Squadron Supreme 1 variant cover by Leonard Kirk

The first (variant) cover from Squadron Supreme by the great Leonard Kirk.

I really enjoyed that serie written by the great James Robinson who always manages to bring something interesting to anything he writes even on such oddball titles such as Squadron Supreme, Invaders or Scarlet Witch. A big part of my enjoyment came from the impeccable storytelling and overall great art by Leonard Kirk.

I find that Leonard’s art has exploded in recent years which is amusing as he was an artist I never cared for when he was working at DC (Supergirl etc..). I began to notice a change on JSA but it’s only when he began to work for Marvel that his art reached higher levels in terms of quality. I see a lot of similarity between his work and Stuart Immonen’s. I don’t know if he has been an influence on Leonard pushing him to be better but wherever this leap in quality comes from, it now guarantees him an instant follower on any project he is attached to.

I always liked Squadron Supreme since that incredible miniseries written by the late Mark Gruenwald. A great piece of work, probably too often overlooked for its firm roots in the super hero genre whereas other higher regarded series from the 80s went over those roots to dig deeper into science fiction or dystopia.

If there is one character who immediately comes to mind when you think about the Squadron, it’s Hyperion (i.e. Superman as the SS was initially introduced as Marvel’s light jab of a version of the JLA). The most powerful character in their rank, which is evident on this cover here as he is radiating with power and energy. The fact that his figure is hidden shadows emphasizes this aspect. He looks dangerous, intimidating and what you get from this drawing his a sense of (his) great power. The redesign with the nuclear belt underlines it all. The cover works particularly well in b&w due to intelligent use of light and shadows to suggest said radiating energy.

Very happy to own this cover as I have found mr Kirk original art not so easy to find in the past despite my interest in it.