Over the last few years, many cover artists have risen to fame due to their unique and immaculate styles. From Gabriel Dell'Otto to Peach Momoko, collectors and speculators have been collecting the beautiful cover art of various modern artists. They hope to find "the next Todd McFarlane." Comic books having no other key-value other than being a Neal Adams or Todd McFarlane cover have risen to even higher popularity, while competition has stiffened between modern artists. In the midst of this present-day art battle has been the silent but steady rise of Lee Bermejo among collectors. What sets him apart from other artists and why is there a growing fandom for Bermejo's art?
What is Neo-Pulp Art?
Pulp as a genre that multiplied in the early 20th century due to historical events such as the Great Depression, prohibition, mobsters, and the roaring 20s. People were captivated by dark and urban tales of a beaten-down and stoic hero against all odds. The "sex and crime" allure of this genre made it popular both in novel and comic book form, such as with the rise of Detective Comics #1. Known for its dark, gritty, and noir style, pulp art created a sense of realism in its bad guys. Also, it offered hope that someone is strong enough to handle the hardships. Often taking place in dystopian urban settings, pulp art plays on the reader's fear that this could be real. Or, that is, is currently "true" in the real world.
This was recently exemplified in the HBO series True Detective. Despite an extremely complex plot, the reader is still left thinking "this could actually happen." Though "neo-pulp" does not have a strict meaning, modern digital art has revamped many of these older art styles that grew out of vogue as technology and society changed over time. This is what sets the art style of Lee Bermejo apart from his contemporaries; Bermejo is both revitalizing pulp art while giving it his own unique sense of realism and grit.
Bermejo's Detective Comics Card Stock Variants
Bermejo's amazing art style is best exemplified in the pages of Batman Damned. Since then, much of Bermejo's work has been displayed as the card stock variant for Detective Comics. The art on these variants is so amazing that it is worthy of adding to your pull list. It's true even if you do not read it (which you should be). While many weekly comics get hot as pure "cover buys," Bermejo's work is worthy of the same analysis. Especially considering he will not be doing this forever. Just as the Peach Momoko craze was due in part to her limited work, Bermejo covers only have room to grow. They are still available and affordable. In fact, many of these issues have only recently been released. They may even still be available at your local comic shop.
For example, Detective Comics #1032 depicts an extremely real murder scene that Batman is investigating. This harps on the artistic origins of detective comics. Even nicer is Detective Comics #1033. It shows Batman outside of a rundown and shot-up hotel room, looking at what crime took place. This cover's artwork could possibly be connected to the variant cover of Detective Comics #1029, which depicts Batman scaling the side of a building. There does appear to be some connection with some of the covers. Examples are the cases of Detective Comics issues #1030 and #1031, which depict Batman walking to the Batmobile and then driving it on the next issue's cover.
Conclusion
In addition to Bermejo's beautiful cover art, Detective Comics card stock variants still carry a cover price of $4.99 and may even be less in your local comic shop's back bins. Other artist's covers are being shown as incentive variants and store deals, guaranteeing a higher price for the book. Bermejo's covers provide an amazing piece of artwork at a steal of a price. Whether you're a fan of the pulp and noir genres, or just a fan of Batman, Bermejo's covers will someday be on the long list of Batman cover artists such as Neal Adams and Todd McFarlane. In anticipation of this day, I highly advise adding Detective Comics to your pull-list. Especially while Lee Bermejo is still making the variant covers.
Check out the December variants in the Swag Shop! January variants will drop on the 19th!
