Jamal Igle's Blog, page 15

From the vaults. Worlds's Finest # 3

World's Finest #3... Man, what a fun issue to draw. The first official team-up between Supergirl and the former Spoiler/Robin turned Batgirl, Stephanie Brown. How this came about was because of whatever reason the original series artist Julian Lopez didn't get past issue 1, so the editors got different artists to finish the series. The issue preceding mine was drawn by Ramon Bachs and issue after me by the awesome Phil Noto. Sterling called me up as I was finishing Supergirl #50 and asked me if I could do it. Immediately said yes and we were off to the races!The issue was inked by Jon Sibal and colored by one of my favorite colorists, Brian Miller.

The "Hammersmith Tower" which was the current home of  "Linda" and Lana Lang was based on the Williamsburg bank building in Brooklyn, New York. Now known as "1 Hanson Place" a luxury condominium, it's something I'm familiar with because I can see it from my apartment.



I love this page because it was the first time I've ever drawn Barbara Gordon, then known as Oracle. It was also another opportunity to draw the Batcave, which is always fun. Kara's the typical messy teenager.

  Okay, I got a little bit of crap in some quarters for this scene, mostly because some people considered it to be fan service. Especially the fact that I chose to have Catwoman's suit zipped open. I'll cop to it, because at that point I really didn't have many opportunities to draw sexy women. I did try to minimize it. It's also a well established visual cue. If you go back and read Catwoman, the only time she has the suit completely zipped is when she's in action.



 
People were also a little miffed that Stephanie and Kara seemed to just leave Selina behind. Here's the thing... there was an entire sequence of dialogue that was cut from page 9
Supergirl: Think We should have freed her?Batgirl: I would have once upon a time. We used to be friends. But I've heard about what she's been doing for the last few months..Batgirl: ...And I don't like it.
I don't know why it was cut, but that's the nature of comics. I thought it fleshed things out a bit for new readers but it may have been too much expository information,





This sequence was a good bonding moment for the girls. Both having been trained by Batman and missing their then, thought-for-dead mentor.




I got to draw a giant robot.I have the best job in the world.
And you can't have a World's Finest series without Superman.




layouts for World's Finest #3
Tomorrow: I don' blowed up New Krypton!

From the vaults. Supergirl #50

Of all of the issues of Supergirl I drew, Issue 50 was the single most challenging for a number of reasons. At 40 pages, it was the single longest issue I had drawn in several years. I was purposely pulled off Supergirl to have the time to draw the entirety of 50, then World's finest #3 (which we'll review tomorrow) so they would ship in time. I really wanted to pull out all the stops on this and I think the results were positive. The book actually picks up from the Supergirl annual #1 story which delved into the origin of Lucy Lane as Superwoman. Lucy had, up until that point been groomed secretly by her father General Lane, being promoted quickly without merit so that he could incorporate him into his unit. He then provider her with a supersuit that was made to mimic Kryptonian DNA as well as several other alien species.
When we pick up the story, the newly reconstituted Lucy, having drained the lifeforce from an errant hiker, lies naked in a crater in the woods.


I wanted to show a sense of genuine concern from the General as a set up to what follows.


This was an awesome stroke from Steling as writer. We created almost a mirror to the scene with kara and Zor-el, as general Lane's fear and Xenophobia kick in upon the realization that he's turned his daughter into the very thing he hates, a Kryptonian. One of the subtle indicators of this change was the way I drew the heat vision as more of a direct beam rather than the wavy beam I drew in her previous appearances



We then move into the next scene. Gangbuster, a long time Superman supporting character, had been recently reintroduced in the the DC universe in the Trinity maxiseries by Kurt Busiek and Mike Norton

Originally Gangbuster was was a man named Jose Delgado, a High school teacher , who created the identity when Lex Luthor started recruiting his students for his criminal activities. he would be crippled saving Lois Lane's life, then healed via a cybernetic implant from... Lex Luthor. It would also allow Luthor to control his body.Eventually Superman and professor Emil Hamilton would break him free from Luthor's control.
The Second gangbuster was an alternate identity created by Superman, who was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress because he was forced to execute an other dimensional version of General Zod, Faora and Quex-Ul/ (Yes, that was an actual story)


Where was I? oh yeah, So anyway This story actually has seeds that go back all the way to Superman # 671, but more on that later. now When we pick up this story, Lana Lang, Supergirl confidant and Clark Kent's ex girlfriend has died.
Okay... not really. What happened was Lana kind of died, only to become a entombed in a cocoon in Supergirl # 49So when we pick up the story, Gangbuster is running through a insect hive being chased by giant hybrid bug people.






One of my all time favorite Supergirl pages.
We eventually find out that Gangbuster had been hired by STAR labs after the hive took over the hospital where Lana was and the Metropolis Crime Unit along with the superhero called The Guardian, had either been transformed or captured.
I had also gotten to draw Kimiyo Hoshi aka Dr. Light in this issue. to be honest, she's not my favorite character. I actually think she's kind of lame. Not powerwise, she's pretty powerful. I've always found her to be boring and one note. However you do what you can and  I went out of my way to try and present her in the best possible ..ahem... light... trying to soften her look a bit.



