Brian Bolland: The Best Comic Book Cover Artist

[@KesselRunner606]

Brian Bolland is the guy who drew "Gaze Into the Fist of Dredd!" That is all.

[@flaggerify]

KesselRunner606 Which is on the wall.

[@ComicBookCovers]

Think of it: The Killing Joke cover depicts a pivotal scene from the story THAT ISN'T EVEN SHOWN IN THE STORY! You don't know how disturbing that cover is till you read the story! It's conceptually brilliant AND looks great!

[@turtleanton6539]

Right

[@lucianganea3034]

You have to make a video on Alex Ross

[@elmori616]

Yep...

[@patsboy1012]

Lucian Ganea Hell Yeah!

[@KTF0]

Yeah, it's about time.

[@dexterroberts5569]

Lucian Ganea nah, Alex Ross is over admired

[@LupineShadowOmega]

@@dexterroberts5569 so what you're saying is, you're being a hipster...gotcha.

[@palchristianandersen9086]

I love it when British artists do ultra-realistic art. They always lean towards the grotesque. Just look at Chris Weston and Glenn Fabry's work.

[@twistedpicsproductions4849]

Glenns covers are amazing!

[@patsboy1012]

Pål Christian Andersen I’ve been reading Preacher (amazing book, super violent), and those Glenn Fabry covers are awesome. In my opinion, he’s like the dark antithesis of Alex Ross

[@twistedpicsproductions4849]

@Rob Y. That's bitchin

[@KTF0]

Yeah, I ripped off that style before when I do realistic. Really Fun stuff.

[@aleksisuuronen5969]

Fabry is amazing, his Preacher covers and American God's covers are great (altough I do think David Mack's covers fit American God's mood much better but it's still nice to have both). Since he does so detailed work I was just thinking while reading the American God's part he illustrated that how long it must've took to do. For Preacher he was perfect since the grotesque look where every muscle is ultra highlighted to look a bit skewed matched the story very well. There is couple of my favorite covers there, the voodoo one with the snake and the first chapters cover where the church is burning.

[@doctorhandsome]

Dave McKean, Glenn Fabry, Mike Mignola, Bill Sienkewicz

[@JoeJoe-lq6bd]

Doctor Handsome Dave McKean always comes to mind when people ask about great covers. And Sienkewicz has some of the most creative and interesting work ever in comics. I’d love to see him and Jim Steranko (though I don’t know if Steranko even considers working these days) collaborate.

[@youraveragecrownofthorns8919]

@@JoeJoe-lq6bd Steranko does still pop up in comics from time to time. He usually will do a variant cover on some special issue. Just a few years ago, he did an unexpected cover for an off label Hercules adaptation. I believe he did a cover for Detective1000. Or it may have been Action 1000.

[@youraveragecrownofthorns8919]

The only things i've never read that Dave Mckean did was the two books he wrote himself, Cages and Pictures that Tick. I got pretty much everything else covered.

[@tentringer4065]

Cam Kennedy did great work on 80s Dredd.

[@TheMastermind729]

Neal Adams

[@scottfree2248]

A great cover is what attracts me first to a comic. Neal Adams, Joe Kubert, Jim Aparo, John Buscema, John Romita, and Mike Grell are some of my all-time favourites!

[@emmanuellykes1428]

How do you feel about Bill Sienkiewicz? I always loved his covers

[@scottfree2248]

@@emmanuellykes1428 He is great. I especially like his Moon 🌙 Knight covers.

[@hammy4269]

Oh hi! You caught me stuck in 144p.

[@cyberpunkholiday]

Hammy426 Boo!

[@floskywalker6220]

Speaking of pathetic things, let’s talk about my social skills

[@wdcain1]

It's a shame photorealistic art nowadays lack the style and energy of guys like Bolland.

[@prophoem9492]

Jack Kirby is a great cover artist too! The Fantastic 4 cover with the Watcher is amazing!

