One correction: the sentinel in New X-Men came out a few months before 9/11. Should’ve fact checked myself on that. A weird reminder that our memories can’t always be trusted!
I don't mean to be a dink, but you also messed up Grant Morrisons pronouns a few times, they go by They/Them. Totally understandable, its a somewhat recent change. Enjoyed the video, Quitely is easily one of my favorites!
Co-Workers: "Jesus...is that a f**king hail storm outside?" Chris: "No. That's a muthaf**kin intro idea outside, baby!" Frank's detailed style alone is top tier but his composition is what's won me over even more through the years.
I think the reason why Frank Quitely's art look so good when drawing for either Grant Morrison or Mark Millar is because they all live in Glasgow and are usually in the same room rather than liasing through e-mails. In the Morrison documentary, Quitely joked how Morrsion would breath down his neck whenever he makes a mistake.
I met Frank Quitely by chance in the lobby of my hotel during a convention one time. He was coming in just as I was going out, and I quickly worked up the nerve to ask if there was a comic signing limit when people lined up at the convention (it was 3). He asked how many I had, and I said, "Like, a lot." ”Do you have them with you?” So he proceeds to sign them for me: All-Star Superman 1-12, We3 1-3, and Batman and Robin 1-16. I also specifically remember he signed them on top of his portfolio which, at that time, contained the brand new material for We3's extended edition collection. It was surreal and awesome. I'll never forget how nice he was to do that for me.
The idea that Quitely's faces are his weakest point is funny to me. Sure, they aren't beautiful all the time, but that makes them believable. More real. People aren't always beautiful. Plus, like you said in the essay, limiting your critique to his faces is missing everything else he does so well. Great essay heren
@Jacko Sargs On pacheco: I haven't spent a lot of time with his art. I'm noticing that while I like the faces and other elements, there's a lot of over the top and - If you will - off model leaps in perspective. I know dynamic panels are supposed to play with anatomy and angles to create some perspective or action, but some of this is almost liefeld levels of perspective problems. The more I look at it, I can't figure it out. he's got really solid fundamentals or elements, but one character will look like they are at a seperate vantage point than another. Some are really dynamic images, but then one character will look almost flat, or just their head will be flat. I'm also noticing that there are some eras of his art I like, and some of the more stylized stuff (I'm usually a sucker for stylized art) isn't very good.
Frank Quitely is one of the most gifted storytellers in all comics. He has that Kirby-esque quality where you get the gist of the story without reading much dialogue.
So he’s even bad at that. Morrison and Quietly deserve each other. Stop pretending a shitty artist is anything but. Show me a picture of Frank Quietly drawing Hank McCoy. He can’t do it. Frank Quietly is dog shit for hipster doofuses to slobber on their ego. He made the White Queen look like lumpy mashed potatoes. That was his job, make an X-men cover of Emma Frost be sexy. Such a failure. Frank spends so much time to do what? Crappy art? He was supposed to be Morrison s artist but was so slow and shitty new X-men had other artist.
I've met Frank a few times and know people that have worked with him, the thing that most inspired me about him is how chilled and relaxed he always came across despite spending hours on pages. The BBC documentary on him is well worth the watch
I own 6 original pages of Frank Quitely's artwork from Authority #14. What was weird to me was that the dealer had a bunch of original art pages by guys like Todd McFarlane and they went for over a grand. The Quitely pages were 40 dollars each. It just didnt seem fair.
I appreciate the commitment to the intros. They are the best. Also, as someone who is trying to break into writing comics your videos are so damn helpful.
Really loved his run on the Authority, but for some reason didn't enjoy it as much on X-Men. His art is amazing and beautiful, but his level of detail, though impressive, can sometimes get uncomfortable. That's not a diss on his talent, but just shows the impact his art can have.
I remember We3. It was insane how the "pets" are so innocent, but nearly unstoppable. I also have not been aware HOW much Quietly stuff I've read because of his flawless work catching my eye.
Next to Brendan McCarthy, Frank Quietly is one of my biggest influences as an illustrator. His work with Grant Morrison on the New X-Men had a HUGE impact on me, when I was in highschool. Thanks for the awesome video!
