No Shortcuts! Why Frank Quitely is a Master Illustrator

[@ComicTropes]

One correction: the sentinel in New X-Men came out a few months before 9/11. Should’ve fact checked myself on that. A weird reminder that our memories can’t always be trusted!

[@MantasticHams]

I don't mean to be a dink, but you also messed up Grant Morrisons pronouns a few times, they go by They/Them. Totally understandable, its a somewhat recent change. Enjoyed the video, Quitely is easily one of my favorites!

[@Akkbar21]

@@MantasticHams yawn

[@JoshuaBatJoshHayes]

@@MantasticHams that's just nit pickery

[@crooker23]

@@JoshuaBatJoshHayes if I used the wrong pronoun when talking about you would it be nit-pickey of you to correct me?

[@AaronAbernethy]

@@crooker23 ignore her Robert.

[@PanConQueso001]

Quite frankly, there’s no one like Frank Quitely

[@VictorBStan]

I see what you did there.

[@mattshuey1]

Criminally underrated comment.

[@shawnsketchiz]

Legendary pun

[@ashashby678]

Frank Quietly is a great artist for hiptster doofuses. He can’t draw Hank McCoy. Because he’s so shitty he ruined his visual

[@benjaminloudly]

Co-Workers: "Jesus...is that a f**king hail storm outside?" Chris: "No. That's a muthaf**kin intro idea outside, baby!" Frank's detailed style alone is top tier but his composition is what's won me over even more through the years.

[@scottchaison1001]

¿?

[@Shantosh9550]

I think the reason why Frank Quitely's art look so good when drawing for either Grant Morrison or Mark Millar is because they all live in Glasgow and are usually in the same room rather than liasing through e-mails. In the Morrison documentary, Quitely joked how Morrsion would breath down his neck whenever he makes a mistake.

[@amancalleddaniel1544]

I met Frank Quitely by chance in the lobby of my hotel during a convention one time. He was coming in just as I was going out, and I quickly worked up the nerve to ask if there was a comic signing limit when people lined up at the convention (it was 3). He asked how many I had, and I said, "Like, a lot." ”Do you have them with you?” So he proceeds to sign them for me: All-Star Superman 1-12, We3 1-3, and Batman and Robin 1-16. I also specifically remember he signed them on top of his portfolio which, at that time, contained the brand new material for We3's extended edition collection. It was surreal and awesome. I'll never forget how nice he was to do that for me.

[@A1441]

Great anecdote! How lucky you are to meet him.

[@johnquiett1085]

The idea that Quitely's faces are his weakest point is funny to me. Sure, they aren't beautiful all the time, but that makes them believable. More real. People aren't always beautiful. Plus, like you said in the essay, limiting your critique to his faces is missing everything else he does so well. Great essay heren

[@LQuatorze]

It's not about beauty. More about stiffness.

[@johnquiett1085]

@Jacko Sargs maybe you should Google his work. I very much disagree.

[@xvelvet3247]

@Jacko Sargs Nobody likes an asshole bro. Can talk about your issues without being a c unt. More people like his art than hate it, suck it up and cry.

[@TurtleRocker12]

@Jacko Sargs On pacheco: I haven't spent a lot of time with his art. I'm noticing that while I like the faces and other elements, there's a lot of over the top and - If you will - off model leaps in perspective. I know dynamic panels are supposed to play with anatomy and angles to create some perspective or action, but some of this is almost liefeld levels of perspective problems. The more I look at it, I can't figure it out. he's got really solid fundamentals or elements, but one character will look like they are at a seperate vantage point than another. Some are really dynamic images, but then one character will look almost flat, or just their head will be flat. I'm also noticing that there are some eras of his art I like, and some of the more stylized stuff (I'm usually a sucker for stylized art) isn't very good.

[@paulheap1982]

@Jacko Sargs nice presenting opinion as facts. 👌

[@jesseperry9602]

I'm one of the people who just can't stand how Frank Quietly draws not only faces, but bodies in general. Overly exaggerated, puffy yet wrinkled, they look like half inflated blow up dolls most of the time to me. It really impedes me from being able to appreciate the rest of his work, unless it's something that is just written so well that it's undeniable, like WE3 or All Star Superman. One of the reasons I love this channel and your work at ComicTropes is because even if I disagree with your basic premise, listening to your reasoning and looking at it from your perspective, I gain a greater appreciation for Quietly's work. Thanks for that!

