I created the cover for Sleazy Slice #5 and thought I’d show a little process since I like seeing the way other people work. When Robin contacted me about doing the cover, I was already familiar with this series. I had provided artwork for a previous issue’s cover a few years ago:

So I tried to think of something “sleazy” that would lend itself to an interesting composition. I’m not sure how I settled on a public restroom, but it fit the sleazy requirement and the wall of the stall reminded me of the way adult magazines were often packaged with something obscuring the cover to avoid potential trouble on newsstands or with the postal service. So I did some sketches:

Robin and I agreed the middle sketch worked the best. Next step was to make a drawing:

At this point, I liked the drawing but was having doubts about the giant square of the stall wall. I’ve been making drawings with different levels of detail that are designed to hang on a wall. The idea is that the image reads clearly from a distance, but finer details need to be viewed up close so it creates some interaction with the viewer. An example of this is the centerfold from Pood #4:

After looking at the Sleazy Slice drawing, I decided to cover the stall wall in graffiti – this meant photographing every public restroom I could over the course of a weekend and looking at some unpleasant images online in order to come up with graffiti that wasn’t obviously created by one person.

Then I added some color, texture, and title lettering and viola – Sleazy Slice #5 cover!

I wonder if Doc Martens would like to use this as a print ad?

This drawing was made with Sable hair brushes (I like Raphael 8404′s but may have used some cheaper brush I had lying around, for some reason I’ve been using a 15 year old brush lately), a few pen nibs like the famous Hunt 102, 108, and a manga nib called a Zebra G-model, and some rapidographs. It was drawn on Strathmore bristol smooth 300 series paper. The original is 19″ x 24″. I used Dr. Ph. Martin’s TECH Drawing Ink, Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph ink, and really old Higgins Engrossing ink.

We didn’t have a lot of time to turn this around. So I would do a few roughs, then send them to iam8bit for feedback.

When I sent the image on the right, I was wrapping things up for the day. I had another idea that I thought would be the one, but before I could get it together, they jumped on this one.

I’m happy they did. Once I started working out the details, it made perfect sense to me. I really wanted to suggest manga and Hong Kong action comics (Jademan), and decided the best way to do that was with the color. It surprised me a little when everyone approved the pink paper with purple ink look. Here’s the finished piece:

If you like this sort of look back into the early 90s comics market, be sure to check Jasen Lex’s Time Capsules.

I picked up David Jablow’s Do It Yourself Doodler at MIX a couple weeks ago from Adhouse Books. The concept of Do It Yourself Doodler is that Jablow found an old activity book page featuring a partially drawn figure and proceeded to create a series of drawings based on this activity page. The author explains it below:

Here is the blank activity page:

As you can see, the figure is horizontally oriented. Jablow does a fantastic job creating 39 funny and very creative drawings starting from this template. Most of the drawings maintain the horizontal orientation of the pre-printed figure:

However, a couple drawings deviate from it, including re-orienting the figure into a vertical position:

When I saw this, I was instantly reminded me of my favorite issue of Bloodstrike – volume 1, number 25. There’s a panel of Bloodstrike: Assassin in the familiar, horizontal Doodler pose (drawn by Rob Liefeld and Dan Fraga):

But if you crop out part of the panel, he appears to change into a vertical pose:

What’s the point of this post? Good question. I guess look for Bloodstrike 25 in your local comic shop’s discount bin and check out David Jablow’s Do It Yourself Doodler, here’s a 15 page preview.

And closing stuff, if you haven’t seen Sunni Brown’s TED Talk about the value of doodling, your flimsy excuses have run out. Here it is:

If you enjoy the recent Image Comics references in my posts, I encourage, nay, I demand…scratch that, I just encourage you to check out Jasen Lex’s ongoing series of Time-Capsules – where he scours the history of early Image Comics, mostly via Wizard magazine’s endless news blurbs, interviews, previews, ads, etc. to bring you the most entertaining look at the early 90s comics phenomenon of the speculator market and Image madness.

