Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, DC Comics | Tagged: dc comics, jim lee, titan books

Separated At Birth: Icons Art of Jim Lee vs DC Comics Art of Jim Lee

In August of 2010, Titan Books published a lovely inch thick, 9 1/4 inch by 12 1/4 inch, hardcover celebrating the artwork of Jim Lee, particularly the art he's done for DC and Wildstorm.  Titled Icons: The DC & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee, it was released in August of 2010. It's a very nice book that had several editions.  A standard edition that was released in book stores, a Previews exclusive version that had extra pages, and a deluxe slipcase that was limited to 1000 copies and released at NYCC, signed and numbered by Jim Lee himself with an exclusive Batman print.

Advertised in Previews as:

(W) Bill Baker (A) Jim Lee

Icons: The DC & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee collects the best – and often the rarest – artwork by the legendary artist and DC Comics co-publisher, Jim Lee! His acclaimed Batman run "Hush," his work with Frank Miller on All-Star Batman and Robin, and his groundbreaking work on Superman: For Tomorrow established him as the modern face of DC Comics. Pulled from his personal archive, the excitement is all here, including hundreds of full-color illustrations, sketches, and pencils spanning his career, many of which have not been seen before.

Icons includes a brand new Legion of Super-Heroes comic story drawn by Jim Lee, written by Paul Levitz himself – his first Legion story in years – even before his upcoming return to the title! Also included are interviews and commentary from Lee, pulled from interviews done specifically for this book. In addition to his work at DC Comics, Icons also covers Lee's legion of WildStorm heroes, including WildC.A.T.s, Divine Right and Deathblow.

The book was 296 pages, written by William Baker, with segments quoted from Jim Lee from interviews conducted with the artist about his artwork, process, and being the head of Wildstorm and top artist at DC Comics.  The artbook is full, page after page of Jim Lee art from DC Comics and his Wildstorm work. At the time, it was the best resource and place to see Jim Lee's DC Comics artwork, and one of the best artbooks put out.  At $39.99, it was a great deal for the standard edition and is still available at this price from several sources.

Then there is the recently published DC Comics: The Art of Jim Lee Volume 1…

Published last year in November in two editions, one standard and one exclusive from Barnes & Noble, it is 5/6 of an inch thick, 8 5/6's by 11 5/6's of an inch; it was also 296 pages and precisely the same book.

Promoted in Previews as:

(A/CA) Jim Lee, Scott Williams

This new, oversize art book captures some of Jim Lee's most dynamic artwork from his decades in the comics industry. From his early work with WildStorm Productions to his recent turns drawing the greatest heroes in the DC Universe, this title collects hundreds covers and behind-the-scenes art from the artist's career. See why Jim Lee is considered the greatest comics artist of his generation with this extraordinary collection!

Now the books are not "exactly the same." For example, the table of contents is laid out slightly differently.

The title pages are different (because they have different titles).

The DC Comics: The Art of Jim Lee Volume 1 doesn't have an inside cover frontispiece.

Finally, the bibliographies are different. DC Comics: The Art of Jim Lee Volume 1 is current to 2019, and Icons: The DC & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee is only current to 2010.

The copyright page does list: "Compilation, cover and all-new material copyright 2020 DC Comics. All right reserved. Originally published in Icons: The DC & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee."

Without the dust jackets, it is obvious the two books are the same book, though the  DC Comics: The Art of Jim Lee Volume 1 is noticeably smaller in size and is printed on thinner paper stock.

It isn't uncommon for a book to be republished, to have all its contents republished, but most publishers are much more upfront that a book is the same book that was published before when advertising.  Except for the features mentioned, the books are identical, from the same fonts, images, and logos used page after page. The new material in DC Comics: The Art of Jim Lee Volume 1 is negligible at best, so why DC felt the need not to state this was a reprinting or at least repackaging is odd.  The decision to publish DC Comics: The Art of Jim Lee Volume 1 is evident as Volume 2 is planned for publication later this year, but DC Comics: The Art of Jim Lee Volume 1 is a straight swipe of Icons: The DC & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee.

Separated At Birth used to be called Swipe File, in which we presented two or more images that resemble each other to some degree. They may be homages, parodies, ironic appropriations, coincidences, or works of the lightbox. We trusted you, the reader, to make that judgment yourself. If you were are unable to do so, we asked that you please return your eyes to their maker before any further damage is done. The Swipe File didn't judge; it was interested more in the process of creation, how work influences other work, how new work comes from old, and sometimes how the same ideas emerge simultaneously as if their time has just come. The Swipe File was named after the advertising industry habit where writers and artists collect images and lines they admire to inspire them in their work. It was swiped from the Comic Journal, who originally ran this column, as well as the now-defunct Swipe Of The Week website.

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