Sunday Movie Matinee: Superfilms!

Sunday Movie Matinee

Superfilms!

I was asked for my thoughts on the new Superman movie Man of Steel.  I could have just done that, but after watching the first three Christopher Reeve movies with a few friends last night, I feel the need to talk about the new movie in reference to the old.  The reason for that: I feel much of the criticism of the new film is due to referring to what has gone before.

Superman: The Movie (1978) 

Though the character was born in the late 1930s, and it was preceded by a few big screen and small screen representation, this movie is where most people look for their definitive vision of Superman.  I could almost declare that this is THE most iconic portrayal of the character, but I won't do that. 

This is a drawing by comic artist Gary Frank.  He draws Superman as if he's Christopher Reeve.  Undeniably, it has had an effect.  But I think its mostly due to rosy glow of nostalgia, and not due to cinematic perfection or character rendition.  Don't get me wrong, I have affection for this movie, but only for two reasons: Christopher Reeve and John Williams' score. 

It tells a good origin story for Superman, and has a few fun scenes with Reeve as Clark Kent and an astonishing amount of innuendo with Margot Kidder, who does NOTHING for me.  The Villain and the hero spend too much time apart in the movie, he gives away every possible weakness to a reporter who publishes it, and the writers made a massive boner at the end of the movie.  The main reason I can still enjoy this movie, and I suspect others can enjoy it, is because its old and I grew up with it.  The movie has alot of issues: pacing, plotting, and time travel.

Yes, that happens.  They wrote themselves out of the narrative hole of a character's death with time travel.  This is pretty dumb, and brings Superman from Science Fiction into fantasy, where he doesn't belong.  I think that movie that people intentionally ignore the dumb parts so that they can conveniently call it great and say its better than other things.  That's BS.  In short, its a movie that's only as good as your sense of Nostalgia allows.  It is by no means a perfect movie, and by that merit, it shouldn't be viewed as unimpeachable.  TIME TRAVEL!

Creators: Alex Ross

Creators

A growing list of inspirational artists, writers, poets, filmmakers and creatives.

Alex Ross

For my return to the blogging world, I will do  my creator piece this week and a favorite of mine, as well as many others, Alex Ross.  Ross has made his reputation for his lifelike watercolor representations of superheroes.  The painting he's working on the above picture is this one.

Yeah, that's watercolor.  His work always looks impressive, and from what I can tell, its a result of an excellent use of reference and a dedication to craft.  In many ways, every one of his images is iconic and eye catching. He goes great pinups.

...beautiful group shots...

...and sweet composites...

Awesome right?  But like I have said before, there are plenty of artists who can make eye popping pinups and groupshots, and others can make killer covers, but the true test of an artists skill are the grueling trenches of interior artwork.  There are plenty of famous artists in the industry (even much beloved ones) that can't tell a coherent story with their artwork.  Does Alex Ross have what it takes?

Yes.

Yes he can.

No Doubt.

Ross does a great job with emotion, expression and body language.  Each image is beautiful on its own.  He has strong compositions which help to make every labor intensive painting worth the effort.

I have a strange relationship to his artwork.  I've often said to others that when it comes to artwork, that I appreciate realism for what it is, but ultimately I prefer stylization and interpretation.  to look at something and draw it as it is strikes me as easier than interpreting what is seen and adding your own flair.  But what makes Ross a special case is his use of composition.  He has dynamic and emotional images that feel at home in a comic book and also feel like your looking into a world not so far from here.  

Though it frustrates me that he is usually put on Cover duty, there are some fantastic books with him rocking the interiors.  A few are: Marvels, Kingdom Come, Justice, the FIRST issue of Masks, and a few large format specials called Batman: War on Crime, Superman: Peace on Earth, and Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth.

Though i don't foresee copying his style, I hope to one day to look down at my art board and see something that I feel as proud of as he surely does when he looks at his work.  There is no shortage of his artwork out there, so go out and look at it.

Look at IT!

See you Friday.

I'm Only Funny on Paper

I'm Only Funny on Paper

A Comic.

Welcome back to me!  So, I took an unannounced break from this stuff, and for that I apologize.  Once summer camp started I kind of lost my sense of time, space and the relationship between cosmic entities and the playing out of everyday life.  In the meantime I've been working on a lot of stuff, including this:

I'll be continuously adding to it throughout the summer. But don't worry, I'll be back to making irrelevant comics in no time.