Pg.4: "You look dead Kane [c.1982 or 83?]
Art Notes
By Simonson - 1979
Philip Lynott - Irishman
This borrows so heavily from the official adaptation. A bit of this - a bit of that - taken out and recomposed. My version of Kane - copied from Walt Simonson's official artwork - has an extra bit of creative lighting though. Smudged marker and spit has been employed quite a bit here to blend the backgrounds. I like Parker's epaulette, sticking up in panel 2. There's something quite believable about it. Unlike his science-defying coffee cup. There's also an venture into employing a large main panel with two sub panels laid on top. Doesn't quite work logically though! And quite repetitive.
Drawing brown skin was still a challenge for me at this time. I mean, let's face it, in the Ireland of the 70s and 80s, the chances of seeing a live black person - or any person of a different race - walking down your street, especially in a small country town or village were slim to none. If you did, word would probably go around that Muhammad Ali had been sighted. Which is ridiculous, because it'd more than likely be Philip Lynott of Irish rock band Thin Lizzy.
I was pleased to discover the effect of laying down warm brown for Parker's skin, and going over it with a bit of green (last panel). At the start of this book, on the reverse of one of the title pages there are experimental swatches of browns overlaid with greens, evidence of my attempts to get the colours right. This really was the most ambitious attempt at comic art for me at that age, 13-14. It shows what I could have learnt with more access to full colour, quality publications. No internet for us back then! ne of the things that takes longest to develop is not realistic depiction but a good, loose, free stroke - whether it's drawing or painting. That's one of the reasons why that aforementioned epaulette stands out.
Hey! Brett and Ash in this version are actually played by the correct actors.
More tomorrow - yep, on a Wednesday! And every day this week.
By Simonson - 1979
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