Title Pages: Batman Strikes 18 & 33

Whenever possible, I always preferred hand-drawing my own sound effects and story titles during my run on The Batman Strikes! I especially liked incorporating the logo into the background art in some way, probably because of all those great Will Eisner titles for The Spirit. But I always had to work with what I was given. Sometimes I didn’t have a lot of room. Sometimes the story title didn’t lend itself as well to graphic treatment. But it almost always was more pleaseing to my eye than having it left to be typeset by the letterer.

Let’s kick this off with a pair of logos from Poison Ivy stories (boy we had a lot of Poison Ivy stories on The Batman Strikes!).

First up, from Batman Strikes #18:

Batman Strikes #18 - Title Logo

Here’s an example of a title that lent itself to graphic treatment nicely, but as part of a 4-panel page there wasn’t much room to work it into the background art. Still, I was able to give the title something of a flowery flourish, and that was fun.

Strikes #18 Title Page pencils

Strikes #18 Title Page color

Here’s a view of the full page, so you can see how the logo works in context. Inks are by Terry Beatty and colors are by Heroic Age. Which I guess you could read for yourself in the credits if you click on the image to see it full-size!

Strikes #33 - logo

In The Batman Strikes #33 we had the reverse scenario: A big splashy full page shot, but kind of a simple title. I opted to just create really organic character shapes and try to make it look as though it were wrapped around the side of this giant vine structure.

Strikes #33 Title Page pencils

Strikes #33 Title Page color

I was quite happy with this page overall. BTW – those are plant simulacrums of Poison Ivy that Batman, Robin and Batgirl are fighting. I like the dizzying quality to this shot, and the way the vine wraps through the image. The credits were colored a bit darkly, but I suppose no-one really cared except for the seven people who’s names are listed there!

More to come, stay tuned!

Happy Halloween from Gargoyles!

Counting down…

Gargyoles: Bad Guys #3 - pg 24 detail

This page is from the Gargoyles: Bad Guys mini-series. Pencils and inks by me. Story by Greg Weisman. Based on characters from Disney’s Gargoyles.

Young Justice issue 9 out Wednesday!

Young Justice #9 - cover

This Wednesday sees the release of my next issue of Young Justice, and is the beginning of a new storyline featuring Captain Atom and a decades-old murder mystery.

Written by Greg Weisman and Kevin Hopps.
Pencil art by Christopher Jones
Inks by Dan Davis
Colors by Zac Atkinson
Cover by Christopher Jones

Find it at your local comic shop, or find it in digital form here.

Young Justice #12 solicitation is out

Young Justice #12 Cover Inks

Young Justice #12 - cover colors

Art and cover by: Christopher Jones

There’s a new menace in Gotham City: a creature so strange – and so versatile – that not even the combined might of the entire Young Justice team can stand against it. Witness the origin of…Clayface!

On sale January 18th, 2011. Cover price is $2.99 US. Rated E.

Young Justice features work by the creative team of artist Christopher Jones and writers Greg Weisman and Kevin Hopps. Weisman is one of the producers for the Young Justice animated series, and Hopps a regular fixture in of the show’s creative team.

Riddle me this… PINHEAD!

Never give the Riddler one of those puzzle boxes from Hellraiser. There’s just nothing good that’s going to come of that.

Batman Strikes #50 pg 07

This is another page from The Batman Strikes #50, the final issue of the series. I was really happy with how this page turned out – nicely moody and transcending the cartooniness of the animation designs. Pencils by me, inks by Terry Beatty, color by Heroic Age Studios.