Comic Book Creator #26 Summer 2021 (magazine review).
One of the many things I like about ‘Comic Book Creator’ is when it steps into areas that I normally don’t have any interest in and probably still don’t afterwards but it gives me knowledge. Point of fact with Jon Cooke’s look at Don Dohler’s ProJunior in the American underground comics, a rather oddly eyed character with an open permit for other people to interpret him in various settings back in the 1970s. The saddest aspect is seeing the rollcall of people who did and how so few of them are alive today.
The second part of the interview with Sal Quartuccoio about his run of portfolios and brief foray into comicbooks and which he regards as easiest to do. I think it was rather telling on how well Marvel and DC Comics did when they took back their licences and not being so successful showing you need the right kind of people doing it rather than treat as an office job that anyone can do.
Both companies might actually have benefited by hiring Quartuccoio in retrospective. Looking at the samples here, I’m amazed at how many I actually own of their sketchbooks.
For those of you who think you have all things Will Eisner, the Cooke brothers (there are two of them and one is apparently not so pretty) were presented by his widow Ann the decorative humorous valentine cards her husband had given to her. You do have to wonder if all married artists do a similar thing.
Kevin Meyer, Jr. has a look at 50 years of American fanzines. Even from my side of the pond, I’ve heard of and owned some of them that had wider distribution. From a UK perspective, we have similar parallels in grabbing new talent on their way to becoming professionals to even the pros being generous with their time and art, not to mention interviews. With the Internet dominating, it does feel more like a by-gone age now.
There are several one page pieces here so you’ll have to forgive me for only picking out the highlights. The top nugget of these is a 40 page interview with Terry Dodson. If the front cover hasn’t sold you on his art then at least it prepares you for what’s to come.
There’s also a sense of being older as he became a comicbook artist after I dropped out of comics. From his interview, I can see why he was told to bring his women in his illustrations to the fore before he does do attractive ones. Saying that and seeing his pencils, he also does clean lines and composition enhanced by his wife Rachel’s inking.
I was interested in reading about Dodson’s wrist injury from working. Usually, the medical problems comicbook people generally have is back problems leaning over an art board, hence them working on a more upright table. I’ve only done that with digital painting.
Objectively, a digital pen doesn’t allow for full wrist rotation because there is a limited contact between pen and screen compared to as you would with a pencil or pen
Wrist problems are far more severe. Luckily, Dodson is one of the rare ambidextrous artists and switched hands while it healed. Even so, I would have liked to have seen a difference comparison between them to see how they looked.
Anyway, I was impressed with the Dodsons work together enough to order up a copy of their ‘Adventureman’ graphic novel which should speak for itself. I suspect those of you who read this interview are likely to do the same, as well as some of his other work. His design is good and his figurework attractive. What’s not to love? Well, only when you discover ‘Red One Volume 2: Undercover’ is already out of print and needs a reprint.
Expect a rush.
GF Willmetts
October 2021
(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page illustrated magazine. Price: $ 9.95 (US). ISSN: 2330-2437. Direct from them, you can get it for $ 9.95 (US))
check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=133&products_id=1605