[@emperormegaman3856]

Chris wouldn't quite keep quiet about the quality of Quietly's comic works, but quite frankly I can concede that Frank Quietly is quite great.

[@KTF0]

Frank Quitely is one of the most gifted storytellers in all comics. He has that Kirby-esque quality where you get the gist of the story without reading much dialogue.

[@patrickmitchell9068]

I love reading Morrison talk about Frank quietly, it's just him adoring his art and love of his work

[@jonnyb7356]

Reminder that grant Morrison goes by they/them :)

[@thomasallen7808]

@@jonnyb7356 🥱

[@ashashby678]

So he’s even bad at that. Morrison and Quietly deserve each other. Stop pretending a shitty artist is anything but. Show me a picture of Frank Quietly drawing Hank McCoy. He can’t do it. Frank Quietly is dog shit for hipster doofuses to slobber on their ego. He made the White Queen look like lumpy mashed potatoes. That was his job, make an X-men cover of Emma Frost be sexy. Such a failure. Frank spends so much time to do what? Crappy art? He was supposed to be Morrison s artist but was so slow and shitty new X-men had other artist.

[@YumCha13]

Chris getting plummeted by hail and watching morbius just to film an intro is dedication to a new level

[@somesaiyanguy41]

I've met Frank a few times and know people that have worked with him, the thing that most inspired me about him is how chilled and relaxed he always came across despite spending hours on pages. The BBC documentary on him is well worth the watch

[@michaellombardi1620]

Quite frankly, I love his visual storytelling talents

[@stylekiller21]

I appreciate the commitment to the intros. They are the best. Also, as someone who is trying to break into writing comics your videos are so damn helpful.

[@mr.doctorcaptain1124]

Yeah the recent reduction in intros I have found very sad; I LOVE the intros. They always make me giggle like a little kid

[@MarquisdeSuave]

I own 6 original pages of Frank Quitely's artwork from Authority #14. What was weird to me was that the dealer had a bunch of original art pages by guys like Todd McFarlane and they went for over a grand. The Quitely pages were 40 dollars each. It just didnt seem fair.

[@tonyjackson4078]

I remember We3. It was insane how the "pets" are so innocent, but nearly unstoppable. I also have not been aware HOW much Quietly stuff I've read because of his flawless work catching my eye.

[@MicBain]

My first proper taste of Quitely was WE3 and he's been a favourite ever since. Excellent video as always, Chris. Thank you.

[@NextToToddliness]

Next to Brendan McCarthy, Frank Quietly is one of my biggest influences as an illustrator. His work with Grant Morrison on the New X-Men had a HUGE impact on me, when I was in highschool. Thanks for the awesome video!

[@theajshow]

Really loved his run on the Authority, but for some reason didn't enjoy it as much on X-Men. His art is amazing and beautiful, but his level of detail, though impressive, can sometimes get uncomfortable. That's not a diss on his talent, but just shows the impact his art can have.

[@atomaalatonal]

i admired quitely from the first sight for his exquisite linework

[@karloz2722]

I was one of those who didn't like Quitely's art at the beginning but I gave him a chance with We3 because it focused on animals and after that I just love his art. I think for me what stands out is the anatomy and use of perspective. I think a lot of artists draw bodies always in similar poses, no matter how much I love Jack Kirby and Jim Lee, I think that's part of artists after them taking the wrong lessons from their art and I see lots of artists drawing bodies with almost the same body language (the way they draw open hands, fists, arms and legs...), but you don't see that happening with Quitely. Even when a comic has multiple variant covers and Quitely does one, you can see his cover stand out, I can picture almost any Jim Lee variant cover in my mind with the character front and center in a heroic pose, but with Quitely you never know what to expect. And don't get me wrong, I love Jim Lee's art, he's one of my favorites, but to Chris' point in the video, you can see the "shortcuts" sometimes with the way he draws bodies and poses. Also, Quitely is one of the few artists where everything feels very carefully integrated in the art, nothing feels out of place. You can feel the weight of things, how things interact with each other, how characters interact with their environment. Something I always notice is the position of character's feet and how that's perfectly lined up with the surface they're standing on where other artists straight out avoid drawing feet or in some occasions, it feels like they're not really standing there. It's a "small thing" but I always notice that when Quitely is drawing compared to other artists. With Quitely, I feel like no part of his art is uncreative. From the perspective, to the body language, to the clothes and backgrounds, to the layout, all of it feels carefully thought out before being put to paper, nothing feels like he's just drawing something in a rush. He probably still takes some shortcuts here and there, I mean, the man has been drawing for decades at this point, but with other artists you can easily spot the shortcuts, not with Quitely.