I was one of those who didn't like Quitely's art at the beginning but I gave him a chance with We3 because it focused on animals and after that I just love his art. I think for me what stands out is the anatomy and use of perspective. I think a lot of artists draw bodies always in similar poses, no matter how much I love Jack Kirby and Jim Lee, I think that's part of artists after them taking the wrong lessons from their art and I see lots of artists drawing bodies with almost the same body language (the way they draw open hands, fists, arms and legs...), but you don't see that happening with Quitely. Even when a comic has multiple variant covers and Quitely does one, you can see his cover stand out, I can picture almost any Jim Lee variant cover in my mind with the character front and center in a heroic pose, but with Quitely you never know what to expect. And don't get me wrong, I love Jim Lee's art, he's one of my favorites, but to Chris' point in the video, you can see the "shortcuts" sometimes with the way he draws bodies and poses. Also, Quitely is one of the few artists where everything feels very carefully integrated in the art, nothing feels out of place. You can feel the weight of things, how things interact with each other, how characters interact with their environment. Something I always notice is the position of character's feet and how that's perfectly lined up with the surface they're standing on where other artists straight out avoid drawing feet or in some occasions, it feels like they're not really standing there. It's a "small thing" but I always notice that when Quitely is drawing compared to other artists. With Quitely, I feel like no part of his art is uncreative. From the perspective, to the body language, to the clothes and backgrounds, to the layout, all of it feels carefully thought out before being put to paper, nothing feels like he's just drawing something in a rush. He probably still takes some shortcuts here and there, I mean, the man has been drawing for decades at this point, but with other artists you can easily spot the shortcuts, not with Quitely.
All Star Superman was my favorite rendition of Superman and my introduction to Frank Quitely. And it lead me to New X-Men. I'm so happy that you made this video analyzing his body of work. The artistry on each page really uplifts the story telling on another level.
Thanks to being Scottish I was lucky enough to meet Frank Quitely and Grant Morrison along with fellow Scottish comic writer Alan Grant at a small Glasgow comic con in the early 00's before such things would have cost way more than I could afford. All were wonderful to meet and speak to, I was lucky enough to go home that day with three sketches of Batman drawn by the three of them, they are the most treasured parts of my comic collection.
I love you took that one huge hail storm as an opportunity for a lead-in pun. I'm down at the edge of Lake Washington and we got hit for a solid 40 minutes of hail, but I still like to imagine you heard the patter on your car hood and dove out of the car to make a pun while you could.
My Ex (Tom McCraw) colored the Flex Mentallo series for DC/Vertigo. Frank Quitely's art was hands down the most riveting and realistic we ever worked on. Thank you for this episode!
OMG! I paused the video to grab my copies of New X-Men #1-3 on single issues from the shelf, just to look at them again. Bought them over 20 years ago. Truly beautiful stuff. The genocide of Genosha was truly scary stuff to read, both as a child and now as an adult. Not anyone can draw something like that to such effect.
Man this video is an eye-opener! I have always heard Frank Quitely was good but never really saw anything that wowed me. But over the course of this video I was wowed multiple times! I have some comics to read!
growing up, i didn't know how I felt about his artworks.. but as a full-grown adult' i fell in love with his work. especially on all-star superman and on Jupiter's legacy. I really wished he illustrated some part of invincible
Wonderful video! I've met Frank once and almost broke down telling him how moved I was with We3. He was very patient and graceful. Great work as always, Chris. Intro, fun bloopers, great insight, whole package!
Frank's work on X-Men is why I'll be a fan for life. He is the ONLY artist that could've shown both the scale & horror of a mutant genocide on Genosha.
One of the funnier aspects of Quitely's superhero work is that his anatomy cribs from the gay underground cartoonist, "Tom of Finland". Very cheeky. Always loved that!
He does page composition and figure work like nobody else. His work is definitely idiosyncratic, and an acquired taste, but there's a reason why Grant Morrison keeps working with him. We3 would be my pick for his best work.
something I especially love is how much weight he gives to bodies, both in motion and at rest. not only does it make it more tactile and grounded, but he can (for lack of a better word) 'animate' a wider range of body types believably. Most artists, even good ones, feel like they know how one kind of body works, and either just add or subtract size from that shape without thinking about how mass, posture, timing are effected. Half of the impact of his action scenes, especially the violent ones, just comes from how much the figures move and drop like human bodies, as if they were stunt performers on the page.
I really enjoy Frank Quietly's work; like the way that his superheroes tend to bulge against their clothes. Regarding his expressive faces, I'd put Frank up there with Kevin Maguire; another real favourite of mine. Both are skilled at conveying their characters' emotions; though Frank's renditions feel more sort of "homely" to me, than Kevin's slick, cool finish.
