Rough Justice

I first encountered artist/writer/designer Alex Ross’s work in the defunct Now Comics Terminator mini-series. Even then, at such an early age (not yet 20) Alex’s talent was evident. His mastery of facial expressions, anatomy, page layout and use of color far exceeded what one to expect to see form one so young.

From Now Alex went on to produce the ground-breaking maxi-series for Marvel Comics aptly named Marvels and soon after the Kingdom Come series for DC Comics. Since then he has produced dozens of comic book covers, a score of comic book stories for regular monthly titles, mini and maxi-series, one-shots and a handful of original series for both Marvel and DC.

The new Rough Justice hardbound book from Pantheon Books by Ross, with editor Chip Kidd, offers a sneak peek into Alex’s creative process by showing sketches and design ideas for the work he’s done for DC Comics. Inside readers witness Ross’s exhaustive research methods when creating characters and stories. Character designs, cover sketches, storyboard layouts, color studies, logo design, vehicle and environment refinements and hundreds of sketches fill each page along with personal notes and observations and anecdotes by the artist.

Alex’s art can best be described as reality meeting fantasy. His characters are rendered as if they were real, with stunning lighting effects, innovative costume designs and easily identifiable characters (no cookie cutter likenesses).

As a designer and artist I can appreciate the sheer volume of work, effort and time put into each sketch and final piece. The book makes for a fascinating journey into the mind of one the best artist in the industry and one of its most influential and ground-breaking creators.