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Gorgeous Comic-Book Collage Portraits of Women

By Emily Temple on

The portrayal of women (and non-gender normative characters in general) in mainstream comic books has long been a subject of discussion and controversy — not least because of their ludicrously unrealistic physical portrayals. It’s easy to see echoes of this in the work of Montreal-based artist Sandra Chevrier, spotted over at HiConsumption – Chevrier covers the faces of her subjects in the pages of comic books, leaving only their mouths or eyes to assert their femininity. The result is beautiful and more than a little thought-provoking. Check out Chevrier’s lovely collages after the jump, and then be sure to head on over to her website to see even more. … Read More

Comics

‘Mad Men’ Characters and Their Comic Book Counterparts

By Alison Nastasi on

Today is Free Comic Book Day, which promises exactly what it advertises: you get a free comic book just for showing up at your local shop. The offerings have been specially selected, but nothing is preventing you from browsing while you’re there and spending a few dollars to support an oft-overlooked art form that has brought joy to many. To celebrate the occasion, and with a new Mad Men episode approaching, we wanted to combine two of our favorite things: 1960′s ad execs crippled by existential angst, and awesome comic book heroes and villains. The resemblance is greater than you think. See our pairings, and leave your own suggestions, below. … Read More

Art

Kim Il-Sung Transformed Into Comic Supervillains on Defaced North Korean Banknotes

By Tom Hawking on

North Korean banknotes aren’t much use for buying anything, but if you’re German artist Aslan Malik, they make for hilarious and surprisingly compelling art. Malik has gotten hold of a bunch of money from the dark side of the Korean peninsula and defaced the images of Kim Il-Sung thereon, reimagining the Great Leader as a series of comic-book villains. The resultant art, spotted via Laughing Squid, forms a series called The Injustice League of North Korea — a doff of the hat to The Justice League and also to a similar project with US banknotes. One can only imagine what Kim would have made of it. … Read More

Books

‘Rhett Butler: The Video Game’ and Other Awesome Literary Cartoons by Tom Gauld

By Emily Temple on

Scottish cartoonist and illustrator Tom Gauld is pretty brilliant. His work, like last year’s Goliath, is reliably insightful and literary, with a wryly sweet bent. His newest collection, You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack, which hits shelves in the US today, is just as dark and funny — especially if you like books, as Gauld does. Some of the best comics in the collection are the bookish ones, taking chummy digs at everyone from Martin Amis to the Brontës to “proper literature.” After the jump, laugh and feel literary at the same time with a few of his best book-themed comic strips, and then be sure to head on over to his website to check out more of his work. … Read More

Comics

The Funniest Comic Book Portrayals of Famous People

By Emily Temple on

These days, it seems like comic books are filled with familiar faces. Sure, there are the superheroes and loners we know and love, but you’ve also got a slew of comic books starring — or just featuring — famous people. And sometimes, they don’t look so good. After the jump, chuckle along with us at ten of the most hilarious comic book renderings of celebrities, from Lindsay Lohan to Alfred Hitchcock. … Read More

Comics

Eye-Catching Portraits of Superheroes and Their Alter Egos

By Alison Herman on

Designer and animator Coran “Kizer” Stone is clearly a superhero fan, but he’s also interested in what everyone’s favorite costumed crime fighters look like on their days off. With his Alter Egos illustration series, Stone juxtaposes straightforward renditions of favorites from Batman to the Flash with plainclothes portraits of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, forensic scientist Barry Allen, and other everyday identities of characters from both the DC and Marvel universes. Stone doesn’t limit his subjects to the heroes, either; both expert thief Catwoman and alien life form Venom make appearances in the series. Click through for the full Alter Egos series, and check out Stone’s DeviantArt and Blogspot sites for more comic-inspired illustrations.  … Read More

Comics

Bin Laden, Zuckerberg, and Other Villains Mashed Up With Comic-Book Bad Guys

By Alison Herman on

Brazilian designer and illustrator Butcher Billy (also known as Bily Mariano da Luz) is over the “pure escapism” of comic-book art. To fix that, he’s created an awesome/creepy series of mashups between classic comic villains and real-life shady figures. Some are more villainous than others — Hitler vs. Mark Zuckerberg, anyone? — but whatever your opinion of his subjects, it’s hard not to find Luz’s handiwork impressive. Each mashup is set against a description of the real-life figure and even comes with an accompanying GIF, available at Luz’s Behance site. They’re certainly effective: if you thought Bin Laden was scary before, take a look at him with green scales and goblin eyes. … Read More

Comics

Classic Comic-Book Superheroes Reimagined as Pixar Characters

By Alison Herman on

Marvel, DC, and Pixar are three of the most titanic forces in entertainment, each with its own set of iconic characters and distinct aesthetic — that is, until now. Phil Postma, who runs the geek blog Minion Factory, has transposed Marvel and DC’s cast of superheroes and supervillains into Pixar’s instantly recognizable animation style. The result is a bizarro world where Peter Parker looks like the guy from Ratatouille and Magneto could have come straight out of The Incredibles. Postma has done similar work with the casts of Star Wars and Star Trek, but the comic-Pixar mashup is his most seamless yet. Take a look at the makeovers, which we discovered via io9, below.

… Read More

Comics

Witty David Lynch-Inspired Comics by a Precocious Teen Web Artist

By Sophie Weiner on

What were you doing at age 17? We’re guessing the answer is not “gaining Tumblr-based stardom for your witty web comics whose subjects range from Twin Peaks to feminist theory.” But that’s what Canadian high schooler Séamus Gallagher — amajor7 on Tumblr — has been up to for the past year. If you use Tumblr, it’s very possible you’ve seen his drawings — many of them have racked up tens of thousands of notes on the platform. And for good reason — they’re infused with the humor and self-deprecation of a Smiths song, while addressing the cultural and social interests of young, arty internet-obsessed types. Nearly every drawing of his tickles a specific fancy of ours, or elicits a sigh of self-recognition (yes, we really are that mopey). Particularly, we have been struck by his ink portraits of David Lynch and interpretations of the filmmaker’s work (specifically the so-hip-right-now Twin Peaks). We spoke to Séamus about his Lynch obsession, how unrequited love inspires his art, and how to be famous on the internet without your parents catching on. … Read More

Comics

What Your Favorite Comic Says About You

By Emily Temple on

Yesterday, at long last, the paperback edition of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes hit stores. As far as we can tell, there is a certain kind of person who really goes gaga for Calvin and Hobbes — the person who as a kid loved to tromp through the forest all day and come home to read on the couch with a fat hot chocolate at night, who maybe saw things a little differently than those pesky grownups — and that got us to thinking. While being into comics already gets you into the first stage of nerdery, the stories the form brings us range from the serious to the goofball, the superhero to the realist, so there’s no real way to lump comic fans all together. So what does your favorite comic (or graphic novel, just to be inclusive) say about you? Find out after the jump — and let us know if we’ve hit the nail on the head or if you’re plotting our demise in the comments. … Read More