Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Superman vs. Aliens cover art for "FAN" magazine



I went way, way, too far with my reworking of Dan Jurgens' layouts on the Superman/Aliens series. Even though he wasn't doing finished pencils and part of my job description was to refine the drawings as I inked them, I really should have worked harder at preserving more of his style.
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8 comments:

  1. PatrickWedgeSeptember 1, 2009 at 7:37 AM

    I might be in the minority here but I think the facial expression and shading on Superman's face actually helps build the drama on the cover. Dan's pencils don't seem to translate the impending battle, but more of a relaxed Superman.

    Slobbery spit...yuck....

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 1, 2009 at 8:18 AM

    Patrick, if you're in the minority then I'm right there with you! The lighting in the final image heightens the drama far more effectively than is seen in the pencils, as well as nicely balancing the heavy blacks on the Alien's side of the image.

    And Kevin, without intending any disrespect to Dan Jurgens whatsoever, I'm very glad the book ended up looking the way it did. I know what you mean by wishing to preserve the penciller/layout artist's style, but Superman/Aliens is one of my favourite examples of your style being showcased.

    I own the graphic novel and it has never made it into the bookcase as hardly a day goes by before I'm leafing through it again, for inspiration or purely for enjoyment.

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  3. NickSeptember 1, 2009 at 10:54 AM

    The inks transform the mediocre into the sublime.

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  4. surly hackSeptember 1, 2009 at 1:36 PM

    Is that Dan's "frown" note in the pencils, or yours?

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  5. Kevin NowlanSeptember 1, 2009 at 2:16 PM

    I think it's mine. It looks like a notation I'd make when I'm on the phone with the editor, discussing what they want me to do in the inks. But it's been too many years so I'm just speculating.

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  6. AnonymousSeptember 1, 2009 at 2:18 PM

    You really made something with his layout here...The original looks more like a dentist taking a look at the Alien's teeth than feeling threatened by the creature...And also, you gave a little motion to supes face.

    Thanks for letting us take a closer look at your work with this blog man, you're great!

    Hugo S.

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  7. Sebastián CabrolSeptember 1, 2009 at 5:49 PM

    Probanly Jurgens can do better than that, but...
    It´s not your fault to be as good as you are.

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  8. AxelSeptember 5, 2009 at 12:34 PM

    Actually I enjoyed Superman/aliens a lot. I loved the atmosphere and your "Nowlanizing" of faces and figures... it was a real creepy experience. The sequel was nice too, but I think your style merged with Jurgens' much better.

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