Here’s an illustration of Bruce Wayne’s mansion (Wayne Manor).
I really like how the blue highlights contrast against the black on the building and the trees.
Here’s the pencil sketch I started with.
You can see my other Posca pen illustrations under the “Posca” tag.
Here’s an illustration of the Metropolis skyline at night.
I started with a pencil sketch to outline each building.
I started painting by covering the large areas first: slate gray for the sky, black for some buildings, and gray for some buildings.
Then I added in all the details.
You can see my other Posca pen illustrations under the “Posca” tag.
The new season of Superman & Lois hasn’t started yet, and I’ve been missing Superman stories. To fill the gap, I’ve been watching Superman: The Animated Series and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. I’ve seen both shows before, but what I notice now is how often Superman deals with smaller problems. It’s not super villains and the end of the world every episode. I’m enjoying that smaller scale.
The antagonist is an angry business partner. Or a public figure who’s lying about their investments. The episode plots feel more focused and more grounded. Lex Luthor is in both shows, but even his schemes feel more grounded.
Superman gets involved in the plots because Lois and Clark are investigating. Not because he’s the only one who can help.
Both of those shows aired in the 1990s, before superheroes were mainstream on TV and in movies. Maybe all the superhero media in the past 20 years has upped the stakes over and over. And that’s why it’s doomsday stories all the time in newer media.
Superman & Lois has its lighter moments, but for the most part, it’s drama, action, and saving the world. They deal with one antagonist all season. Parts of seasons 1 and 2 felt exhausting to me because of that.
I love watching Clark and Lois in everyday life. I love their journalist sides. I’d love for season 3 to have smaller stories that connect to a bigger arc over the course of the season.
But it’s difficult to find that balance. The Flash struggles with the same issue–so much focus on the main antagonist that there isn’t much room for lighter, smaller stories.
I don’t watch a whole lot of current TV shows, so I don’t know if this is a trend in other genres. Are other shows hyper-focused on one antagonist? Do they balance smaller stories with larger arcs?
One of my favorite things in comic books is seeing film techniques translated to still images.
Here’s an example from Astonishing X-Men #17 (Joss Whedon’s run).
These two panels show rack focus, where the focus shifts between foreground and background to direct the audience’s attention.
In the top panel, the beer can is in focus in the foreground. Wolverine’s face, in the background, is out of focus.
In the bottom panel, the focus shifts so that the beer can is out of focus and Wolverine’s face comes into focus.
Changing the focus like this tells the audience what to pay attention to: first the beer can and then Wolverine.
If this were in a movie, and not on a page, it would be one continuous shot with the focus changing. But you can’t have a continuous shot like that on paper, so it translates to two sequential panels.
The movie uses different animation styles to represent different universes, but it all fits together. Peter B.’s animation is a bit more fluid than the 90s Spider-Man cartoon. Spider-Ham looks like he walked out of Looney Tunes. Peni Parker’s style is anime.
All of it is colorful and detailed without being overwhelming.
We know that Kingpin is a bad guy, but we understand what he’s doing. He wants to get his family back, no matter what the cost is. I like when the villain’s goal is straightforward, so that the story can focus on the characters.
Miles wants to stop Kingpin but he isn’t sure he can learn how to use his superpowers in time to save the other Spider-People. I like that Miles can’t immediately use his abilities — he has to learn and it takes time. It’s something I really liked about Spider-Man: Homecoming. Homecoming‘s Peter Parker was scared and unsure of himself, but he was a hero anyway. Miles is like that, too.
Each Spider-Person feels like Spider-Man, even though they are different people with different experiences. They all suffered a loss. They juggle normal lives with superpowers. They have easy-going personalities but they’re serious about stopping bad things from happening. They want to do the right thing, even if it isn’t safe for them. Afraid but also brave. No version is glamorous, but every one is a hero.
Introducing the multi-verse sets the stage for additional movies. We could have sequels about Miles. We could have spin-offs with each Spider-Person. Villains that we’ve met before and new threats from other universes. I want to see all of them.
Photo by Nicolas Picard on Unsplash