[@pablocordoba5244]

Greg Capüllo and Todd Mc Farlane are great with covers.

[@benderbendingrodriguez420]

Alex Ross creates beautiful pieces every damn time. Would love a episode on him!

[@mr.pavone9719]

Looks like I have the properly colored Bolland version of TKJ. Thanks for drawing my attention to it, I never would have known otherwise. Maybe I'll track down the "original" version for some side by side comparison. Also, I just got the hardcover version of The Best Of 2000AD and the Harlem Heroes front page is the first story to read. I look forward to it!

[@jdmga1]

Dave McKean and Tim Bradstreet were my favorites growing up. I think they did some illustration (Serious House on Serious Earth is a great example) but I think their works as cover artists were the most gripping.

[@matrtdc]

Isn't the Gilberto Hernandez who submitted a drawing, the same Gilberto Hernandez who writes and draws Love & Rockets? The style is similar.

[@TruckSawdust]

Between his run on Hellblazer (please consider an episode on John Constantine) and the Punisher, Tim Bradstreet has to be up there with the best cover artists for me. Glenn Fabry's work on Preacher is epic as well, as is anything by Simon Bisley. Come to think of it, DC's Vertigo line had amazing cover artists; Brian Wood and later J.P. Leon on DMZ, James Jean on Fables, the list goes on. Name dropping is fun :)

[@fistofdoom8429]

Darwyn Cooke and Mike Mignola are my two favorite cover artists. Completely different styles but their technique and artwork are gorgeous and clean

[@LowellLucasJr.]

Brian Bolland is easily one of the greatest cover artists! Especially Wonder woman & Joker! Here's some other great cover artists! Frank Cho, J.Scott Campbell, Jim Lee, Joseph Linsner, and Adam Hughes!

[@rojaws1183]

Bolland is great and so are you. It's hard to pick a favorite of his covers but one of mine is a 2000ad cover where a insane looking waiter serves a spaghetti monster. Speaking of artists who were made famous by 2000ad, have you done any vid about Carlos Esquerra? He died last year and I think he deserves to be remembered for his talent and very unique style.

[@Frankenstein077]

"... Undead Virgins..." Sounds like a 70s/80s exploitation horror film title (something produced by Roger Corman, for sure) if ever there was one. I'm totally stealing it. ;-)

[@petemarquez8759]

Mike Zeck is my favorite cover artist.

[@michaelmyers4943]

His Punisher covers are pure gold!

[@petemarquez8759]

Ricky G I love those and his work on GI Joe, the original Secret Wars, but what grabbed my attention as a kid, my very first comic book that I just had to have and my dad got for me was Captain America #272, look that beauty up if you ever get a chance. I just had to know what happened and who could possibly do this to Captain America? I credit that one issue, capturing my young imagination from a convenience store spinner rack with my life-long love of comic books.

[@dlvnmedia]

@@petemarquez8759 damn that is a great cover

[@MrTheevilmage]

Dude I have the first 4 volumes of judge dredd complete case files with all of Brians art from every issue of 2000ad before he left. I swear his art made early judge dredd comics really enjoyable

[@barbarabonnie576]

Judge Death is the OG Batman Who Laughs.

[@Wyndamn]

Damn......that's pretty interesting.

[@CMan-x7k]

Now that you mention it... that makes too much sense.

[@dachers1238]

This show has made me appreciate comics. Thank you.

[@EskimoCreamKing]

Mark texeira's work on ghost rider and black panther is beautiful

[@White_Tiger2169]

Sone of my favorite cover artists are Gil Kane (Marvel years), George Pérez, and Adam Hughes

[@ashleyfarina9773]

Bolland rules and so do you. These videos are very informative. Would love to see a Nocturnals vid or Fables.