[@mattshuey1]

Quitely's specific style is why I gravitated to his art. I had never seen someone manage to capture so much texture into a surface as he had. Last time I saw it consistently was Richard Corben, another artist I gravitated to solely for the way he could capture texture. People tend to focus on Quitely's linework because it is striking but his real talent is where you see no texture, no lines for folds. The superman example is a great thing to point to. Lex always looks like his clothes have layers and layers of creases, folds, and depth. Superman has barely a few lines around his groin and armpits, everything else is smooth to show how barrel chested and filled out his form is. It's a great attention to detail and shows that his style isn't just wanton abandonment with lines everywhere. Every line is considered and there for a reason, or not there if there is no reason for it to be.

[@MarsHottentot]

One of the funnier aspects of Quitely's superhero work is that his anatomy cribs from the gay underground cartoonist, "Tom of Finland". Very cheeky. Always loved that!

[@hannahleith52]

Thanks to being Scottish I was lucky enough to meet Frank Quitely and Grant Morrison along with fellow Scottish comic writer Alan Grant at a small Glasgow comic con in the early 00's before such things would have cost way more than I could afford. All were wonderful to meet and speak to, I was lucky enough to go home that day with three sketches of Batman drawn by the three of them, they are the most treasured parts of my comic collection.

[@bigstefan]

a true virtuoso - humble guy but he channels something very powerful. Elegant, graceful work - he can be spoken about in the same breath as Moebius, quite easily. Deceptively simple but incredibly expressive, some similarity with Bolland.

[@bigstefan]

i have all the Electric Soups and it's crazy to see how he progressed from there

[@fortywolves]

I love you took that one huge hail storm as an opportunity for a lead-in pun. I'm down at the edge of Lake Washington and we got hit for a solid 40 minutes of hail, but I still like to imagine you heard the patter on your car hood and dove out of the car to make a pun while you could.

[@ComicTropes]

Something very close to that.

[@fortywolves]

@@ComicTropes I would 100% do the same. I salute your dedication to a good pun intro!

[@piedpiper4440]

I met Frank Quitely twice. A college I went to had a "make a comic" course where it teaches you the ins and outs of the comic industry and he was a guest there. I also met him during a Q&A he was giving and he remembered me. Cool guy, seemed to really enjoy talking about his work and didn't talk down to anybody.

[@geaux6034]

I wasn’t a Superman fan until All Star Superman. It’s perfect.

[@anacondatiger]

All Star Superman was my favorite rendition of Superman and my introduction to Frank Quitely. And it lead me to New X-Men. I'm so happy that you made this video analyzing his body of work. The artistry on each page really uplifts the story telling on another level.

[@artheaded1]

My Ex (Tom McCraw) colored the Flex Mentallo series for DC/Vertigo. Frank Quitely's art was hands down the most riveting and realistic we ever worked on. Thank you for this episode!

[@dariooben9]

OMG! I paused the video to grab my copies of New X-Men #1-3 on single issues from the shelf, just to look at them again. Bought them over 20 years ago. Truly beautiful stuff. The genocide of Genosha was truly scary stuff to read, both as a child and now as an adult. Not anyone can draw something like that to such effect.

[@Rob_Gibson]

Wonderful video! I've met Frank once and almost broke down telling him how moved I was with We3. He was very patient and graceful. Great work as always, Chris. Intro, fun bloopers, great insight, whole package!

[@RighteousBrother]

I love Frank Quitely and Grant Morrison weirdly I haven't read We3 I dont think I could put myself through not, if it's sad. Man I'm such a wuss!

[@Rob_Gibson]

@@RighteousBrother highly recommend it. It is an emotional journey but a masterpiece. Frank's art is out of this world.

[@craigm86]

As a Glaswegian, I’m now infinitely inspired to continue drawing!

