The Dynamite Art Of Alex Ross (book review).
Of all the Alex Ross books that I’ve picked up on, I was nervous about this one, ‘The Dynamite Art Of Alex Ross’, mostly because I thought it would be mostly about characters specifically for publisher Dynamite. As it turns out and to my discovery, they licence in a lot of characters allowed Alex Ross a bigger playground to play in.
This book not only contains a lot of paintings but pencilled illustrations and a few models based off his designs. What’s not to love?
Predominately, much of this book shows the designs and paintings Ross did for ‘Project Superpowers’, bringing to life the various super-heroes and villains from the various companies from the 1940s era with his realistic approach to costumes. Obviously, this is a mark-up from the originals that were printed in earlier days where speed was a premium and on pulpier paper.
I think I must have relying on the flick test too much, especially when I found more sections devoted to ‘The Avengers’, ‘The Last Phantom’ and ‘The Bionic Man’. Oddly, with the latter, I think it’s the only time I think I disagreed with Alex Ross’ decisions in giving Steve Austin metallic bionic muscles. Purely from a weight pov and also there is a tendency that it makes the arms and legs far more complicated for the brain to control. Added to that, every cyborg from Deathlok on went this way. Austin was the original cyborg, designed to look human, and his creator Rudy Wells…er…Martin Caiden opted for a more metallic frame under the skin than adding muscles.
There’s a lot of art here and I think its breaking my own rule not to look at too many more realities and have a serious look at ‘Project Superpowers’, although I am aware of its original reality so technically it isn’t.
GF Willmetts
December 2020
Buy it in the UK – https://amzn.to/3m7FhZf
Buy it in the USA – https://amzn.to/3oFe5mg
(pub: Dynamite, 2013. Page illustrated large hardback. Price: I pulled my copy for about £23.00 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-60690-244-8)
check out website: www.dynamite.com