[@baginamonolog]

Just picked up DC Comics Art of Brian Bolland this past weekend after thinking, "man, I need to go back and pick that up" all month. I love when youtube content coincides. Used to pick up extra copies here and there of his stuff just so I could tear the covers off for posters. Thanks for the informative and visual upload! Neal Adams, Joe Kubert, and Michael William Kaluta

[@shirleydowning3612]

Born in '51! Like ME! I can also relate to loving the work but hating deadlines. Excellent episode Mr. Chris.

[@JianCB2]

So... You're about 69 years old now?

[@CUTEMKUltras]

Really glad you went into Bolland's work on 2000AD. Most UK fans of his grew up on that comic and the main artists that illustrated it have all become big names over the years. Always wanted Bolland to do more sequential work, but I understand why he doesn't do it. The older you get, the less you want the stress of deadlines.

[@jdsantibanez]

Another great cover artist: Joe Kubert. As you can see, my icon is Brian Bolland's Sgt. Rock.

[@Brian_Boru]

Great point. Joe Kubert just might be the greatest cover artist of all time. He definitely gets my vote.

[@ppotter]

Another great video, so thanks! Also, I really enjoyed your British place name pronunciations: 'Shire' (of Lincolnshire) rhymes with 'Clear', and 'Norwich' rhymes with 'Porridge' - not that you'll ever have to say them again! Also also, Kevin Wada's covers are always divine.

[@codswallop321]

And Bolland is pronounced boll-and, not bole-and!

[@ThatTony]

Favorite comic cover artists: 1. Brian Bolland 2. Alex Ross 3. Steve Ditko

[@richmcgee434]

I think I'd include Kirby, but heaven knows which one I'd drop for him.

[@bmillette]

Steve Rude, amazing cover artist.

[@panelsandplatters]

My favorite all time comics artist is Sam Kieth, and I love his cover work on Marvel Comics Presents through the late 1980s and early 1990s.

[@zachcouch8654]

I am always excited for these videos! Thanks for the great content.

[@Thebabybadass101]

Never realized how familiar I was with Bollands work until you showed everything he worked on. Such a great artist, and a great and informative video as always !

[@callahan821]

I was not really that excited about Bolland's Detective #1000 cover until I realized it was an homage to his ad for Forbidden Comics from their Grand Opening. Really cool!

[@DathanNaniel]

Alex Ross has gotta be my favorite

[@christopherjohnson4276]

I love this channel. Thanks Chris! It's obvious how much time and care you put into these. Makes my 45-year-old self feel 13 again. Thanks man.

[@callahan821]

Some of my favorite cover artists as of late: Stephanie Hans, Tula Lotay, Jenny Frison, Tradd Moore, Phil Noto, Doc Shaner, Mitch Gerads, Ben Oliver, Mark Brooks, Nick Derington, Stanley (Artgerm) Lau, and of course, Joe Mad!

[@callahan821]

And Bill Sienkiewicz!

[@ConTrollerNorth2]

Akira Toriyama and Alex Ross are my favorite cover/interior artists. Great vid. Always appreciated.

[@jamesfowler3026]

Your video has given me a better appreciation of Brian Bolland as an artist. Can't wait to see who you feature next. As for my personal favorite cover artist I'd say it's Adam Hughes. Just consistently beautifully drawn and laid out.

[@logan1er]

Alex Ross, Adi Granov, Essad Ribic, Mike Deodato JR are great cover artists too :)

[@petemarquez8759]

Great video Chris. I was watching some of your earlier shows, while still very informative, your delivery and production quality has improved exponentially brother. Good job man!

[@CarolusMagnusSteam]

Love the videos on comic persons and history. I'm not a big comic reader but was when I was a kid. It's neat to see the in-depth review of personalities like Bolland and Jim Shooter whom I had actually never heard of. Keep up the good work!

[@michaelturpin5783]

As per usual, a great episode about a truly great artist. You pronounced Norwich and Lincolnshire wrong though. It's a nit picky thing but they are actually pronounced "noridge" (Norwich) and "Linconshar" (lincolnshire). Hope the next episode comes soon.