I think the first work of his I saw was on Morrison’s Batman & Robin and I was blown away. Perfectly expressive and the colors and lines were so beautiful. After reading All-Star Superman he was made into my favorite illustrator.
I met Frank Quitely twice. A college I went to had a "make a comic" course where it teaches you the ins and outs of the comic industry and he was a guest there. I also met him during a Q&A he was giving and he remembered me. Cool guy, seemed to really enjoy talking about his work and didn't talk down to anybody.
All Star Superman and Superman: The Animated Series are my bellwether for good Superman stories. Quitely's art on ASSM is nothing short of breathtaking and has really influenced the way that I layout my pages.
Hail Chris! Well done on another great video. Frank is really great. Anybody who is interested in one of the building blocks of his style should check out the much-loved Scottish comics: "Oor Wullie" and "The Broons". Cheers Chris - and cheers to all the comic readers out there. ☺ "LiL'JpD."
Truly one of the greatest comic artists. Pax America might be his best. Or maybe Jupiter's Legacy. He seems like he's only getting better with time. Also, I liked the info on what he's doing these days. Great video, man!
I'm glad Frank Quitely gets more recognition nowadays. Comic fans were a lot more savage with their negative opinions about his work back in the aughts. "Potato heads" was almost a meme on the forums I visited.
I've always read We3 as Morrison's take on those three animal Homeward Bound type movies, popular in the 80s and 90s. Just, you know, way more violent and horrific.
This was wonderful. I agree completely that Frank Is a master. I also love the Geoff Darrow name check! I feel like we probably read alot of the same comics growing up! Lol
It was crazy how it hailed here last week. Frank Quitely is an excellent artist. I recognize his work more than I did his name, and it is reminiscent of Moebius, as you mentioned about that series. Great video as always, dude!
a true virtuoso - humble guy but he channels something very powerful. Elegant, graceful work - he can be spoken about in the same breath as Moebius, quite easily. Deceptively simple but incredibly expressive, some similarity with Bolland.
His compositional and narrative storytelling strengths aside, I love his quirkiness, especially in his faces, because they are so distinct and unique to him. Comics are an exercise in stylization of one type or another, and his quirks don't mess with my suspension of disbelief. They are obviously planned or at least used to a given effect, and I love the emotional reactions they trigger at opportune times in the story.
For some very inventive figurework, check out The Kingdom: Offspring from back in the nineties. Quitely doing a Plastic Man type of character! His cartooning craziness really shines.
Yeeeees. I was obsessed with Plastic Man as a kid and I freaking loved that issue so much. And of course Quitely was super inventive with the plastic powers.
I'm glad you made this video. Quitely is a legend and WE3 is one of the greatest graphic novels of all time, IMHO. Also, Quietly's ability to utilize storytelling and page layouts are unparalleled. I love how he incorporates elements from panels into the overall page designs. I saw an interview of his regarding All Star Superman and how much work he put into the slouching Clark Kent. He's a brilliant storyteller.
Awesome review! My first exposure to Quitely was with E is for Extinction and it blew my teenage mind. The raw, hard hitting visuals made a huge impression, that hand-through-Trask-face was unusually disgusting looking (and I loved that). And how I adore all-star Supes. Even seeing the small version of the suicidal girl page was making me tear up again. What a legend.
I just reread The Multiversity and once again was floored by it. The scene with Nightshade and her father is brilliant. Credit to Morrison also, since the dialogue dictates the action (he says something about turning a corner as they turn and we also turn our attention in the opposite direction completing the backwards "z" path).
I liked how he would draw John Hawksmoor from the Authority. He has a strange powerset it was hard to show how his powers actually work. Quitely did a really good job portraying it!
The guy makes of all jealous and at the same time, inspire us. I can't remeber who said it, but the phrase "he might draw ugly people but GODAMMN, HE'S AMAZING" still rings true. Glad you mentioned Moebius, I'm sure some people don't know him. I still have to chek his b/w work. Thanks for the reminder. And keep up the great work, cheers from Argentina!
Great video! I've never read any of Frank Quietly comics but now I understand why people think he was a revolutionary artist. Could you do a similar video on John Romita Jr? I begun to love his art last year while reading his ASM run with JMS because of his story telling capability. Thanks for the well researched video!
The bbc documentary is called "what do artists do all day?" and is excellent. each one is a different artist and all of them are very engaging. Quitelys episode is really great as he talks alot about his process. you can track them down on youtube.
