World Famous Comics: The DC Comics Guide to Inking Comics
The DC Comics Guide to Inking Comics
By: Klaus Janson Publisher: Watson-Guptill Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Watson-Guptill Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 128 Publication Date: July 01, 2003
workmanlike intro to comic book inking On the one hand, this book will give you every practical bit of information you'll need to, basically, critique your own inking and bring it up to an acceptable level. This book is appropriate for the novice artist. Unfortunately, there is almost nothing inspiring about this book, including the art. DC has had some tremendous inkers, which you'd expect from such a large company with such a long tenure. But you'd also expect that the bulk of the work from a large company would be average and unnotable. It is in the latter category into which this book falls. It was written and the bulk of it illustrated by two stalwarts of the industry, who have done tremendous work in the past. But the image on the cover - of two breasts charging at you - pretty much sends the worst, loudest message the comic book industry has: No depth, just something to grab your attention. What certainly isn't shown or described, except for the 3 or 4 images by Berni Wrightson, are examples of careful, beautiful, meticulous artwork. Sadly, that IS the kind of work that is predominantly seen in comic books today. What disappoints me is that the best work is not what this book is about.
Instructional, a part of the puzzle Read this and The Art of Inking, and you have probably read the best two sources of info regarding this subject available from a book. The two books are complementary in a way, covering different aspects. Klaus Johnson isn't my favorite author in readability/page-turning writing style, but the book is effective and helpful. I would look at both books and PRACTICE!!
Inky Fingers This book is like sitting down with a veteran inker and picking his brain. Tips on technique and the theory behind why it works, and a good peek into the world of comic book production. I've been working with ink for a long time, and I wanted some fresh ideas to experiment with. This book is like talking shop with a master.
The BEST book on INKING, yet.... I've read a lot of books on how-to-do comic art, some on writing and publishing, and this book stood out as soon as I began reading it. Last night I finished, and have to recommend this as the best book I ever read on the subject of comic book inking, and there is little need to improve over it as a feast of information. What Janson leaves out can be found in other books, but he carved the meat off the bone where others before were clawing off unappetizing chunks.
Absolutely brilliant tips, tricks and approaches are found in these pages. The reviewer that calls this book 'preachy' merely is set to stumble into the holes awaiting most comic book artists on their way to mediocrity. Janson's primary lesson through every chapter is TO CONVEY INFORMATION TO THE COMIC READER. An inker clarifies and improves on the pencils, tightens them, and makes sure the storytelling in improved from pencils if not maintaining. Inside he covers light and dark, feathering, line weight, textures, and other basics that just aren't touched on in other books with the insight Klaus provides. And to help, he provides lots of lush B&W inked art from a period that probably influenced him - the Adams/Giordano/Wrightson/Kane period of DC comics. He also compared pencils to inks with more current art he inked over from Kane and Miller.
While Janson's own ink style is rough and appears heavy handed, it does everything it has to with grit. Sometimes the art cries out, "USE THE CIRCLE TEMPLATE!!" but over all it demonstrates how he thinks in planning textures, placement of black and white or tone, and use of feathering to describe form. What the neo-Amero-Japo-manga artists need to learn, as does any art student going anywhere, is that art books give you information, and the more information they give you then the more their worth. Super enticing, glossy, sex bent art work should be reserved for the books people buy to enjoy the art and story, not the training manuals telling you info you use to plug into your own work. Janson hit it right on with this book, the rest is left up to you to DO and IMPROVE.
Other books with good inking information - "Marvel Way" by Lee/Buscema has nice beginning info, and quick but pertinent info on weak and strong inking examples. "Rendering in Pen and Ink" by Guptill is a genius book on how to render and draw in ink for illustrators (or comic artists). "How To Draw Manga: Pen & Tone Techniques" by Ryo Touda handles a brilliant look at manga pens and tones. Everything else I fail to mention by name because it really isn't worth buying. You can put together a foundation of inking information with these 4 books that can't be beat at any art school in the nation.
Wordy and preachy, but still helpful. Klaus Janson has been working in the comic book profession for decades. He is a proficient inker, but not the best author of instructional books. There are some good tips in this book, but you have to slog through his wordy and preachy writing style to find them. I haven't read any other books that are devoted solely to comic book inking so I can't recommend a perfect alternative, but here is one suggestion. Andy Smith devotes nineteen pages to inking in his book Drawing Dynamic Comics, which is excellent. You can get almost as much out of those nineteen pages as you can out of Klaus' whole book. If you pick up a copy of Smith's book and one of the many books about pen and ink that aren't specifically related to comics, you should do quite well.
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