Posted in: Comics | Tagged: dark horse, jai nitz, ryan sook

Where Do Covers Come From? Jai Nitz And Ryan Sook On Dream Thief

Published Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:00:07 -0500

Let's take a peek into Jai Nitz' and Ryan Sook's e-mails.

Jai Nitz- Hey, I'm trying to get my Dream Thief covers sorted out. I think it'll work best to use you for the cover to #2 and Kevin Nowlan for the cover to #3 due to story elements. As far as the cover art itself, I trust you implicitly. If you have an idea for what you'd like to draw, I'd love hear it. I really fell in love with your Justice League Dark #4 cover (I think Dream Thief's head splitting open with the ghosts of dead men coming out would be cool), DC Presents Deadman #3 (a nice shot of Dream Thief with elements from the issue layered over it), and the Rose & Thorn cover (I LOVE the mirror motif. I'd like to see Dream Thief in costume in a shootout with a bullet sprayed mirror in the shot, but in the reflection it's not him in costume, it's him out of costume banging on the other side of the mirror, trying to get out. And where his hands are hitting, there are cracks from the bullet holes). Let me know if any of my ideas appeal to you, or if you have your own take that you want to pursue.

Ryan Sook– After working it out a little over the weekend I'm finding that I'm just re-sketching these same covers I've just recently done and I don't really want to do that. My only other thought was like John in bed in close up with the sheets under him pulling downward becoming hands wrestling the Dream Thief version into darkness below or something.

JN– Sounds good to me.

RS– What about something like this? Sheets are coming up like spirits sort of tying up John as he sleeps and the sheets come down billowing in the dark as DT steps though (or leaps through) them as if under their influence? I can go back toward what we were talking about but I think this could make a cool image.

JN– Amazing! The sheet spirits play off the ghosts in the gun smoke that Alex did on the cover to #1. It's a perfect thematic link for the covers. I love it.

RS- I may beef his body up a touch in the inks, I don't want him looking dwarfish and once I lay in the blacks it will make him look a little smaller.

JN– I'm in love.

JN– I'm in deeper love.

JN- I'm speechless (which is saying something for me).

RS- Glad you're pleased with it and thanks again for your patience. I hope the book is a hit! The interiors I've seen look great so I think people will really dig it!

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