This Superman Doesn't Run on Gas (He's Electric)

In 1998, Superman briefly traded in his standard tights for an electricity-themed suit ... then he split into two electric Supermen. As I've discussed before, a costume redesign is a good way to drum up interest in a character and sell some comic books. But alas, this redesign (like so many) was never as popular as the original, and was retired shortly after being introduced. I still enjoy it as an oddity. Please note Clark Kent's plain undershirt (the electric suit formed around his body when he transformed from Clark to Superman):

Death of a (Super) Salesman

In 1992 the "Death of Superman" storyline sold a LOT of comics. The media coverage snowballed and somehow it became major news. I remember Jay Leno wearing one of the black arm-bands that came with the "death" issue. Of course this was not the first time a superhero (or even Superman) had died, but this death was somehow different. It tapped into the public's interest in comics as an investment, and I think people were intrigued by the idea that the indestructible man was going to die. Unfortunately, there was such demand for the issue in which Superman died, that it's still not worth much more than the cover price, and Superman returned to the land of the living about a year later.

20 years later, some comic fans feel like it created a bubble of investors/collectors that hurt the industry when it burst, but I can't feel anything but love for it. Besides, that argument doesn't make much sense to me. Anything that brings attention to the comic medium seems like a good thing. The current state of sales declines is sad but inevitable. But fear not comic fans; comics will survive in some form for many, many years to come. Superman circa 1992 on the other hand:

Beauty and the Swamp Thing

While my sister was visiting this past weekend (hi Ann!), my office doubled as a guest room. Actually it singled as a guest room: With the bed set up, there's not really enough room to sit at the computer. But it's okay, I was too busy having fun to stop and scan my drawings. So we're playing catch-up.

Today I drew Abby Holland and Swamp Thing:

Wonder Girl Eyes Superboy

It's been another long day and a late night, so I'll be brief. Pictured below you will find Wonder Girl and Superboy in their current, "New 52" incarnations. It seems like they're always scowling on the covers of Teen Titans, and something about their seeming similar temperament implies romantic potential to me. You know, the old, "at first they resent each other because they're so similar and teen-angst-y, but then they fall deeply in love" thing. Or maybe I'm just tired ... it's probably that second thing. Anyway, enjoy!

Because a Homicidal Clown Isn't Scary Enough

When DC launched the New 52 in October 2011, they tweaked quite a few things, but one of the more extreme changes they made was removing the Joker's face. When he finally reappeared 12 months or so later, he was wearing his face as a mask. It certainly has made for some interesting reading with the tremendous team of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo on the lead Batman book. You've gotta figure Harley Quinn had some reservations about the new look ...

Bizarro Tuesday

Confession time folks. Today's drawing was not in fact drawn today. It was drawn in January. But I accomplished other things. I hung pictures with my fiance, and I formatted my laptop (I haven't convinced it to install Windows 7 yet, but I'm negotiating with it). Anyway, here's a Bizarro sketch from January.

Which Scarlet Witch?

Marvel's Scarlet Witch has gone through several crimson outfits over the years. This is her current "Marvel NOW" outfit.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to bed ... after more work.

The Death of Spider-man, Long Live Spider-man!

Spider-man recently died ... while in the body of Doctor Octopus. Doc Ock was terminally ill and somehow swapped bodies with everyone's favorite wall-crawler. That's gotta be weird - holding your own body as the life drains out of it. Anyway, this is my interpretation of Spidy's death scene. He speaks the words that were so influential in his career as Spider-man to the new Spider-man.

Can't Keep a Good Turtle (or Franchise) Down

The turtles are back. Back on the air on Nickelodeon and back in the comics at IDW. And if you ask me, that's a good thing. With almost 30 years of butt-kicking history (1984-2013), they have proven that they have staying power (in addition to Turtle Power).

This sketch takes a little of what I like from every incarnation, but it's mostly a mix of the Nick cartoon (with the young april) and the IDW comic (with the comic-y-ness). I also like the idea that you can tell the turtles apart just by the shape of their faces and their expressions. I hope Splinter would be proud.

Wonderfully Womanly Wonder Woman

I love the way Cliff Chiang draws women (and really the way he draws everything). His art is a big part of why I'm still reading the "New 52" Wonder Woman. His Wonder Woman is strong and beautiful and something about her rings true for me. She's not an abstract character, she's a person. That's what I aspire to in this sketch and in my art in general.

On another note, I have officially passed the half-way point on my way to the goal of doing a sketch every day during the month of February. Yay me. However, I have not made a lot of progress on my other resolutions ... yet. Stay tuned!

Better Late Than Never?

I post my daily sketches late into the evening, so people probably see them the next day. As a result, my Valentine's Day sketch probably seems a little overdue ... oh well. Anyway, tonight's subject is FF, a new team that is part of Marvel NOW. Mike Allred's art (which is currently featured in the "FF" book) is really inspiring to me. His face/body types are varied and distinct, the characters look/feel like actual people and the drawings are just beautiful. Check it out if you haven't had a chance.

Batman Beats Bane

... in a paper/rock sort of way, not in a dead horse sort of way. Anyway, Bane famously broke Batman's spine in the 90s. While Bruce Wayne recovered (a broken back heals, right?), his temporary replacement modified the Batman suit and avenged the true Batman's back.

