Jim Lee Admits That He Has Trouble Drawing Superman

Jim Lee and DC Comics have a new book coming out entitled the ICONS: The DC Comics and Wildstorm art of Jim Lee.  It looks like one heck of a cool book, and you should go buy it HERE. 

As part of the promotion surrounding the new book, Jim Lee is being asked all of the typical questions that you would suspect.  But he certainly surprised us with his answer to the question of which character he has had trouble drawing by answering Superman. 

LEE:  Superman is the hardest character to draw. There are a couple of things that make him difficult. He’s got a very simple costume, and doesn’t have the long cape like Batman. He’s not a character that is necessarily always in shadow, and he doesn’t have a mask. He has to be Superman. He has to be the most grand, the most idealized form at all times, so he has to look powerful, but he can’t look bloated. His face has to look noble and handsome and rugged. It’s a war of subtleties. Every little change on that character makes a big difference in how he finally looks.


I think that I erase that character more than I draw that character, to be honest. He’s a character that doesn’t have the gloves, and doesn’t have the big boots, so you're really drawing sort of an idealized human form with a very simple costume. He’s got to be in a pose that suggests nobility. It's got to be a pose that suggests his idealized form, and it's tricky to do. Batman hunches over. He’s crouched and he’s in the shadows, so he’s in slightly more dynamic poses. Superman tends to stand very upright and he’s very symmetrical, and those are actually the most difficult poses for me to draw.

Jim Lee's Superman drawing are nothing short of iconic, so it is a little more than surprising to hear him suggest that he struggles with him.  You certainly wouldn't have guessed that based on the final product. 

Getting a peek inside the mind of the greatest artist in comics today is always fascinating.  To see more of his interview with MTV, click HERE. 

Jim Lee Admits That He Has Trouble Drawing Superman

Jim Lee and DC Comics have a new book coming out entitled the ICONS: The DC Comics and Wildstorm art of Jim Lee.  It looks like one heck of a cool book, and you should go buy it HERE. 

As part of the promotion surrounding the new book, Jim Lee is being asked all of the typical questions that you would suspect.  But he certainly surprised us with his answer to the question of which character he has had trouble drawing by answering Superman. 

LEE:  Superman is the hardest character to draw. There are a couple of things that make him difficult. He’s got a very simple costume, and doesn’t have the long cape like Batman. He’s not a character that is necessarily always in shadow, and he doesn’t have a mask. He has to be Superman. He has to be the most grand, the most idealized form at all times, so he has to look powerful, but he can’t look bloated. His face has to look noble and handsome and rugged. It’s a war of subtleties. Every little change on that character makes a big difference in how he finally looks.


I think that I erase that character more than I draw that character, to be honest. He’s a character that doesn’t have the gloves, and doesn’t have the big boots, so you're really drawing sort of an idealized human form with a very simple costume. He’s got to be in a pose that suggests nobility. It's got to be a pose that suggests his idealized form, and it's tricky to do. Batman hunches over. He’s crouched and he’s in the shadows, so he’s in slightly more dynamic poses. Superman tends to stand very upright and he’s very symmetrical, and those are actually the most difficult poses for me to draw.

Jim Lee's Superman drawing are nothing short of iconic, so it is a little more than surprising to hear him suggest that he struggles with him.  You certainly wouldn't have guessed that based on the final product. 

Getting a peek inside the mind of the greatest artist in comics today is always fascinating.  To see more of his interview with MTV, click HERE. 

DC Ends WildStorm Comics, Kills ZUDA & Pledges Enhanced Digital Publishing

Today has been a very busy day for DC comics and Warner Brothers. As reportedly earlier, DC Entertainment will move it's offices from New York to Burbank, California. Now, DC is reporting that the WildStorm Comics will end in December 2010 and Zuda Comics will cease to exist.

WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999. The WildStorm imprint remains editorially separate from its DC parent, with its main studio located on the West Coast. The imprint takes its name from the combining the titles of the Jim Lee comic series WildC.A.T.S. and Stormwatch.