Finally, I can’t end this post without complimenting Mr. Jablow on his rendition of reflective glasses. Well done, sir!

I’m in a group exhibition this Friday. I’ll be showing drawings, prints, and comics.

December 2, 2011, 6 – 9 pm
Artist Image Resource (AIR)
518 Foreland Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212

If you’re nearby, there’s free beer, er, I mean, please stop by.

This is one of my new prints (available here):

Onto the list. This list is composed of some of the comics and zines and things that I enjoyed this year. It’s in no particular order. There’s so much quality content out there these days and a lot of it is produced in small editions. This is my way of sharing some of the stuff I’ve seen lately and hopefully something catches your eye. Enjoy!

1. Ker-Bloom by Art Noose

Ker-Bloom is a long-running life history LETTERPRESS zine. I picked up my first one at PIX last year and have been picking up new ones every chance I get since then. Art Noose’s writing is beautiful and concise. Each zine features 8 interior, letterpress pages written, set, printed, and assembled by the artist. The covers are well designed and often go beyond traditional notions of letterpress, combining other printing techniques like stamps and silkscreen to create incredible objects.

RECOMMENDED FOR fans of short stories, personal writing, and zines like Cometbus, Burn Collector, King-Cat, and Dishwasher.

2. Derek Ballard’s Cartoonshow and Keenan Marshall Keller’s Galactic Breakdown (Drippy Books)

Derek Ballard is awesome. His work is cartoony, angular, Kirby-esque, and psychedelic and his line is one of the most interesting and beautiful in comics. He has a new book called CARTOONSHOW that promises more of the same – awesome comics! And it’s published by Drippy Bones Books.

What? You don’t know Drippy Bones Books? Well, I am delighted to introduce you. They publish one of my favorite comics of 2011 (it wasn’t all published in 2011, but I saw it in 2011 and it rocks) – Galactic Breakdown, a.k.a. Space Battleground 666 by Keenan Marshall Keller.

It was printed by a company that prints restaurant menus and the colors look like plastic (believe me this is a good thing, the inside cover of issue 2 comes alive in your peripheral vision when reading page 1, it’s the strongest example of resonating color I’ve seen in many years)! The main character is a roid-abusing pinhead who gets abducted into an alien street fight (more or less).

RECOMMENDED FOR fans of Kramers Ergot, Fort Thunder, Johnny Ryan, Psychedelic Jack Kirby, and Gary Panter.

3. Uncivilized Books

Tom Kaczynski’s publishing imprints puts out some fine mini-comics. His Trans series explores philosophy, economics and the metaphysical crisis of the capitalist creative… or something like that. They are some of my favorite mini-comics – eerie in their ability to describe the creative quagmire of art and its context in the 21st century. Gabrielle Bell’s diary comics are fantastic examples of autobio done well. Jon Lewis’ True Swamp…not even sure where to begin with this one. The bottom line is Uncivilized Books produces some gorgeous mini-comics that are both well-designed and feature outstanding cartooning.

RECOMMENDED FOR fans of alternative and art comics like the work of Kevin Huizenga, Chester Brown, and Julie Doucet.

4. Zak Sally’s Sammy the Mouse

Zak Sally is my hero. He teaches comics. He makes comics. He has a cool dog…he makes music. Maybe he’s actually my worst enemy…heh, heh. Kidding. Sally’s work is raw, emotional, funny, melancholy, angry, honest, and wonderful. He recently printed a collection of his Sammy the Mouse comics. And when I say printed, I don’t mean photocopied. I mean he printed a 2-color, 100 page BOOK! Here’s a video of him demonstrating his printer and how he made this unbelievable book:

ZAK SALLY DEMONSTRATES HIS MAGICAL PRESS! from Dustin Harbin on Vimeo.

In addition to creating great comics (also check out Recidivist, his award-winning, critically-acclaimed one man anthology that is collected in Like a Dog), Sally runs a publishing house called La Mano that has produced a number of great projects like Nate Denver’s Wait, You’re Not a Centaur (a collection of 50 word short stories and drawings), John “King Cat” Porcellino’s Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man, a William Schaff portfolio, and the stunning Kim Dietch Files (one of the greatest comics-related art objects I’ve ever seen).

There’s a lot to recommend here, and I’m not sure who or what to compare this to because the work is so diverse. If you’re looking for something new and interesting for your arts-comic-loving pal this Christmas, maybe go to the La Mano site and see what speaks to you.

5. Tom Neely’s the Wolf and Moby Dick print

Tom Neely delivered one of the more unique reading experiences I had this year with his painted novel, the Wolf. I’ve read and enjoyed a few comics by Tom over the last couple of years (Doppelganger and the Blot stand out in my memory), and I think it’s safe to say no one is producing work that looks or reads like his. The Wolf continues his strong record for creating his own path and separating his voice from the pack (get it? The pack, like a wolf pack…sorry). The production quality of this book stands out and allows his paintings to shine. The design perfectly compliments the immersive nature of the story. And the storytelling – that’s the real deal. His approach to narrative in the Wolf is what struck me when I first read it. Make no mistake, it’s pretty to look at, but the pacing and breakdown of the pages and spreads deliver the real experience here. It is as scary as it is beautiful.

RECOMMENDED for fans of fairy tales, heavy metal, and horror films (this is a piss poor selection of who it’s recommended for, but honestly, I’m not well-versed in the world where this work resides, why not check it out a little for yourself? You won’t regret spending a few minutes looking at some sample pages.

One other Tom Neely thing to check out, his Moby Dick prints. I need one of these things badly. Wow, they are great! They are available in his store in a few different color combinations.

6. Jasen Lex’s Rowbot and Caterpillar shirts

Maybe your special someone (and that could be yourself) wants a snazzy new t-shirt this holiday season. I recommend Rowbot or Caterpillar by the supremely talented, Jasen Lex.

7. Fukitor

Yes! The most exciting comics find I’ve experienced – the twisted, excessive, bloody, violent, grotesque, terrifying, funny, well-drawn, well-colored, excellently-printed, nearly-perfect comics of Jason Karns. I’m not kidding. You want to give someone that kick-in-the-nuts experience this year? Order him or her a couple issues of Jason Karns’ comics*. Then look-out!

WARNING: These are no joke and probably not a good idea for kids.

RECOMMENDED for fans of Ben Marra, Tim Vigil, Richard Corben, exploitation horror movies…

*issue 6 is my favorite one so far, but you can’t go wrong with any of them

8. Carl Barks’ Ducks and Harry Lucey’s Archie

Here are a couple of collections of classic comics by two classy cartoonists. Both are affordable editions and suitable for readers of all ages.

RECOMMENDED for aspiring cartoonists, comics readers, and readers who haven’t read a comic in a long time – that just about covers everyone, doesn’t it?

9. Bowman by Pat Aulisio

Pat Aulisio brings us his entry into the 2001 mythos. It involves multiple aliens, flying on stuff, drugs, and other space things. This is part of Box Brown’s Retrofit line of comics and it’s a doozy! I had the pleasure of seeing some of the original art before the book was released and instantly fell in love. The story’s good, the drawings are otherworldly.

Here’s a video trailer for the new comic:

RECOMMENDED for fans of 2001, art comics, and Steve Ditko’s other dimensional works.

10. Tim Hensley print

You might know Tim Hensley from his outstanding graphic novel, Wally Gropius. This print proves he’s no one trick pony! Flocking on the black areas creates a unique texture adding to the retro/blacklight/70s vibe.

You can also pre-order Kramers Ergot 8 with another sweet Hensley print.

RECOMMENDED for fans of black light posters, 70s pop art, and retro cartoons.

I hope you consider some of these recommendations if you’re looking for something unique this holiday season. Happy Holidays!

I have some pen drawings in this week’s OC Weekly, including the cover. The illustrations are for an article about a murder trial – a story that has been unfolding for some time. I had provided a couple of illustrations covering past articles regarding this case. When the story reached its conclusion, Laila Derakhshanian, OC Weekly’s art director, contacted me with this concept.

