, 2010 @ 02:00 PM by Kevin Melrose
Straight for the art | Homoerotic He-Man and Tron
Are you "master of your universe"?: Art by Nick Mullins
I think we can all agree it’s a great day that sees not one but two ’80s sci-fi-fantasy icons fed through a Tom of Finland filter by talented cartoonists — and my friends, today is a great day. Both Johnny Ryan and Nick Mullins have taken inspiration from the uber-macho gay erotica artist for their drawings of characters from Tron and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, respectively. Will anyone else follow suit with, say, Thundercats or The Last Starfighter or something? All I know is that Destro and Doctor Mindbender are already dressed for the occasion …
(via Mike Baehr and Tom Spurgeon)
- May 4, 2010 @ 12:30 PM by Sean T. Collins
Straight for the art | Cool old magazine covers
Popeye as you have never seen him before
I’m not sure why exactly Stephen Kroninger decided to post a bunch of magazine covers from the 1970s and 80s, but they’re fun to look at, and there are some old friends here like Art Spiegelman and Robert Crumb. That Popeye cover alone was worth the click for me. (Found via Journalista.)
- May 4, 2010 @ 12:00 PM by Brigid Alverson
Straight for the art | Joe Bowen’s Star Wars/Scott Pilgrim mash-up
Scott Pilgrim Wars by Joe Bowen
Not a very long time ago, in a city far, far away provided you don’t live near Toronto…Via Scott Pilgrim cartoonist Bryan Lee O’Malley we discover artist Joe Bowen‘s delightful poster of Scott, Ramona and friends (and enemies), modeled after the original “Style ‘A’” Star Wars poster art by Tom Jung. Click Bowen’s name for the deets on the school assignment that led to the creation of this supremely geeky image.
- April 27, 2010 @ 09:00 AM by Sean T. Collins
Straight for the art | Jeff Lemire’s Emerald City ComiCon commissions
Spider Jerusalem by Jeff Lemire
If you’ve ever had the good fortune of getting a convention sketch from Sweet Tooth and Essex County writer/artist Jeff Lemire, you’ve learned two things: 1) He can draw pretty much any character, from Doctor Octopus to David Bowie; 2) He goes all out on those suckers. If you haven’t gotten a Lemire sketch of your own, let this gallery of commissions Lemire drew at the Emerald City Con (courtesy of Top Shelf’s Brett Warnock) school you on what you’re missing. Pictured are Spider Jerusalem from Warren Ellis’ Transmetropolitan (above), Robin, Doctor Doom, Nightcrawler, the Golden Age Sandman, the Sweet Tooth cast, and even a character from Lemire’s upcoming Top Shelf graphic novel Underwater Welder. Feast your eyes, folks.
- April 26, 2010 @ 10:00 AM by Sean T. Collins
Straight for the art | Vintage-style DC Comics posters
Vintage-style DC Comics posters, by Michael Myers
Jill Pantozi spots a Flickr set of really nice vintage-style DC Comics posters by Michael Myers featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow and Hawkman. The latter two — the most recent additions — are arguably the best of the bunch. Myers has also begun a Marvel set which, to date, has only a poster of Captain America.
For those Lost fans among you, the artist has animation-style renditions of the show’s characters — including Jacob and the Smoke Monster.
- April 23, 2010 @ 11:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Straight for the art | Superman and Spider-Man sell windows
Superman ad for Stroy Master windows, from BBDO Moscow
Advertising-archive website Coloribus showcases two adorable, and undoubtedly trademark-infringing, Russian print ads that show Spider-Man and Superman enjoying the benefits of Stroy Master soundproof windows. Weep for the residents of New York City and Metropolis.
- April 22, 2010 @ 07:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
Straight for the tat | Cameron Stewart’s convention-sketch Batman tattoo
Batman tattoo based on the art of Cameron Stewart
“Did the most terrifying commission of my life today at C2E2,” tweeted Batman & Robin artist Cameron Stewart on Saturday. What made it so scary? The guy who commissioned the piece — a drawing of Batman, to be specific — told Stewart he planned on immediately getting it tattooed on his body. No pressure!
Fortunately, the words “Cameron Stewart” are pretty much a seal of quality when it comes to drawings of Batman, and as Stewart revealed today, the tattoo came out bitchin’. You can click here to see the original art, too. “A busy convention is not my ideal environment to draw something that will go on someone’s body forever,” Stewart noted, but he really shouldn’t worry so much.
- April 21, 2010 @ 09:00 AM by Sean T. Collins
Straight for the art | X-Ladies ’88 by John Allison
The X-Ladies of 1988 by John Allison
The crowd at an Of Montreal show? No! It’s the women of the X-Men circa 1988, courtesy of Scary Go Round and Bad Machinery cartoonist John Allison. From Marc Silvestri to American Apparel — everything old is new again!
Allison’s also recently served up shots of Rogue, Batwoman, Joanna Newsom, the Beach Boys, Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, and Syd Barrett. Shine on, you crazy diamonds!
(Via Matthew Perpetua)
- April 19, 2010 @ 02:30 PM by Sean T. Collins
Straight for the art | Sean’s David Bowie Sketchbook, MoCCA 2010
David Bowie by Niklas Asker
I’ve been collecting David Bowie sketches from comics artists at shows and cons since MoCCA 2007. What can I say? He’s my favorite superhero. In that time I’ve amassed drawings of the chameleonic musician from 97 different artists, and adding to the collection is always a high priority for me at every show. I had exceptionally good luck at this year’s MoCCA — you better hang on to yourself as we flip through this year’s haul!
Niklas Asker (above): Oh man, look at that, just look at it. How can a sketch be shiny? Niklas Asker pulled it off with maybe the most elegant and sexy Bowie of the batch–no surprise, if you’ve seen his graphic novel Second Thoughts.
- April 15, 2010 @ 12:40 PM by Sean T. Collins
Straight for the art | Delirium and Desire, by Jill Thompson
Delirium and Desire watercolor commissions, by Jill Thompson
This afternoon on Twitter, the multi-talented Jill Thompson posted these gorgeous watercolor commissions of The Sandman‘s Delirium and Desire, as well as the X-Men‘s Kitty Pryde. Thompson, whose Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites hardcover collection will be released in June, is a featured guest this weekend at the inaugural C2E2.
- April 14, 2010 @ 01:30 PM by Kevin Melrose