[@EdKauffmann]

something I especially love is how much weight he gives to bodies, both in motion and at rest. not only does it make it more tactile and grounded, but he can (for lack of a better word) 'animate' a wider range of body types believably. Most artists, even good ones, feel like they know how one kind of body works, and either just add or subtract size from that shape without thinking about how mass, posture, timing are effected. Half of the impact of his action scenes, especially the violent ones, just comes from how much the figures move and drop like human bodies, as if they were stunt performers on the page.

[@darriendastar3941]

An absolutely brilliant analysis.

[@justin-md4xm]

I loved All star Superman's art. It really fit the mood.

[@rodrigomarcondes5857]

22:09 i love this page from All-Star Superman so much, it's just so powerful. It made me love the comic and made me fall in love with the character.

[@hermeticbasementstudiosinc4904]

I love We3 so much. One of my favorite comics of all time. Quitely is amazing.

[@mosesmoorhouse]

I've said it once and I will say it again. That animated intro is probably the best one on youtube. It is absolutely beautiful

[@saiberunato]

His work on We3 blew me away. One of the best comics ever.

[@unagisauce]

Quitely has the best drawn gloves in the business.

[@SDW90808]

“Oh hi! You caught me… loving your intros!” And the rest of the vid too, of course. Always amazed at the depth of your content. Thanks!

[@strongboyo7602]

Not a big western comic book reader myself but your analysis and commentary kept me engaged the whole way through, big props

[@paulmuaddib451]

One of the greatest creators in comics, ever. Thank you for this wonderful episode!

[@Ramoscomics]

Fantastic Look into the career of Frank's Work, I was lucky when I worked at Marvel to be able to see his artwork upclose. Beautiful stuff.

[@jamess.3013]

I think the first work of his I saw was on Morrison’s Batman & Robin and I was blown away. Perfectly expressive and the colors and lines were so beautiful. After reading All-Star Superman he was made into my favorite illustrator.

[@dexterroberts631]

This man is the best, love his work.

[@FearMonarch]

Yo I’m so glad you dug into Pax, you hit on some sneaky 8s I hadn’t even noticed, he’s by far one of the best pairings with one of my other favorites, Grant, so that’s just a match in heaven along with All Star Supes

[@andrewlawless9796]

i love the morrison/quitely pairing - great video

[@neilyb4590]

I went to kelvinside museum to see a exhibition of his work one of the best insulations of a artists work I’ve ever seen if your in Glasgow it’s well worth a visit even without quietlys amazing art

[@floppa5032]

Frank Quitely is one of the few comic book artists I can think of who truly take advantage of the medium.

[@secretagent1007]

Thank you for this video! As a Scottish person myself this video really opened my eyes and inspired me! Can't wait for the next one!

[@crithon]

wonderful, I love Quitely's comics!

[@njalsand133]

Fanatic and enlightening video. Sequential art is always so tricky to get right.

[@caincha]

I first seen his work on X-Men and I honestly hated it!! I dunno I think back then it was a huge change of pace from previous artists and it felt very odd - specially the faces as mentioned in the video. However when I read Authority I fell in love with his artwork and just couldn't get enough of it. Even to the point of going back to those X-Men issues now seeing with different eyes and loving how much detail he would put in everything he does. Let's be honest Jupiter's Circle is not a great comic but damn I would re-read it over and over just because of Quitely's art. Great video. Keep up the good work 🙂

[@bountyhunter66666]

Quite frankly, Frank Quitely is a masterful artist.

[@victorcabanelas]

The guy makes of all jealous and at the same time, inspire us. I can't remeber who said it, but the phrase "he might draw ugly people but GODAMMN, HE'S AMAZING" still rings true. Glad you mentioned Moebius, I'm sure some people don't know him. I still have to chek his b/w work. Thanks for the reminder. And keep up the great work, cheers from Argentina!

[@makzax]

WE3 is an absolute masterpiece!

[@tumblingworm737]

I sad for rabbit

[@eduardodaniel9887]

Can't wait for the All Star Superman video. His Batman and Robin was also very interesting. Great video Chris, as always.

[@malusignatius]

Standing out in a hailstorm for the opening gag? That, is dedication to the craft... Maybe a little too much dedication...

