Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross (Pantheon Graphic Library)

This book will astonish you even before you open it. The jacket has the images of two of the most iconic superheroes of DC, Superman and Batman, and below the jacket you'll find an unbelievable piece of art showing almost every DC superhero battling versus their respective villains. With an introduction from M Night Shyamalan, the book presents Alex from his early beginnings as a child trying to create comic book characters and how his mother kind of influenced him (even though he affirms this didn't happen, take a look at her mom's works and try to believe him) He then presents the DC characters one by one (the Batman session has some pages dedicated to the Joker only, no other villains are shown), the early drawings, original artwork from classics and the homage he has paid for covers, posters or special editions. Analysis on the symbols and the myths of each character are used to describe what Ross wants to project with his images. I don't think it necessary to mention which character has the larger amount of pages dedicated to himself only. You get to see in drawings the creative process he follows when creating a piece, the ideas scratched on a piece of paper, the drawings and possible posing and then the final image. There are pictures I has never seen until I got this book, when I first saw them my fisrt thought was ` I need to frame these', which came up as a bad idea as I would have had to frame the entire book. The abandoned ideas for `Portraits of villainy' are presented here in the form of pencil sketches that look pretty well, it is hard to imagine how they would have looked if the project had been completed. His takes on Hanna-Barbera, Mad magazine, Alan Moore, the animated style and World's finest are also present. Then there are pages and pages dedicated to 'Kingdom Come', from the early concepts and ideas, passing through sketches until the realization of the project. The possible prequel that never occurred, `The Kingdom' is also mentioned and the preliminary sketches by Ross are shown. Uncle Sam is also analyzed near the end of the book in the same way the other projects previously were. Then we have this section called `The process', in which we obviously get to see how Alex works using the book's cover as example. The final part of the book is a very nice bonus, a Batman/Superman special story written by Chip Kidd and Alex Ross created exclusively for this book. Indeed a great piece of collection, this book is a must for comic book fans. The hard cover presentation, the paper in which it is printed and the bonus stuff are worth the price to pay.

To call this book a chronology would be a mistake because the art work of the Genius Alex Ross is not presented in chronological order, but rather starts with the most popular characters Superman, Batman, etc., and then moves on to other work such as Justice League of America, Kingdom Come, Alan Moore, etc. Alex Ross is arguably the greatest visual artist of our time. As far as I am concerned his work is up there with Picasso, Da Vinci and Degas. This book takes the reader in a character-and event-based journey of Alex Ross's incredible work. What Ross and this book have in common are the incredible attention to detail and color. The art presented in this book is so rich in color it is almost unreal. The pictures carry unbelievable detail, down to the pores on the faces of the Superman and Batman sculptures. I have never seen such a visual fest in any other comic or movie-related book, I guarantee you you will not be disappointed, it doesn't even matter whether you are a comic book fan or not. Ross's modern day interpretation in the recreation of the art work from 40s, 50s and 60s comic book covers is so nostalgic and professional it makes you appreciate his talent even more. This is one book not to miss. The print quality is extremely high, and pictures carry a ridiculous amount of detail and color. Especially if you are a Superman or Batman fan, you are on for a treat as they are most prominently featured in this book. This is one great book, I have always been a huge Alex Ross fan, but thanks to this book I now feel like I know him personally (through his art presented in this book as well as the narration in the text that accompanies the pictures). One last note: Get the hardcover if you can, the art work on the sleeve is much better than the paperback cover, and the art work on the front and back of the hard cover book is simply incredible.

Great deal for this Alex Ross storybook. And in great condition as described very happy with it.

