Product Description

THE EISNER AWARD-WINNING, NATIONALLY BEST-SELLING MYTHOLOGY IS HERE IN PAPERBACK, IN AN EXPANDED EDITION WITH 32 NEW PAGES.

Mythology returns, in a newly expanded paperback edition of the book Entertainment Weekly awarded a grade of A, saying: “Alex Ross brings to his work an unparalleled sense of the real. His heroes–both super and mortal–have weight; they exist in space, and that space is affected by them in ways never before seen on the page.” And so here they are, the incomparable cast of the DC Comics universe: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman, the Green Lantern, and the rest of the Justice League as you’ve never seen them before. Mythology brings together the best loved comic characters in the world, brought to life by Alex Ross, one of the most astonishing young artists working in the medium today. The award-winning designer/writer Chip Kidd and photographer Geoff Spear have teamed up to create a book like no other, with an introduction by M. Night Shyamalan, the acclaimed director of The Village and The Sixth Sense.

Ross has often been called the Norman Rockwell of comics, and this book reveals not only his lifelong love of these classic superheroes but also his vision: Mythology takes you into the studio for a behind-the-scenes look at his fascinating creative process. The combination of Ross’s dynamic art and Kidd’s kinetic design makes images from his most memorable stories–including Kingdom Come, Superman: Peace on Earth, Batman: War on Crime, and Uncle Sam–soar off the more than 300 pages.

The new material centers on Ross’s startling new comic book series, Justice, including sketches, preliminary art, prototype figures, and more. Mythology is a book in which every page explodes with the power of the icons it celebrates.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #347432 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Calendar
• 24 pages

From Publishers Weekly
With art that looks like a hybrid of Norman Rockwell and Jack Kirby, artist Ross has become the preeminent painter of superheroes of his generation. This lavish coffee- table tribute puts him into a pantheon as exalted as the superbeings he depicts. The son of a preacher and an illustrator, Ross was always captivated by superheroes, but it wasn't until he discovered the use of live models in art school that he was able to realize his visions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest. Like Rockwell, Ross uses photographs to set up lighting and staging-a process documented in a section at the end of the book-and like Rockwell, he favors otherworldly lighting effects that somehow serve to make his figures more realistic. Like Kirby, he has an innate belief in the iconic power of superheroes that gives them a dimension far beyond the usual four-colored adventures. Whether in Kingdom Come, a renowned tale of the twilight of the superheroes; his own oversized stories written with Paul Dini; or countless posters, covers and commissions, Ross's vision of beings so powerful they verge on arrogant will make viewers glad they don't exist in the real world. Kidd's text is laudatory but never cloying, and the book includes numerous studies, sketches and photos to show Ross's method. While collectors and fans gush over Ross's output, the sheer weight of pictures of every superteam in DC's universe does become somewhat numbing by the end. Still, the immense power of Ross's best images cuts through any clutter, and this volume deftly showcases just that.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-This is a coffee-table tribute to the work of the cartoonist. Kind of an odd blend of Norman Rockwell meets Saturday morning cartoons, Ross's gouache painted art glows on the pages. Interspersed with quotations by the artist and those who know him, Kidd's sparse text takes readers on a brief tour of Ross's childhood to his early days in advertising and comic books, finally ending with the limited series "Kingdom Come" (Warner, 1998), which combined hyper-realistic artwork with unusually complex storytelling. The book not only displays samples of finished works but also includes sketches, photographs of live models, and comic art dating back to the 1930s. For a humorous touch, Kidd includes samples of Ross's childhood art, with pieces ranging from rough copies of comic covers to endearing sculptures of Batman and others made out of construction paper. Ultimately, Ross is an artist who quests to reuse and redevelop classic characters like Superman and Wonder Woman and elevate their stories to a level more sophisticated readers can enjoy. High goals, but this man makes it work.
Matthew L. Moffett, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Ross is arguably comic books' only genuine superstar, whose artistic touch turns any title into a bestseller. His ultrarealistic, painted renditions of iconic superheroes--in which he rather marries the styles of Norman Rockwell and Jack Kirby--impart a grandeur to the characters that their typical adventures only hint at. So singular is Ross' talent and so vast his following that they warrant this lavish, coffee-table-book retrospective of his work for DC Comics that spotlights his portrayals of the company's big guns--Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman--but includes some of his renderings of their lesser lights. Though the book contains numerous excerpts from various stories, including two all-too-short, brand-new strips and preliminary sketches, pencil drawings, and other rarities, Ross' approach is best displayed by the many full-page, posterlike paintings in the book. The lavish tribute is written and designed by Chip Kidd, himself a superstar in the world of book design, and he shows off Ross' grandiosity to full advantage. Ross' exceptional photorealism is actually more convincing than the looks of most of the comic-book adaptations that have hit the movie screen of late, and this succulent artbook should attract noncomics readers as well as the hardcore fans who already revere Ross. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Superheroes should feel honored to be drawn by him
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.ca/review/RTH6R69DRESY This book on Alex Ross comic art is stunning. There are comics where the characters are brought to life by the art and story, but you know that they are still created from imagination. With Alex Ross, it seems like he's drawing a character that really exists. His sense of realism is unparalleled. He blurs the line between fantasy and reality.

He's compared often with Norman Rockwell and it's apt, but Alex Ross is in a class of his own too. He, too, uses photographic references to amazing results.

This book is packed with breathtaking paintings, many of which are full page. It's also filled with his sketches and accompanying commentary talking from anything about his childhood, comic characters and influences like Andrew Loomis and various comic artists. There are lots to read. There's also a section which details his drawing process, from getting a reference, to inking and then colouring.

Although there are no chapters, the content is grouped by the superheroes he drew, namely Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Shazam, The Justice Society, The Justice League, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Plastic Man, Green Arrow, Hawkman, The Atom, The Flash, Supergirl, Batgirl and a whole lot more. These superheroes must have felt honored to be drawn by Alex Ross.

This book is really value for money 320 pages of top quality art and awesome for only US$20. Highly recommended to all artists and comic fans.

(There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

An illustrated guide to the comic geeks ethos
Alex Ross is an artist of the highest calibre and brings a an artisic legitmacy to the super hero rag. No one captures the human side of your favorite super humans like Ross and this collection deserves to be on the coffee table of every DC super hero fan

Kind of disappointing
The first time I saw this book, I was struck by the art inside and I carried that image with me for ages, but I didn't buy the book (mainly because I was a poor student). Fast forward 3 years later. I just bought the book for Christmas, and after opening the shrink wrap...I was struck with a vague sense of disappointment.

It didn't contain as many finished pictures as I remember, instead there's a lot of sketches which didn't interest me. The writing also wasn't a great deal of fun to read, I felt it distracted from the art instead.

Sigh...I think this book is good just to flip through at the bookstore and marvel at some of the pictures, but shelling out $30+ definitely wasn't worth it.