I'm sure most of you recognize this art work as being the sketch that ~P~ from the Sanctum Sanctorum blog did for the Bill Mantlo fund raiser auction which I took the liberty of coloring. I figured since I colored it i might as well see what it would look like as an actual cover. Unfortunately having all the elements that make up a typical retail Marvel comic book cover of the 80's does hide some of the coolness of ~P~'s sketch but I think there is still enough of it revealed to make for a pretty damn cool ROM cover. I think one of the things that make this sketch work so well as a cover concept is the balance to the drawing. Rom is clearly the center piece with all the other subjects in the picture being very nicely distributed around him. Nothing feels visually too "heavy" or lopsided anywhere, it just works.
Monday, December 20, 2010
New ROM zero issue cover concept
I'm sure most of you recognize this art work as being the sketch that ~P~ from the Sanctum Sanctorum blog did for the Bill Mantlo fund raiser auction which I took the liberty of coloring. I figured since I colored it i might as well see what it would look like as an actual cover. Unfortunately having all the elements that make up a typical retail Marvel comic book cover of the 80's does hide some of the coolness of ~P~'s sketch but I think there is still enough of it revealed to make for a pretty damn cool ROM cover. I think one of the things that make this sketch work so well as a cover concept is the balance to the drawing. Rom is clearly the center piece with all the other subjects in the picture being very nicely distributed around him. Nothing feels visually too "heavy" or lopsided anywhere, it just works.
I agree. That was what made it such a hit in the first place. You look at it and you don't have to search for ROM. BAM! There he is! Fighting off all the baddies 360 degrees. I wonder how many other artists hated having their works of art cut off when they were slapped on the cover of a mag? But then...THEY WERE SLAPPED ON THE COVER OF A COMIC! So there you go.
ReplyDeletewell i think now that this art work has not only been colored but now made into a cover i think we're finally done with it. this was a good team effort not so much unlike the real world of comic book publishing in which someone does the pencils, another does the colors and or inks and then of course there's someone for the lettering.
ReplyDeleteFlattered, I am.
ReplyDeleteWhile I know it was hardly EVER done "back-in-the-day", nowadays it's not unheard of for ther UPC box to be shunted to the BACK cover, thus freeing up some valuable real-estate.
Still, I know that designing art that is MEANT to be used for a cover, as opposed to a pin-up, would necessitate the planning for logo space and room for other cover design elements (corner box, price and issue # fields, etc...), so I would have done it differently.
Still, I am quite humbled by the lavish attention you showered on my line-art.
One day... one day... I'll actually color it.
After the auction (mine is up on the block starting Dec. 22, 2010) I will showcase the FINALIZED black-and-white version on my blog.
Be on the lookout for it.
~P~
oh yeah that makes a great cover!
ReplyDelete