I also did some drawings of the defendants in the case.

Below are my previous illustrations from other articles related to this story.

To celebrate RUB THE BLOOD, I have compiled a list of the Top Ten Greatest Vein Artists in Comics History! (November). But first, a word about RUB THE BLOOD:

RUB THE BLOOD is an Art Comix tabloid that explores the lasting influence (for better or worse) of the Early 90′s Collector Boom comics of Rob Liefeld, Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, etc. on today’s most fringe underground cartoonists. RUB THE BLOOD features never-seen-before comix and artwork by:

PAT AULISIO (BOWMAN)
JOSH BAYER (RAW POWER)
WILLIAM CARDINI (HYPERCASTLE)
VICTOR CAYRO (KRAMERS ERGOT 6)
IAN HARKER (SECRET PRISON)
PB KAIN (PEELING GLASS)
KEENAN MARSHALL KELLER (DRIPPY BONES)
PETER LAZARSKI (IMAGINARY MONSTERS)
BENJAMIN MARRA (NIGHT BUSINESS)
JIM RUGG (AFRODISIAC)
THOMAS TOYE (COLLECTIVE STENCH)
MICKEY Z (RAV)

RUB THE BLOOD will debut at the 2011 BROOKLYN COMICS & GRAPHICS FEST and will only be available in person. However, if you act fast, you can get a copy of this killer collection via Kickstarter for as little as $10! A number of the contributors have also offered books, art, and prints as incentives. For instance, you can get my latest screen prints, Street Angel 22 or USApe for half the regular price!

So act fast and please share and post this anywhere and everywhere!

We now return to our regular programming – The Top Ten Greatest Vein Artists in Comics History! (November). Ladies and gentlemen, this was not an easy list to compose. The competition amongst cartoonists who draw the greatest veins is a fierce one*. I have little doubt that this list will set off a series of battles amongst vein enthusiasts across the world-wide-web world. So be it. The artists who draw veins fear not a fight. Let the arguments henceforth commence!

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

JASON KARNS – the mysterious, nay, I say legendary figure behind the cult sensation, Fukitor! There are veins, usually on horrible monsters, but sometimes on giant breasts. There’s also blood everywhere and cursing. If you like Tim Vigil and Ben Marra, do yourself a favor. You might be sorry, but you won’t be disappointed!
Satanic Terror
 
KEENAN MARCHALL KELLER – when the main character is named Roids, you can expect some veiny action – in this case, those veins are pumping green blood from all the juicing Roids does! Go buy Galactic Breakdown, dummy! This book is awesome (look for my pinup in #4 – coming soon, imagine how I drew the veins after you realize how much I studied for that test).

Galactic Breakdown #1
 
BEN MARRA – the man behind Night Business, Gangsta Rap Party (go read this Comics Journal review of issue 2…this is a unique comic book), Naked Heroes, and the Incredibly Fantastic Adventures of Maureen Dowd knows a thing or two about drawing veins. His genre roots know no limit.
Gangsta Rap Party #2
 
SAM KEITH – Keith arrived from indie comics with his veins ready to go. His early Marvel work set the tone for veins on newsprint. If I’m not mistaken, he was the first to draw veins in the monthly Incredible Hulk series.
Incredible Hulk #368
 
MARC SILVESTRI – Twenty years later, Silvestri does the same (a friend of mine said the veins look like vines and make the Hulk look like Swamp Thing, guess that’s better than swamp donkey**).
Incredible Hulk #1
 
ED MCGUINNESS and BART SEARS – probably draws the cleanest veins on this list. You can see a sample of Mr. Brute and Babes’ veins on display in Valiant’s Turok: Dinosaur Hunter #1 (it even has a chromiumshit cover or something fancy).
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter #1
For McGuinness see his Hulk work or forget about his veins (he’s not even in The Top Ten Greatest Vein Artists in Comics History! (november) top ten) and go check out his Fighting American work or even better, his Thundercats mini-series (really cool coloring on that one).
Hulk #1
 