Thanks for giving us this retrospective on the works of Vincent "Frank Quitely" Deegan - there were quite a few things I didn't know until now, especially his real name. One thing I particularly noticed was his interpretation of the differences between Superman and Clark Kent, it reminds me of a scene in the 1978 movie, in which Lois urges Clark to straighten his shoulders as she feels he slouches too much. It is a real insight as to how Frank Quitely is a master of composition, as ably demonstrated with the collaborations with fellow Scots Grant Morrison and Mark Millar. It must be the Irn-Bru.
Yo I’m so glad you dug into Pax, you hit on some sneaky 8s I hadn’t even noticed, he’s by far one of the best pairings with one of my other favorites, Grant, so that’s just a match in heaven along with All Star Supes
Nice video, Frank Quietly is my favorite comic book artist. I would also recommend a book DC released some years ago "Art of Frank Quietly" this includes most of his previous work which are now out of print.
My first experience with Frank Quietly's art was in the New X-men run. Initially i was a little turned off by his style on faces in the covers id seen but once you start in the book proper he'd won me over from the first page. He really shows that theres more to comics art than just pretty faces. His storytelling was impeccable and made the reading experience so smooth. I always loved the full page of cyclops and wolverine taking down the sentinel in sydney.
I'm willing to bet that Chris has been looking forward to using a "hail" pun but has had to wait for SO many factors to hit at once. Namely the weather and a video topic he could actually make the pun work with, respect.
Met him at a con, he’s the nicest dude. He was sat to next to people like Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello who were Charging like $75 for a signature. He wasn’t charging a thing, though his line was easily the shortest. I went straight up to him and had a chat, we talked for a while and he seemed really happy to just talk about anything. He actually told where he’d be at the next day of the con, so I could get my stuff signed ( which I didn’t bring ). Lovely guy
One correction: the sentinel in New X-Men came out a few months before 9/11. Should’ve fact checked myself on that. A weird reminder that our memories can’t always be trusted!
I don't mean to be a dink, but you also messed up Grant Morrisons pronouns a few times, they go by They/Them. Totally understandable, its a somewhat recent change. Enjoyed the video, Quitely is easily one of my favorites!
@@MantasticHams yawn
@@MantasticHams that's just nit pickery
@@JoshuaBatJoshHayes if I used the wrong pronoun when talking about you would it be nit-pickey of you to correct me?
@@crooker23 ignore her Robert.
Quite frankly, there’s no one like Frank Quitely
I see what you did there.
Criminally underrated comment.
Legendary pun
Frank Quietly is a great artist for hiptster doofuses. He can’t draw Hank McCoy. Because he’s so shitty he ruined his visual
Co-Workers: "Jesus...is that a f**king hail storm outside?"
Chris: "No. That's a muthaf**kin intro idea outside, baby!"
Frank's detailed style alone is top tier but his composition is what's won me over even more through the years.
¿?
I think the reason why Frank Quitely's art look so good when drawing for either Grant Morrison or Mark Millar is because they all live in Glasgow and are usually in the same room rather than liasing through e-mails. In the Morrison documentary, Quitely joked how Morrsion would breath down his neck whenever he makes a mistake.
I met Frank Quitely by chance in the lobby of my hotel during a convention one time. He was coming in just as I was going out, and I quickly worked up the nerve to ask if there was a comic signing limit when people lined up at the convention (it was 3). He asked how many I had, and I said, "Like, a lot."
”Do you have them with you?”
So he proceeds to sign them for me: All-Star Superman 1-12, We3 1-3, and Batman and Robin 1-16. I also specifically remember he signed them on top of his portfolio which, at that time, contained the brand new material for We3's extended edition collection. It was surreal and awesome. I'll never forget how nice he was to do that for me.
Great anecdote! How lucky you are to meet him.
The idea that Quitely's faces are his weakest point is funny to me. Sure, they aren't beautiful all the time, but that makes them believable. More real. People aren't always beautiful. Plus, like you said in the essay, limiting your critique to his faces is missing everything else he does so well. Great essay heren
It's not about beauty. More about stiffness.
@Jacko Sargs maybe you should Google his work. I very much disagree.
@Jacko Sargs Nobody likes an asshole bro. Can talk about your issues without being a c unt. More people like his art than hate it, suck it up and cry.
@Jacko Sargs On pacheco: I haven't spent a lot of time with his art. I'm noticing that while I like the faces and other elements, there's a lot of over the top and - If you will - off model leaps in perspective. I know dynamic panels are supposed to play with anatomy and angles to create some perspective or action, but some of this is almost liefeld levels of perspective problems.
