Rare 1982 DC Comics Style Guide: García-López Perfection!

[@AlphaProto]

I know the art is a few decades old, but I like how it's a standard for how the characters should be presented. Then the artist can draw them in their own style while not going too off model. To this day I can brows products and find the art from that book on products.

[@mateuszjablonski1994]

4:02-4:52-6:22 Supergirl,Batgirl and Wonder Woman arts is absolutely gorgeous!

[@j.c.ca.o.l7035]

I agree, Wonder Woman in this era was drawn really well. The artist did an excellent job showing off her beauty.

[@bigmclargehuge000]

Thanks for the breakdown. Garcia-Lopez's style is DC to me and I never get tired of looking at his work.

[@ChrisCrazyHouse]

This was my DC universe. My mind always goes back to this style when I think of the characters

[@dangerouscomics]

These designs are iconic.

[@timothybarnett1006]

José Luis García-López is fantastic. Loved his _Twilght_ mini, written by Howard Chaykin.

[@AttackoftheKillerPodcast]

Been waiting for DC to release the style guide for years!!!

[@Bertramtalespinner]

Perfection is right. Lopez doesn't get the respect he deserves. All these redesigns over the last decade or two and none of them stand up to the classic designs. Icons are icons for a reason.

[@macsnafu]

Loved JL Garcia-Lopez's artwork, and wish he had done more. It's not just that he did good representations of the characters, but that he had them in streamlined, dynamic poses mid-action. They always looked great!

[@MauricioSabadini]

Great Review! i order mine to Argentina. Thanks

[@caseysanborn1953]

This is such a gorgeous book and some of my all time favorite art style!!! When I was about 5, I had a DC comics superheroes healthy cookbook that used all this style classic DC comic art. It was just glorious and I used to lay down white paper over the superhero illustrations in the cookbook and trace the heros. I need to buy this book!!

[@cezarlopes7019]

Back in the 80´s, here in Brazil, we had a sticker album with many of this Garcia Lopez arts. It was the Super Powers Sticker Album. Cyclotron and Golden Pharaoh were figures from the Super Powers from Kenner.

[@brianjl7477]

I have that one Justice League spread as a poster, and it is Super Powers branded. It's one of my favorites.

[@brianjl7477]

These are THE BEST designs for the DC heroes - absolute perfection! JLGL is one of the all time greats, and doesn't get enough recognition.

[@heroineburgh]

Loved your deep look at this style guide. Breathtaking to see all the standardized art he created. When you got to the part with Teen Titans, I could have sworn it looked like George Perez art, but no, it was still JGL? We briefly met Jose Garcia-Lopez this past summer at the Phillipsburg Comicon in New Jersey. He had an assistant with him at his booth, which was in our row but several tables down from us. Seemed in pretty good spirits. It was amazing to see him in person!

[@alomalley222]

Your eyes were not deceiving you, there was indeed some George Pérez artwork featured in that Titans part of the book!

[@heroineburgh]

@@alomalley222 Good to know I'm not crazy, then! The telltale sign for me was the design of Starfire's mane. Probably the most beautiful hair ever drawn by a comic book artist - it's unmistakable!

[@alomalley222]

@heroineburgh Other artists like Pérez & Giordano contributed to the style guide but it was * THE MIGHTY JLGL (praised be his name!) whose work dominates 98% of that *FABULOUS* tome!! 🔥😎😁

[@heroineburgh]

@@alomalley222 As I thought. So, there is probably one Perez page or maybe two.

[@alomalley222]

@heroineburgh Saw at least 2 that I quickly recognized by GP.

[@bloocheez3]

Even to this day, anytime I see some DC merch and ask the kids "you know who drew that (Wonder Woman, Batgirl, whatever?" They know who I'm talking about. Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, baby!

[@Spirit0f]

Lots and LOTS of lunch box vibes watching this. I'm pretty sure that the Justice League all-in-one panel is exactly the same one they used on the JL lunchbox I had as a kid.

[@SylentEcho]

José Luis García-López is the man! I first saw his artwork way back in an issue called, "Superman Gallery" and just had to get more.

[@Briarpatchlogic]

@@SylentEcho that was a cool issue...got a copy myself

[@JB-ou6fl]

This book contains beautiful artwork. Thanks for showing us the book!

[@anj2099]

Jose Luis Garcia the John Buscema of DC comics. Beautiful ❤️

[@brianng8350]

I don’t know. John worked a decade earlier, but Jose’s art is much better, in my opinion.

[@anj2099]

@brianng8350 I was sort of comparing the in as icons for the individual company. But yes love Jose art immensely Batman Vs hulk is a feast for the eye.

