Declining Quality of Interior Art

[Britt68]

OK, I know I got spoiled with Jonathan Lau's art in the first issues of Green Hornet. He was awesome. Crisp, clean, even edgy illustrations. Vitorino took over. He has been uneven. Sometimes really good (see #22) and sometimes not. But what is up with this new guy Ronan Cliquet? He is AWFUL. He has done a couple of issues and the art is horrible. Take a look at #23. Britt looks more like an Asian than Mulan, who now has a rounded, chubby face. Detective Chrittendon now looks like Dennis Franz from Hill Street Blues or Sgt Cortez from Kirby Genesis. Lau's interpretation of Chrittendon seemed to fit the character (a weasely cop who plays both sides of the law) rather than the Cliquet's cigar smoking version who looks like he just got out of the donut shop. In general, the faces look like balloons with puffy features.

And what about the color? I know Cliquet does not do that, but in #23, Mulan had blonde hair (in the last page) and green eyes!!! I thought she was Kato's daughter?

Let me say Ande Parks' writing has been strong and I enjoy his story lines. He has kept up the high standard set by Kevin Smith. Keep it up, Ande!! But the poor art really takes away from the story.

PLEASE, no more Cliquet. I would really enjoy Lau coming back, but somehow I dont think that is in the cards. Let Vitorino mature in the position or get someone else. But please, clean up the art. The Green Hornet is a serious story that needs the clean, edgy illustration that Lau started. I think the art in Lord of the Jungle is great. Can we get that guy?

[Captain Canuck]

I don't think Cliquet is awful, but I agree that the inconsistencies with character looks is awkward. You expect some of that between artists, but Chrittendon looks nothing like what we've seen before.

That said, it's a matter of opinion, but if it's the sacrifice I have to make to see this book out on time, I'll take it. Hornet has fallen behind maybe all of three months over the course of two years. For Dynamite, sorry to sound harsh, but that border on phenomenal.

I've seen too many of the other books I enjoy from this company lose whatever momentum they have due to tardiness so while I prefer Vitorino over Cliquet, if the latter does every 4-6 issues so deadlines can be met, have at it, Dynamite. If there's a concern that it may turn people off, credit him as "guest artist".

Let me say Ande Parks' writing has been strong and I enjoy his story lines. He has kept up the high standard set by Kevin Smith.

I'll go one further and say he surpassed it. I'll give Kevin Smith credit for setting up the template but it's a smarter book with Parks writing it. I was SO glad to see he's going on beyond this storyline. As long as he's around I'm confident that this version of the character is in good hands.

[Britt68]

Captain Canuck, you bring up a good point about how Green Hornet has fallen way off schedule. If Cliquet is just a temporary fill in so they can get caught up, I guess I can live with it. I had finished reading #22 and was really excited about the new arc and it seemed Vitorino was getting better. So the inconsistencies in #23 were a big let down.

Glad I am not the only one who saw the same thing with Chrittendon. I think that he could become a very interesting supporting character, but the Dennis Franz look is a real injustice.

I have to agree with you about Parks. He did Green Hornet Annual #1 and at that time, I thought he would do a great job with the series. I am really intrigued with this current arc.

So how about this compromise: Dynamite, please get a little more consistent with the art. And tell Chrittendon to take out his contacts and lose some weight!

[positronic]

One man's meat is another man's poison, as they say. To be honest, this book had dropped rather low in my weekly read pile (bottom of the pile for least interest). Then this issue came out and all of a sudden I was interested again. I would be ECSTATIC if Ronan Cliquet would continue on as the regular artist on this title. I doubt it'll actually happen, as I got the impression this was a fill-in issue. But I sure wish it wasn't. I've never been quite happy with the art on this book, and found Jonathan Lau to be particularly distracting when drawing action scenes. There are so many lines and things moving around in every direction that I have a hard time figuring out what's supposed to be going on; it all blends together. Cliquet's clean-line style is a breath of fresh air.

As for Chrittendon -- eh, who cares. Artists redesign characters (especially supporting characters) on a regular basis. I can remember when Commissioner Gordon was a beefy, older white-haired fellow with a pencil-thin mustache and pince-nez glasses. And when Alfred Pennyworth was rotund and comical. Even Amanda Waller, until recently a middle-aged grossly overweight brick shithouse of a woman (the female equivalent of Marvel's Kingpin), is now a young hot'n'sexy chick. For all I know, Inspector Harvey Bullock of the GCPD may now be a male underwear model babe magnet.

I will admit that the last few issues have been more interesting, storywise, than the book has been in quite a while, so kudos to Parks. But I couldn't truly get excited about it yet because the art had been only so-so. Wish Cliquet was a permanent fixture.

[Captain Canuck]

It took me a while to get used to Lau for pretty well the reason you state. It always looked there was water splashing around during his action scenes.

I only noticed because of this conversation, but Cliquet also did the art for #21 (the MMA issue) but he's not credited for it on the website. So he's done two of the last three issues regular and the annual. I wonder if he wasn't called upon sort of "last minute" to do 21 because it seemed like they expected Vitorino to take care of it (he gets credit i the solicitation).

Along those same lines, Ivan Nunes has been our regular colourist for a while. He's in the solicitations for #22 and #23, but not in the credits for those issues. 22 was actually done by Adriano Augusto (pages 1-11) and Marcio Freire did the rest. They both get credit for 23 but without being separated by pages.

So I wonder if Dynamite didn't end up silently jumping through hoops to make sure these books hit the shelves on time. If this is the case, credit to those involved.

[Captain Canuck]

As an aside, this thread is about interior art, but I've got to say that I really like the style of Brian Denham's "exterior art" (covers).

[Tulku]

And what about the color? I know Cliquet does not do that, but in #23, Mulan had blonde hair (in the last page) and green eyes!!! I thought she was Kato's daughter?

The color blunder was pretty bad. I spent Too Much Time trying to figure out who the blonde girl was at the end who seemed to know all about Britt and the Green Hornet--until I finally tumbled that it was supposed to be Mulan. Did nobody give the colorists a template to work from?