XMEN 53 Cover (alternate) BARRY SMITH - Unfinished Backgrounds Inked On Overlay And Logo Restored - Before And After

I was hired to restore this alternate version of the cover to XMen 53 by Barry Smith. Smith inked the two figures, but the backgrounds and energy special effects are still in pencil, and there was no logo, Marvel box or Comics Code symbol. The first image on the left is how the drawing looked when the owner brought it to me. I placed a clear sheet of acetate over the drawing and inked all the backgrounds on it, preserving the original pencils. The middle image is what it looked like at that stage. Finally, using the published cover to XMen 53, I digitally extracted all the mechanicals - in this case, the XMEN logo, the Marvel Comics box with images of the characters, and the Comics Code symbol. I digitally removed the colors, sharpened the lines and resized everything to fit the original art cover. Everything was then printed on a paper which simulates stat paper in color and texture. After cutting out each mechanical element from the printout, I placed a second sheet of clear acetate over the first and glued the mechanicals in there proper place using archival quality adhesive. The image on the right shows the final result, with all three layers together. This approach gives the customer total flexibility as to whether they wish the piece partially inked, totally inked or totally inked with logo and mechanicals - just by flipping a layer up or down.

(James is available for hire to replace missing logos and lettering on comic book and comic strip art and to do cover re-creations and commissions. Please contact him with any questions or for a price quote. If you wish the restoration work to be private, upon your request, no images will be used in James’ public galleries.)