I was also in the midst of refining my look for Kara at the same time, making her a little softer than I did previously to show her to be a bit more vulnerable.



I love this spread. Sterling suggested having cockroaches covering it, as if they were on the lens of a camera.When Kara revives we are introduced to the transformed Lana as the new Insect Queen. Now you might say "New"? Well yes. 

Back in the 1950's Lana Lang had become the insect Queen as a reward from an alien whose life she saved. She was given a  Bio-ring that would allow her to mutate parts of her body.

Lois Lane would borrow Lana's Bio-ring become the insect Queen as well.

Now, remember I mentioned Superman #671. Well, in that storyline we were introduced to another insect queen , who had cloned a version Lana's body  and was going to use it to take over the Earth.

So when I was redesigning Lana as the Insect Queen I wanted to harken back to the original costume design, using a wasps like coloring. I combined that look with the design by Peter vale


I even played with a more horrific version.









I was definitely going for an similar feeling to the end of the first Ghostbusters movie with this scene.


The issues ends with a newly revived Lucy as Superwoman, ready and full of evil.

Again, it was a great story to work on, an endurance test almost but I'm proud of it.

From the vaults continues tomorrow.

Merry Post-Christmas! Enjoy the leftovers and the hangovers!

From the vaults. Supergirl #46

Supergirl #46 was the last part of the "Hunt for Reactron" storyline that crossed over with Action Comics

when last we left our heroes, Reacton had murdered the members of Squad K, the Anti Kryptonian military team, and was about to kill Kara, Chris and Thara as well. As usual working on a crossover is always a headache,so because I was working so fast I was asked to design a set or Red Sun manacles

To get a feeling for where this issue was taking place, I designed a set to work from. 







 A little comparison from the pencils to finals
Now, because of scheduling, I wans;t able to draw the entire Issue, I dd however layout one of the pages i did't draw, which was drawn by Eduardo Pansica.






And reactron has his ass handed to him in a rather one sided fight with Flamebird. It was a fun squence. One of things I tried to do was have different visual moods for Flame bird so that as she calms down she becomes more sensual looking.
That way as we get to the kiss, It becomes sexy, tender and loving in it's way. You also see her heal Chris' wounds at the same time.
So that's it for this week. Happy Chanukah to my jewish friends and a very Merry Christmas,/Kwanzaa/Festivus to everyone.
Next Week: Supergirl #50, World's Finest and War of the Supermen!

The Ray #1 Reviews!

The reviews for the Ray have been awesome, I'm so happy you guys are enjoying the book as much as you are:


Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray's Power Girl showed the writing team's adeptness at creating light-hearted superhero stories without sacrificing brains or heart, and  The Ray #1 reveals what the team can do when given the freedom of a new character. Joined by artist Jamal Igle, Palmiotti and Gray create one of the most fully realized titles of the DC relaunch, with a clear concept, strong voice, and memorable, diverse cast. Superhero and mainstream comics – December 2011  | Books | Comics Panel | The A.V. Club


In Power Girl, Gray, Palmiotti and artist Amanda Conner also relied on a nostalgia factor as well as a scalpel wielded to eliminate the clutter of a character far too good for her retcons. Not so, in The Ray. Despite Lucien being the third Ray, the writers only mention the legend of the first Ray, from Quality Comics, subsequently recapitulated in Pre-Crisis title Freedom Fighters. For all intent and purpose, the new Ray is precisely that -- a new character, visually and as written.
The Ray #1 (of 4) | Comics Bulletin


I wasn't actually planning to pick up The Ray #1, and grabbed it on impulse when I hit the comic store. I'm incredibly glad I did, because this is a pitch-perfect debut issue that outshines many of the titles that DC introduced with the "New 52." This is only a four-issue mini-series, but I hope we get to see lots more of this new character.
Newsarama.com : Best Shots Comic Reviews: AVENGERS ACADEMY, THE RAY, More


Gray and Palmiotti give us an entirely new character to carry the mantle of The Ray, and it works. Even those readers who are die hard Ray Terril fans from the 90s would be hard pressed not to enjoy this issue. Why? Because it's got everything needed to impress and excite all in its first issue. Excellent artwork and writing that makes this one a definite must have if you see it on shelves!
DC Comics Reviews: The Ray #1


The Ray looks to be another quality book from the New 52. If the rest of the miniseries is this good, it could join The Huntress as another title I want to see go monthly. Who knew DC could produce so many great comics?
Comic Roundup: Avengers: X-Sanction, The Storyteller & The Ray | Geekadelphia


And that's just the tip of the Iceberg, again thank you all!

From the vaults. Supergirl #45

The Hunt for Reactron, a balls to the wall chase as Supergirl, Nightwing (Lor-Zod/ Chris Kent) and Flamebird (Thara Ak Var). My issue was actually part 2 of the story, in which the three were framed for the destruction on the Metropolis sewer system and the "murder" of Mon- El, who had actually been captured by General Lane and Project 7734.