The more I look at it, I can't figure it out. he's got really solid fundamentals or elements, but one character will look like they are at a seperate vantage point than another. Some are really dynamic images, but then one character will look almost flat, or just their head will be flat.
I'm also noticing that there are some eras of his art I like, and some of the more stylized stuff (I'm usually a sucker for stylized art) isn't very good.
@Jacko Sargs nice presenting opinion as facts. 👌
Frank Quitely is one of the most gifted storytellers in all comics. He has that Kirby-esque quality where you get the gist of the story without reading much dialogue.
I love reading Morrison talk about Frank quietly, it's just him adoring his art and love of his work
Reminder that grant Morrison goes by they/them :)
@@jonnyb7356 🥱
So he’s even bad at that. Morrison and Quietly deserve each other. Stop pretending a shitty artist is anything but. Show me a picture of Frank Quietly drawing Hank McCoy. He can’t do it. Frank Quietly is dog shit for hipster doofuses to slobber on their ego. He made the White Queen look like lumpy mashed potatoes. That was his job, make an X-men cover of Emma Frost be sexy. Such a failure. Frank spends so much time to do what? Crappy art? He was supposed to be Morrison s artist but was so slow and shitty new X-men had other artist.
I've met Frank a few times and know people that have worked with him, the thing that most inspired me about him is how chilled and relaxed he always came across despite spending hours on pages. The BBC documentary on him is well worth the watch
I own 6 original pages of Frank Quitely's artwork from Authority #14.
What was weird to me was that the dealer had a bunch of original art pages by guys like Todd McFarlane and they went for over a grand.
The Quitely pages were 40 dollars each.
It just didnt seem fair.
Chris getting plummeted by hail and watching morbius just to film an intro is dedication to a new level
I appreciate the commitment to the intros. They are the best. Also, as someone who is trying to break into writing comics your videos are so damn helpful.
Yeah the recent reduction in intros I have found very sad; I LOVE the intros. They always make me giggle like a little kid
Quite frankly, I love his visual storytelling talents
My first proper taste of Quitely was WE3 and he's been a favourite ever since. Excellent video as always, Chris. Thank you.
Really loved his run on the Authority, but for some reason didn't enjoy it as much on X-Men. His art is amazing and beautiful, but his level of detail, though impressive, can sometimes get uncomfortable. That's not a diss on his talent, but just shows the impact his art can have.
I remember We3. It was insane how the "pets" are so innocent, but nearly unstoppable. I also have not been aware HOW much Quietly stuff I've read because of his flawless work catching my eye.
Next to Brendan McCarthy, Frank Quietly is one of my biggest influences as an illustrator. His work with Grant Morrison on the New X-Men had a HUGE impact on me, when I was in highschool. Thanks for the awesome video!
I was one of those who didn't like Quitely's art at the beginning but I gave him a chance with We3 because it focused on animals and after that I just love his art.
I think for me what stands out is the anatomy and use of perspective. I think a lot of artists draw bodies always in similar poses, no matter how much I love Jack Kirby and Jim Lee, I think that's part of artists after them taking the wrong lessons from their art and I see lots of artists drawing bodies with almost the same body language (the way they draw open hands, fists, arms and legs...), but you don't see that happening with Quitely.
Even when a comic has multiple variant covers and Quitely does one, you can see his cover stand out, I can picture almost any Jim Lee variant cover in my mind with the character front and center in a heroic pose, but with Quitely you never know what to expect. And don't get me wrong, I love Jim Lee's art, he's one of my favorites, but to Chris' point in the video, you can see the "shortcuts" sometimes with the way he draws bodies and poses.
Also, Quitely is one of the few artists where everything feels very carefully integrated in the art, nothing feels out of place. You can feel the weight of things, how things interact with each other, how characters interact with their environment. Something I always notice is the position of character's feet and how that's perfectly lined up with the surface they're standing on where other artists straight out avoid drawing feet or in some occasions, it feels like they're not really standing there. It's a "small thing" but I always notice that when Quitely is drawing compared to other artists.
With Quitely, I feel like no part of his art is uncreative. From the perspective, to the body language, to the clothes and backgrounds, to the layout, all of it feels carefully thought out before being put to paper, nothing feels like he's just drawing something in a rush. He probably still takes some shortcuts here and there, I mean, the man has been drawing for decades at this point, but with other artists you can easily spot the shortcuts, not with Quitely.
