Yellow Hat Guy

[Jim_Campbell]

and don't mention feet!

You don't immediately notice it because of the way it's coloured, but just take minute to check out the Cap's right arm on the Captain America cover. It actually hurts my brain trying to work out how far you have to bend the rules of perspective and anatomy to make sense of that arm.

Cheers!

Jim

[Colin YNWA]

I really should stop this but this one always made me laugh. How Cap A as drawn by Rob Liefeld would look sans uniform



I should say he has got better

[Proudhuff]

I thought it was just me who hated that style of drawing... didn't know it was all one dude.

[Nap Normal]

Well this little story has kept me entertained for a couple of days now. It's been funny, thought provoking and educational. I had never heard of Rob Liefeld before. The only comics I've read over the years has been 2000ad and the Meg so my knowledge of Amercian writers and artists is minimal. On my quest to find out more about the incident I came across another podcast that was quite interesting. It's some American artists discussing the incident.Rob Liefeld calls in and gives his version of the event.
TexasGeeekTV The Mighty Sabo and Son
http://texasgeektv.vox.com/library/post/tgtv056---ep88-the-mighty-saboand-son-with-rob-liefeld-and-ryan-coons.html

[SuperSurfer]

I'd never heard of this Liefeld fellow either. Kind of makes me feel glad I kept away from US comics in the 90s. At least when I browse through US comics in FP nowadays the overall standard of art seems very high, whether it's to my taste or not. But in the late 80s and 90s – man, the mainstream standard was pretty dire. Which is probably why I never stepped into a comic shop for many years.

I've also been entertained by reading up about this story on the cringeworthy and funny link already mentioned above http://progressiveboink.com/archive/robliefeld.html and this Spanish website which gives plenty of examples where Liefeld seems to have blatantly copied other comic artists wholesale http://blog.adlo.es/swipe_of_the_week/rob_of_the_week/2006/08/

TBH, looking at Liefeld's official website he does seem to have moved on a bit from that 90s dross. One word sums up that 90s work: lazy. I hate that kind of comic art that is only influenced by other superhero art, where each generation is a poorer imitation of what went on before.

Of course, drawing superheroes has to be about some exaggeration but have to agree that his sense of anatomy is shocking. Hands and feet are just outrageously bad. In many cases he couldn't be bothered to try and distinguish the difference between a thumb or a little finger.

As for Yellow Hat Guy – he is trying too hard to be wacky. Ok he's a jerkov but I can't help thinking there's been a lot of overreaction to this incident.

[mogzilla]

I thought this was going to be a thread about my avatar. 



Incidentally, that first link isn't working for me, so I don't really know what this thread is about.

i thought it was a thread about curious george

[Tiplodocus]

I'm going to throw McMahon's recent art into the ring here.  As far as I can see, a lot of that had no sense of perspective or anatomy and it just looked like a bunch of bendy legged awkwardly angular poses.

[stacey]

I agree with Jim about this.  If you don't like something, fair enough, everyone is entitled to their opinion. But to do that to a creator at a con, I don't think that's funny, I think it's rude.

[Jim_Campbell]

I'm going to throw McMahon's recent art into the ring here.  As far as I can see, a lot of that had no sense of perspective or anatomy and it just looked like a bunch of bendy legged awkwardly angular poses.

Important difference: Mick McM understands the rules and then bends or breaks them to achieve whatever effect he's after. Whether or not you like that effect is not related to the fact that he knows how to draw.

Liefeld just spent his time copying out of superhero comics without ever actually understanding anatomy or perspective ...

Cheers!

Jim

[Mike Gloady]

McMahon CAN draw, that's an undeniable fact as he's proved again and again.  I really dislike his current style, but as Jim says, he's messing with us deliberately for effect. Liefield can not, and could NEVER draw.  Ever.  Anatomy, perspective, lghting, women, feet - the list of things he can't draw is a pointless exercise, much along the lines of listing everything in the world ever.  There's a world of difference between the two.

Whether you like Rob Liefield or not, that guy acted like a half-dozen box of class A cockends.  The end.

[Jim_Campbell]

the list of things he can't draw is a pointless exercise, much along the lines of listing everything in the world ever.

Except pouches. Liefeld draws a mean pouch ... which is probably why he drew so fucking many of them!

Cheers

Jim

[Dandontdare]

Important difference: Mick McM understands the rules and then bends or breaks them to achieve whatever effect he's after.

My mate used to use the same argument when trying to get me into modern improvised jazz! Make of that what you will!

[Mike Gloady]

Your mate was right.  I've little time for that stuff asthetically myself, but I'm always impressed by the technical ability. *

Unfortunately technical ability counts for nothing in the "LIKE/LOATHE" stakes.  Which is why it's always the stuff with the hummable tune that people REALLY like, even if they SAY they like the inpenetrable, noodly, worthy stuff. 

* as with ALL my sweeping generaliations, there ARE exceptions.

And yes, Rob really CAN draw a good pouch.

[radiator]

Important difference: Mick McM understands the rules and then bends or breaks them to achieve whatever effect he's after. Whether or not you like that effect is not related to the fact that he knows how to draw.

Exactly - it's telling that McMahon is often referred to as an 'artist's artist'.

When McMahon draws, he creates his own artistic universe where everything is stylised and exaggerated, yet it has a sense of logic and is consistent and coherent. Liefield clearly uses his exaggerated style (and excessive cross-hatching) to hide his lack of draftsmanship.

[Jim_Campbell]

My mate used to use the same argument when trying to get me into modern improvised jazz! Make of that what you will!

Again: I make no comment as to whether one likes or dislikes the effect that McM is going for, merely recognizing that it is a conscious stylistic choice that he has made that develops out of his formidable talent, rather than a series of stylistics quirks developed to disguise a lack of talent to begin with!

Cheers

Jim

Edit to add: Or, indeed, exactly what Radiator said while the board was timing out on me as I attempted to post the above ...!