This is one of the more "out there" costume redesigns from the 90s I was mentioning the other day. He held onto this outfit for about a year, until the original Batman made an inevitable return.

Days of the Future Past

It was a long day of work. I barely had enough energy to finish this sketch, so please forgive my lack of commentary. Inspired by John Byrne's iconic cover, here's old man Logan:

Cyborg Superman Kills the Superman Who Wears Sunglasses

I usually try to come up with something unexpected or interesting for my blog post titles, but in this case being direct is unexpected and interesting enough. From the storyline that brought Superman back from the grave in the 1990s, here is Cyborg Superman killing the Superman who wears sunglasses (Eradicator).

Super Baby

In Frank Miller's much less celebrated sequel to "The Dark Knight Returns," "The Dark Knight Strikes Again," Superman and Wonder Woman have a child together. I'm not sure she's ever explicitly called Supergirl, but she wears the "S," so I think it's safe to call her Supergirl. I always liked her costume design, but a lot of the appeal is supplied by the colors. I should do some colors one of these days, or at least inks. One of these days ...

The (Bat) Men Don't Get to Have All the Fun

It's hard to add a new character to a long-running franchise, but in 2005 the folks at DC made a great addition to the Bat-family in Batwoman. She looks cool, she has a great story and the creative team on her books have consistently been creating stellar work. In my sketch, she steps out of the shadows to scare a thug, who casts bullets and light up into the air.

Captain America ... NOW

Yesterday I drew Cap in his classic togs, and today I drew him in his "Marvel Now" outfit. I must admit, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with costume redesigns. Any redesign is fun and interesting for a few months, but then the novelty wears off and it becomes clear that the classic costume is classic for a reason. And the formula for redesigns these days is pretty conservative: Keep the silhouette and colors, add "real world" detail (and detail for the sake of detail), and you have yourself a hip design that today's streetwise youths will go ape for. Say what you will about the redesigns from the 90s but they were ambitious. This is what Batman looked like and this is what Superman looked like. I should draw them on another day ... but for now, here's "Marvel Now" Captain America (with eagle).

O Captain! My Captain!

Is it bad that my only association with the above poem title is "Dead Poets Society?" While I don't remember the poem itself, I do remember that it is about Abraham Lincoln, not Captain America. But with two movies about him in 2012, I figure Lincoln has gotten enough attention. Anyway, here's Cap smacking the Red Skull.

During Watchmen (as Opposed to Before)

A coworker of mine saw the Sally Jupiter sketch from the other day and suggested I draw a group shot of the Watchmen. Rather than your typical, static group image, I opted to draw one of the key events towards the end of the book. I don't think this is precisely how it goes down in the book, but it's how it looks in my memory. Sadly, I am out of time for today's sketch, so I didn't get to finish Ozymandias. Perhaps I'll finish him off on another day ...

The Evil Forces of Skeletor!

Well, I don't know if Evil-lyn by herself constitutes "evil forces," but it sounds good. In this sketch, Evil-lyn and Skeletor are sporting their current DC Comics costumes, with a smidge of Maleficent sprinkled in. Because Maleficent makes everything cooler.

The Dark Knight Returns

What more can be said about "The Dark Knight Returns?" It's a dang fine Batman book that changed the interpretation of Batman as a character and shifted the course of the entire comic book industry. Aside from the tone and tight storytelling, a big part of what makes TDKR great is Frank Miller's pencils with Klaus Janson's finishes. The artwork is still some of my favorite art in all of comics.

Here's my homage to arguably the best Batman book ever written:

Wolverine and Elektra

I've been rereading "Enemy of the State." It's a pretty great Wolverine story if you're into that sort of thing. Evil Woverine, Good Wolverine, Elektra. What more do I need to say?

Today's sketch is based on a panel from "Enemy of the State:"

Scarlett Johansson & Jeremy Renner

... I mean the Black Widow and Hawkeye. Sometimes I get confused. I didn't really think through the pose before I started drawing, so the position of Hawkeye's bow is a little awkward, but for a sketch (with the obscuring power of sketchiness), I think it works okay:

Who Watches (Reads) "Before Watchmen?"

I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I do. As a fellow creator (I'm not in the same league as Allan Moore ... probably not even the same sport, but I digress) I definitely feel sympathetic to Alan Moore's position on the "Watchmen" spinoff properties. I also understand DC paid him to create that mythology and putting out more "Watchmen" comics is a natural choice. I think DC has tried to do right by the characters, and has produced some great books that, at the very least, don't dishonor the original.

This is my longwinded way of introducing today's subject, Miss Sally Jupiter, A.K.A. The Silk Spectre:

New Year's Resolution

It doesn't have to be January 1 to make a new year's resolution, does it? It's still January ... on the West coast anyway, which is where I am, so I'm resolving to resolve.

Resolution 1: Post to my blog more. 2012 was not a prolific posting year for me. My short-term goal is to post once a day for all of February.

Resolution 2: Finish the projects I’ve taken on before Comic-Con. I’ve got TWO projects that have pretty much been dead in the water because I’ve been too busy with “life” to make progress. By the time 7/27 rolls around, I want to be done with both of them.

So that’s what we’re in for. Still reading? Cool. Here’s Thor. He’s blog post #1 for 2013: