90's Superheroes Comics That Influenced Me (Part 2)

Some Image Comics

When I was in high school in my small hometown, a friend of mine introduce me to a girl who interests in comics. She invited us to pay a visit, after we wnet to her house, I really really surprised, not to mention that the girl is hot chicks, but more surprisingly were what she showed to me. A bunch of US comics I never seen before. Could you imagine, that a (hot) junior high school girl collects some IMAGE comics such as Spawn, Gen-13, Dawn and even Cyber Force! She also introduced me to WIZARD the comic magazine which had brought me to the new perspectives of comics, especially the industries. What happen next is other story to told. Some of her collections back there was inspired me so much. After I spent my times in her house, I learned much. So here's my takes:

Gen-13 (Image)

I begin adore J. Scott Campbell arts after read this title. How amazing, to see a group of young superheroes, and full of hot babes (hail to the puberty) like Fairchild, Rainmaker and Freefall wear sexy costumes.The story was not quite good but the artworks are great. Gen 13 was Image answers to Marvel's Generation-X, the origins of these Gen-13 kids were quite same. The other surprise is when I read that Jim Lee was a co-creator of this title, and some of the Gen-13 artworks was made by himself. After moved to Bandung for studies, I've bought my Gen-13/ Generation-X  crossover. A quite light storyline.

Gen-13 had inspired me to make a comics with young girl as a hero until now. For years I've been obssesed with make my own comic heroes, and took a young dude as a hero. But Gen-13 changed that. My published comics like BELIA (2001) and AMEL (2003, now the title change into MEL's Sisters) were not superheroes comics but Gen-13 and Campbell's other works like Danger Girl has influenced me much. 

 
Cyber Force (Image)

 

Cyber Force was an X-men archetype for me. Some Image's Group of superheroes in 90's were X-men archetype because some founders of Image like Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri and Rob Liefield were ex-X-books artists. No wonder they're some how look alike. The reasons why I like these titles like Wild C.A.T.s, Stormwatch, Youngblood and Cyber Force was same with why I like the 90's X-books. Cyber Force is a group of government support cyborg team for special operations. Okay, underline the special operations here. Every superheroes in Image's universe during the 90's era were special operations or black ops agents. Why I like the Cyber Force? The Babes Factor, even there a muscles guy like Stryker, Ripclaw or Impact, the babes were so dominant. They're Femme Fatales after all, Cyblade, Ballistics and Velocity. I used their archetype in my BELIA (Bureau of ELites Investigation Agents, seems like special operations huh?) characters, martial artists, markswoman and lighthearted young girl.

Spawn

I never like Spawn's stories. For me Spawn is the only way for McFarlane guy to survive and feed his family. But I do ike Spawn cover artworks and splash pages. And for some reasons, I'd like to have this Spawn action figures. Never have any of 'em bacause they're too expensive for me. The movie was blah, but I always choose Spawn in order to play Soul Calibur II. Never collects any Spawn comics, but when I out of idea, I browse Spawn's covers on the internet and then found one. I don't know why, but Spawn always hypnotized everyone of us, the designers or artists just like Gundam. You never like the stories, but you put the action figures in your desk for inspirations. My fave characters in Spawn is Angela. Okay, she's another hot femme fatale. I have the action figure at my desk.

90's Superheroes Comics That Influenced Me (Part 1)

The Death and  Return of Superman Saga.

You'll believe that Superman can die!

This saga really shocked me hardly. I didn't believe after I saw the articles in magazines. A Superman killed by a newbie villains, not by his arch nemesis Lex Luthor?  I still didn't believe after I read the novels. Actually, this story line had force me to read novels. Why? Because in my hometown, it so difficult to found an imported comics except borrowing them. One of my friend lend me the translated novels in Indonesian. Then I played the games in Genesis and SNES. I've seen the trading cards.

Then I read the whole trade paperback after I moved for college. Yes, this comics had opened my perspective of making comic heroes, they could died and resurrected when ever you wanted to. You could also put the substitutes heroes for the main hero for playing with stories. The important things I've learned was the market's impact. That awesome! I enjoyed to see the appearance of Eradicator, Steel, Superboy and Cyborg Superman. Never forget them in whole of my life so easily. Okay, some of you would think that Superman's long hair make him look silly, but for me that fine (for that periods).

