How to Draw Noir Comics: The Art and Technique of Visual Storytelling is an instructional book based on the cinematic, high contrast noir style of acclaimed comic book and graphic novel illustrator, Shawn Martinbrough. Martinbrough’s work has been published by DC Comics, Vertigo and Marvel Comics, illustrating stories ranging from Batman to the X-Men. This is his first book, released through Watson-Guptill Publications and The Nielsen Company. In How to Draw Noir Comics, Martinbrough shows how the expert use of the color black is critical for drawing noir comics. He demonstrates how to set a mood, design characters and locations, stage action and enhance drama, and discusses important topics like page layout, panel design, and cover design. How to Draw Noir Comics includes The Truce, an original graphic novel written and illustrated by Martinbrough which incorporates the many lessons addressed throughout the book, and has an introduction by critically-acclaimed novelist Greg Rucka, author of the graphic novel Whiteout, currently in production as a major motion picture. |
|
 Straightforward with lots of personal examples |
| Review Date: January 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Parka, Singapore |
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R25WT841AZRUMG Everything in the book is explained simply and clearly with lots of personal examples. He tries to address the many approaches to creating noir comics and does them well. For example when explaining the tools he used, he would talk on the type of ink to buy (fade and erase-proof), how to maintain them and choosing the right tools for the job.
The main bulk of the book deals with comic creation specific to noir style. He explains the ways to create mood, lighting and texture to aid the story. And also touches the comic creation part like paneling, pacing, creating drama, choosing backgrounds, using references and more. All the examples included are well caption to emphasis the techniques reviewed.
At the end of the book is a 16-page noir style graphic novel to show readers the finished product.
This book is a great introduction to noir comics and serves as a great reference.
You can view more of Shawn Martinbrough's work at Verge Entertainment, which is a company he founded with his partners.
(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.) |
great great GREAT book!!!
|
| Review Date: November 28, 2007 |
| Reviewer: echobanzai, nyc |
| hey, i have been a fan of martinbrough's since his days on Creeper, then his LEGENDARY run on BATMAN! way back, he did some inking on some MILESTONE comic books, and you could see, how much he IMPROVED the pencils, by adding his amazing inks to the art. and now, they finally got it right! Martinbrough, whose dark and moody inks have always intrigued, has made a 'HOW TO DRAW' book, and this is THE book to own! I love drawing in black and white, pen and ink, and now, i have the perfect reference book to work from. i HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone, who wishes not only to be a better comic book artist, but to be a better ILLUSTRATOR as well. tons of great art, tons of great ideas, this book is just hands down, a WINNER. buy it! |
Valuable insight from a distinctive creative voice
|
| Review Date: March 4, 2008 |
| Reviewer: J. DOUGAN, Washington, DC United States |
I'm a comics writer, not an artist, so I almost started this review by saying that I bought the book just to look at the pictures. And who could blame me? Shawn Martinbrough is one of the most original and distinctive stylists in modern mainstream comics. In a sea of imitators and variations on a house style, his artwork is instantly recognizable. His run on DETECTIVE COMICS with writer Greg Rucka (who writes the introduction to this book) is a landmark to me, in that it was one of the things that brought me back to reading comics after a long absence.
But Martinbrough's strengths lie far beyond his style - he has a true mastery of the *craft* of sequential storytelling, which is what makes this book such a valuable read, for aspiring artists and students of the medium in general. Reading about his process has given me much food for thought in how to evaluate and critique the work of other artists, as well as in how to better compose my scripts for artists to create the maximum impact in the collaboration. In short, HOW TO DRAW NOIR COMICS is a fine read for anyone interested in creating comics, whether one's work is done at the drawing board or at the keyboard.
Oh, and you get to look at the cool pictures, too. |
cool book
|
| Review Date: November 28, 2007 |
| Reviewer: serious reader, |
| i read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it! it's an easy read and it teaches everyone, not just artists, to understand and create the stylized artform of noir. it's chockful of instructions and tells the reader what equipment to buy, how to create drama with shadow and lighting, and how to lay out pages. if that's not enough, there are dead-on noir pictures of celebrities like donald trump, rudy guiliani, kofi annan and biggie smalls. it's fun! |
introductory how-to on drawing noir comics by an expert
|
| Review Date: November 29, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Henry Berry, Southport, CT |
Martinbrough shows how to get various kinds of dramatic effects in the noir style using the simple tools of ink and pencils, pens, and brushes. Additional work of this foremost artist/illustrator can be seen at the website www.verge.tv. But his work is already familiar to many in DC Comics and Marvel Comics and also the films Batman, X-Men, and others. Starting with how to visual a script (or any text) to create noir illustrations for it, Martinbrough moves on to the fundamental of page layout and then the techniques of graphically portraying action and developing a series of illustrations generating drama. Panel design, backgrounds, and rhythm are among the specific topics covered with corresponding illustrations. While cautioning the illustrator should never forget text that is going to be inserted into many noir illustrations, in a series of three simple illustrations Martinbrough demonstrates choices that can be made in panel design or organization affecting the effects or prominence of elements of the noir illustration. In discussing "Designing the Covers," he notes, "Remember, the more detailed your cover, the harder it becomes to convey a clear message of what the story is about."
The reader benefits not only from Martinbrough's exceptional talent putting him at the top of his profession, but also from his experience in the field of comics and films working on projects involving various persons (e. g., writer, director) and thus various considerations. The expert instruction is capped off by a 16-page graphic novel titled "The Truce" combining all the considerations and techniques Martinbrough has covered in the earlier sections. |
|
No video reviews found for this product.