An absolutely brilliant analysis.
Standing out in a hailstorm for the opening gag?
That, is dedication to the craft...
Maybe a little too much dedication...
All Star Superman was my favorite rendition of Superman and my introduction to Frank Quitely. And it lead me to New X-Men. I'm so happy that you made this video analyzing his body of work. The artistry on each page really uplifts the story telling on another level.
Thanks to being Scottish I was lucky enough to meet Frank Quitely and Grant Morrison along with fellow Scottish comic writer Alan Grant at a small Glasgow comic con in the early 00's before such things would have cost way more than I could afford.
All were wonderful to meet and speak to, I was lucky enough to go home that day with three sketches of Batman drawn by the three of them, they are the most treasured parts of my comic collection.
As a Glaswegian, I’m now infinitely inspired to continue drawing!
I love you took that one huge hail storm as an opportunity for a lead-in pun. I'm down at the edge of Lake Washington and we got hit for a solid 40 minutes of hail, but I still like to imagine you heard the patter on your car hood and dove out of the car to make a pun while you could.
Something very close to that.
@@ComicTropes I would 100% do the same. I salute your dedication to a good pun intro!
My Ex (Tom McCraw) colored the Flex Mentallo series for DC/Vertigo. Frank Quitely's art was hands down the most riveting and realistic we ever worked on. Thank you for this episode!
Frank Quitely is one of the few comic book artists I can think of who truly take advantage of the medium.
I remember buying "Flex Mentallo" as the single issues came out and thinking how amazing the art was
OMG! I paused the video to grab my copies of New X-Men #1-3 on single issues from the shelf, just to look at them again. Bought them over 20 years ago. Truly beautiful stuff. The genocide of Genosha was truly scary stuff to read, both as a child and now as an adult. Not anyone can draw something like that to such effect.
Fanatic and enlightening video. Sequential art is always so tricky to get right.
22:09 i love this page from All-Star Superman so much, it's just so powerful. It made me love the comic and made me fall in love with the character.
i admired quitely from the first sight for his exquisite linework
Man this video is an eye-opener! I have always heard Frank Quitely was good but never really saw anything that wowed me. But over the course of this video I was wowed multiple times! I have some comics to read!
Chris wouldn't quite keep quiet about the quality of Quietly's comic works, but quite frankly I can concede that Frank Quietly is quite great.
His work on We3 blew me away. One of the best comics ever.
growing up, i didn't know how I felt about his artworks.. but as a full-grown adult' i fell in love with his work. especially on all-star superman and on Jupiter's legacy. I really wished he illustrated some part of invincible
This man is the best, love his work.
I love We3 so much. One of my favorite comics of all time. Quitely is amazing.
Wonderful video! I've met Frank once and almost broke down telling him how moved I was with We3. He was very patient and graceful. Great work as always, Chris. Intro, fun bloopers, great insight, whole package!
I love Frank Quitely and Grant Morrison weirdly I haven't read We3 I dont think I could put myself through not, if it's sad. Man I'm such a wuss!
@@RighteousBrother highly recommend it. It is an emotional journey but a masterpiece. Frank's art is out of this world.
Quitely has the best drawn gloves in the business.
Not a big western comic book reader myself but your analysis and commentary kept me engaged the whole way through, big props
Frank's work on X-Men is why I'll be a fan for life. He is the ONLY artist that could've shown both the scale & horror of a mutant genocide on Genosha.
“Oh hi! You caught me… loving your intros!” And the rest of the vid too, of course. Always amazed at the depth of your content. Thanks!
I belive Frank Quitely and Grant Morrison are one of The Best duos in the industry, they work so well together.
Thank you for this video! As a Scottish person myself this video really opened my eyes and inspired me! Can't wait for the next one!
One of the funnier aspects of Quitely's superhero work is that his anatomy cribs from the gay underground cartoonist, "Tom of Finland". Very cheeky. Always loved that!
He does page composition and figure work like nobody else. His work is definitely idiosyncratic, and an acquired taste, but there's a reason why Grant Morrison keeps working with him. We3 would be my pick for his best work.
something I especially love is how much weight he gives to bodies, both in motion and at rest. not only does it make it more tactile and grounded, but he can (for lack of a better word) 'animate' a wider range of body types believably. Most artists, even good ones, feel like they know how one kind of body works, and either just add or subtract size from that shape without thinking about how mass, posture, timing are effected. Half of the impact of his action scenes, especially the violent ones, just comes from how much the figures move and drop like human bodies, as if they were stunt performers on the page.
