I'm a fan!
I'm a fan of the spectacle. I really am. Only now, I should say. Going through so much Deadpool, he's come back for an arc, covers, and now the entire 12 issues of Deadpool Corps.
Oh, it's ridiculous. Lady DP threw a spear through the window of a helicopter, and the pilot goes "ha! missed!" until he looks over and sees 2 grenades tied around the spearhead. The thing is...the spear perfectly went through a tiny spear sized hole. There is no way the grenades could have made it through the hole at all. In fact, the size of the hole is illustrated in the same panel with the 2 dangling grenades!!
But with Rob, it was never, ever about concise, tight storytelling. Each panel is a pin up. Each panel is an explosion of illustration to itself. Shoulder pads and numbers of belt pouches appear and disappear panel to panel. Details of the same fight come and go. Why? Didn't matter in the panel he's drawing of figures leaping through the air, explosions, etc.
But no matter what, he sells each panel he's trying. Even if General America is doing a grandstand pose on an alternate earth...and his head is actually over the right side of his body as posed to symmetrically center, it doesn't matter!
It's about the millions of details, cross hatching, and emphasis Rob puts into the body and face itself. Most seemingly unnecessary.
Now, this is in no way an endorsement of Rob's saying "damn, he's really good!" but there is something within the style...that I now see. I don't think it's purely like looking at a car crash (which is how I long felt about it), but it's almost like...Comic Expressionist art. "See? I do what I define as comic art! Splash lines, lotsa muscles, pushing the action in every moment-even the still ones!" I can see the...the...excitement of it all. I just makes me laugh and enjoy at this point.
There has always been something...newly magical about the Image 7 when they come out to draw something again. Portacio art was on somethign I recently read. Always gotta look at Silvestri when he draws. MacFarlane too! Larsen..okay, maybe not as much. There is a guy pushing beyond Comic Expressionism if you ask me (towards where Frank Miller is now).
I've almost been studying Rob lately. There are parts and goals of my life that have left me unhappy. Don't like my job/career right now, but I know I can't reclaim the past gone years either. So, my goal in life for me is to have one published comic. I'm completely happy if it's an e-comic/online comic. I completely and wholly realize that is how it will happen too. But, I want it to be something that is sold/purchased, and I want to do 22 pages. It won't be next week, month, or year either, but I'll do it. I took huge heart in recently learning that Kirby was 44 years old at FF #1!!! Amazing! Inspiring!!
So, in studying Rob, I've been looking at what he does that sells the page. What made his art be something that was sold and bought? What did he do or not do (ANKLES LOL) that made people fan? How little can he do in background, yet make a panel awesome? It's quite interesting.k