Tyler Kirkham - DC's newest hotshot

[Random Axe]

This guy is penciling Green Lantern Corp for a few issues, maybe more. I know he's sone some Marvel work and some DC/TOp Cow crossover stuff, but I've never seen his work till tonight.

Could this guy possibly copy/rip-off Jim Lee and Michael Turner any more blatantly?

Don't get me wrong, I know all artists have their influences and they creep into their styles in some way, always does. However, this is more obvious that Phil Jimenez channeling Perez. I really like what I see, but wow. CLassics like Perez, Adams and Grell having influence on artists is normal and natural. Having Image guys having this much of a grip on someone makes me feel old. I knew the next generation of artists would eventually pull from the 90's, it was inevitable. I just hope he can do some panel-to-panel work and not just pinups.

I do like the Superman image...


http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc282/Therandomaxe/204.jpg

[Sandman9580]

Stuff like that is why I'm not really interested in modern-day comics anymore. That Superman looks like the Hulk.

[The Bat]

Stuff like that is why I'm not really interested in modern-day comics anymore. That Superman looks like the Hulk.

Agreed....I really don't like Superman's Face in that Pic.:ugh_y:

[The Toyroom]

Never heard of the dude.....reminds me though, whatever happened to Stephen Platt :sarky:

[Earth 2 Chris]

SUPERMAN SMASH PUNY LUTHOR!!!

It's a mash-up of McGuinness and Lee. It was bound to happen.

Chris

[boynightwing]

Could not agree more.

I disagree. Though I really do not like this guys art, there are so many artists today that are just amazing. It's unfair to lump them all together as if they were the same.

[kingdom warrior]

Never heard of the dude.....reminds me though, whatever happened to Stephen Platt :sarky:

Stephen has done storyboards and movie related stuff. I spoke with him after he did work for George Michael's Freeek video which he did artwork story boards and designed the costume for the video

Stephen's Soul Saga was freeking great outside of Jim Lee Platt was the best Image artist his stuff was getting better and better.

this is the GM video he worked on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLnYPXTs9LY&feature=related

[BlackKnight]

Stephen's Soul Saga was freeking great outside of Jim Lee Platt was the best Image artist his stuff was getting better and better.

SOUL SAGA !!!
PLATT !!!
Man were those like What 3 Issue Bad Arse !
Man ..., It IS 1 of my Upmost Comicbook Prays ..., That This gets finished ! :yeah:

[renegade]

I'm not impressed.

[BlackKnight]

I disagree. Though I really do not like this guys art, there are so many artists today that are just amazing. It's unfair to lump them all together as if they were the same.


I like the Guys Art myself ....
However totally agree with the Rest of your Statement ..., and Am so Tired of reading comments like Those from People Who do not seem to Follow the Industry and live in Only a Realm of YesterYear .

There's a Ton of Fantastic Stuff out there imo , and some Great Ones are still Here too Folks.

Jurgens
Perez
Adams ... well sorta. :smiley1:

Shout out to some Newbies That people who make those Statements Don't Know !

Cinar
Reis
Mahnke
Benes
How about a Shout out to the Justice League Generations Lost 3 Duo Art Team ? Bennett, Lopresti & Dagnino !

These people are Awesome ,... And I Enjoy Everything They Do, Every Month. :cool_y:

[BlackKnight]

Somemore KirkHam stuff ...

http://i.newsarama.com/images/glcor_cv53.jpg



http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/7290/56721601.jpg

[Earth 2 Chris]

Now that stuff looks pretty nice. I think it was the freaky dead eyes he gave Supes that looked off. That and his overly thick build.

Chris

[palitoy]

I wish artists would stop drawing Superman like he has the body of a gorilla.

[samurainoir]

Oddly co-incidental, I bought a bunch of 5 for $1 grab-bags last night, and found a Top Cow comic called Vice, and had the same thought about Kirkham and the Marc Silvestri house-style.

It seems very rare that an artist breaks in with a style fully formed, but many of the most popular do make a name for themselves with their own style.

John Byrne, Mike Grell and Bill Sienkiewicz all came from the influence of Neal Adams, Bryan Hitch was the biggest Alan Davis clone ever back in the day, and most of the Image Artist started off as Art Adams clones.

It's really interesting to see how the nineties studio system revival spearheaded by Image is shaking out today.

There were so many clones of clones in the nineties. It seems the ones that did make a name for themselves did so by finding their own unique "voice"... J Scott Campbell definitely can't be mistaken for Jim Lee anymore, neither can Mike Deodato (who actually brought back elements of his pre-America style). Love them or hate them, Pat Lee broke from Liefeld by pioneering that North American anime/robot style.

You'd think most artists would try to learn that lesson from the past. Rich Buckler is largely forgotten these days while Kirby is Lionized.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I wish artists would stop drawing Superman like he has the body of a gorilla.

Gary Frank draws Superman right. And he looks like Chris Reeve!

