Good Girl Art: Young X-Men no. 2 by Terry and Rachel Dodson

That title sounds so wrong.

According to wikipedia "good girl art" is:

"...found in drawings or paintings which feature a strong emphasis on attractive women no matter what the subject or situation."

Whereas Young X-Men was a secondary storyline to the X-Men "Divided We Stand" story.

However, my interest really lies with Terry and Rachel Dodson's artwork!

I was first introduced to Terry and Rachel's work when I stumbled upon DC's Harley Quinn in 2001. There was something special about the comic. Well written, great characters, fun stories, and the clincher - Harley herself. No longer a whimsical cartoon depiction from Batman The Animated Series, Harley took on a whole new level of reality. Terry and Rachel drew Harley with the form of a fully realized person (albeit an 'idealistic' person). But here was a Harley who was athletic, emotional, capable, and ultimately, sexy.

And right there is the truth to why the Dodson's artwork is so appealing. The women the Dodson's draw are not weak, docile characters whose only strength is their exterior. The women they draw are fully realized both internally and externally and in essence are not just attractive women, but attractive characters.

Over the years I've kept an eye out for Dodson's work, be it their run on Spider-Man or their current work on X-men, but a few years ago I realized that I had seen their work from way back in my past. Digging through my comics I came across my old copies of Mantra. Judging from the cover art I knew why I purchased these comics as a 13 year old boy and looking at them now as an adult I appreciate them for much more than a prepubescent thrill they were then, but now a realization that even at 13 I had great taste in good girl art.






Young X-Men #2 written by Marc Guggenheim, penciled by Yanick Paquette, inked by Ray Snyder, colored by Rob Schwager, lettered by Dave Sharpe. Marvel July 2008.





Terry and Rachel Dodson Gallery




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Mantra

Where the Wild Hulks

Necrosha The Gathering

Writer: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Artists: Ibraim Roberson, SotoColor's L. Molinar, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Leonardo Manco, SotoColor's C. Fidler, Kalman Andrasofszky, Cam Smith, SotoColor's J. Roberts, Mateus Santolouco
Pub: Marvel
Pub Date: Feb 2010

Only bought this because of Walta's art. He's got a great style. Not to knock the other artists of course, they're a bonus.

Fan Expo 2010 - Girl Comics # 2

Writers: Various
Artists: Various
Colours: Various
Publisher: Marvel
Published: July 2010

While at the Fan Expo in Toronto, I had the opportunity to meet Jill Thompson! She's a nice person who is a wicked artist. Our conversation was brief and a bit stunted, but enjoyable nonetheless.

I mentioned how much I liked her cover for Girl Comics 2, what with the spin on a fairytale using Marvel characters. She said she "got to do a Marvel cover" and so she wanted to cram as many characters as she could on it. All the better in my mind - I think it's the best cover of the 3 issues.

We then turned to a discussion on her technique. She is a master artist in my mind. She can write, draw, illustrate, paint, letter, and color. She mentioned that one of the draw backs of digital coloring is how easy it is to create a flat looking image. She's totally right. Now, just to clarify, she's not saying digital coloring sucks, just that it is very easy to create a flat image, whereas with paint, depth and perspective can be explored more thoroughly. By having the color trail off, recede, or fade out, an illusion of depth is created, which makes the art all the more interesting. Another thing she mentioned was on her Scary Godmother series, she uses her own font, which has since been made into a digital font. I'm not sure why Marvel didn't just use her font for her Inhumans story...but that's the corporate machine at work I guess. Man she's a wicked artist though! I only wish I had the cashonies to buy a copy of her sketches...I'll be kicking myself over that one....

Check below a pic I took of the printed copy vs. the original artwork from Girl Comics 2. (I still think Girl Comics 2 is a terrible title. All the more considering I have to think of Jill Thompson and the phrase 'Girl Comics' in the same sentence. Just seems wrong...anyway, enjoy the art!)




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The Crow Book One

Jungle Girl S2

Wolverine: Switchback

Writers: Joseph Clark, Gregg Hurwitz
Artist: Das Pastoras, Juan Doe
Publisher: Marvel
Published: March 2009

Wolverine is one of my favorite Marvel characters, but it can be tough to follow all his comics. As a compromise, I try and pick up a few one shots. Luckily, a buddy of mine turned me onto this issue. Switchback has 2 tales. The first one involves Wolverine taking a side trip on his journey to solve a mystery. The second has Wolverine getting beat up. It's called Punching Bag.

The first tale makes this comic worth picking up. The art reminds me a of a warped Norman Rockwell. I'm probably way off with that remark, but it's the first thing that comes to mind. As for the story, it's short, straightforward, sans super villains, and has a satisfying conclusion involving Wolvie getting beat up real bad, and then killing the bad guy. Which is exactly what I want in a Wolvie story.

