Gallery Comments by Paul Martini

Dan is a great draftsman so not surprised his sketch is strong too. He and I share a love for the turn of the century Simplicissimus artists and I like how he made this feel like a litho drawing from that era. You would probably like his drawings on location. https://www.zalkus.com/glenfiddich-distillery/

There's some great inking and linework on display here, but if you're talking about a defeated and resigned Batman, that slumping Batman (in thin inks, like he's just faded into the background) in panel 2 says so much.  Congrats on picking this up!

This DPS is simply glorious!!! What an incredible addition to your spectacular collection Paul. HUGE congrats.

When it comes to WK, this is as good as it gets. Congrats, Paul!

Spectacular!  Love the mood SGM achieved in this DPS.  There is so much style, artistry, and humanity in these characters' expressions and postures.  Such dramatic lighting and POV in every panel.  I could stare at this all day

Just lost myself for a couple minutes staring at this one. I think it's one of my fav Sean Murphy images. Congrats!

I agree with you. One of Jim's best Wolvie sketches. Philippe let it go to me... I let it go to another collector... (who knows how many other rounds it made)... but now it's yours! Congrats, man!

An absolute STUNNER, Paul (although "stun" is probably the farthest thing from Wolverine's mind right now...), and your write-up is the -perfect- way to describe Pepe's work; he's just so phenomenally talented.  I love that the piece reads just as strongly as a thumbnail as it does at full size, and part of that is due to the incredible lighting of the piece; the warehouse windows (with their tones!) in the background, the overhead lights, the various grey tones of the ninjas' robes...  It's jam-packed to the gills, but super clean and instantly fully readable.  And YES - just look at all that zipatone!  My favorite application has to be over the portion of Wolvie's claws that are backlit by the hanging light... leaving the tips of the blades free to shine and gleam their cold, hard death down on all.  If one was to look upon that gleam in this moment, it would be the last thing you'd see.  As these ninjas are about to find out first-hand (and then the next hand, and then the first hand again, then the next one...)  Gorgeous, Paul!  Huge congrats!

EPIC write up, Paul, totally worthy of this piece... and it is a DOOZY.  Fantastic description of Olivier's inking (I love how he's applied the lessons he's taken from Manga - the ground at Vader's feet, as well as the movement of the saber's blade above him) and the drama of this image is as palpable as a dark side force grip.  It feels to me like Vader is being surprised here (where's his lightsaber?  how will he defend himself?) and I would want to dig into this book the instant I saw this cover to get answers to those questions and more (who's the dude?  are those scars lightsaber scars?  how does -HE- have a lightsaber? etc., etc...).  But I'd still pause a while longer on the cover.  Dang. :) Beautiful, collection-defining pick up, Paul - congrats!

Beautiful.  I love how stripped down the image is, so the focus can be kept on Olivier's command of form.  The Wolverine looks -amazing- here (I love the tab of the belt's end sticking out of the buckle), but X-23 pries my attention away from Logan!  Whether it's the sensational cross-hatching given to the dark edges of her costume (or the small wiry lines that Olivier uses to denote the wrinkles - and elbow creases - along the length of her gloves), Laura is the killer.  Spectacular washes and tones are at work here on both figures, though (and it's crazy the amount of depth they give to each figure), but even with all that cumulative goodness to examine, Laura's hair may be my favorite thing here.  :)  Wispy!  Amazing pick up, Paul!  Huge congrats!

So great.  Stuart and Wade threw themselves into this project headfirst and never came up for air.  The balance of black and white on the page is sensational, and the way that panel 5 is laid out (Cyke facing upwads) and inked (with the solid black in the top corners, as well as Cyclops's gloves) really feels like he's extricating himself from the tendrils of sleep (or something... darker!).  BRILLIANT way to start an issue!  Fantastic storytelling (to say nothing of the beautiful figure work on Scott and those haunting images of Jean)!  Really, really beautiful page, Paul.  Great pick up!

Man, and you thought Stuart and Wade's X-MEN run was great...!  This was the series they arguably were born to do together; it's plain to see the passion they were channeling into every page and panel...  I mean, I never, ever, EVER thought I'd be typing these words, but DENGAR LOOKS AMAZING!  Check out Wade's cross-hatching on D's armor in the last panel.  And never one to stick to the old adage (C'mon Den - just let the Wookiee win, man...), Dengar is really making a royal nuisance of himself, too.  Fun story!

It's crazy that the action moves so cleanly and crisply down the page when the details are so rich and so much visual bandwidth threatens to be taken up by them.  But it doesn't.  It's amazing they could find that balance and toe that line.  Superb work!  Awesome pick up, Paul!

Fantastic, Paul!  Just as you say, the use of negative space is wonderful: another color choice bombshell by the always-sensational Maleev.  So fun seeing Frank offset among a pure white background, and out of the alleys / off the nighttime rooftops . :) Awesome pick up, Paul - congrats!