Monday, June 26, 2006

The Indomitable Jimmy Bowles


I am working on my comic form. I have filched this image from a Jack Kirby splashpage from the year 1940! Jimmy Bowles, Sharkfighter is my new character, and I couldn't resist redoing this great, early Kirby image with my boy Jimmy as the protagonist.

I am really intrigued by that early Kirby style, and the style of inks that his pencil got back then; the drawings are kind of primitive, the inks are done with brushes, and it's all a great premonition of the Silver Age done in a Golden Age style.(And that's about as much comics history as I know.)

I am trying to learn how to ink in this odd style. It's a chaotic image, and I like that, but my version would benefit greatly from patches of color/tone to help group things visually.

10 comments:

Tom Moon said...

Marty- That's incredible. Could you possibly be one of Frazetta's illegitimate offspring?

TopCat said...

I don't know ... the central tableau is pretty captivating and there is a nice sweeping curve from the arc of Jimmy's knife through the "shark's' tail and back up into his body ... Those teeth!!! My impression is that the woman's body gets lost because it is the same angle as the shark's and Jimmy and the shark just won't release my eye to bring her into focus ... Great job, though. Keep this up!

Skribbl said...

I'm confused. Is this your drawing or is this Kirby's drawing that you inked over. I'm dumb. If it's all your's Marty, I'm cutting off my hand right now.

Tom Moon said...

Yes, I'd be curious to have you post the original Kirby drawing for comparison.

rickart said...

Skrib, if you cut off your right hand I'll take it to replace my own! Or better yet I would replace my left hand and become twice as productive and 4 times as tallented!

Skribbl said...

I forgot to mention that I have a third hand growing just below my fifth rib. That was the one I was talking about cutting off. You have "dibs" on it Rickart when I do.

rickart said...

Woo hoo! I got DIBS, baby!

Mr Goodson said...

Awesome Marty. I'm reminded of Frazetta staging as well.It doesn't get better than that. Except Kirby. Do try to point us to the original you're thinking about. The anatomy is great. And It tells a story. I can tell Jimmy has a Caveman ally in the background and that the guy being disarmed is with the Shark. Jimmy's girlfriend's right foot is broke. Will she survive?

Davis Chino said...

You guys are cracking me up. You're all givinng me credit for the things Kirby did, but God Bless you. I'll post the Kirby for you--you'll see how closely I followed it. Remember, I did this to get the feel for that pre-Silver Age Kirby style, and to get inking mileage. AND to make a great Jimmy Bowles splash page.

ELLIS! You missed it! The Amazon Indian is a Shark Worshipper, and hence ally of the dorsal-finned fiend--he's tackling is Omar, Jimmy's partner and boat captain.

Davis Chino said...

Oops, sorry for the typos of previous post.