Girl Comics # 2 of 3

Writers: Various
Artists: Various
Colours: Various
Publisher: Marvel
Published: July 2010

Terrible title. Fun comic though. Girl Comics issue 2 has a smorgasbord of 'girl' talent. As a mini series of various stories, some are gonna be hits and some misses. This issue has more hits than misses, so that's a good thing. I really liked the story of the prank call set upon Dr. Doom by Johnny Storm and Thing. As well, the art by Jill Thompson for her tale was fantastic. She also did the cover, which makes this issue worth picking up just for that.

For those not in the know, Girl Comics is a series dedicated to showcasing the talent of Marvels women writers/artists/colorists/editors and so on. The tales are generally lighthearted, fun, accessible, and beautifully drawn. Throw in a few pin ups and some bios of past female creators written by Trina Robbins, and you have a decent mini series dedicated to women Marvel creators.

Not sure why they went with the title "Girl Comics". But then again, from personal experience I've always had trouble figuring out how to address a group of females/ladies/women/girls(??) anyway.

If I address them as "ladies" I feel like a Beastie Boy.
If I say "women" I feel like an ass.
If I say "girls" I feel like and idiot.
If I say "females" I feel like a biologist.

I usually just go with "guys". That's safe. Better to just address everyone as if they're a dude.

Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment

Writer: Roger Stern

Artist: Michael Mignola

Colors: Mark Badger

Publisher: Marvel

Published: 1989

Been a while...watching a lot of Glee...yeah I admit it. I am so conflicted by this show. There are so many things I dislike, yet I can't stop watching it. I've watched 18 episodes in 4 days! I can't stand the lip synching, the non-teen cast, the ridiculous plot lines and manipulative storytelling...and I'm really tormented by the sterilization of songs I like...yet I can't turn away...after this post, I'm gonna watch more. However the show really is a triumph...no matter how twisted it gets and no matter how manipulated I feel, I root for these characters. This feeling reminds me of todays comic: Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment.

The story follows two of Marvel's biggest and most powerful characters. One dedicated to life, the other to the subjugation of life: Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom. They each compete in a ritualistic magical competition and it's bizarre prize forces Dr. Strange to aid Dr. Doom on an insane quest into Hades itself to battle Mephisto (which is the Marvel equivalent of Satan).

On the surface this comes across as just another adventure in the Marvel U. But, inside this seemingly everyday tale beats a story of redemption, sympathy, and the need to win-no-matter-the-price for one of Marvels darkest and most evil characters.

Dr. Doom makes for a great bad guy; but he's still a bad guy. He's evil, narcissistic, manipulative, destructive, murderous, but in this tale, I root for him, all the way.

*Note: This is my first graphic novel review on Comix-365. Up until now I've avoided graphic novels, mainly because I've been adamant to focus on single issues. There are a number of reasons for this, but as of today, I'll try to post some graphic novels or collected works, especially ones that were intended to be graphic novels or are hard to find as singles.

Here's a link to some reviews I did for Chapters on a bunch of graphic novels and other stuff if you're interested.

Spidey Super Stories # 11

Writer: Jean Thomas

Artists: Winslow Mortimer, Mike Esposito, and T. Mortellaro

Publisher: Marvel

Published: 1975

With the new Spidey film in works, there has been a call for Donald Glover to audition. The debate has been whether Peter Parker/Spider-Man can be black...this whole debate kinda reminds me of todays issue.

After having one of Peter Parker Spidey bindle webs fall into Valerie's hands, she gets the idea to be a superhero!

And after a few training sessions, The Sensational Spider-Woman is born!

Spidey seems ok with this...

Then trouble strikes! The Vulture! Good thing Valerie is there!

And after Valerie's wall suction cups fall off, Spider Woman is no more. The End?

This is a fascinating story. It has a black Spider-Woman, but the fact Valerie is black has no bearing on the story. Valerie's a down on her luck gal, who has her luck turn around when she dons the costume of Spider-Man. And then in the end, she returns to just Valerie, while the real Spider-Man continues his adventures.

This tale has certain elements that are surprisingly similar to the plight of Don Glover and his quest to don the mask of Spider-Man. He's wants to have some of the fun as it were, be a hero. And as much as internet fans photoshop him into the costume, at the end of the day, he'll most likely not be the next Spider-Man. But, unlike Valerie's story in this issue, where she did become Spider-Woman and happened to be black, Don Glover will not be Spider-Man because he is black.

Call me jaded, but the proofs in the pudding. Take for instance the up-and-coming movie The Last Airbender, where 3 of the 4 lead actors are white and are dressed to look Asian/Inuit. If Hollywood won't even cast Asians/Inuit to play originally intended Asian/Inuit characters, they sure as hell won't cast a Black actor to play a White Peter Parker/Spider-Man. (Note: I am not comparing skin colours, but actors to character roles).