[@atwarwithsatan27]

aaaaaah!! New comic troopes video on monday morning!!! HELL YES!!!!

[@michaelokoro5651]

growing up, i didn't know how I felt about his artworks.. but as a full-grown adult' i fell in love with his work. especially on all-star superman and on Jupiter's legacy. I really wished he illustrated some part of invincible

[@timvanboening9432]

It was crazy how it hailed here last week. Frank Quitely is an excellent artist. I recognize his work more than I did his name, and it is reminiscent of Moebius, as you mentioned about that series. Great video as always, dude!

[@samson-yn2ge]

I belive Frank Quitely and Grant Morrison are one of The Best duos in the industry, they work so well together.

[@tm3489]

I'm glad you made this video. Quitely is a legend and WE3 is one of the greatest graphic novels of all time, IMHO. Also, Quietly's ability to utilize storytelling and page layouts are unparalleled. I love how he incorporates elements from panels into the overall page designs. I saw an interview of his regarding All Star Superman and how much work he put into the slouching Clark Kent. He's a brilliant storyteller.

[@Literatureofimagination]

Nice video, Frank Quietly is my favorite comic book artist. I would also recommend a book DC released some years ago "Art of Frank Quietly" this includes most of his previous work which are now out of print.

[@ComicTropes]

I recommend it right before the credits!

[@Pastrybfs]

Truly one of the greatest comic artists. Pax America might be his best. Or maybe Jupiter's Legacy. He seems like he's only getting better with time. Also, I liked the info on what he's doing these days. Great video, man!

[@eljuanpapas]

by far my favorite artist ... and it seems im not alone in this!

[@kacokotnik4756]

are you working out, man? looking good - this is my favorite channel about comics and your love for this medium is so apparent I would give you all my money just for that if I had any

[@Shinmsl]

We3 and All Star Superman is exactly what I read from him. And honestly I think it's We3 might be my favourite self-contained comic ever. It's a master lesson on visual narrative for any comic artist. I love all the aspects of the artwork you mentioned but I also feel that there's ground for the critiques of his faces: personally I think sometimes que overrenders people skin, which works well for sickly or older people or characters with weird skin like Superman's villain Parasite, but it's a bit jarring on younger people.I also get a bit put off by how often it seems his characters like puckering the lips? I don't know how to explain it better. 😅 But then again that's it, I really love his work, is unique, clever, detailed and with so much personality. I even like there's stuff that I don't love about it otherwise I would be too incredibly jealous of his talents XD Fun bit of story: I actually met him at a convention in Argentina after only reading All-star Superman, and in his panel is where I find out about We3 , he made a joke about thinking Grant Morrison had lost his marbles when he pitched the story to him 😅 Just a note on your video: on the scene of suicidal girl in Superman , you say that there's risks of doing a panel horizontally, but of course that panel is all vertical. Cheers mate, lovely video, great work as ever!

[@PharaohDom]

Frank is an undisputed legend and a titan. We are lucky to live in his wake.

This is a really great and well researched video. In my opinion, he is also one of the best artists working today

[@barthalen]

Awesome review! My first exposure to Quitely was with E is for Extinction and it blew my teenage mind. The raw, hard hitting visuals made a huge impression, that hand-through-Trask-face was unusually disgusting looking (and I loved that). And how I adore all-star Supes. Even seeing the small version of the suicidal girl page was making me tear up again. What a legend.

[@atquinn1975]

This was wonderful. I agree completely that Frank Is a master. I also love the Geoff Darrow name check! I feel like we probably read alot of the same comics growing up! Lol

[@BullseyesComicBooks]

I love his art. New X-Men and We 3 are some of my personal favorites.

[@palchristianandersen9086]

I'm glad Frank Quitely gets more recognition nowadays. Comic fans were a lot more savage with their negative opinions about his work back in the aughts. "Potato heads" was almost a meme on the forums I visited.

[@Musashi413]

His compositional and narrative storytelling strengths aside, I love his quirkiness, especially in his faces, because they are so distinct and unique to him. Comics are an exercise in stylization of one type or another, and his quirks don't mess with my suspension of disbelief. They are obviously planned or at least used to a given effect, and I love the emotional reactions they trigger at opportune times in the story.

