Comicartfans :: Featured Comic Art (2024)

CarlBurgos

Human Torch drawing circa 1940

Over a century ago artist Carl Burgos (nom de plume of Max Finkelstein) was born in New York City. Like many of the Golden Age creators he was born to Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. In Steranko's History of Comics Burgos's upbringing is described as "little different than most others except for his natural artistic talent and unruly imagination."

His greatest contribution to comics came in 1939 with the publication of Marvel Comics #1 and right on the cover, his original character the Human Torch, which he said came to him in a fever dream after fainting from heat stroke. This featured design illustration of the Torch came later for issue #4 when Burgos was asked to make the hero look more human and audience friendly. It was recently sold via ComicConnect.com for over $38,000.

EarlNorem

Hot Air Balon Disaster

The other night on Comic Art Live, Bill Cox spent the evening talking about illustration artwork with Heritage's Sarahjane Blum. One name that came up was Earl Norem, known to the CAF crowd for his Savage Sword of Conan covers, but he also had an entire career filling men's magazines with exciting scenes like in this featured image. A hot air balloon crash would be frightening enough but to fall into a raging sea in the middle of a thunderstorm would be so much worse.

"Earl did a lot of comics work but he did a lot of book illustration and cover painting." said Bill on the livestream. "He's an amazing draftsman, he was just highly sought after by some publishers because he was just really great. I mean he could paint a Hulk cover or he could do Mars Attacks or he could do a Western and he did them all so incredibly well."

DaveGibbons

Superman Annual 11 page 5 by Dave Gibbons

This featured page comes from one the most iconic Superman stories of all time. Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman have arrived at the Fortress of Solitude to celebrate the Man of Steel's birthday only to find him standing frozen as an alien organism wraps itself around his body. Each character follows their nature as Batman immediately begins looking for clues, Wonder Woman shows concern for Superman's wellbeing, and Robin is freaked out about anything being able to harm him. Later the creature is revealed to be called the Black Mercy which traps its victims in a blissful hallucination while it feeds off them.

Reportedly artist Dave Gibbons was given his choice of writers when assigned this issue by editor Dick Giordano, and he brought in Alan Moore, with whom he would soon collaborate on Watchmen. This story was later adapted to television for the animated series Justice League Unlimited.

AmandaConner

Harley Quinn #5

Superstar artist Amanda Conner will forever be associated with the character of Harley Quinn following her famous run on the titles as cover artist and co-writer alongside her husband Jimmy Palmiotti. Establishing Harley as her own woman after getting from under the shadow ofthe Joker's influence Harley became more of an anti-hero rather than a villain.

"I [first] did Harley a while ago I think. I did classic Harley back in the late 90s and I think what I love the most about Harley is that you're sort of allowed to do anything with her as far as writing goes. Because she's allowed to [do anything]." Conner said during a drawing demo at Comic Con a few years ago. "I've loved Wonder Woman since I was a kid but Wonder Woman she's got standards that she has to live up to. Harley has no standards so you know you can have a lot more fun with her."

KatsuhiroOtomo

Akira “Test Page” Hand Colored by Otomo (Katsuhiro Otomo)

Growing up in a very rural area post-war Japan, Katsuhiro Otomo spent much of his youth reading manga and dreaming of creating his own one day. Today he celebrates his 70th birthday. For many Americans growing up in the 80s and 90s, his magnum opus Akira, both the manga and anime, became a touchstone for the entire Japanese form of comics. The unbridled demand for original anime which continues to this day came directly from his work.

Featured here is a rare production page hand colored by Otomo in order to be used as an example by colorist Steve Oliff for the English edition. The protagonist Kaneda is depicted roaring through the streets of Neo Tokyo on his iconic red motorcycle. "The initial inspiration was the lightcycles from Tron designed by Syd Mead." Otomo told Forbes magazine in a retrospective interview. "However, they are wide, so I halved them and used that as an initial basis."

J. ScottCampbell

Savage Wolverine #1 - MHC Variant

Long gone are the days when J. Scott Campbell first burst onto the scene drawing the teen superheroes of Gen13 and then cemented his reputation as a cheesecake artist in the pages of his own sexy spy series in Danger Girl. His niche has been squarely in creating pinups and variant covers like this one featured today originally done for Denver's Mile High Comics. Here Wolverine has found himself stranded in the Savage Land alongside a barely clad Shanna the She-Devil and her t-rex friend.

"I hope that my work over the many years I’ve spent drawing the Marvel characters will always bring a smile to both new and old fans of comic book art and bring them back to all those great memories when they first saw each of those images." Campbell once told the Marvel.com blog. "I’d be quite content if I could be a small, but still memorable piece of the larger Marvel mythos, along with so many of the other artists and creators I greatly admire."

