Artist Highlight - Special Edition: Oliver Nome (2012)
Hello to you guys, so far in all the time I’ve been running Comics Forever I keep to myself since this is a place where most of you come for the beautiful art and to read the few words I have to say about the ocassional comic or movie. Today however I’m tackling something far more serius and I need you guys to please help me out with this so read on.
Oliver Nome is an amazing artist, don’t take my word for it, just look at the powerful and expressive artwork I’ve posted with these words, this is one of the few guys I’ve run across the internet whose talent speak for itself. He’s a freelance artist for Aspen and DC comics, and he’s been struck by illness. This man, this incredibly talented guy has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and he needs our help, please go to this link and chip-in with whatever you can to help him out. The sad true is that this guy needs money so he can get proper medical service, so he can live and pencil more amazing comic books for us.
Please let’s do some good for Oliver, I’m pretty sure most of you would want to see more artwork from him. Go here and look at the bottom of your wallet. I’m sure Oliver and his family will be very thankful to you guys.
Artist Highlight: Lynne Yoshii (2012)
You give this woman a pencil, a copic marker and a piece of paper and she’ll make you a masterpiece. Those bold first words are backed up with talent you can appreciate in each drawing Lynne does, her pencils are full of passion and they usually make such a strong stand that it’s impossible to avoid looking at them. She does gives warm feelings looking at her art, maybe is the sultry and kind look she gives to every female she draws or the subtlety of every line she traces. She describes herself as an aspiring comic artist working for a toy company. With talent like this I don’t know why Marvel and DC aren’t breaking this girl’s phone to beg her to work for them!
Artist Highlight: Alex Ross (2012)
Very few artists achieve what Alex Ross has accomplished in his life. If you are a longtime comic fan, you probably know the names of heavy hitters like Neal Adams, John Romita, George Perez and many other classic artist that have such a body of work and such a heavy influence that they can basically do whatever the hell they want in the comic medium, not only because they are talented, because they also have earned it.
Alex Ross added his name to this pantheon producing some of the most memorable comic books in history, even his early works are the product of very well laid out planing, time and talent, the writers who share a credit with him usually help shape his ideas but every work he’s ever done for either Marvel or DC are conceived by his wild imagination. Marvels, Kingdom Come, Justice, The Earth X Saga. They are all excellent reads that grace our shelves in one way or another and they stand out not only for the epic scope of the story, but also for the unusually beautiful and powerful photo-realistic art.
Make no mistake, the pencil of Alex Ross is a powerful one, he is the artist that will help you answer the question “If these guys existed in real life how would they look like?”. He is THAT talented, and you will never miss the mark when you read a book with the man’s name attached to it.
Artist Highlight: Marcio Abreu (2012)
I’ve always regarded Marcio Abreu as the artist that will always piss off feminists around the comic world, and that’s meant as a compliment. This guy has been drawing very beautiful (albeit unrealistic) women in comic books for some time now, and every colorist has been taking a crack at his incredible artwork (as you can see here). Even if you don’t like his sense of proportion, you have to give the guy the ability to handle an expression in the face of every character he draws, and a good array of detail to every piece he does. Most of what is show here is “posed” art but the man has a good range of storytelling allowing him to make his mark in books like Memoirs Of A Serial Killer, Witchblade and The Charmed comic book adaption. Marcio Abreu is a talent you should watch, his bare pencils is the stuff made of legend, go to his DV account and check them out!
Artist Highlight: Clayton Crain (2012)
Most painted artwork tends to be regal and royalist. It commands respect and a serious stand about the character being portrayed. Clayton Crain sets the bar high in these aspects featuring some of the most expressive artwork in decades. I’m pretty sure it was a no-brainer for John Barber and Axel Alonso to place this guy in the relaunch of X-Force four years ago as the X-Men’s team of assassins. His gritty style had the in-your-face approach needed for the refreshed concept. It was a shame to see him go off this book, but so far we have been delighted with his powerful art in the Carnage: U.S.A limited series. This is an artist to keep your eye on!
Rogue: Through The Years // artwork by Marcio Takara (2011)
Marcio Takara is one hell of an artist that has evolved over the years by leaps and bounds. These are his three takes on Rogue from 2006 to the present, is almost like you had three different artist do a take on the character. I love to see a beloved artist get better at his craft!
Artist Highlight: Thony Silas Diaz De Aguiar (2012)
With a name that could pass for a mouthful, Thony is a rising star from Brazil. His artwork showcases an amazing sense of proportion that reflect the comic root of the character while making it look appealing and familiar for those more akin to anatomy. This guy can pencil, ink and color his own work. He manages to pull off different facial expressions on each character that express his emotions right at the first glance. It’s a damn shame that talent like this just gets the occasional shot by the big publishers. You can check out his work clicking here and here. Let the comic world know how amazing this guy is!.
Artist Highlight: Phil Noto (2012)
Phil Noto’s art is the perfect example of how can you achieve so much by keeping it simple. Very much like Alex Toth did back in the day, his designs are very clean and simple, yet every human expression tells a story or what the character is about, he’s amazing achieving likenesses, plus he can pencil, paint and color his own art. The man also has some great storytelling abilities recently seen in the last numbers of Marvel’s X-23, you can check out more of his work in his personal tumblr by clicking here!