THE TOP TEN GREATEST VEIN ARTISTS IN COMICS HISTORY! (November)

10. MARK TEXEIRA
Texeira brought the veins to Wolverine, along with a Clint Eastwood face (I believe I read that Eastwood also informed Sam Kieth’s Wolverine design). He included them with Jim Lee’s outer space hero, Union. His rendering gave them quite a nice dimensional quality. If you start looking into Tex, don’t forget his early Ghost Rider work (no veins, but excellent skulls).
Wolverine #66
 
9. CALVIN IRVING
I only know Irving from Maximum Press’ Chapel books. Dude draws a mean forearm, packed full of veins. What else is there to know?
Chapel v1, #1
Chapel v2, #1
 
8. ERIK LARSEN
Savage Dragon’s gigantic upper body boasts some veins, adding a gritty texture to the cop superhero in the early days.
Savage Dragon #1/2
 
7. NORM BREYFOGLE
Breyfogle started drawing veins for the Ultraverse’s Prime. While Prime’s anatomy suggests a lot of photo-referencing, Breyfogle’s style never suffered from it. He kept the veins popping in his stint on Acclaim’s Bloodshot and in a Lobo fill-in issue. For my money, he’s the underrated vein-artist in the canon. I used to read his Batman when I first started reading comics. Liked ‘em back then. Haven’t looked at those in 20 years.
Bloodshot #35
 
6. JAE LEE
Jae Lee’s version of Chapel in Youngblood: Strikefile 1-3 is hands-down the scariest depiction of any comic book anti-hero ever. I remember reading Frank Miller’s essay about how scary Batman seemed to him when he was a little kid and accidentally got hold of a Batman comic when he was used to more kid-friendly fare (I don’t think he names names, but it’s cool to wonder what comics he was reading, imagine if it was Harry Lucey’s Archie, Uncle Scrooge, and Dennis the Menace by the artist that Jaime references). Anyway, if Miller had seen Jae Lee’s Chapel accidentally instead of Batman…it’s hard to say what would have happened. I bet kid Miller would have slept with mommy that night. Veins are just one more terrifying element of a character with a skull face, sharpened teeth, spikes everywhere, jagged-edged blood-covered knives, and bleeding bullet holes. Terrifying. Few artists embraced the “Extreme” studio moniker harder than Jae Lee did.
Youngblood: Strikefile #1
Namor #34
 
5. RICHARD CORBEN
The godfather of veins – Corben’s chiseled monsters and heroes had little fat to conceal their veins behind. His work showcasing the powerful paths of blood dates back to the 70s before veins were cool.
Cage #1
 
4. TIM VIGIL
The most horrifying depiction of veins on the list. In Faust, EO, and Wrath 777, Vigil showcased the veiny appendages of demons, vigilantes, killers, and junkies engaged in a wide range of unpleasant activities and he didn’t limit those appendages to arms and legs if you know what I’m saying. These are the veins of nightmares (this is another one that I’d be curious to hear kid Miller’s reaction, although I do not endorse showing any of Vigil’s work to kids or minors or your wife)!
EO #2
 
3. DALE KEOWN
You want to see a BIG vein? No one drew BIGGER veins than Dale Keown. The veins were so thick on his main character, Pitt, that he double-lit them and cross-hatched them. Yeah. They were large enough for him to complexly light and model through hand-rendering techniques. Pitt had long claws, no nose, odd hair, and wore chains and leather, but it was the veins that separated him from other over-muscled strong men like the Hulk. The counter part to Pitt was a young boy named Timmy. I would like someone smart to analyze Pitt and Dave Cooper’s Dan and Larry. Both cartoonists worked for Barry Blair and I think Dan and Larry is somewhat about that experience. There is a little thematic overlap between Pitt and Dan and Larry.
Pitt #1 Ashcan
Pitt #1
 
