Creative Staff:
Written by: Gary Martin
Art: Steve Rude, Vitali Iakovlev
What They Say:
Gary Martin’s two volumes of The Art of Comic-Book Inking have become the industry-standard manuals for aspiring inkers seeking to take their work to the next level or for working professionals looking to broaden their skills base. Now, these two textbooks have been combined into a single value-priced volume and expanded with new material, including three additional blue-lined artboards featuring pencil art by master comics illustrators Jack Kirby, John Buscema, and Gil Kane. Gain insights into the techniques, tools, and approaches of some of the finest delineators in comics today, including Terry Austin, Mark Farmer, Scott Williams, Alex Garner, and many more. When putting pen or brush to paper, no tool is more helpful than The Art of Comic-Book Inking.
Content(please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It’s interesting to delve into the parts that create our favorite form of media. Over the past five years, I have made a promise to put down the superhero comics and learn things that give insight into their creation. A look into the way comics are created. This week, and for a few extra days, I have been thumbing through this gem for artists and writers alike by Gary Martin.
In the foreword, Martin lists three rules that define the role of the inker.
1 – The inker’s main purpose is to translate the penciler’s graphite pencil lines into reproducible, black ink lines.
2 – The inker must honor the penciler’s original intent while adjusting obvious mistakes.
3 – The inker determines the look of the finished art.
How to accomplish this fills out the pages with stacks of facts and words of wonder. It is excellent to get some insight into the job that inkers have during the creation process. What readers never take into account is the light source. When a comic inker does his job well, the contour lines, crosshatching, and dead-weight lines unify with the pencils to give us a life-like image. A very positive issue about this book is the art, done by legendary Steve Rude, as it shows before and after inking lines. This gives artists a blueprint for creating their work in a step-by-step method.
In Summary:
The tools that are given to us by Gary Martin in his inking book are priceless. Facial shadows, finding your style, and the significant sections about line work make this book worth buying. For creatives, this can serve as a guidebook to help you create, edit, and publish works from your company. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is in the comic industry. Comics is a collaborative game. Being a team member who understands the process, can spot and fix mistakes, and has a deep love for comics is a welcome addition to any company. For us, this is a must-have book.
Grade: A+
Age Rating: E
Released By: Dark Horse
Release Date: October 15th, 2019
MSRP: $34.99