Alex Ross is one of my favorite artist

I'm a baby boomer and love the mythology in superhero comics. If you like DC comics, then this book is for you. If you like Alex Ross's interpretation of DC comic characters or just his amazing artwork, this book is for you. If you want to know more about Alex's biographical and professional history beginning with childhood, family influences, professional beginnings and into his creative process .... this book is for you. The wonderful writer/designer Chip Kidd and photographer Geoff Spear have teamed up to produce an extraordinary "illustrated biography" of Alex Ross and his DC characters. Kidd's text is descriptive and insightful and includes numerous studies, hundreds of sketches and artwork and photos on almost every single page that highlight Ross's creative process and method. In addition to Kidd's narrative, the book is peppered with Alex Ross quotes and personal insights. I am especially drawn to how Ross re-envisioned the major characters of the DC universe and created three dimensional icons that owe a debt of gratitude to artists like Rockwell and Wyeth. Now I know how Ross uses photographs to set up other worldly lighting effects that make his characters look more realistic. Like Kirby, he has an innate belief in the iconic power of superheroes that gives them a dimension far beyond the usual four-colored adventures. The end result includes lush and vibrant colors with a scrupulous attention to detail that re-imagine the great super-heroes as they might actually appear if they existed today. His sense of realism is totally cool. I'm no artist, just a fan. so this book took me "behind the scenes" to experience Alex Ross at work in his studio. There is a video review in one of the other reviews where you can see the whole layout of the book. This is my second copy of this book, if I could give it a rating a six stars I would.

Excellent, but not very much Teen Titans artwork.

Great art from Alex ross

From story board to stunning completed product, an overview of Mr.Ross' DC comics work, focusing particularly on the big three; Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, with loving attention to the rest of the JLA as well. Lots of beautiful 'work in progress to completion' pictures and even a few that never got to see the go light of editors. Inspirational for the new painter or seasoned storybook artist - makes quite the case for gouache! Please note! this is NOT an 'origins' book or even a story, this is meant to specifically address the artwork itself and the processes by which it is done. By the by, many a comic book irritates me no end with its sexist imagery -this book is a rare exception in supehero comics. None of the women are bimboes and the men are, dare I say, as beautiful as the ladies. For my part, the explanations of the new Kingdom Come versions of the classic DC cast were the finest aspect of this book. If you're at all a fan of Alex Ross' incredible way with a brush, you must own this, if only for the most drool worthy versions of beloved heroes. If you love the classic DC pantheon, you need this book, 'nuff said!

Mythology is a must have for those who want in insight into Alex Ross work for DC Comics. Not so great on the actual masterpieces (as found in Dynamite Art) since they are often surrounded by text, but nevertheless highly recommended by me.

アレックス・ロスの美麗なイラスト、下書きが多数収録されています。 今のデジタル彩色を知っていると、これ色塗るの大変だっただろうなぁ…としみじみ思ってしまいますね。凄いの一言につきます。 実際のイラスト制作シーン、子供の頃のイラスト(3歳から12歳までのイラストですが、これがまた上手すぎてびっくりした)、絵のモデルになったものなども一緒に掲載されてます。 あと、他の方が他社キャラとの共演作が掲載されていないと書かれていますが…スパイダーマンとスーパーマンのツーショットイラストは1枚ですが載っていましたよ？ちなみに私の持っているのはハードカバーのほうです。

A must have book for all the comic geeks! Alex Ross is one of the most visionary comic artists of all time. This book is a tribute to the hardwork and passion which he puts through every iconic artwork of our beloved DC characters. Don't think twice. Just buy the book and thank me later! :)

Bir koli içerisinde iki ürün olarak geldi, diğer kitap hasarlı/defolu idi. Bu tip kitapların yollanmaması lazım. Mythology kitap olarak harika çok uzun süredir almak istiyordum, ancak şömiz kenarlarında gene yıpranmalar var ama sineye çekilebilir. bu tip koleksiyon ürünlerinin stoğu, paketlenmesi esnasında azami tedbir almak lazım sanırım kitaplar yıpranıyor.

Lo compré de segunda mano, a buen precio y sólo tiene unos detallitos en la cubierta (en el slipcover), pero fuera de eso, está en muy buen estado. Después de comprar Marvelocity me quedé con ganas de ver más del trabajo de Alex Ross y sobre todo de ver su trabajo para DC. Las impresiones se ven muy bien. Un libro recomendable.