"After taking the comics scene by storm nearly 20 years ago, the WildStorm Universe titles will end this December. In this soft marketplace, these characters need a break to regroup and redefine what made them once unique and cutting edge. While these will be the final issues published under the WildStorm imprint, it will not be the last we will see of many of these heroes. We, along with Geoff Johns, have a lot of exciting plans for these amazing characters, so stay tuned. Going forward, WildStorm’s licensed titles and kids comics will now be published under the DC banner."

 

Zuda Comics was DC Comics' webcomics imprint from 2007 until 2010. It featured comics for Flash player instead of in a web page. Announced in a press release on July 9, 2007 and the first ongoing series and competing comic entries went live October 30, 2007. Zuda comics series have won awards and nominations from comic industry's Glyph Comics Awards and Harvey Awards. Bayou, Volume 1 was also named one of the 2010 Great Graphic Novels for Teens by the American Library Association.

"After this week, we will cease to publish new material under the ZUDA banner. The material that was to have been published as part of ZUDA this year will now be published under the DC banner. The official closing of ZUDA ends one chapter of DC’s digital history, but we will continue to find new ways to innovate with digital, incorporating much of the experience and knowledge that ZUDA brought into DC. "

"We could not be more excited by the successful launch of our Digital Publishing products in June, which exceeded all sales forecasts and will be building on our early success with new applications for DC material on all major formats and hardware, partnering with Warner Bros Digital Distribution"

It's been a very busy day in DC Comic and Warner Brothers land.  What do you think of all these moves and decisions that were announced today?  Do you think it poised DC and Warner Brothers to continue to be a dominate player in the entertainment industry?  Can DC keep-up with Marvel or even surpass them?  Let us know!

Zuda Image via Rich Lovatt

DC Ends WildStorm Comics, Kills ZUDA & Pledges Enhanced Digital Publishing

Today has been a very busy day for DC comics and Warner Brothers. As reportedly earlier, DC Entertainment will move it's offices from New York to Burbank, California. Now, DC is reporting that the WildStorm Comics will end in December 2010 and Zuda Comics will cease to exist.

WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999. The WildStorm imprint remains editorially separate from its DC parent, with its main studio located on the West Coast. The imprint takes its name from the combining the titles of the Jim Lee comic series WildC.A.T.S. and Stormwatch.

"After taking the comics scene by storm nearly 20 years ago, the WildStorm Universe titles will end this December. In this soft marketplace, these characters need a break to regroup and redefine what made them once unique and cutting edge. While these will be the final issues published under the WildStorm imprint, it will not be the last we will see of many of these heroes. We, along with Geoff Johns, have a lot of exciting plans for these amazing characters, so stay tuned. Going forward, WildStorm’s licensed titles and kids comics will now be published under the DC banner."

 

Zuda Comics was DC Comics' webcomics imprint from 2007 until 2010. It featured comics for Flash player instead of in a web page. Announced in a press release on July 9, 2007 and the first ongoing series and competing comic entries went live October 30, 2007. Zuda comics series have won awards and nominations from comic industry's Glyph Comics Awards and Harvey Awards. Bayou, Volume 1 was also named one of the 2010 Great Graphic Novels for Teens by the American Library Association.

"After this week, we will cease to publish new material under the ZUDA banner. The material that was to have been published as part of ZUDA this year will now be published under the DC banner. The official closing of ZUDA ends one chapter of DC’s digital history, but we will continue to find new ways to innovate with digital, incorporating much of the experience and knowledge that ZUDA brought into DC. "

"We could not be more excited by the successful launch of our Digital Publishing products in June, which exceeded all sales forecasts and will be building on our early success with new applications for DC material on all major formats and hardware, partnering with Warner Bros Digital Distribution"

It's been a very busy day in DC Comic and Warner Brothers land.  What do you think of all these moves and decisions that were announced today?  Do you think it poised DC and Warner Brothers to continue to be a dominate player in the entertainment industry?  Can DC keep-up with Marvel or even surpass them?  Let us know!

Zuda Image via Rich Lovatt