2. STEPHEN PLATT
Stephen Platt’s most memorable comics work came on Rob Liefeld’s Prophet. Platt was hot off a popular run on Moon Knight and slated to take over another Liefeld creation, Cable, when Extreme’s founding father came calling. Never did a studio name fit an artist better than Extreme and Platt. He didn’t just go crazy with veins either. Prophet’s muscles and the amount of ammo and spent casings often obliterated any chance of clear storytelling. But look at those veins!
Prophet v1, #5
Prophet v1, #8 (this issue features a hyper-violent fight between Prophet and Bloodstrike: Assassin)
Prophet v1, #4, variant cover
 
1. SIMON BISLEY
Our number one vein man re-defined the Main Man in the early 90s, but his vein superiority did not end with Lobo. Whether painting or drawing, Bisley’s barbarians, superheroes, Judges, soldiers, and monkeys all suffered from frightening levels of blood pressure as seen in all those bulging blood vessels! Bisley’s veins were some of the first to infiltrate newsstand comics, making him in some ways the Kurt Kobain to Richard Corben’s Neil Young. And that’s good enough to earn our top spot!
Bodycount #1
Lobo’s Back #1
Monster Massacre
 
I’ll be in Minneapolis this weekend for MIX! Look for me at the Adhouse table. See you there.

Join my mailing list if your into that sort of thing.

* The criteria by which this list was composed does not factor in volume of vein-containing work nor are other cartooning skills reflected in the ranking process.

** Nickname of a local restaurant hostess.

I read G.I. Joe 21 for the first time last week. I was familiar with the comic. I often look for it when buying back issues. Last week, I borrowed it from Jasen Lex, so I could include it in my ongoing look at various fill-in issues.

Under a now iconic cover, the story begins when Cobra’s resident ninja, Storm Shadow presents Cobra Commander with a surprise gift – G.I. Joe’s Scarlett! Before Cobra can even get Scarlett settled into a cell, Snake Eyes infiltrates the base.

Then Scarlett promptly begins her own escape plan using a bobby pin.

After some ninja fights, their paths cross and they jet pack off into the night. It’s a fun comic and Hama does a good job depicting the likenesses of the G.I. Joe figures.

Had I found this as a kid, it would have rewired my brain. I’m surprised and disappointed that someone hasn’t adapted the issue into a stop motion viral video by now (let’s go, people, I’d like to watch such a thing).

A lot has been written about this comic (start with Shannon K. Garrity’s review). My addition to the G.I. Joe 21 fan wagon is this entertaining letter column from G.I. Joe 24 (another stellar fill-in issue, this time with art provided by the legendary Russ Heath). I think you can tell when something is different by this kind of polarizing reaction:

One of the first silent comics I remember reading was Brian Ralph’s Cave-In (1999, Highwater Books). It arrived around the time I had grown bored of Marvel and DC and was looking for alternatives. Cave-In certainly delivered. It follows the subterranean meanderings of a humanoid protagonist as he encounters snakes, caverns, rats, tiny people, and pages of different ink colors.

Brian Ralph has become one of my favorite cartoonists (check out his journal comic), and the impact of Cave-In led to my own experiment with wordless comics, StrikeForce: Bigfoot.

A couple other favorite wordless (or nearly wordless) comics in my collection are Teratoid Heights (2003, Highwater Books) by Matt Brinkman, one of Ralph’s fellow Fort Thunder artists and Jim Woodring’s Frank (2003, Fantagraphics Books).

Teratoid Heights is a collection of Brinkman’s mini-comics featuring bizarre characters wandering around environments that evoke primitive video game settings, while Frank is a journey into the surreal, psychedelic cartoon landscape of Woodring’s mind.

Tales to Astonish 82
August 1966

The great Gene Colan drew the first two pages of the lead story in Tales to Astonish 82, before coming down with flu. On page 1, Namor and Iron Man talk trash, on page 2, the fists fly.

Then, the fill-in artist arrives. On pages 3-11, King Kirby delivers a non-stop, nine-page fight scene between the two titans! Published in 1966, Kirby’s dynamic style had matured into a state that some believe to be the best of his career. The simple setup allows him to flex his abilities to draw action without any concern about advancing a plotline.