But, I'm ambivalent on the issue. Part of me wouldn't want a black actor to be cast as Spider-Man because it would be a gimmick at best. However, another part says yes to a black Spider-Man because characters of such resonance shouldn't be determined by what colour their skin is. Another part of me says why should there be a black Spider-Man when they're are so many other great characters who were written as black. Then again, when I close my eyes and think of Spider-Man and other heroes I enjoy reading, they are always white; my own mind is "white washed" - maybe a simple change of colour could shakes things up for the better?

As a thought experiment on the debate, I photoshopped this image together. Sorry to J. Scott Campbell!

I don't know about you guys, but after looking at this image, I think a world of fresh, controversial, and exciting stories could be culled from making Peter Parker/Spider-Man black.

*****Update*****

So I added this photo to a comic site and the responses I got were awful, and then it opened up the doors for really bad comments. I don't get it. This image wasn't created as a form of blackface. It's trying to imagine what a world would be like where Peter Parker/Spider-Man is black. And as the image suggests, just because Peter's black, doesn't mean his supporting cast would be black as well. I think that is what would be so awesome about a black Spider-Man - he'd tackle racial politics. So this image can be taken a number of ways. Is MJ shocked at Peter cheating, or is she shocked at a black man and a white woman kissing, or both? What exactly would happen if Spider-Man was black?

On a related note: Years ago I saw Joey Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni) and Snake (Stefan Brogren) do a live show where they talked about their experiences growing up filming Degrassi. One of the stories that stood out was when Degrassi started airing down in the States, their biggest complaints they received weren't the episodes where they tackled child abuse, abortion, drugs, suicide, etc, but the episode where BLT (black) and Michelle (white) kissed. Wow. Living in Canada, where we embrace (or at least pretend to) our differences, I find this to be perplexing. Colour is just that - colour. It makes our world brighter, better, and beautiful.

So either people are offended by this rendition because it's photoshopped, or they immediately think it's a blackface, or they are offended at the potential racial politics therein. I don't know. Any thoughts?

Check out my follow up!



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Solo: Mike Allred

The Goon #8

Breaking Into Comics - The MARVEL Way # 2

Writers: Various

Artists: Various

Publisher: Marvel

Published: May 2010

This comic was a great way to introduce fans to some up-and-coming talent in the Marvel U. Breaking Into Comics is a showcase for new talent, who describe their experiences on getting hired by Marvel as well penning/illustrating some great stories. This particular issue has 5 tales, centred around a choice selection of Marvels characters: The Fantastic Four, Thor, The New Mutants, Psylocke, and Deadpool.

Of particular note was the New Mutant tale illustrated by Gabriel Hernandez Walta. The story is dark, very disturbing, and all grown up for a bunch of teenage muties. Hernandez Walta delivers top notch artwork. His work is foreboding, menacing, and deliberate. Just beautiful. After reading the tale, I couldn't get it out of my mind. It has such force.

The remainder of tales are great as well. With these folks propelling Marvel Foward, I'd say DC has their work cut out for them...then again DC has got Batman and Grant Morrison...

Here's a collage of some images from Breaking Into Comics:

Daughters of the Dragon # 1 of 6

Writer: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Artist: Khari Evans
Publisher: Marvel
Published: March 2006

Running a bit behind...Daughters of the Dragon has Colleen Wing & Misty Knight working as bailbondswomen. However some of their clients (see below), end up stealing from someone they shouldn't steal from, and Misty and Colleen are forced to clean up the mess.

Return of the Jedi # 2

Adapted: Archie Goodwin
Story: George Lucas
Art: Al Williamson & Carlos Garzon
Publisher: Marvel
Published: November 1983

Ever seen Star Wars: Return of the Jedi? Well heres's the comic version condensed into 4 parts. It has a cool cover and awesome artwork. Good enough for me.

The Bitter Truth: Star Trek destroys Star Wars...then again if Star Trek had more light sabers...oh...now it's complicated...

UPDATE: June 13 2010 Al Williamson passed away. RIP - your work is a testament to spectacular craftsmanship.

Marvel Comics Presents # 88: Wolverine

Writers: Peter David, Various
Artists: Sam Kieth, Various
Publisher: Marvel
Published: 1991

Growing up this was (and still is) one of my favorite Wolverine stories. It has everything: Wolvie getting beating up, Madripoor, a tough son of a b*tch villain, Tiger Tyger, and hot dog cars. This run also introduced me to Sam Kieth. Lately he has been doing a bunch of work on Batman, but it was Wolverine work that really put him over the top. Kieth deliviered one of the hariest, beastly Wolverines I've yet seen. This ain't no Hugh Jackman.

Wolverine has just been beaten, bad, by Cyber. Cyber is able to deliver hallucinogens via his toxin tipped fingernails. Issue 88 opens with Wolverine in a lot of pain, and the hallucinogens kicking in. He is relieving the moments when he first met Cyber. Wolvie is in school, and is not to pleased with Coach Cyber. Seems the coach has made the moves on his girl Janet. Too Bad for Wolvie that Coach Cyber has got a bigger sausage...car. Looks like the two are going to have a wiener show down.