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| Stay tuned... David Aja's cover to issue #18 (don't even get me started). Courtesy blog.david.aja.com |
A. It's Hump Day.
B. It's bloody cold outside.
It's also "New Comic Book Day," the day of the week when all the new releases are shipped to comic book stores around the country (yes, I'm geek chic enough to know that).
I keep looking on the schedules to see when the next issue of Marvel's Hawkeye book is coming out. Launched immediately following the successful Avengers movie in 2012, the monthly book has been highly acclaimed for the quality of its art and story... perhaps because of the high standard, the book is also notorious for being delayed. So I got a little excited when I saw the book listed on Earthworld Comics' collection of titles coming out this week... but issue #16? Did #15 even come out yet?... No, in fact it hadn't (can they do that?). Turns out I'll have to wait another month to see the beautiful illustrations of artist David Aja--this month it is Annie Wu, who has started rotating the slot with Aja... presumably so he could get it done! Being a purist, I think I'll wait it out (this is sequential art, after all).
I'm good anyway... a couple hump days ago I scored big time, finally locating Hawkeye writer Matt Fraction's first work with artist David Aja: The Immortal Iron Fist. Currently out of print, I picked up the first two volumes of these new tales of Marvel's old martial arts hero, which show the beginning of Fraction and Aja's creative collaboration. In addition, I picked up the latest issue of Afterlife with Archie-- I know, it sounds like I'm crazy... but this book, which turns the Archie characters into a honest-to-goodness horror graphic novel, is an unexpectedly fun read (I always was a fan of monsters as a kid). Truly creative work by writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and artist Francesco Francavilla, which keeps you guessing which of the Riverdale gang is going to get zombiefied next!
These books are, of course, exceptions to the current norm. Maybe it's the deadlines, but most of the monthly comic books aren't that interesting... reminding me why I left the scene in the first place.
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| Breaking out the Spidey tie for the opening of LitGraphic (with artists Marc Hempel and Mark Wheatley). November 10, 2007. Photo by Sarah Clowe. ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved. |
I had the great fortune of interviewing about half a dozen of the LitGraphic artists for a video I created for the exhibition. Two of the most entertaining of the bunch were Mark Wheatley and Marc Hempel, whose 1990 mini-series Breathtaker (created for DC's Vertigo line) is an example of the high standard that can be achieved in this art form.
Breathtaker tells the story of Chase Darrow, a woman whose affections are known to kill. A mutant pursued by the government because of her ability to drain life from her lovers, she is hunted by The Man, the world’s first superhuman, who is willing to bring her in dead or alive.
Reading the book during my research for the video, I was really drawn in by the pulp-like storyline and expressive artwork. As I learned, the longtime collaborators blended their talents, with Hempel conceptualizing, pencilling, inking and lettering the book, which was scripted and colored by Wheatley. Hempel's strong graphics were reproduced on clear acetate, providing a framework for Mark Wheatley's vibrant watercolors, which lies beneath it.
Of course that was 1990, and things have certainly changed. For instance, Hawkeye artist David Aja does all his drawing on computer, and most coloring for books is done digitally as well. Mark Wheatley contacted me a few months back to inform me that he and Hempel are looking at "remastering" the Breathtaker project, and even possibly looking at a sequel. Here is a video, which gives a little more background on their exciting news:
Time flies... I can't believe it has been seven years since we hosted this exhibition, and a whole year since we had comic book artist Alex Ross' work on display. I actually received a call the other day from a reporter from The Wall Street Journal, looking for information about Ross (who I also interviewed for an award-winning Museum exhibition video). It turns out that his exhibition of masterful superhero paintings is heading to Paris (the Mona Bismarck American Center for Art & Culture) this March. Well, if the bon vivants are starting to take note, then you know that comic book art has reached a new pinnacle... keep it coming, I say (this means you, Aja!).
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