Funny as it sounds, comics have rarely been about the pictures for me. Other than aiding and abetting my lazy imagination by filling a story's visual blanks[1], I've never been much for labeling a comic's artwork as good, bad, or ugly (or even "artwork"). I haven't found a bad story made better with a pleasing artist, or a good story made worse with a less-than-pleasing one. I don't follow artists from project to project (George Perez being a notable exception) like I do with writers, nor do I reject a title out of hand just because it's being drawn by some technically iffy penciler.
So, peeking at Alex Ross' designs for the Next Captain America, I was surprised at how quickly and how negatively I responded.
Captain America, to my eyes, isn't shiny. Captain America, to my brain and my imagination, doesn't need a sidearm or a blade. So Alex Ross can kiss my Super Soldier[2].
Ed Brubaker, you face your biggest challenge ever. To give us a story that makes Shiny Pistol Packin' Cap make sense.
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[1]This is a prime reason I didn't read a novel that wasn't assigned for a class until I was in my mid-30's. I've read about 10 since then.
[2]And this is the guy who has beef with Kevin Smith over Jack Kirby and his contributions to Marvel Comics? Kevin Smith didn't put Kirby in Mallrats because he was, as they say in the funnybooks, dead. Good thing, too, because I don't think his Captain America design was in need of an Alex Ross Correction.
1 comment:
Bad art seldom ruins a good story for me, but depending on how bad it is, it can handicap the thing. Sometimes I've read comics and thought to myself 'That was good, I wish the art weren't so boring."
Comic books are like a small town where you know everyone, good and bad, as opposed to the wider field of publishing, which is much more in the big city mold. Every once in a while, someone really cool moves to town and you want to meet him - more often than not, though, the new person is just another nice neighbor who keeps his lawn clean and pays his water bill on time. You need those, but it doesn't make for a lot of excitement.
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