A couple of weeks ago, I found a package on my doorstep with my name on it. Knowing I had not ordered anything online, I immediately began to suspect my dear friend of sending me another unexpected treat. For as long as I’ve known him, Jon has proven himself to be not only a good and kind friend, but a very thoughtful and generous one as well. More often than not, when I’ve gotten a surprise package in the mail, it’s been from him. While the gifts are always a welcome mood lifter, the timing of this particular surprise could not have been better.

It was probably the roughest winter I’ve ever gone through. And of course it carried on through most of the spring as well. Obviously during this time, my focus has been on my mother‘s health. Which means I’ve had very little time to enjoy any of the fun stuff, including anything comic art related. Aside from the fund raising sale I held on CAF, I barely spent any time on the site. Now that she’s home, I hope to finally be able to make some time to start posting new artwork in my gallery again. But yeah, for the past four months, I’ve been pretty much out of the art loop. So when I opened my mystery package and found two art books about one of my favorite artists, I was thrilled.

The first was a signed, first printing, hardback edition of THE MARVEL ART OF ARTHUR ADAMS. While only the right side of the image is displayed on the front, Arthur actually did a wraparound cover for this book. As a special treat (for those of you who have bothered to read this far), I have included a small snapshot of the ORIGINAL ARTWORK for the cover, fresh off of Arthur’s drawing table (see Additional Images above). Before any of you ask, no I did not buy it. It was sold long before I even knew about this book. Just thought it would be interesting to compare the original to the printed outcome. As you can see, the printing process was not very flattering to Arthur's work at all.

In terms of content, it’s rather limited in that it only covers more recent works and only from a handful of titles like Classic Avengers, Secret Avengers, Fear Itself, and Guardians of the Galaxy (along with a few other random covers). But while the selection of artwork leaves a lot to be desired, what really makes the book interesting is Arthur’s personal insight. He actually shares his thoughts on each individual drawing, as he talks about content, composition, design, what he likes and/or doesn’t like about it, and his thought process before and during the work. It all makes for a fun read and adds a level of enjoyment to viewing each image. Whether you’re an Art Adams fan or just a fan of comic art, I would recommend adding this book to your library.

Just for fun, Jonathan also included a copy of Arthur’s MONTSTERS ATTACK (see Additional Images above). A collection of mostly unpublished pieces done for commissions or convention material. Basically a fancier version of his sketchbook series The Art Adams Sampler. And as with the Samplers, my favorite thing to do is to flip through and see how many of the featured pieces I actually own (in this case, 3). Unlike the Marvel book, this one has no text, but much more variety in terms of the artwork.

Anyway, thanks to my best bud Jonathan for his thoughtfulness, AND for helping to lift my spirits when I really needed it.

Social/Sharing