Not much to say about this, except that it hangs on my wall and is a wonderful piece by Ron Wagner and Bob McLeod. It’s been great to see Wagner back on G.I. Joe at IDW, and there are twenty books from Marvel and DC I wish Bob McLeod were inking. His talents are stellar, and it’s unfortunate he’s not active in the industry. Click to enlarge:
Part of the thrill of this image is that it pairs the obscure Spearhead (and his lynx, Max), who never showed up on the G.I. Joe cartoon and barely appeared in print, with the slightly higher profile Tunnel Rat and Airtight. And it’s replete with mood, and just wonderful, wonderful spotted blacks. Here’s a detail.
Here’s a great example (not from G.I. Joe) showing how much decision-making can go into inking. McLeod’s website has numerous before and after examples, some where he maintains the style of the pencil artist, others where he’s given more leeway and adds much of himself. And then another page of such examples.
This is awesome. What an iconic piece of art.
Agreed. Part of what I like about it, and indeed all pre-1992 comics, is the flat coloring. If this were colored for today’s aesthetics, it would no doubt look great in the hands of a modern digital painter/Photoshop whiz, but with gradients, textures, and modelling. But with the darker palette that the inking here lends itself to, it would lose much of its directness.