I really enjoy Frank Quietly's work; like the way that his superheroes tend to bulge against their clothes. Regarding his expressive faces, I'd put Frank up there with Kevin Maguire; another real favourite of mine. Both are skilled at conveying their characters' emotions; though Frank's renditions feel more sort of "homely" to me, than Kevin's slick, cool finish.
I think the first work of his I saw was on Morrison’s Batman & Robin and I was blown away. Perfectly expressive and the colors and lines were so beautiful. After reading All-Star Superman he was made into my favorite illustrator.
I loved All star Superman's art. It really fit the mood.
I met Frank Quitely twice. A college I went to had a "make a comic" course where it teaches you the ins and outs of the comic industry and he was a guest there. I also met him during a Q&A he was giving and he remembered me. Cool guy, seemed to really enjoy talking about his work and didn't talk down to anybody.
One of the greatest creators in comics, ever.
Thank you for this wonderful episode!
Quitely's Lois Lane from All Star is the sexiest she's ever been. The astounding coloring in that book also contributes to this.
I've got the same Alan "in space no one can hear you in space" shirt. Good episode
Frank Quitely has an incredible sense of how to block action and compose panels. He’s one of the best in the medium.
The classic intros just keep getting better and better 😂
I adore WE3. Quitely’s Superman is a thing of beauty, like a loving tribute to George Reeves❤
Fantastic Look into the career of Frank's Work, I was lucky when I worked at Marvel to be able to see his artwork upclose. Beautiful stuff.
I wasn’t a Superman fan until All Star Superman. It’s perfect.
Quite frankly, Frank Quitely is a masterful artist.
Him and Morrison make up the perfect writer/artist team.
Frank is an undisputed legend and a titan. We are lucky to live in his wake.
All Star Superman and Superman: The Animated Series are my bellwether for good Superman stories. Quitely's art on ASSM is nothing short of breathtaking and has really influenced the way that I layout my pages.
I love his art. New X-Men and We 3 are some of my personal favorites.
Hail Chris!
Well done on another great video.
Frank is really great.
Anybody who is interested in one of the building blocks of his style should check out the much-loved Scottish comics: "Oor Wullie" and "The Broons".
Cheers Chris - and cheers to all the comic readers out there.
☺
"LiL'JpD."
Truly one of the greatest comic artists. Pax America might be his best. Or maybe Jupiter's Legacy. He seems like he's only getting better with time. Also, I liked the info on what he's doing these days. Great video, man!
I'm glad Frank Quitely gets more recognition nowadays. Comic fans were a lot more savage with their negative opinions about his work back in the aughts. "Potato heads" was almost a meme on the forums I visited.
I just read Pax Americana yesterday. Really good and unique art.
This is a really great and well researched video. In my opinion, he is also one of the best artists working today
The fact that you used a hail storm in your intro shows your superior creativity, sir.
I've always read We3 as Morrison's take on those three animal Homeward Bound type movies, popular in the 80s and 90s. Just, you know, way more violent and horrific.
This was wonderful. I agree completely that Frank Is a master. I also love the Geoff Darrow name check! I feel like we probably read alot of the same comics growing up! Lol
It was crazy how it hailed here last week.
Frank Quitely is an excellent artist. I recognize his work more than I did his name, and it is reminiscent of Moebius, as you mentioned about that series.
Great video as always, dude!
Anyone who goes out in a hail storm to get a joke THAT good has my eternal allegiance. Well played!
I've said it once and I will say it again. That animated intro is probably the best one on youtube. It is absolutely beautiful
His art is a mixture of Moebius and Otomo.
a true virtuoso - humble guy but he channels something very powerful. Elegant, graceful work - he can be spoken about in the same breath as Moebius, quite easily. Deceptively simple but incredibly expressive, some similarity with Bolland.
i have all the Electric Soups and it's crazy to see how he progressed from there
His compositional and narrative storytelling strengths aside, I love his quirkiness, especially in his faces, because they are so distinct and unique to him. Comics are an exercise in stylization of one type or another, and his quirks don't mess with my suspension of disbelief. They are obviously planned or at least used to a given effect, and I love the emotional reactions they trigger at opportune times in the story.
For some very inventive figurework, check out The Kingdom: Offspring from back in the nineties.
Quitely doing a Plastic Man type of character! His cartooning craziness really shines.