We opened the issue with a "O'Reilly Factor" Style show hosted by Morgan Edge, long time Superman supporting character. I tried to make it as psuedo patriotic as possible.
This spread took my 2 and a half days to pencil. The hardest part was getting all of the reference for the scene. luckily I've spent a lot of time in Paris, France over the years so I was very familiar with La Tour Eiffel.

I love the energy of this scene. I was trying to Make Chris as handsome as possible.

Again being familiar with paris, it was important that I get that feeling of being there  across.

Layouts for issue #45

From the vaults. Supergirl #44

Supergirl #44 was part of the Codename: Patriot crossover. As with most crossovers, you work with multiple artists and multiple headaches involved.










This fight sequence was a bit daunting, because of the the confined space and the fact that I had , with the exception of General lane, never drawn any of these characters before. I also didn't have clear reference as well so my characters were a bit off model versus the artist who drew the issues before and after.
As I usually try to do is incorporate as much real backgrounds into my work as possible from Las Vegas


To Downtown Los Angeles




And the Hollywood hills and the Grifith Park observatory.


I love this spread, Although some of my critics said that my Superman was too stiff. Nei once again did an amazing job.



Layouts for Supergirl #44

From the vaults. Supergirl #43

Supergirl was one of the more emotional issues of our run. it's a sort of "Coming of Age story" for Kara. For the record, we never said exactly how old Kara was in her run. In my mind, she was 16 when we started on issue #34, so with this issue I would continue to think of her as a 17 year old for the remainder of my run.

The First panel was me doing my best recreation of Josh Middleton's cover, so that as we zoomed out from the cover we would reveal that it was a photo on Kara's desk on New Krypton.




Again with the Kryptonian clothing? Well yes. I really wanted to push the idea that the white clothing as ceremonial clothing.






We also introduced Alura's new costume in the is issue, designed , just like everything else awesome on New Krypton by Pete Woods



Pete also designed the "Tomb of Zor-el" and it was with this issue I started to play with incorporating sketch up into my layouts.



You'll notice on the pennants in the background a bunch of symbols. Those symbols aren't random creations. Once again my love for All things Superman the movie comes through. the symbols were created for the movie.
image provided by capedwonder.com
Now here's a little tidbit that still continues to irk me. this entire issue was a set up for us to have a Supergirl crossover into "Blackest Night" where Zor-El would rise from his tomb. We were later told "No" by the Powers that be and thought that was the end of it. Until Sterling and I opened up the Blackest Night Superman miniseries and saw, without our knowledge, that exact storyline thrown in at the last minute. I called Sterling as soon as I saw it and we both said the same thing... which isn't repeatable because kids read this blog. That's corporate comics though. You learn to roll with the punches.
Layouts from Supergirl #43

From the vaults. Supergirl #42

One of the more interesting issues of Supergirl was issue #42. People were curious about why I hadn't drawn the previous issue, #41, and the truth of the matter was I had a family vacation. We had arranged it months before and I had been on the book for nearly 8 months without a break. So we took two weeks to visit our family in France and the issue was drawn by Resurrection Man artist Fernando Dagnino.

In a way I was sort of walking in cold because I didn't get to see any of the pages until the book was near press, so the way the follow up was written from an outsiders perspective. For the most part the issue is a dramatic piece, giving me the opportunity to flex my storytelling chops,

I love how this scene between Lana and Kara played out.
The family portrait of the Lanes on the mantle

The last two panels on this page were a fun exercise, because instead of doing a photstat of  panel 3 and zooming in, I re-drew everything by hand.

LAna's phone call and the subtle change in emotion were another big clue leading towards Supergirl #50



The Solar Fly-by that closes the issue was a brilliant Sterling Gates idea.

Another fun sequence for me was the interaction between Lana, Lois and Kara. These ladies were really the cast of our series at that point. I did everything I could to differentiate them stylistically, not just facially. I had Lana dressed almost exclusively in Asian influenced clothing, something I saw Carlos Pacheco do with her a bit in Superman. Mandarin jackets, Chinese dresses. Kara ,at least in this instance, was dressed in an outfit I found in a Japanese Young Miss magazine, but I felt was an almost "Civilian" version of her Supergirl costume. Lois was much more conservative. 

Again, I didn't have too many opportunities to draw "Linda Lang" so I took them where I could.

The Death of Superwoman....?
In the previous issue Major Lucy Lane, who had been unmasked as the villainous Superwoman in issue#40 had been killed accidentally when kara pulled her powersuit apart.

   
So when the issue opens, we see General Sam Lane, leader of Project 7734 dealing with the loss of his daughter.


Readers would also get more insight in to the snippet of conversation between the two that we began in Supergirl # 37

Initially the scene had an ambiguous, ominous tone to it.
But would be revealed as a much more loving exchange between Sam and his daughter.
I actually, at this point started basing Sam Lane on R. Lee Ermey (Gunnery Sgt.,retired) from Full Metal Jacket. It seemed fitting.




Just a little bit of behind the scenes tinkering. we had to change the Starlabs building for the traditional, to the new design by Renato Guedes from his Superman run.

The Future....

I'll be making an announcement around the first of the year. Stay tuned.