[@smbcollector]

His Flash covers really captivated me as a kid. Back then when I had an imagination and everything was new to me, I’d spend lots of time just staring at those covers.

[@imaginaryfriend4512]

That blooper made my day! Thanks for including that

[@adversitycartoons4050]

Please do a video on Geof Darrow, that man is my favorite artist of all time!

[@vitormarinho4689]

Was really lucky to meet him in person. Took some of his time (there were more people in the queue) to talk to me about his work and his relation with Alan Moore post Killing Joke. Amazing artist, great human being.

[@TheJMuise87]

Brian Bolland might be my favorite photo realistic cover artist I've seen. Much more expressive than Alex Ross IMO. Dammit now I'm just going to be eagerly waiting for the Katsuhiro Ottomo episode! Been looking for a copy of Domu but for whatever reason Dark Horse doesn't have it in print. As much as I want it, paying 200+ for it isn't really feasible lol

[@deenydude7]

Great Video as usual Chris! You should do a video on Christopher Priest or Greg Rucka next!

[@crinz9255]

he is very good but I think Alex Ross is out there as well

[@robertsyrett1992]

Yeah but no bananas line work. It's a chocolate and cheese comparison. Both good in their own way.

[@flip1sba]

Different styles. Ross is more a “painter” despite some of his artworks are inked particularly Shadowrun.

[@knoxw2491]

I loved his crisis on infinite earths cover

[@aidennoir597]

I used to get piles of those Judge Dredd reprint issues from a used comic store in my youth, and Bolland's art stood out so dramatically from the rest of the art, it led to me starting to pay attention to creator credits. He's an amazing talent.

[@ethansnyder8779]

The cover for Camelot 3000's Issue 4 is personally one of my favorites of all time. Even out of the story's context, it just shows off the spirit of comics so well to me. A dude dramatically swinging a sword at a spaceship, while another guy chases after him in the classic comic book "running/falling" pose, with a title like "Camelot 3000"? I love all of it, so much. It was nice learning about the artist here!

[@Baronsunday]

Thanks for yet another great sincere and passionate video Chris ! Some (as I couldn't think of all of them) favorite cover artists of mine in no particular order : Brian Boland Alex Ross Tim Bradstreet Scott J Campbell Travis Charest Frank Frazetta Glenn Fabry Adam Hughes Pretty much all the artists who did the covers for Fables Etc ... So many greats !!!

[@svensvenkill]

Arthur Adams, Brian Bolland and Barry Windsor-Smith are my three all-time favourite cover artists and sequential artists.

[@CAPTSCRU33Y]

I've been teaching myself on how to both draw and write comics for over a year now, and your videos have been very helpful. Assuming that I'm speaking on behalf of other subscribers who have been doing the same things I mentioned, It's really 'us' who should be thanking you. The content you share on these videos is highly detailed, insightful, and really informative. Thanks Chris. Keep the videos coming! -Michael

[@prestonart1548]

Every time I hear that theme song it gets stuck in my head. And I love it

[@oliverortiz5226]

Love Brian Bolland art. His covers are ones I collect. Dave Stevens is another one of my favorite cover artist who I also actively collect.

[@andrewjensen8128]

Your videos are very informative and they provide information I could not just find with Wikipedia. You obviously have opinions, but you do an excellent job of keeping them separate from the actual information.

[@AngusRockford]

I was fortunate to buy Bolland’s first American work (that awe-inspiring GL 127 cover) off the spinner rack in the winter of 79-80, so I’ve always felt like I witnessed the “British invasion” from day one. That cover was simply impossible not to pick up and instantly purchase.

[@caligulapontifex5759]

I once saw Brian sketching a Joker commission at a Con, he must have spend an hour on the head sketch. Constantly erasing and redrawing. Without a doubt he is a perfectionist which kind of explains why he didn't do a lot of sequential art. It would have taken too long and he would probably have missed a lot of deadlines.

[@enragedkaiser237]

I dislike the recolors of The Killing Joke. The original vibrant colour palette fits the story better in my opinion.