Todd McFarlane's Spider-Man

Something neo-classic, Todd McFarlane's Spider-man. The artworks are Grimm, gory, dark, bloody, etc. This is an epic books (in those early 90's years). The words Amazing, Spectacular and Sensational were put at the numbers of the 1st book selling. Not mentioned, the variant covers like hologram cover, holo-foil covers, embossed covers. It created new horizons in comic industries in 90's, collectibles gimmicks investment money can buy. But today who care about it? I don't care, I just concern about the high quality artworks there.

I've been read and collect this comics (of course the Indonesian translation brought by Misurind). The artworks were shocking, actually I really didn't enjoy McFarlane's artworks, but amazingly, this comics had persuaded me to collect them because of it. I've learned, you doesn't have to make a well drawn artworks aesthetically for make a high quality comics. The black panel, the television news scenes and splash pages had influenced my comic pages. 

Batman: Knightfall

I was shocked while read an article in magazine, that DC has made Batman paralyzed and replaced by new guy. I wondered that Grayson would take the cape, but I was surprised after I saw the new Batman, while I borrowed Batman issue 500 from my friend.  Jean-Paul Valley/ Azarael replaced Bruce Wayne Role. I really like the new Batman costume, altough some of bat-fans hated it just like they hate George Clooney. 

But for me that was interesting, while knowing someone else had taken your favorite hero role and they've do the opposite things from what your hero done. I like what this new Batman did, he's so cruel and brutal. And the way original Batman took over his role was very outstanding.

DC knew how to break the market those days without depends on various covers and gimmicks that Marvel or Images done in industries. For me Batman cannot replace by other characters even a Dick Grayson. Bruce Wayne always be our Batman. But, personally, Knightsend Batman had impressed me with the costume design just like the long haired Superman with black costume.


90's X-Men

This X-men cover below was my very first modern X-Men readin' after bored with Misurind's classic X-Men. Thanks to mr. Nichola Sarvangga Valero Mitakda, for lend this book at high school and make me a hugh 90's X-Books fans and of course a Jim Lee fan. This comics had open my window about comics world.

1990 was my favorites X-men era. In 90's there were many various of X-Men characters. From the original five like Cyclops, Phoenix, Beast, Iceman and Angel until some newbies like Marrow, Maggot and dr. Reyes in the end of 1990's. For several years in 90's Era Marvel had some top writer and artists for working in many X-Books such as The Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, Excalibur, X-Factor, X-Force, Cable and Generation-X. Actually, the hype were started  by the end of 90's when some X-creator like Jim Lee and Rob Liefield involved in some X-books. Soon X-men were grow bigger than I could imagine in those days.

The 90's era also had some great story arcs like X-tictions Agenda, X-cutioner Song, Mutant Genesis, Fatal Attractions and Phalanx Covenant. And some great artists were begin and grow their career in the 90's X-books like Andy Kubert, Adam Kubert, Joe Madureira, Chris Bachalo, Ian Churcil, Carlos Pacheco, Salvador Larroca and many more! With this phenomenon, I had a dream when I was in high school, I thought that would be cool to work for an X-Book, while until now it just still a dream to me. 

My most favorite x-man is Wolverine. Yup, the yellow spandex one. When, the movie success affected the continuity of the X-books, the characteristic of Wolvie changed. It doesn't mean I hate the movie universe X-men, but naturally I grew up with the 90's comics X-guys especially Wolverine.

 The Age of Apocalypse is still my favorite crossover. It was surprisingly to saw an altered universe caused by the death of Prof. X. Some of characters was redesigned radically, like what have Marvel done to Wolverine, Sabretooth and Rouge. And yet, it was the first time I saw a manga style could blend with US comic style, thanks to Joe Madureira for redesign Rouge based from Ghost in The Shell's Mokoto Kusanagi.

Personally, the 90's X-men was taught me that you could make many various characters, various super powers and redesign old characters into new ones. The popularity of the books and TV animation, brought me to another hobbies such as collecting trading cards and action figures.

Speed Drawing: BATMAN

Medium: A4 Sketch Book Paper
Tools: Marker
Time: 20 minutes
Batman (c) DC Comics

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