Homina, Homina!
Newsarama is reporting that, instead of Rags Morales being the artist on Paul Dini's upcoming Detective Comics run, it will be J.H. Williams III.
(Sound of jaws dropping everywhere)
Way, WAY too cool.
(Sound of jaws dropping everywhere)
Way, WAY too cool.
posted by Brian Cronin at 4/17/2006 02:27:00 PM
22 Comments:
I've got a nerd chubby.
Does this mean there will be five issues per year?
Drawn by Williams?
Probably!
But what amazing five issues they will be!!!
Problem is, according to a message board, Rags says that his run was only delayed due to personal problems and he'll still be picking up after Williams. So that means we'll be seeing those weird, doe-eyed doughy-faced emotionally blank facial expressions soon enough.
But at least we get to delay it a few months!
ARGH!
Damn you, T!!!
And as for Rags, what the fuck is UP with those doe-eyes?!?!? Why has no editor informed him how CREEPY they are?!?!
Here's the link to the message board where Rags assures some worried readers that he'll be on the book eventually.
As for Rags faces, what I love is how the same expression is supposed to represent a myriad of emotions. It reminds me of Zoolander's various expressions that all look exactly the same.
It wasn't until his Hawkman run, though, that he started doing that. And then, in Identity Crisis, he went WAY overboard with it - and that's been the case ever since.
In "The Greatest Review Ever," abhay really took him to task for it, and now I literally cannot read a Rags-illustrated comic book without thinking of all the jokes abhay made about his expressions.
Yeah, that's great news for Detective Comics...and probably truly horrible news for Desolation Jones. Who could possibly fill Williams' shoes on that series?
I think Rags Morales has been ill-served by his recent assignments. At its best, his art combines strong figure drawing with a cartoony, humorous element - kind of like much of Frank Frazetta's comics work. This worked well for Morales on titles like Black Condor and Hourman. (Incidentally, his cover to Black Condor #1 is one of my favorites, with its perspective and composition giving the downward-gliding Condor the simultaneous appearance of flying upward.) But on ultra-somber material like Identity Crisis, his style doesn't quite fit (though I'm not sure what would). Admittedly, some of the changes in Morales's art are probably his fault: he seems to have intentionally toned down his cartoony streak. It doesn't help that the excessive "prettiness" of Michael Bair's inking, which Morales (or at least his editors) appears to favor, saps most of the humor and vigor out of his pencils.
So who knows: If Dini's Detective scripts have the wit he's shown in his animation work and in "Mad Love" (and not the yawn-inducing sermonizing of those Alex Ross-drawn tabloids), they might play right into (what I see as) Morales's strengths.
Possibly, Jesse.
I did use to enjoy Morales' pre-Bair work, but even his work withOUT Bair has kept up with the silly "doe-eye" emoting that has been so mocked recently.
However, even with the freaky emoting, I think he's still a pretty good artist, to the point that I think he'll be the best artist on a Batman book once JH Williams III is done.
--It wasn't until his Hawkman run, though, that he started doing that. And then, in Identity Crisis, he went WAY overboard with it - and that's been the case ever since.
In "The Greatest Review Ever," abhay really took him to task for it, and now I literally cannot read a Rags-illustrated comic book without thinking of all the jokes abhay made about his expressions.--
Link please? - Stealthwise
Here's an edited version of the review.
http://dialbforblog.com/archives/59/
It basically keeps all the awesomeness, but it DID cut probably my favorite line of the review.
However, all the Rags-mocking is intact.
The unedited version of that abhay review is here - http://www.comicscommunity.com/boards/pop/?read=28386
Ugh. Add "8386" to the end of that.
I'm really torn on this one, because while I like J.H. Williams a hell of a lot more than I like Rags Morales, I also think his style is much better utilized on a project like Desolation Jones where he can cut loose with amazing visuals and bizarre effects than it is on Batman, where typically there's a call for much more nuts-and-bolts storytelling. So if Williams is just doing a couple issues and then going back to Jones or the next Morrison project or whatever, then fine, but I'd rather not see him get stuck drawing the Batmobile for the next year and a half.
Never mind, the first link was right.
"However, even with the freaky emoting, I think he's still a pretty good artist, to the point that I think he'll be the best artist on a Batman book once JH Williams III is done."
You must not have noticed Rags sense of anatomy then. Like his awful emoting, it's one of those things where once you notice it, you can't stop noticing it.
Mr. Lungfish makes an interesting point about style, but of course Williams did some fill-in issues on Batman a decade ago and he looked just fine. His style has changed, but if he sticks to more simple pencilling instead of the trippy stuff he's doing on Desolation Jones, I think it will work with the character.
Even re-reading abhay's review now.
Man, that is some classic shit right there.
adjijfpjeafjmeafjrehg!!!!!
thats the best news i've read all year....
BUT....
After that I still have to finish up Seven Soldiers. This has turned into a juggernaut of a task. The script is still being worked on and has been expanded in page count from what I’ve been told. After it has been scripted it will definitely take some serious time to finish that due to what is going to be required from the art side of things.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
but page increase = booya!
"but if he sticks to more simple pencilling instead of the trippy stuff he's doing on Desolation Jones, I think it will work with the character."
That's kind of what I'm worried about. Given what Williams is capable of, I'd rather see him do trippy stuff than see him rein his talents in for a more mainstream title.
I'd much rather have him on Jones. I don't think it'll be the same without him.
Still, this means I'm buying Detective now. Williams could become the New Breyfogle!
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