So, this morning's comic industry news has been filled to the brim with D(etective)C(omics) Comics playing musical chairs with their artists. (oh, and the Smallville Season 11 digital comic)
Take a deep breath and here's the rundown: 90's Animal Man artist, Steve Pugh, is taking over art on Animal Man; Animal Man's Travel Foreman is moving to Birds of Prey; Birds of Prey's Jesus Saiz is moving to Resurrection Man; Resurrection Man's Ferndando Dagino is moving to Suicide Squad; and whoever was drawing Suicide Squad is... not.
After reading all of this (and lord help us, let that be the last of these announcements, today) I find myself consumed with the question: "WHY?"
Pugh was already sharing art chores with Foreman on Animal Man, so that didn't come as too much of a surprise, but Jesus Saiz is PERFECTION on Birds of Prey. Absolute PERFECTION. Especially with the addition of colorist, June Chung. He draws strong, realistic women and that's SUPER important on a book like BoP. (and something it hasn't often seen, with artists like Ed Benes and Ardian Syaf)
So, why the shuffle? I know fan reaction to Travel Foreman on Animal Man has appeared to be split right down the middle. (I fall on the "Love Him" side) Potentially, bringing Steve Pugh to the book would appease everyone. Foreman has previously worked with writer, Duane Swierczynski, on Iron Fist, so that makes sense... but do they think that moving Saiz to a lower-selling book will improve sales? Did he simply want to try something completely different, having been a part of the last two volumes of Birds of Prey? Suicide Squad has already seen quite a shuffle of artists since it launched so one more makes little difference.
It just... seems strange and pretty needless, all the shifting about of artists.
But mostly I'm just upset about losing Saiz. I dig Foreman quite a lot and I'm sure he'll do fine on Birds of Prey... and he's definitely not in the "Image-style" school that Benes and Syaf travel in, but... and I can't emphasize this enough... Jesus Saiz is just SO perfect on Birds of Prey and it's become such a great female-focused action/caper comic, I'd hate to see anything shake the series.
This news is sad, but all in all... not unexpected. DC is really trying to be proactive. Almost to a fault. I wish I knew what dictated these changes? I think everyone of the artist you spoke of are what the "layman" comic fan would call unconventional. But most of the books they are on are also not your "conventional" super-hero book.
ReplyDeletePersonally, yeah Jesus Saiz is an incredible artist. Its realistic yet still action-y and bold is a cartoonish way. Travel Foreman is one that I can understand people dislike of. I think he's incredible and perfectly matched on Animal Man. As for the artist on Suicide Squad, I enjoyed him for what little I read of the book. I hope to hear of him on another book soon.
Anyway, I guess I'm more confused why some books get the critical eye treatment, and others are so forgotten. Hell... lets put Liefeld on everybook.