Dante: Burns or Fraser?
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Ah, but it's not a fair poll. Each artist has left their mark on the series to such a degree that you can't have one and not the other. (For this reason, I was ecstatic to see Fraser back on Dante - but not to the detriment of Burns.)
Fraser got my vote because he started it, and I ever-so-slightly prefer his work to Burns. It's got more edge.
Of course, in his favour, Fraser can be partially credited with the 2000AD renaissance. It was (for me) Sinister Dexter and Nikolai Dante, together, that proved 2000AD was still capable of creating long-lasting, iconic characters, bulging with imagination and thrill-power (instead of hanging on the over-stretched coat tails of Dredd and Slaine).
And it was one of the major highlights of last year to see Fraser return to art duties on Dante, just as Dante returned to the core plot threads that had been left dangling for several years.
Both artists have produced some amazing work in this strip. I'd say that Dante is one of the few stories to guenuinely tug at my heartsrings. So in all honesty I'd have to go for...
Robbie Morrison.
Yes, Simon designed the look of the character and his amazing world and Burns really gave Tsar Wars the epic feel it deserved but massive respect is due to Robbie for giving us a truly, almost consistantly, excellent strip.
So, I'm copping out of the Burns/Fraser debate (I love 'em both) and am saying Morrison - ha!
I voted Fraser. I thought his art on the last Dredd he did was terrible and I do like Burns work too, but for some reason when Fraser does Dante it just feels more like Dante for me. I don't recall, was he the first artist to do it?
Scratch that, I just remembered I have a prog sitting next to me and a pair of eyes with which to look at it,so that question has now been answered.
Fraser 'cos it's his character and he defined the universe.
Though Burns has done some stella work and i think was the best choice for the battlescenes during Tsar Wars.
"Burns was the best choice for the battlescenes during Tsar Wars."
I agree! and Fraser good for stories!!!!
Both. I like it better when Burns uses more ink. When he just paints it losses some sense of ballast. Check out his work in Tsar Wars One, you'll see I'm not talking total nonsense.
Me too, I prefer some of Burns' pen and ink work - usually I prefer Simon on Dante because the faces and expressions are just a bit more alive, even though Burns is in other ways the better artist.
To my eyes, Burns is a far superior artist- but I prefer Fraser on the strip. Just one of those things.
Depends entirely on the story.
For instance:
Fraser can draw the Tsar, Konstantin, weapon crest stuff, neo-Russian architecture and a serious or 'troubled' Dante better than Burns - but Burns can draw Elena Kurakin, Jena, Viktor, and a happier, cheekier Dante better than Fraser.
I agree Burns work is best when more pen and ink.
Nicolai Dante's face as he first approaches his motherâ??s pirate ship, in the strip that introduced her, is one of my favourite images. Dante summed up to a tee.
Ever watched Burns sketch at a con? It's amazing for his lack of structure lines and his use of negative space. Not a wasted pencil mark. 50+ years in the business shines through.
I have to go with Burns. His art on Raider is still one of my favourites.
Fraser for sure. Burns has ups and downs (as noted above, generally coinciding with whether or not you can see the lines) whereas Simon is much more consistent. Plus, creating a lot of the look and feel of the series.
4 people have currently voted for both.
It's my Grud-given right to procrastinate...
I went for Burns- IMO he barely puts a foot wrong- colours both sublime and at times spectacular, stunning scenes and panels that work as paintings in their own right for the most part. Some of his depictions of Dante's brooding and moments of melancholy speak volumes more than the dialogue. I think Robbie makes good use of what he knows Burns does exceedingly well- create mood and atmosphere with some well chosen smears of paint. Yet I also like his line and washier stuff too!
I think Simon's is probably the more imaginative work- and his early work on Dante pretty much sets the look, unless he decides to tweak it. I imagine that, because the character is partly his creation, that gives him more confidence to 'run riot' on the design work. I assume John, knowing that the character isn't really 'his', might possibly be a little less willing to tweak and alter things. I do think Simon's last outing was below his par, though. Which is a pity, Lulu's death deserved his best but there were a couple of panels I couldn't really tell what was happening and IIRC there is an odd panel sequence where the story jumps rather awkwardly, though that's probably just as much Robbies fault...
2000ads strength has always been about variety, and I like that. Burns' work is fairly unique at the moment, as there seems a big trend for the colour work to be mostly computerised and I'd hate to see him being pushed aside like Ron Smith, Massimo, Redondo etc. just because it isn't the latest look. That said, there will always be a place for Simon Frasers work in my prog too!
'I assume John, knowing that the character isn't really 'his', might possibly be a little less willing to tweak and alter things.'
Didn't stop him from drawing the Raven Corps in a completely different and rubbish way.
Simon Fraser been a fan since his work on Shimura as his style's always spoken to me and i like how he always seems to push his arts limits and make what he is doing different.
Burns is a master at what he does but i get disapointed with him as (for an example) some of my favourate work of his was on Raider. BUT he is samie his guns. on Dredd's Raider they are the same as the guns on Dante. and i have always felt that they are different world, different times,just different every thing. I like it if an artest uses different designs on different strips rather then just different every thing. I like it if an artest uses different designs on different strips not using "generic future gun" for each thing he or she does.
Actually 'rubbish' is too strong - just nowhere near as cool as Fraser's design, and it breaks the storyline a little to have them constantly changing uniforms. I too prefer Burns line and wash method.
Also why is it that no artist other than Fraser can draw Andreas and make him actually look like Andreas? That always bugged me.
IMO in an ideal world Fraser would have drawn all of Dante. Burns has produced some good work on the strip (especially during Tsar Wars) but generally I think such an energetic strip is let down by his more realistic artwork, and can sometimes read a little flat, whereas some of Frasers pages are just awesome in their sense of speed and movement.
I'll shut up now.