Let’s recap – Tales to Astonish 82: Iron Man vs. Sub-Mariner in a knock down, drag out, no-holds-barred fight with artwork by Jack Kirby and a framing sequence by Gene Colan. I guess that about covers it. Let’s look at a couple more pretty pictures.

The other half of the book features an art pairing of Kirby and Bill Everett on the Hulk. The results are beautiful and different than the typical Kirby style.

I like the design of these villains:

Check out more of my posts about comics with fill-in artists and other back issue business.

For example:
(page 1 from Maximum Velocity part 2, a backup in the Heretic)

And some of this:
(a spread from Domino 4 – love the orange lens in Domino’s goggles)

And wow:
(a spread from Matador 1 – the small, warm doorway in the last panel…)

So one of the things that sparked our discussion this weekend was Ed Piskor’s recent forays into the original 64-color palette of old comics. Don’t get me wrong; I think there are plenty of examples of attractively colored comics using this limited palette. I love the appearance of old comics and believe more than any other element, it is the color that defines those old books. Obviously I’ve spent some time using this palette. But in an era of nearly limitless reproduction options (including both print and digital), I think the original 64-color palette can evoke a certain mood or be used symbolically but I find it problematic as a purely aesthetic choice. It’s a palette that carries too much baggage to be ignored. It can aid the storytelling, but it is difficult to use without calling attention to itself.

Well that paragraph hurt my head. Enough bullshit, what makes Stelfreeze so good and why is the 64-color crayon box relevant to him?

(Matador 1, splash page – notice the tiny red highlights in the woman’s eyes in panel 3)

Stelfreeze uses color as a design element and he often simplifies his palette (which is how it relates to the limited number of colors that old comics have). One of the books I thought of when I started looking at Stelfreeze’s work was Kevin Nowlan’s Outsiders Annual #1 (1986). A few comics were beginning to use better paper around this time called Baxter paper. The better paper greatly affected the printed colors. Most colorists continued to use the same palettes that they employed for books printed on the much-more-absorbent newsprint. The effect was dramatically different between the two paper stocks. Nowlan realized this difference and adjusted his colors – by utilizing colors that weren’t used much on newsprint like lime greens, grays, purples but worked well on this new paper. To learn more about this comic and Nowlan’s ideas about it, go read this interview that Frank Santoro conducted with Nowlan a couple years ago.

Stelfreeze also gets a lot of mileage out of warm and cool palettes to set scenes, to create atmosphere and depth, as a spatial and temporal indicator when cross-cutting between panels, and to maximize contrast – a vital part of his page and spread designs.

In this splash page from Gen Active 3, Stelfreeze uses a cool palette to describe the shadowy interior of a Vegas strip club during the day:

The other book I’ve been looking at while thinking about Stelfreeze’s work is Batman Year One, the original issues. Anyone interested in old coloring should track down these issues. They are my favorite old-style coloring and one of the more unique interpretations and applications that palette. I also think they must influence Stelfreeze. Some of my favorite panels and pages feature an extremely minimal palette, sometimes as little as one color besides the white of the page and the black line. Also it is interesting to compare the original issues with the collected version because the same colorist does both versions.

Batman 405 (an example of a restrained palette using the 64-color palette of old):

Batman Year One trade paperback:

Batman 405 and 406 splash pages (minimal color, beautiful design – these are splash pages) and Batman Year One trade paperback:

Here’s a page from Batman 406. I like the middle row of panels in the original. Magenta is my favorite 64-palette color:

Finally, a sample of a black and white Stelfreeze comic, Gun Candy 2:

BONUS! – from Domino #1, a Charles Burns Altoids ad:

Comics referenced in this post include:

Batman 405, 406 (DC Comics, 1986)
Batman: Year One (DC Comics, 2005)
Domino 1, 3, 4 (Marvel Comics, 2003)
Gen Active 3 (DC Comics, 2000)
Gun Candy 2 (Image Comics, 2006)
The Heretic 2 (Dark Horse Comics, 1997)
Matador 1 (DC Comics, 2001)
The Outsiders Annual 1 (DC Comics, 1986)