[@deberleoffice]

My favorite comic artist. So weird that I was watching his TED talk and sending it to friends just last week. Thanks Chris!

[@cosmoissleeping]

I remember buying "Flex Mentallo" as the single issues came out and thinking how amazing the art was

[@kevinthomas4239]

One of my favorite Quietly issues is The Kingdom with Plastic-Man's son and the future JLA.

[@ankityadav5184]

He does page composition and figure work like nobody else. His work is definitely idiosyncratic, and an acquired taste, but there's a reason why Grant Morrison keeps working with him. We3 would be my pick for his best work.

[@substandardshimp9651]

We3 is my all time favorite comic. It feels like the perfect comic. I never get tired of rereading it

[@nicksavia3581]

Quitely is absolutely one of my favorite artists and We3 BROKE me

[@euansmith3699]

I really enjoy Frank Quietly's work; like the way that his superheroes tend to bulge against their clothes. Regarding his expressive faces, I'd put Frank up there with Kevin Maguire; another real favourite of mine. Both are skilled at conveying their characters' emotions; though Frank's renditions feel more sort of "homely" to me, than Kevin's slick, cool finish.

[@JUGO1979]

Huge Quitely fan. Thank you for such a detailed look into the the talent and history of his career. Also gave me a reason to look for some of his earlier work. Keep reading comics?! Challenge accepted!

[@ec_me]

So glad you did this video! I love Quitely - ever since picking up All Star Superman. I almost think "composition" undersells it as a word, all those crazy inventive panel designs are simply superior to almost every other artist out there. Thanks for showing all his other work, I especially want to check out Pax Americana.

[@BoyNamedSue4]

Him and Morrison make up the perfect writer/artist team.

[@manuelvicoso6075]

Great episode. I agree with all you said. All star Superman was one of the last books i bought and now I want more of quietly. Keep up the good work

[@miguelganhao6327]

Great video! I've never read any of Frank Quietly comics but now I understand why people think he was a revolutionary artist. Could you do a similar video on John Romita Jr? I begun to love his art last year while reading his ASM run with JMS because of his story telling capability. Thanks for the well researched video!

[@danyergert8122]

What a great episode! I literally took notes on all the Quitely stuff I haven't read so that I can go pick them up

[@joedent3323]

Hail Chris! Well done on another great video. Frank is really great. Anybody who is interested in one of the building blocks of his style should check out the much-loved Scottish comics: "Oor Wullie" and "The Broons". Cheers Chris - and cheers to all the comic readers out there. ☺ "LiL'JpD."

[@thomackz]

There can never be enough Quietly.

[@williamjackson6705]

Great overview of Frank's work. His use of foreshortening, Perspective & anatomy always intrigued me. His storytelling, panel arrangement & action is great. I loved how his costumes are never quite skintight. There are always creases, wrinkles & folds in them. I had a portrait he did of Alan Moore in a sheet protector taped to a notebook I used at work.

[@heavyspoilers]

Great video on a great artist

[@ChrisVeveReise]

Thank you a lot for this video. I kinda avoided Franks work from time to time because i was missing that little over the top superhero style. As someone who works on a comic series myself this video just showed me how much i have missed and that i should indeed dig deep into his work. He does excel at a lot of things i totally adore any artist for and might have "judged a book by it's cover" too soon. Luckily i own already some of his work like All Star Superman and will dig deeper now. Thank you! GREAT work on these videos!

[@Scrambles_Deathdealer]

All Star Superman and Superman: The Animated Series are my bellwether for good Superman stories. Quitely's art on ASSM is nothing short of breathtaking and has really influenced the way that I layout my pages.

[@mrwasi99]

This is one of my favourite episodes you have done! Thank you sir may I have some more.

[@someguynamedelan]

I was originally turned off by how Frank Quietly drew faces. It became an acquired taste, similar to how I fell in love with Jack Kirby's work.

[@c62west]

THIS' A GREAT EPISODE! I shared it with someone. The art, your explanation and descriptions, your video production values, etc. were all excellent. I've watched you for over a year and watched your old videos, but haven't committed until now. I've bought and enjoyed comics on which you did videos. Please continue your good work, Sir.

[@graemejackson5979]

Loving the longer format deep dives. Great work, Chris. Quietly is also a favourite of mine so I really enjoyed this look into his work. Cheers.