Do some artists get worse, or am I an old reactionary?

[Dudley]

McMahon
Siku
Adlard
Langley
Harrison (Mark)
Walker
Critchlow

...are all artists whose style has changed dramatically over the years.  Whether it's digitisation, a new approach to colour, abandoning fully-painted, maturing as an artist, too many drugs, whatever, the point is, you can see a very distinct change.

Now, the other thing that unites them is that in all the cases above I prefer the original art style to the new one.

Am I a reactionary who can't stand to see things change, or do others here know what I'm going on about?

[JamieB]

I think most of those artists you mentioned have moved from being quite similar in style to older / more established artists, to a more individual style of artwork - and I'd generally be inclined to call that a good thing.

J-Bo-1

[Floyd-the-k]

with Siku you`re right. I like his new style too (as seen in the Pumpkin Eater story) but his old style is brilliant
 With Langley I like the new style better. the old style was too dark and runny for my taste, I kept feeling like it needed a wipe
 McMahon`s new style is more interesting than his old one but I`d rather have the old one for a long period of time, I feel the new style would begin to get on my nerves
 I think the change for some artists is parelelled by Jack Kirby`s early and late styles - the late style was really chunky and looked lazy to me (much copied in 2000ad in the work of Shaky 2000 back in the 900s)
 I hadn`t noticed Critchlow changing

so you`re not just a reactionary, some artists do get worse, others just change

yours hopefully not getting worse

[Queen Firey-Bou]

i noticed recently during a back prog flurry that some were shockingly better back then, But most i hope improve with maturity. maybe theres just the occasional glitch ( like this weeks REd ? )

[Art]

Miller?

[The Amstor Computer]

Well, firstly I'd like to say that I love McMahon's changing styles, and am delighted with both Walker & Critchlow's new approaches (and, in the case of Critchlow, quite surprised - I couldn't stand his painted work, but his work on recent Dredd stories has been fantastic)

I don't think there's necessarily anything reactionary about your view, unless it's an across-the-board response to any change in any artist's style. What originally attracted you to a particular artist can disappear as their style evolves over the years, and I don't think there's anything wrong with preferring their old style to their current one.

[Quirkafleeg]

>I hadn`t noticed Critchlow changing

Compare old Thrud (back in the WD days) to the latest version and it's like two different artists!

[Art]

even weirder, it's like two different GOOD artists!

[Matt Timson]

I think a person's style is changing all the time- which is a good thing*.

I look at some of my older stuff and think, "who drew that?!"  No doubt in a couple of years, I'll be looking back on the suff I'm doing now and laugh.

Matt

*Otherwise Molcher would never get any better.

;)

[Quirkafleeg]

>even weirder, it's like two different GOOD artists!

That goes without saying

[paulvonscott]

Can I raise that and say Three good artists, I thought Carl's Thrud, his nemesis/deadlock work and his current style are all very different and quite good.

The nemesis stuff was printed on paper that made it seem fairly dark and horrible, like a lot of painted stuff (inc. horned god) I'd really like to see a quality reprint of the story.

A lot of artists change style and you may or may not like various styles.  I liked McMahon at the start, his classic Dredd phase, his ABC Warriors stuff, his Slaine stuff, I wasn't very keen on his quite extreme 90's style, but that new cover for Last American looks good again.

I'm not sure artists turn bad, I'm not sure it's possible that they lose that ability to draw, but there are lots of artists I like where they have strange phases I'm not keen on.

Also certain styles always don't suit particular projects, stories or strips, while some seem perfect for it.

[CraveNoir]

Colin MacNeil is someone who was excellent in B&W or colour. These days he doesn't seem to be inspired at all.

What I think is a crime is how artists who were truely world class in B&W have to work in colour.

People like:
Cam Kennedy
Ian Gibson
Ron Smith
Cliff Robinson
Mike McMahon
Arthur Ranson

Cam Kennedy's work was what attracted me to the comic in the 400s, where he'd really hit his stride on Dredd. These days he seems to be a parody of himself. People may bemoan Siku's Dredd (though I have no problem with it), but IMO Cam's just as guilty of allowing his style to get away from him.

Some artists have made the move to colour convincingly. Exquerra's work, for instance, has settled down to a pleasing style. It's just not something everyone can transition to after years of B&W work.

What made people like Gibson, Smith, and Robinson stand out was their B&W technique. While they're accomplished enough to stand out against new guys, the work isn't 'as good' as they've done in the past, or 'world class' anymore.

Having said that, they're all still good enough to deserve respect for their work. I just think it's a shame they're not permitted to work in their best light.

[Dudley]

Not sure I agree with you about Gibson: I love his work when it's subtly coloured with pencils.

Completely agree about Kennedy, though...another one for the list!

[Jared Katooie]

Kev Walker used to be much better than he is now IMO. I know noone agrees with me but I really feel he was.

McMahon was better in his block wars days (drove him bonkers if you ask me). Cam Kennedy's old stuff, Gibsons too (though less so with him). I'm all for artists developing their own styles but sometimes I prefer the original one.

[Darryl]

nope, I agree with you Jared, I loved his work for Games Workshop, as it was, I thought, full of quirky characterisation (the picure I have of his Titan has loads, marines getting squished etc...)
to his work now, which is more inspired by Mike Mignola, and is quite stark and, well, boring?

But I understand that artists grow and their work evolves, and I still look forward to their new work.

And Carl Critchlow's work RULES!