Which do you prefer?

[JayzusB.Christ]

Just out of curiosity...

Clint Langley's photoshop work with actual photos, like in the Books of Invasions, or his linework like in Joe Pineapples?

Think I'm going to have to go with his current style - the Invasions stuff was great but could get a bit messy at times, and that style's culmination in Sexy Ostriches just didn't hit the spot for me at all.

However, his Belardinelli tribute in Slaine and his current Meg and Prog work is just lovely - I could look at it all day.  I also preferred his old Sláine-in-Robin-Hood-times stuff before he recoloured it, I have to admit - I preferred the lovely penmanship unblurred by photoshop filters.

I may be adding similar questions about other artists to this thread, if anyone indulges me with an answer.

[JohnW]

Langley always rubbed me up the wrong way, however he was drawing. On principle though, I say leave the photos out of it, and draw your comics in pen and ink, like God intended.*

*(See Leviticus, the lesser frequented verses, over towards the end, down the back of the cushions.)

[Colin YNWA]

As ever with these things depends on the strip and what works best BUT in the spirit of the question I'd go his more 'natural' style which he's using in Joe Pineapples.

That said his use of photos worked really well in ABC Warriors by way of contrasting the 'human' characters really sharply. In Slaine for me it really didn't work at all. Different strokes for different strips as well as fiolks.

[broodblik]

I like the style he is using in Joe Pineapples but does not mind his "photos" in both ABC and Slaine. Now if you look at his work in the current Storm Warning that is even different from the style he using in Joe Pineapples.

[JohnW]

Reading the comments on the 'Looking Back' thread, I realise what it is I've got against Clint Langley. Fair enough, his aesthetic just isn't my cup of tea, but the real problem is that I will always associate him (consciously or otherwise) him with Dinosty.
Sorry, Clint. Sometimes talent isn't enough to wipe away the stain of youthful sins. I know Dinosty wasn't your fault, but when Pat Mills offered you the chance to follow in the footsteps of Glenn Fabry and Simon Bisley, you should have thought long and hard about it before binning your fancy pens and running away to sea.

[sheridan]

I liked the painted artwork on Dinosty and the three episodes of Nemesis the Warlock (would have loved if the painted style had carried on to a whole book).  Also liked the Massimo-callback linework.  I like the photo montage, but not as much as the painted and linework.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Langley's photoshoppery might've worked well as the cover art for a prog*-metal album, but it never worked for me in the context of a comic, telling a story. Everything looked so stilted and no sense of movement or action was conveyed. Then whenever he was required to make a character emote, they tumbled down into the uncanny valley. An interesting experiment, the style wasn't fundamentally bad, just wrong for telling stories.

*no pun intended

[M.I.K.]

I just wish Rebellion had the rights to Doomlord.

[broodblik]

I just wish Rebellion had the rights to Doomlord.

That is a pity but I think both John and Alan owns the rights. I would like a treasury complete omnibus

[Jim_Campbell]

That is a pity but I think both John and Alan owns the rights.

I thought Doomlord was one of the New Eagle strips whose rights (for reasons that escape me) are still tied up with the Dan Dare Corp, which is notoriously obtuse and difficult to deal with where licensing arrangements are concerned...?

[broodblik]

I have read it somewhere but I can not for certain remember where I read it but then again I can be completely wrong

[Colin YNWA]

I seem to recall John Wagner saying that they are with Dan Dare Corp but he and Alan had a stake that meant they couldn't use they (not that they seemed likely to be planning to do so) without agreement from John and Alan and it was all too complex and not worth the effort to sort things beyond that...

... as every whatever the situation damned shamed series if lovelyl shiney Doomlord collections seems to be a long way off.

[GordonR]

The grandly-titled Dan Dare Corporation don't even do anything with the Dan Dare rights - it's basically a retired film producer sitting on them on the ever-diminishing chance they might be worth something one day - so the chances of them doing anything with Doomlord seem negligible.

[Blue Cactus]

My favourite Langley stuff was his Slaine in Robin Hood mode, which was probably his most 'basic' style technically, ie pencil, ink, traditional colour. I think it's very impressive how he's tried various different styles over the years though. It's not always my personal favourite but I love when an artist keeps evolving. I've found his stuff recently on ABCs, Pineapples and Storm Warning more to my liking than the photo-type art, but I can't imagine how much time that must have taken to develop. Still haven't read Dynasty!

[JohnW]

I agree with you about artists evolving.
As for reading Dinosty? Don't.
Just look at the pictures.