[@jacobkeary6740]

Have.... you read it

[@callahan821]

I completely agree. I have so much nostalgia for John Higgins work. It really speaks to the time in which Killing Joke was first published. Additionally, I feel the same way about Steve Oliff on The Maxx. I very much appreciate that the artist's intent was for something more realistic and muted, but I just love those vibrant 90's colors.

[@wdcain1]

Agreed. The Joker scenes feel like an LSD trip with the garish coloring.

[@theycallmerisky619]

Yea it looks like a bad acid trip. Sets a perfect tone for the book

[@youraveragecrownofthorns8919]

When everybody read KJ ...in the 80's, we did not know the coloring was not what Bolland wanted. That info was not revealed for several years after the fact, but i can take the coloring both ways.

[@joshuaizzo8893]

I would like to see a video on Mike Mignola's covers he did for Marvel and DC!

[@cyberpunkholiday]

Brian Bolland on Dredd was the first Dredd stories I read. Thanks for this Chris! You keep goin man. This is my favorite channel!

[@summeyanthony]

Speaking of great cover artists, have you done an episode on Adam Hughes yet?

[@curtjames8483]

Tim Bradstreet is one of my favorite cover artists!

[@dreamlandnightmare]

Love his realistic and evocative style.

[@yatz57]

Great tribute to a great artist. Cannot recommend The Art of Brian Bolland book enough - that, together with the Will Elder book, are the art books I go back to most often (hey, here's a thought - how about a video on the great artists of Mad magazine?). Of the cover artists I like, Bolland is the best at giving you an image that is very beautiful (but with a little twist that will make you smile), tells a full story on its own and is still very true to the book itself. Other artists I like: Glenn Fabry (godfather of the "demented artsy-fartsy" style), Adam Hughes (cheescake you can show your mom), Frank Cho (cheescake with an edge) and Bill Sienkiewicz (artsy-fartsy taken to the Nth degree?). Not so big on Alex Ross, any more - there's just so much GRAVITAS the human mind can process. Com'n, man - it's just pumped-up morons running around in their long johns!

[@MrMangaman1]

That run on Dial H by Mieville that Bolland did covers for deserves a video of its own, can't recommend it enough to people looking for something new to read

[@the11thhour44]

Brian Bolland and Alex Ross, legends in the comic cover landscape. Also, since I haven't seen anyone mention him, goddamn Francis Manapul. His style is just so vibrant and fun, his layout is imaginative, with that touch of mainstream appeal to it.

[@residentgrigo4701]

The Killing Joke was always supposed to be canon. CBR covered that a few years ago and there was a Batgirl one-shot that set up her retirement.

[@josegregoriobencomogomez4958]

I think Moore wasn't aware DC intended for it to be canon, but then Moore and DC being on different wavelenghts on so many subjects is the main reason why they split ways.

[@killjoy3259]

Holy spitballs Chris I remember reading Camelot 3000 from our local library as a child, thanks I had totally forgotten about it!

[@gentlekevs]

Amazing video, Chris! Keep up with the awesome work! Bolland is amazing, I love his work on Doom Patrol, Animal Man, Judge Dredd, Jack of Fables and Camelot 3000. Killing Joke is absolutely gorgeous too, I can't get enough of his artwork. I have a terrible memory, but from the top of my head I can think of Frank Frazetta, Moebius, Alex Ross, Stanley Lau and Glenn Fabry as examples of amazing cover artists that belong on my "pile".

[@navbuoy]

I recall a special issue where a number of artists inked over a page from the Nexus comic featuring Steve Rude's pencils. Brian Bolland fixed Steve's proportions and then inked it. He was the only one to do so and it looked the best as well. Ballsy move! Notable covers for me are Ernie Chan's Hulk issue 224 and M.D. Bright's Transformers issue 5. Those covers were awesome! RIP Ernie!

[@nickogartcomics1947]

Love your channel dude! Excited to watch you go through Bolland's work!