TrinaRobbins

Trina Robbins - Wonder Woman

An absolute icon of the comics industry has passed. Trina Robbins, a trailblazer cartoonist, ardent activist, and comics historian, has died at 85 years old this week. In addition to being the first woman to draw a Wonder Woman comic, Robbins led several projects entirely done by women creators including Wimmen's Comix and It Ain't Me Babe.

"Not only was she a legendary creator of comics, she was also one of comics' greatest historians and researchers, and a guiding light to countless girls and women who had a hard time believing there was space for them in this art form." Fellow creator Gail Simone said in a eulogy to her friend and mentor on social media. "She proved there was and fought endlessly to remind people of the legacies of the incredible female creators that were often overlooked and undervalued over the decades."

On behalf of the Comic Art Fans community, we extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and fans around the world.

DaleMessick

Brenda Starr Sunday by Dale Messick - 1941

With a bouffant of vibrant red hair, a vast array of stylish clothes, and literal stars in her eyes, Brenda Starr broke barriers as the first female star of a syndicated newspaper strip. Created in 1940 by cartoonist Dale Messick, who had to change her first name from Dahlia just to gain entry to the industry, Brenda Starr: Reporter ran for over 70 years across the country in more than 250 papers at her height.

As she chased stories around the world, Brenda would become embroiled in international intrigues and whirlwind romances, most notably with Basil St. John, who waited until 1971 to finally propose marriage. Many women who were inspired to be reporters themselves after growing up reading Brenda’s exploits would complain to Messick that their actual lives and careers were nowhere near as glamorous as she had made it seem. "I told them that if I made Brenda's life like theirs, nobody would read it."Messick reportedly replied.

ScottHampton

P. CraigRussell

American Gods - Shadows 7 Page 13

Everyone wish a very happy birthday to painter and illustrator Scott Hampton! He is a freelance artist who has illustrated a wide array of properties including Batman, Sandman, Black Widow, Hellraiser, and Star Trek. This particular page comes from the comics adaptation of Neil Gaiman's American Gods in which creatures of myth and folklore find themselves in the 'new world' as immigrants bring their stories with them. Hampton was tapped by P. Craig Russell to take on this project and they both specifically avoided watching the television show till afterwards so as not to influence themselves.

"American Gods is so dense and textured with so many colorful characters and such an amazing story arc it feels like a singularity to me." Hampton said in an interview. "I want to remain faithful to the material while bringing my own take. It’s a delicate balance."

DavidMazzucchelli

David Mazzucchelli - Batman Year One revisited 20 Years Later

While David Mazzucchelli's work on Batman: Year One is one the most revered and seminal stories in the Dark Knight's canon, none of the original artwork is represented here on CAF. Only convention sketches and the occasional commission such as this one featured today are posted. But someone has them because the next big thing to seeing the originals, a full size Artist Edition, has been produced and soon to hit shelves.

Fellow artist Mike Mignola said in a promotional video, "It's very easy for me to say this is my all-time favorite Batman comic. I just loved everything about it. It's just brilliantly paced, it's brilliantly drawn. We come from the same school of paring your stuff down and making it as solid and readable as possible and that's one thing I think the Batman Year One has in spades. It's just it's so pared down, it's so solid. It's not abstract, it's simple in a lot of ways but when he wants to draw something. It's brilliant."

BartSears

Eclipso the Darkness Within #1 Cover - Bart Sears

Today's featured cover comes from the 90s when gimmick covers were all the rage. This particular issue included a plastic black diamond, a recreation of the source of Eclipso's powers, glued between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand to make it seem as if Eclipso were trying to possess the reader. Artist Bart Sears reminisced about this series on social media saying, "I was lucky enough to land the penciling assignment, I was able to redesign Eclipso for this project, and his reintroduction into the DC mainstream." This series seriously upped Eclipso's power levels turning him from a generic villain of the week to a powerful magical entity with abilities to rival those of Dr. Fate or the Spectre.

If you are in North America, today is a once in a lifetime opportunity to catch an actual total solar eclipse! If you are anywhere near the path of totality, make sure to head outside and see it (through special lenses, of course, don’t stare at the sun with the naked eye).

MikeMayhew

Mike Mayhew, Star Wars: Lando #1, Cover

This weekend distinguished actor and painter Billy Dee Williams celebrated his 87th birthday! While his list of credits is lengthy, comic fans probably most closely associate Williams with his character Lando Calrissian, a gambler and scoundrel from the Star Wars franchise. Pictured here on today's featured variant cover by Mike Mayhew, Lando is counting his credits when unexpectedly interrupted by Darth Vader and a squad of Imperial stormtroopers.

"I was well aware of what Star Warswas(prior to being cast) and how much of an impact it had on the film industry but I am a professional actor. I approach every job professionally and with as much dedication and hard work as any other project. Star Wars is a part of our world now and I am happy to have been a part of it!" Williams said in an interview. "Lando is very dear to my heart and I cannot see anyone else playing him or voicing him."

