Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Mark Engblom covers Fantastic Four 18

























Original cover by Jack Kirby and Paul Reinman; Marvel 1963. Mark Engblom's website is here.

24 comments:

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    1. Yeah, Reed was still rockin' the pipe every once in awhile at this point in time...so I thought that would be a fun addition.

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  2. This is an awesome re-imagining of the original cover. I love the composition and choice of colors. It really POPS! VERY NICE work, Paul! :D

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  3. Wow! The drawing, and the color is fantastic, but the lettering on this piece really knocks it out of the park.

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  4. Thanks, guys! As much as I love Jack Kirby's covers, I felt this one was one of his rare "misses" (even Babe Ruth didn't hit home runs every time he was at bat). So, I wanted to show more of what the Super-Skrull was all about at a glance, since the original only shows S.S. using the Human Torch's powers. Plus, I thought it would be fun to show the Skrull using Sue's invisible force fields, even though she herself hadn't figured out how to use them yet. Add to that my love of the "one guy with all the team's powers" villains, and this one was a natural choice for me.

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  5. Now THIS is why I love Covered! What a beaut!

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  6. "None of their heroism"? I dunno, I think it takes some guts to claim a planet in the name of your empire, all by yourself.

    Seriously, great cover.

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  7. Hate hate hate.
    The thing that separated Marvel from DC, what made Star Trek different from Lost in Space, is that they took the subject matter seriously. They played it straight for the most part, and for that, we loved them then and love them still.
    Nothing personal Mark. You are clearly a talented artist. I respect anybody who works an idea through to completion and then puts it out there for the world to see. I just can't stand when people "cartoonificate" classic covers and think its all subversive. It is a real trend on this site (yes Vukojevich, I'm looking at you!). I guess it has its place, but honestly, it does nothing for me.

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  8. You sound like a load of laughs, Anonymous. This probably isn't the site for you, then.

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    1. Crom and Mitra! Can thou not take criticism?
      'Tis good for an artist to have a thicker skin!
      Besides, your essays are as interesting as this drawing is silly.

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    2. I think you are confusing opinion with criticism, which is a real trend on the internets, I suppose... This is a well thought out and executed concept. I can't blame Mark for being insulted if you tell him you hate his submission because if the style. A criticism would be pointing out a flaw in the drawing or idea.

      And all genre art takes itself with a grain of salt. To say Marvel is completely serious is a broad assumption. I have a comic where the Avengers fight Godzilla. Shit don't get sillier than that.

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  9. I would guess that anonymous isn't a fan of Darwyn Cooke or Bruce Timm or Michael Golden or C.C. Beck or Bret Blevins or Dick Sprang or Fred Hembeck or Not Brand Ecch.

    I would guess that anonymous is a fan of Alex Ross, Steve Rude, the latest Batman movie, Neal Adams, George Perez, John Buscema, Steve Epting and the guy who drew the Ultimates.

    The real question is....does anonymous like John Byrne (a very cartoony comic book artist)?

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    1. Very perceptive, Anonymous. Anonymous doesn't like ANY of those guys (with the exception of Hembeck), and he does like ALL those other guys!
      John Byrne? Loved him back in the day. Never thought of his stuff as cartoony, but I see your point.

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  10. Whatever the case, I won't be losing too much sleep over it.

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    1. As well you shouldn't.
      Like I said, you're a talented guy, but this piece is not my cup of tea.
      Just adding some salt amidst all the sugar.

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  11. Replies
    1. Vukojevich,
      Do you have nothing better to do than cruise Covered comments pages, looking for your own name?
      Pathetic. You are SO easy.
      Who says I have no sense of humor?

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  12. I love you rewrites and redesign on this! I feel like this is what the Fantastic Four would look like if the artist on Archie drew it. Great re-composition and re-imagining of a classic Kirby! Nicely done.

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