Chris

[boynightwing]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gd8NBIma-zo/Sr6_KFnmBmI/AAAAAAAAKOw/IeleUFfZNpA/s800/Cover+-+Supergirl45.jpg

Although Joshua Middleton does just covers...he does really awesome covers! Look at the expressions on the girls faces!! All of his covers are this good.

http://www.titanstower.com/assets/recroom/posters/nwingseries.jpg

Another favorite of mine is Scott McDaniel. I pretty much follow him around from title to title. I love how everything he draws seems to be in motion.

[samurainoir]

It really does amuse me to see Doug Mahnke referred to as a newbie.

I've loved his style since he and writer John Arcudi reinvented Dark Horse's Masque as The Mask. Here's an example of an artist that seems to have his own style right out of the starting gate.
http://images.darkhorse.com/covers/300/m/msktpb.jpg
It's a darn shame that they did not see a cent of the success of Jim Carey's movie version given how much of it was taken from their work.

And it feels like I'm proabaly the lone fan of Major Bummer.
http://www.imageurlhost.com/images/xqj98761g6fnv683nsbo.jpg

He's got a real flair for action comedy.
http://lambiek.net/artists/m/mahnke_doug/mahnke_supermanfinalcrisis.jpg
I'd love to see Giffen teamed up with Mahnke on something.

[samurainoir]

Gary Frank draws Superman right. And he looks like Chris Reeve!

Chris

Here is another example of a former Alan Davis impersonator who's really found his own distinct style. It seemed like most of the nineties Marvel UK guys were doing Alan Davis style artwork on their pages back then.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Yep, he did some straight swipes from Davis on the early Birds of Prey stuff he did.

Greg Land swiped from Davis too at times...of course he swipes from EVERYONE! He's the modern Rich Buckler!

Chris

[BlackKnight]

It really does amuse me to see Doug Mahnke referred to as a newbie.

I wrote that ...
And if you also read the rest of my post , That's in Reference to people who Claim " Comics are not as good as when, and yada" . There isn't Nobody , That writes something like that,... That I believe Know Who he is.

[samurainoir]

I wrote that ...
And if you also read the rest of my post , That's in Reference to people who Claim " Comics are not as good as when, and yada" . There isn't Nobody , That writes something like that,... That I believe Know Who he is.

Ah! Sorry, my bad. I guess two decades would make him a newbie if you only like stuff from the seventies and eighties! 8)

[Sandman9580]

I know who Doug Mahnke is, thanks. (It was a bad day for me when Major Bummer got canceled.)

It's not so much an issue of "nostalgia" as it is artistic preference, and lately mine has been going more for the classic stuff -- to the extent that I pick up a comic at all anymore. I think most modern-day comic book art looks trashy, garish and obnoxious. A lot of people disagree with me, and that's fine.

[Random Axe]

It's all just simple evolution of talent, style and taste.

Comic artists are responding to publisher demands based on what sells. Hyper detailed and often exaggerated physiques put cash into the tills almost every time. Whether you are a fan of contemporary art or not, you have to be able to see the talent level has increased exponentially. Panel-to-panel story telling has not been the same since McFarlane, and the entire industry has shifted it's direction to accomodate the readers desires.

Now, the artists aren't the only major change. BK and I were discussing this last night. writers are constantly coming up with outlandish demands of their artists with huge storylines and concepts that require a certain type of art style to complete. As much as I love Adams and Lopez, a storyline like Blackest Night would have been unrederable to those guys. Founding artists and legends as Buscema, Ditko, Starlin would be in over their heads despite the talent level they possess(ed). Bottom line, the writers are as much to blame for the artistic changes as the artist themselves.

Scott

[samurainoir]

Although wouldn't it be kind of an awesome kick to see how someone like Kirby might interpret Blackest Night in an Elseworlds/What If kind of way? (as long as Vince Colletta wasn't sitting there erasing stuff at the ink stage :wink_y:)

Atrocitus would have a page-boy haircut, I'd imagine his Sinestro would kind of look like Desaad. His rendition of the Cyborg Superman would be terrific.

Who would you guys get to draw the different parts of Blackest Night in "retro" style?

I'm thinking I'd choose Ditko at the height of his trippy Doctor Strange phase to draw Larfleeze/Orange Lantern.

George Perez circa his near burnout on Infinity War to do the Star Sapphire issues... scantily clad space amazons 'nuff said.

John Byrne for the Sinestro War. He seemed to have a flair for the character in an otherwise uneven run on Wonder Woman.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ep6cnQlWmWs/S1s9opNNqXI/AAAAAAAAEr4/IlYwBKiXvf4/Wonder+Woman+2nd+Series+110.jpg

and no question I'd have the Swamp Thing triumverate of Bissette/Totleben/Vietch doing Black Lantern stuff.

[kingdom warrior]

As much as I love Adams and Lopez, a storyline like Blackest Night would have been unrederable to those guys. Founding artists and legends as Buscema, Ditko, Starlin would be in over their heads despite the talent level they possess(ed). Bottom line, the writers are as much to blame for the artistic changes as the artist themselves.

Scott

Kirby could. The King could draw virtually anything with no reference in front of him and knock out three pages in one day that would have today's artist spinning. Kirby's out put is mind boggling. He came up with things that no one in their right mind could come up with.

You can't really say that about the old masters because they could draw and understood storytelling far better than many of today's Hotshots.

They were just in a different time.

[Earth 2 Chris]

The old guys had the chops to draw this type of stuff to. Just look at their stuff outside the code, at EC, at Warren. Just as horrific as Blackest Night. You didn't see it in Super Hero books back then because there were limits of good taste back in the day.:biggrin:

Chris

[jds1911a1]

I particulary dislike the "roids" veins for superman that show through the costume. It's one thing to be way too cut the way he was drawn in the 80's but really what can a modern superman with his nearly limitless power do to grow his muscles like that short of crushing asteroids

[torgospizza]

...Bryan Hitch was the biggest Alan Davis clone ever back in the day...

The first time I'd ever seen Hitch's work was a fill-in on WildCATS for Travis Charest, and Wildstorm had obviously told him to ape TC's style. It was okay and passable, but not as good as Charest. Now, however, I prefer Hitch. Not only does he have genius chops, but he actually turns out work.

[samurainoir]

The first time I'd ever seen Hitch's work was a fill-in on WildCATS for Travis Charest, and Wildstorm had obviously told him to ape TC's style. It was okay and passable, but not as good as Charest. Now, however, I prefer Hitch. Not only does he have genius chops, but he actually turns out work.

Although let's not forget how Charest's work on Wildcats evolved as well! Starting with that Jim Lee clone-style in the annual and even on James Robinson's arc around the teens of that title. (if you are a Charest fan, they are FINALLY going to be releasing his Metabarons Graphic Novel in English)

Anyone notice how Alan Davis' stuff in Avengers Prime is starting to look a bit more like Hitch's? Or is that down to the inker? Either way, it's a bit oddly full circle.

[torgospizza]

...(if you are a Charest fan, they are FINALLY going to be releasing his Metabarons Graphic Novel in English)...

Nice. I remember when he started that, years ago. I never knew he actually finished it. I just assumed he kind of dropped off into obscurity.

A lot of guys that started about the time he did just got wrapped up in playing video games and stuff and never completed their work and fell by the wayside. Some of those guys still have a fanbase, though--I'm not sure why, because a lot of the Image/Wildstorm stuff was of questionable quality, to begin with. In those days, anyone that could heft a pencil could get their own book, it seemed.

I'm not dissing Charest here, by the way. His talent is amazing--possibly the most talented person to come out of Wildstorm--but it seemed he just lacked focus and might have had a case of performance anxiety.

[SlipperyLilSuckers]

I can't say I like the 'roid look much at all...

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

Kinda reminds me of Freddie Williams II.

Don C.

[madmarva]

Honestly, I don't believe artists are more talented today than they were in the 60s or 70s, however, the conditions they work under are certainly different.

Artists in the 1960s and 70s regularly worked on two or more titles and generally met their deadlines. Some worked on three.

Today artists generally work on a monthly and when deadlines aren't met instead of the company running a fill-in or replacing the artists, they just suck it up and put out a late book.

Inkers today generally honor the penciler more than in the past. Better paper and better color allow for details to mean more to the art than they did when all books were printed on the cheapest paper possible. In other words, there is more incentive for pencilers to put more detail in their work and more incentive for inkers to retain it.

If artists today needed to work on two books a month to make a living, more of them would and in turn their work would be less detailed. If the companies demanded deadlines be met, then they would be. Some folks might have gotten fired, the art wouldn't look as good, and a lot of the more popular guys might not be working.

So while companies desire or demand more in terms of the actual art than in the past working conditions are more favorable for the artists. Plus, artists are able to sell their art today and some no doubt make much more on their sale than on what they are paid to produce it. Others can at least supplement their pay with the art sales.

But it's a different day.

Also guys like Kirby and Adams and Byrne generally were in on a lot of the plotting of the books or actually plotted many of the books themselves in the Marvel style with the scripter/writer filling in the dialog. It's seems to me it would be easier to draw one's own plots than someone else's full scripts.

Having said all that, drawing a comic book is labor-intensive work and that's counting the imagination and intelligence it takes to complete the job.

[ctc]

>If artists today needed to work on two books a month to make a living, more of them would and in turn their work would be less detailed.

True; but I think some of 'em could meet the deadlines. Look at the insane schedule the old 2000 AD guys had to work under, and how great their stuff was. Although I've heard Carlos Esquezera was something of a freak who could produce prodigious amounts of art. 'Course if you want to go back to the 40's and 50's the schedule was even MORE intense....

Don C.

[Surfsup]

That guys artwork is downright awful, it reminds me of Rob Leifield's rubbish work. Why oh why do companies employ these guys? I really don't get it.

In answer to the second to last post, I do think that artists these days are as good as what comics had in the 60s and 70s. You have amazing talents like J.H.Williams III, Mike Deodato Jr, David Aja, Michael Lark, Ivan Reis, Alex Maleev, Steve Epting, Frank Cho and Sean Phillips. We've never had it so good!