Yeeeees. I was obsessed with Plastic Man as a kid and I freaking loved that issue so much. And of course Quitely was super inventive with the plastic powers.
I'm glad you made this video. Quitely is a legend and WE3 is one of the greatest graphic novels of all time, IMHO. Also, Quietly's ability to utilize storytelling and page layouts are unparalleled. I love how he incorporates elements from panels into the overall page designs. I saw an interview of his regarding All Star Superman and how much work he put into the slouching Clark Kent. He's a brilliant storyteller.
Definitely want a video about all-star superman. It truly is hypnotic and grand. And every superman I've read after has been a s letdown
Awesome review! My first exposure to Quitely was with E is for Extinction and it blew my teenage mind. The raw, hard hitting visuals made a huge impression, that hand-through-Trask-face was unusually disgusting looking (and I loved that). And how I adore all-star Supes. Even seeing the small version of the suicidal girl page was making me tear up again. What a legend.
I just reread The Multiversity and once again was floored by it. The scene with Nightshade and her father is brilliant. Credit to Morrison also, since the dialogue dictates the action (he says something about turning a corner as they turn and we also turn our attention in the opposite direction completing the backwards "z" path).
Can't wait for the All Star Superman video. His Batman and Robin was also very interesting. Great video Chris, as always.
I liked how he would draw John Hawksmoor from the Authority. He has a strange powerset it was hard to show how his powers actually work. Quitely did a really good job portraying it!
The guy makes of all jealous and at the same time, inspire us. I can't remeber who said it, but the phrase "he might draw ugly people but GODAMMN, HE'S AMAZING" still rings true.
Glad you mentioned Moebius, I'm sure some people don't know him.
I still have to chek his b/w work. Thanks for the reminder.
And keep up the great work, cheers from Argentina!
Great video! I've never read any of Frank Quietly comics but now I understand why people think he was a revolutionary artist. Could you do a similar video on John Romita Jr? I begun to love his art last year while reading his ASM run with JMS because of his story telling capability. Thanks for the well researched video!
The bbc documentary is called "what do artists do all day?" and is excellent. each one is a different artist and all of them are very engaging. Quitelys episode is really great as he talks alot about his process. you can track them down on youtube.
I'm lucky enough to have met the man a couple of times. First time he drew me a quick sketch of his version of The Beast
Thanks for giving us this retrospective on the works of Vincent "Frank Quitely" Deegan - there were quite a few things I didn't know until now, especially his real name. One thing I particularly noticed was his interpretation of the differences between Superman and Clark Kent, it reminds me of a scene in the 1978 movie, in which Lois urges Clark to straighten his shoulders as she feels he slouches too much.
It is a real insight as to how Frank Quitely is a master of composition, as ably demonstrated with the collaborations with fellow Scots Grant Morrison and Mark Millar.
It must be the Irn-Bru.
Yo I’m so glad you dug into Pax, you hit on some sneaky 8s I hadn’t even noticed, he’s by far one of the best pairings with one of my other favorites, Grant, so that’s just a match in heaven along with All Star Supes
His work on Batman and Robin was so good in the first few issues! ❤
aaaaaah!! New comic troopes video on monday morning!!! HELL YES!!!!
Nice video, Frank Quietly is my favorite comic book artist. I would also recommend a book DC released some years ago "Art of Frank Quietly" this includes most of his previous work which are now out of print.
I recommend it right before the credits!
My favorite comic artist. So weird that I was watching his TED talk and sending it to friends just last week. Thanks Chris!
My first experience with Frank Quietly's art was in the New X-men run. Initially i was a little turned off by his style on faces in the covers id seen but once you start in the book proper he'd won me over from the first page. He really shows that theres more to comics art than just pretty faces. His storytelling was impeccable and made the reading experience so smooth. I always loved the full page of cyclops and wolverine taking down the sentinel in sydney.
You are a legend, I mean you stood outside in a hailstorm just to make a pun!!!
I'm willing to bet that Chris has been looking forward to using a "hail" pun but has had to wait for SO many factors to hit at once. Namely the weather and a video topic he could actually make the pun work with, respect.
Met him at a con, he’s the nicest dude. He was sat to next to people like Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello who were Charging like $75 for a signature. He wasn’t charging a thing, though his line was easily the shortest. I went straight up to him and had a chat, we talked for a while and he seemed really happy to just talk about anything. He actually told where he’d be at the next day of the con, so I could get my stuff signed ( which I didn’t bring ). Lovely guy
Great video on a great artist