[@Ofwhateverrrrrr]

Do Sam Keith art next. It's one of my favorites

[@RighteousBrother]

Such an amazing artist, I've followed him since his work on 2000ad. I wish he'd done more sequential art over his career. This video was a great walk through of his work.

[@oflodamonster]

Chris! Love your vids! I’m a big Bolland fan so this was awesome to watch. I’m so stoked for your future Katsuhiro Otomo episode!!!

[@Butterball503]

Diggin all the videos on artists lately!! This one is particularly great.

[@Rometiklan]

Awesome vid, Chris! My favourite cover artist is Adam Hughes. Also love Bolland...his covers are always eye catching and super bold. Congrats on reaching 50K subscribers! Thanks for posting!

[@scottguerin5741]

When I think pf great cover artists, Alex Schomburg & L. B. Cole come to mind. Also, can't leave out Frazetta.

[@caammm88]

Esad Ribic is one of my favorites. His Wolverine, Thor and Secret Invasion covers were gorgeous

[@johnhart7704]

Another great video. Always loved Brian Bolland's artwork. His Judge Dredd work in 2000ad was fantastic . Bolland is one of those artists who - in my opinion - works best in black and white.

[@milocibelli5391]

My favorite Bolland cover is the classic Animal Man #5, with Buddy on the cross of tire treads. The most iconic for me.

[@philbuttler3427]

Mike Mignola's covers are always fantastic, dude has an eye for cover composition as good as his interiors which are among my favorites as well.

[@mattypow82]

You should do an episode on just fan art so you can showcase the best of it just an idea thanks Chris

[@ArandZyrus]

When I first started reading comics, back in the 90s, I only really paid attention to the writing. A lot of the art for Marvel and DC books (I was a kid, so I didn't know about the independants) were very similar in style. I was getting back into comics around 2007-2008 and my opinion on art in comics changed drastically. Amanda Connor's art blew me away, and continues to, but her work really shines with the assistance of colorist Paul Mounts. Writers and artists may get most of the credit for comic work, but inkers are truly the unsung heroes of the industry.

[@incognitomothman3731]

Awesome episode! Love to see such informative and enthusiastic content!

[@danarcyintheak]

wow, was that art by Love and Rocket's Gilberto Hernandez

[@martins2246]

he made me want to read Animal Man even when it was waaaaay too weird and I always HATE when the cver artist isn't the interior (everything today?)

[@bozmanga1]

My personal favorite cover artist is Claudio Villa. His covers for Dylan Dog and Tex are wonderful. Also loved Jerome K. Moore's covers for Star Trek. There are many other excellent cover artists, too numerous to mention all.

[@youraveragecrownofthorns8919]

Moore' star trek covers were always very eye catching...i would not have thought of him.

[@arturoalvarezkawai6773]

Bolland is also one of my favorite cover artist. Just re-read CAMELOT 3000 recently, and although the story seems too naïve and simple today (over 30 years after its original release), the art definitely stands out on its own. Personally, other favorite cover artists are Jenny Frison, Jay Anacleto, Adam Hughes and Stanley “Artgerm” Lau.

[@ArticulatedDoom]

I got all my settings right. Why didn't I get notified this video is out?

[@jakipop3397]

I really really like the Alan Davis covers on Excalibur. Those are artistically great and also really funny.

[@Cameroo]

I used to be really fond of Ken Steacy 's cover work. They did some really fun stuff and their Star Wars work always charmed me. But I can see how some people wouldn't like it.

[@matthewweflen]

Ed Hannigan was a contemporary of Bolland's. George Perez was also an amazing cover artist - all while doing tons of interior work.

[@bradenhogan2]

Brian Bolland is top notch. His work on The Killing Joke means a lot to me and is a lot of the reason I’m into comics

[@robsonpommer7464]

Here in Brazil we had WATSON PORTELA, who made wonderful covers to Marvel in DC comics in the 80's, for the local printings!