11/16/07 - The trend in comic books has been to take an artist's pencils and manipulate the look into something photographic, but "Seductions" Writer, Colorist and Letterer Gary Scott Beatty knew the look he was after when he contacted illustrator Bill Bryan for pencilling.
"When I look at a beautiful piece of artwork, in ink or pencil, my first thought is to enhance what's there, not cover it up," Beatty explained. "The comic world hasn't seen the gorgeous stuff Bill Bryan can do with a pencil, unless they've seen him at conventions, because all of his previous comic book work has been inked. My challenge was to add color without subtracting from Bill's subtle tones."
The done-in-one short story comic book "Seductions" features pencils by "Oz," "Dark Oz" and "Land of Oz" illustrator Bryan and computer work by Beatty. The reaction has been overwhelming, said Beatty. "The look is just phenomenal. You can still see the hand of the artist."
The vampire "hero" of "Seductions" is caught in a maddening cycle. He wakes 10 years after each feeding. The world changes around him and only two things remain: his desire to feed and a yearning for a long lost love. Readers soon discover "Seductions" is not a typical, romantic love story.
"I'm also a computer fan, but I really admire artists who have a command of their tools and produce qualities on the page you can pause and appreciate," said Beatty. "With physical drawings disappearing from animation, comics and even the newspaper funnies, I'm determined to not overpower any artist I color."
Interested readers can find their local comics shop by calling the Comic Shop Locator Service at 1-888-COMICBOOK (1-888-266-4226) or online at http://csls.diamondcomics.com.