[@Vinicius_2911]

THIS IS PEAK

[@vincentimbesi3947]

Nice overview of the Style Guide! I didn’t know it was released already. The Robin logo that you noted was used in the 70s. I remember seeing it in the Batman Family book. 👍🏼💙

[@waltlikka]

This book is BEAUTIFUL! I’m def. ordering this book!

[@dangerouscomics]

DO IT!

[@waltlikka]

@ My copy arrived today! Thank you for your video. I wasn’t aware of this book.

[@KAM1138a]

Excellent Review

[@dangerouscomics]

Thank you for watching!

[@DS2CV]

@@dangerouscomics FWIW the Robin logo you asked about - pretty sure it's the original version from when he was introduced.

[@DevilrMusic]

Beautiful art.

[@dangerouscomics]

No one does it better!

[@ComicsForLife2023]

Jose did do interior work. Sporadically but he did. He did a 2 issue Batman vs The Riddler story (might have been 4 issues, was like 10 years ago) in the Legend Of TDK run series if I’m not mistaken. A DC MINISERIES called Cinder and Ashe from the 80s which I have. Very adult themed thriller. It’s just excellent. He also had a small run in Action Comics back in the 90s. I think he did an issue or two in the JONAH HEX series circa 2008/9. He did some excellent WONDER WOMAN covers back in the early 2000s. Not interior I know but worth mentioning. He did an Elseworld Superman graphic novel setting Supes in the King Arthur era in the mid 2000s if I’m not mistaken. I’m a huge fan of his artwork!

[@williamjackson6705]

Let's not forget Atari Force & Dead Man in the early Eighties & Twilight with Howard Chaykin in the Nineties.

[@ComicsForLife2023]

@@williamjackson6705 true

[@dannycruz5446]

Also interiors on the Hulk vs Batman comic.

[@ComicsForLife2023]

@@dannycruz5446 oh yes! Man I have to get that.

[@gustavo9506]

Actually there are two 'Adventures of Superman' books (360 pages each) and one 'Legends of the Dark Knight' (almost 500 pages) entirely drawn by the great mr García-López. Both highly recommended.

[@eddierascalhaskell4954]

I had a couple of Super Powers coloring books that had all that style guide art in it.

[@dangerouscomics]

Very cool!

[@natewatson6962]

this is sooooooo cool

[@brianng8350]

I’ve always thought these were Dick Giordano art. These are classics growing up in the 70s and 80s. Definitely seen some of these images as stickers or advertisements or cereal boxes and stuff. Beautiful.

[@jimgillespie6109]

Those weird character designs (including the original characters Cyclotron and Golden Pharaoh) were created for the Super Powers action figure line. As for the trademark on "super-heroes," DC and Marvel co-owned the trademark going back to the '70s. Their ownership was recently terminated by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

[@justicierodelaliga]

I don´t get the creation of Cyclotron having Red Tornado. Yes, there are characters with same or similar powers (Superman/Shazam, Plastic Man/Elongated Man...) but there are differences between them. Shazam based on magic/gods, Plastic Man more powerful than Eloganted Man... That being said, how different could Cyclotron be from Red Tornado?

[@brianjl7477]

@@justicierodelaliga I believe those characters wer eactually designed by Jack Kirby. What they did was have Kirby do original designs (including the weird Orion), so that they could pay him more and he could get some of the toy money - or something like that. I may not have it exactly right, but they used those designs in the toy line and the tie-in comics - some of which were drawn by Kirby himself.

[@PaulCoyJR]

7:40 the one in the top right was her 10th anniversary Heroclix pose. Little yellow plastic ricochet pieces on her bracelets.

[@dangerouscomics]

That’s really cool they sculpted this pose!

[@Briarpatchlogic]

Came so close to ordering this at the lcs...held off due to other recent purchases. Now, I certainly wish I had just got it. Excellent book.

[@dangerouscomics]

Well I hope this review helped you get your fix.

[@lukeyznaga7627]

wow, faboulous book. I am going to try to get it. I love the scans design of Zantanna and Red Tornado and Raven.

[@dangerouscomics]

I hope you are able to grab a copy!

[@ll7868]

I had collected the ATARI comics that you would send away for with coupons from ATARI games, they were called ATARI Force and followed a team of adventurers as they travelled to video game universes. In 1983 DC followed up on those very rare comics with a 20 issue series taking place 20 years later with a new crew, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez was the artist and it was a great series. I'm also pretty sure Chris Claremont and Jim Lee based Gambit on the character of Blackjak, a suave, ruggedly handsome bounty hunter who carries a bo staff and Image/DC's Zealot, a martial artist with a long white ponytail and facial tattoos created by Jim Lee was based on Blackjak's lover Dart. I think they both read and were influenced ATARI Force.