GilKane

RudyNebres

Gil Kane John Carter, Warlord of Mars #2, Page 1

As one of the most prolific artists working in the 70s Gil Kane had a lot on his plate. Naturally this meant he was not able to devote as much time as he may have wanted to each gig. For example, his work on John Carter: Warlord of Mars, seen here in the featured splash, required inking from Rudy Nebres in order to meet deadlines.

"Now I happen to like Nebres's inking but I felt, and I thought he did a sensational job, I was a little unhappy only because I couldn't find my own stuff." Kane said in an interview. "All I saw were my layouts and my pencilling was not there, you know, my fold patterns, my approaches to work were different, his whole feeling for light and shadow was different, so as I say, he did an excellent job and the stuff looked good, but again, it didn't satisfy me unless I inked it myself."

ArthurAdams

Arthur Adams : Harley Quinn and the birds of prey Cover

This featured variant cover by Arthur Adams came out in tandem with the movie of the same. Seen here are the comics versions of Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey team composed of Huntress, Black Canary, Det. Renee Montoya, and Cassandra Cain. Poised for action in a filthy Gotham City alley, this piece has a stunning level of detail that makes Adams such a standout artist in the industry.

"While I was researching Harley, I was devouring the comics. I became kind of obsessed with them at some point. I stopped reading just Harley comics, and that rabbit hole led me to the “Birds of Prey” comics." Actor Margot Robbie told Variety. "It seemed like a good platform for a female ensemble franchise, because so many different characters come in and out of the Birds of Prey. And Harley is an easy character to insert into almost any situation, because no matter what, she's gonna just stir s— up."

DaveJohnson

Punisher Max 16 cover

A good cover illustration is a difficult thing to accomplish. First and foremost it needs to stand out from the rack and appeal to the prospective reader. Ideally, it should tell a story in itself too. Dave Johnson has made his mark for decades as a design forward cover artist whose work engages the reader as much as the interior story. This featured Punisher cover makes a statement about the traumatic event that set Frank Castle on his war on crime.

"It's easier to do the Punisher; you can always come back to that skull. It's like Batman; I'm always looking for something to hold on to." Johnson told CBR in an interview. "I try to stay away from doing 'panel covers;' I don't want a cover to just look like panels in a book. I'm always trying to do something a little different. What's a graphic element I can pull out and put on the cover?"

MarkBright

GregAdams

Quantum and Woody #8 page 2 by Bright and Adams

Another sad week for the comics community as word came down that Mark D. Bright passed away at only 68 years old. If you read comics in the 80s and 90s, Bright's work was everywhere on pivotal storylines such as Iron Man: Armor Wars and Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn, co-created the Milestone series Icon, a much loved run on GI Joewhich included the issue where Snake-Eyes finally revealed his unmasked face, and a stunning painted cover featuring the Decepticon Shockwave on Transformers #5. More recently he worked on storyboards for movies, commercials, and television.

This featured splash is from , a satirical send up of superheroes co-created by Bright with writer Christopher Priest featuring two estranged childhood friends whose superpowers keep them inextricably linked.

Bright's obituary is available to read at the link. On behalf of the Comic Art Fans community we would like to offer our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fans around the world.

ToddNauck

Magneto #1 (2023) page 9: New Mutants in the Danger Room

Part of the joy of working in comics is revisiting the characters and storylines that affected you growing up. Todd Nauck read the original New Mutants run when he was a kid so he leapt at the chance to draw them in a limited series.

"When I got the opportunity to join this Magneto creative team, I was more than ready to tackle art duties for this all-new Magneto/New Mutants adventure! Each New Mutant has such a distinct look and unique personality." He told the Marvel blog. "Their friendship and camaraderie are so much fun to convey. And Magneto’s struggle to fill Xavier’s shoes and challenges he faces in trying to mentor these kids make for great dramatic and emotional moments to draw."

This featured page shows Magneto running the New Mutants through their paces in the Danger Room. Even with nine superpowered teenagers, they still get their butts handed to them by a holographic Master Mold.

ScottMcDaniel

BobMcLeod

Scott McDaniel - What if Spider-Man had kept his cosmic powers? Issue 31 Cover (Captain Universe, Venom, Dr. Doom)

During the 1989 crossover event Acts of Vengeance, Loki united his fellow villains in a scheme to defeat the heroes by mixing up the usual dance partners to throw them off their guard. Spider-Man got a serious power upgrade when a science experiment accidentally imbued him with the Enigma Force, allowing him to go mano-a-mano with heavy hitters such as Goliath, Titania, and even the Hulk. Eventually, Spidey used his abilities to defeat the Tri-Sentinel at which point the Enigma Force left.

This featured cover posits the question what would have happened had he kept the cosmic abilities. Scott McDaniel's art has Spidey in a mash-up uniform combining both his familiar webs with the blue and white togs of Captain Universe. With the additional power Spidey has set out to fight wrongs on a scale from Venom stalking Peter Parker's loved ones to Doctor Doom trying to conquer the world.