A Batman painting

11 x 17", watercolor, gouache and ink on Bristol...

Hulk Dogs

More sketches for Ang Lee.  We watched his tape of Best of Show, looking for dogs that would make good monsters.

Hulk sketches for Ang Lee

He wanted to see a variety of expressions...

Batman villains commission

From 2005...

A sad day...

I just received word that Dick Giordano passed away. In the late 60's he started working at DC as an editor and brought a lot of new blood, new energy and new aesthetics to a stale, old publishing house. He redefined and elevated the role of "inker" in comics through the '70's and became an extremely popular Managing Editor at DC in the '80's. 

I had a blast sitting next to him at a small Florida convention a couple of years ago and talking about pen points and inking technique.  It was worth the long flight down there just for those few minutes.  When he spoke to you, Dick always made you feel like you were the most important person in the world at that moment.  

We're really going to miss him.

Kickers, Inc. cover: Mark Texeira pencils

From 1987. Looks like I inked two covers for this short-lived New Universe title.

Honeymooners sketches

These were drawn back in the late '80's after a guy called me up and asked if I'd have any interest in drawing a story or two for the Jackie Gleason Honeymooners book.

Old Dr. Strange and Clea commission

My notes say this is from 2003:

A Batman sketch

Terra Firma Irma pin-up inks

I posted the sketch and pencils for this a while back.  I'll repost them so no one has to do a search.

Inked version of Gil Kane Green Lantern drawing

I traded some pages to Gil for this pencil drawing years ago when we were divvying up the art for Superman: Distant Fires.  It's a real treasure because there just aren't that many un-inked pencil pieces by Gil out there.  A while back I decided to print out a blue line copy and do an inked version.

Vampirella and Frankenstein

This piece has been around quite a long time. I drew it with markers and colored pencils for a friend's sketchbook, then touched it up for the cover for my first sketchbook. I think it even appears in the Modern Masters book. Recently I found a copy of the preliminary pencil sketch so now I have an excuse for posting it here...

Ms. Mystic #4 cover: Neal Adams pencils

Large scans of Neal's sketch and finished pencils, followed by a very small scan of the published cover. Sorry, it's all I could find.

Hulk 2099 cover: Adam Kubert pencils

From 1995. Looks like this was originally intended for 2099 Unlimited #5 but ended up on Hulk 2099 #2.

Subby inks over Byrne layout

Several years ago, a good friend of mine asked me to finish the pencils and ink Namor on this crossover pin-up. John Byrne had roughed in the figures and inked Superman. Mike Zeck finished Cap. Later, George Pérez took a shot at Wonder Woman but it looks like the other figures are still in graphite limbo.

Superman kills a giant rat

Page seven from "Superman: Distant Fires". Gil Kane pencils:

Batman family pin-up

I'm not sure of the date on this one but it's at least a couple of years old. I didn't like my first take on the Robin figure so I made him larger and quite a bit younger.

Old Valkyrie commission

I mean the drawing is old.  Valkyrie is very young.  From 2004?

Green Lantern Gallery cover: Gil Kane pencils

From 1996. Gil's pencils were lost in transit but he'd made a copy so I traced the image onto a new board and did the inks.

Vampirella splash: Michael Bair layout

This page is from "The Blood Red Game" in the Vampirella 25th Anniversary Special in 1996. Once again, no one should be alarmed by the alterations here. This job was "finishes over layouts", not inking over finished pencils. Mike's layout first, followed by a scan of the pencils after I did some work on the shadows and then the inks.

There's more to it than just making "pretty pictures" - Part Two

Back in the mid-80's, when I was still pretty new to drawing comics, I received a script which called for a character to "slowly nod" her head. What? How do you do that? I could imagine a Jack Cole character with speed lines and a strobe effect, nodding vigorously, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out any way to do a slow nod. If you look long and hard enough, you might find examples of characters SHAKING their heads. The two examples below are taken from quiet, dramatic moments and fit the solemn mood without looking unintentionally comical. But could anyone do the same with a head nod? I'm still looking...

Art by Russ Heath for Our Army at War #248

Art by Neal Adams for Green Lantern #87