In the world of comics, many artists become known for their art style. It's almost like their signature. Some are known for being highly detailed, while others for being seemingly simplistic. Then you have those who are a bit more controversial for their art style. And this page is by one of those kinds of artists.
Greg Land, in more modern times, is an artist who's work has become very contentious with some fans, due to the fact his style relies so heavily on photo-references to achieve his more "photo-realistic" style. So much so, in fact, that some feel he merely traces the picture and alters the details as needed. Given that some of his covers are so blatantly a reproduction of an actual picutre, it would be hard to defend him from such claims. But there was a time, early in his career, when he didn't do such a photo-realistic style, and it shows he actually does have some great artistic chops.
This page from the 1995 Nightwing mini-series is some of his earliest work in the industry and, I think, some of his best, which shows he can actually draw well. I love the layout of the page, squeezing in a great escape scene in one page, while never skimping on the details or action. The crosshatching on Nightwing's face, and the hair on the arm of the thug, in the third panel are very well done. And the details on the lock, the lines on the stone-layed floor, and even the rusted grit on the grate, all shows someone who knows how to get the proper textures neceesary in the backgrounds. Mike Seller's smooth inks give a very slick feel to Land's pencils, too. This was a team I wish would have worked together more!
While it's hard to reconcile that the artist who did this great work, is the same one who currently seems to have sacrificed all the skill shown here for "photo-realistic short cuts," doesn't lessen my appreciation of Greg Land's early efforts like this one. And whatever else one may think of his art now, this piece shows that, yes, he can actually draw well... when he wants to!
