Posted in: Books, Comics, Original Artwork | Tagged: Artbooks, digital art, HRL, John Higgins, judge dredd, Razorjack, The Killing Joke, traditional art, Watchmen, zombies
Review: Beyond Watchmen And Judge Dredd: The Art Of John Higgins
Beyond Watchmen & Judge Dredd: The Art of John Higgins by John Higgins is a massive, solid art book done in lovely, thick, high-gloss paper. It's made to be read on a table, being a decently large book. At a weight of roughly three pounds and with pages being 9.8" square, I could hold it in one hand to read, but it caused stress on my wrist fairly soon. When opened, my copy had a nice new-comic-book smell.
The artwork inside consists of a range of styles, from early work such as novel covers to Watchmen, pieces for 2000AD, SwampThing, RazorJack, and beyond. There are drawings, in-progress photos, paintings, digital art, and everything in between, with even small images being presented in high detail. Finished pieces are presented, along with a selection of images detailing the creative process in various stages.
The writing within the book details not only Higgins's life, but also his learning process and experience as he grew and expanded his skills, and as his career and interests have changed over time. It also includes writing on how he learned, what his influences were, and information for artists wanting to know what it's like producing art for comic book companies, going freelance, or just wanting direction in where to go to improve their art in general. The writing is dense and information-packed, and between it and the art, the book is a blessing for anyone who has looked at John Higgins's art and wanted to know more about him, his art process, or the world of creating art.