[@ll7868]

I had the Supermobile with the little arms that popped out, I would make it fight my Spider-Man helicopter with the chopper blades made out of a web. It was around the time they had that big crossover.

[@jeanemlicar]

Wish I had that book.

[@dangerouscomics]

You can still order a copy!

[@antoniojr6666]

this is great

[@dangerouscomics]

It’s an amazing book!

[@mcbfilms22]

That Robin logo (along with the other character logos) could be found in the figure carrying case, along with mini comic explaining the character’s origins

[@walterdelmar9977]

Subscribed!

[@loboespia]

¡Lo necesito en mi vida! ❤❤❤

[@Allison_Troy]

JLGL did an arc on The New Teen Titans when Perez left to focus on Crisis.

[@mercuryman1250]

This is the best retro style I wished they stuck with

[@SamanthaBonadies-l6e]

This is SO COOL

[@dangerouscomics]

The COOLEST 🥶

[@ComicBookMuscle]

6:37 that shot of Wonder Woman running speaks of feminine grave and power! The gesture and figure works so well, rarely do you see shots of super women like this in Modern comics and it’s a shame.

[@XAVIERCUERVO]

is this guy before john Byrne ?? i see a lot of similarities in their style

[@franktroise4386]

Im still waiting to get my copy that i preordered months ago. I was told this week by Dc that it still wasnt ready yet for release so now im really confused. 😢

[@Bobbybillybillbob]

Kind of love how the original heroes (Superman, Batman, WW, Plastic Mam, Shazam) are Primary colors, Sidekicks (Robin, Aqualad, Beast Boy) were a mixture of primary and secondary, and villains like Riddler, Luthor, Joker are secondary color schemes

[@dangerouscomics]

Great observation!

[@PaulCoyJR]

Some of these are from the DC Roleplaying game 1st edition.

[@dangerouscomics]

I need to check out that game.

[@astrogirassol]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@FuzzyDan]

I grew up in the 70s and 80s reading comics and I truly do miss the "flat" style of coloring, which was the only style due to print limitations. But, with limitations comes innovation and creativity and artists developed the style of inking that showed shadow and depth through line thickness that, even in black and white, make the subjects pop on the page. I'm not discounting the artistry of current comics by any means, but it just doesn't seem to have the same dynamic as the ones from the Bronze Era.

[@Michael-tn9wp]

Garcia-López does an awesome rendition of Hulk in 1981’s Bats vs Hulk. He is elite. Cool book, my minor gripe is that I think the black/whites would have looked better next to the colours, could have saved some pages and trees too.

[@lukeyznaga7627]

a book like this should be worth at least $100 bucks or more.

[@dangerouscomics]

It’s well worth the price!

[@laliravisual]

I think there are too many cuts in your edition, maybe you could do a double video if the length of the video is an issue.

[@albertovargas2261]

¿Por que no pusiste a Superman en el thumbnail del video? ¿No sabes que esta de moda este año? ¿Y que no sabes que Batman es copia de Black Bat, el hombre murciélago que apareció antes que Superman?

[@Dinosaurprince]

Half the book is blank pages and they want $140 for this? Hard pass. Beautiful art though.

[@philipburnett1679]

Lucky duck.

[@justicierodelaliga]

The Captain won´t stick. There are PLENTY of Captains in DC: Captain Atom, Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Captain Carrot... and THE doesn´t help. As fun as it is to add THE to Batman or even to Catwoman everyone just calls the Batman and Catwoman. There´s an easy solution to the problem. Either they transform only when yelling Shazam or they have to mean to change in order to transform. He can talk randomly about Shazam and nothing would happen. He has to transform for a reason then he means it (no need to yell) just say it and then the transformation happens.

[@Nintendofan1984]

What an Inker my god…

[@dangerouscomics]

He has such a fluid ink line!

[@reginaldforthright805]

This images are too small for me. Half the pages being white is dumb

[@enterprisecreations1492]

Hated Garcia-Lopez's style. Thank god that style never transferred to todays iterations.

[@weirdwest1702]

What on Earth is there to hate about this style?

[@davidmichaelbabin1053]

You hate his style....this is the best version of these characters that have ever been presented....you may want to check to see if you have a fever or have brain da

[@lordhyperkill]

Since it says water Brothers on it, I’m guessing that it is new and therefore I have no interest

[@jimgillespie6109]

WB has owned DC since the early '70s (perhaps earlier). And as was stated in the video, this art was created in the '80s.

[@dannycruz5446]

Yep, owned by some form of Warner Bros since 1972.

[@howlettcorps5996]

I really want this as a comic reader, graphic designer and 80s kid!!!