Art of Homage "plus One": Vignettes

"Hey Everybody--LOOK!

Somebody we know

is getting the stuffing beat out of them,

and all we're doing is looking!"

The art of comic-book-cover-vignettes is

a splendid way of implementing emotional

reaction to amp up reader excitement,

but it does beg the question;

"If you're close enough to see it happen,

aren't you close enough to damned well do somethin'?"

These are a few of my favorite covers that have followed

suit throughout the years--more trend than homage,

or maybe just an instance where the line between

the two muddies!

Did you spot the other trick to vignettes?
Easier to fit a dozen or so characters on a cover

if you draw a floating head rather than their

entire body! Hey, we need some a-those there

comics guys in Congress--they can solve a problem!

***

Comics Kink: Domination by Men

(This is one of those

"I think I'll let the pictures speak

for themselves" ones! Yum!)

Creator Profile: Cliff Chiang

Starting off are some beautiful costume sketches

re-imagining the DC characters as Japanese

heroes! (Glorious!)

Cliff's brilliant, fluid style makes everything he

does beautiful and exciting: above, Dinah and Connor,

Below, the pre-52 Birds.

A tremendous mini-series;

Vertigo's "Beware the Creeper."

The newly re-imagined Wonder Woman.

The great back-up story from "Tales of the Unexpected"

was collected in the TPB, "Doctor 13: Architecture and Morality."

Another excellent and 'cancelled too soon' series,

The Human Target.

Cliff's DC Women of Rock!

A beautiful Avengers illo!

Even Archie gets a rad makeover with his

smooth and stylish skills!

Check out more at:

Cliff Chiang's official website

***

TOP 100 COMICS: AVENGERS FOREVER

"TOP 100" will detail series that are on my

list of 'favorite series ever published.'

AVENGERS FOREVER was a maxi-series that

I consider to be a magnum opus for both writer

Kurt Busiek and artist Carlos Pacheco

(and praise cannot be adorned without speaking

of Jesus Merino on inks, and a host of great

colorists, letterers, and editors that

made this such a fine story.)

This is an epic that comics are meant to be!

Great story, dense and in-depth plot,

tons of characterization, a plenitude of

guest stars, fun, excitement, romance,

action, and the kitchen sink.

The greater story also serves as fan boy

aphrodisiac, undoing years of bad edits

and scrubbing clean many of the

problems in continuity that plagued the series!

Tons of B and C-listers show up

(which are among my faves)

and the sites are varied and far-reaching.

Busiek is a talented enough writer

in combination with his rich memory

banks that the tale doesn't feel forced or

formulaic.

There are some organic developments,

some common sense things added, and some

real surprises mixing things about.

A tremendous read from start to finish,

perfect for any Avengers fan--new or old,

any fan of epic space-fare,

and any fan of lush, beautiful art that

flows seamlessly and is deftly designed.

***

George Perez Does JLA Right

An early and fabulous Marvel Comics' 'ersatz' version

(but still enjoyable) of DC's premiere group.

Englehart expanded on Thomas' "Squadron Supreme," a

doppelganger group of the Justice League,

beautifully rendered by a still-young Perez!

(From AVENGERS)

When George started doing JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA,

he was still in a fannish/cartoony period that was gelling.

Don't misunderstand; I LOVED his work, and his late-1970s/

early 1980s books filled me with excitement every time I

saw them. I may even 'prefer' some of the more

stylized comic style to the hyper-realism that developed.

But here he still had some consistency issues.

(Still, a 'bad' day for Perez is still a banner day for fans!)

George has such a deceptively simple, clean line style and

a real eye for characterization. He isn't just looking at

costumes and background (which he delights in

depicting with excruciation detail and design,)

but he gives history and introduction to his

characters through stance, expressions, and stature.

He's really a master.

But it doesn't stop there.

He does design work that lays out an entire

mythology within a few scant pages, or in a single

panel. His covers are bursting with dynamic struggle

and pathos. His post card series summed up entire

legacies. The economy of precision and detail.

Though Perez had an all-too brief run on JLA,

it was quite memorable.

He penciled two of the annual JLA/JSA crossovers,

 the origin of Red Tornado, the budding Zee/Barry romance,

and much more.

That era of the League was already a fan fave...

the Satellite-era League. It was a perfect combination

of characters in a perfect time in comics.

There were some superb stories being told from

some of the best in the craft.

Fan faves had a home.

You could still tell good, in-depth stories that

knew the difference between gravitas and depressing

deconstruction of a pass-time.

Yeah. Simpler times. Good times.

The Perez look on JLA gave that sense of being

larger than life, and yet realistic, all at the same time.

There was an added level of excitement to his work.

(No slight against some of the other greats, and certainly

not to one of my fave artists of all time, Mr. Dick Dillin,

the JLA artist mainstay prior to.)

It takes a special someone to not only deliver quality work

but be able to do it regularly and consistently....

especially when dealing with such a monster cast!

Not long after this run, on New Teen Titans,

Perez began developing a more finely detailed and

darker style. Still filled with a sense of fun,

but his JLA era work reflects a very particular

blend of all his best assets, for me.

And even though I love the fishnets, I also

loved Perez's more modern take on Zee.

Issue # 200 marked rather the end of an era.

Perez continued doing some covers that were still

stellar, but no more interiors. But the book started to

change, too. And this was the period that began the slow

lumbering crawl towards Crisis, and the first deathblow

to old school comics and fun.

But in homes, back issue bins, and now computers

across the world, the greatness of times past can still

be gushed over at any time.

Thanks for the gorgeous memories and legacy, George.

These books were the family and friends I didn't have

for a lot of years.

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