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Graphic Ink: The DC Comics Art of Darwyn Cooke
A much-loved member of the comics community ever since his breakout hit, BATMAN: EGO, hit stands fifteen years ago, artist and writer Darwyn Cooke has lent his signature retro style to all corners of the DC Universe, from Catwoman to Green Lantern to Jonah Hex.
GRAPHIC INK: THE DC COMICS ART OF DARWYN COOKE collects more than 400 pages of comics and cover art from throughout the career of this phenomenal artist—including many pieces that have never before been reprinted!
GRAPHIC INK: THE DC COMICS ART OF DARWYN COOKE collects more than 400 pages of comics and cover art from throughout the career of this phenomenal artist—including many pieces that have never before been reprinted!
390 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2015
15 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Darwyn Cooke
245 books354 followersDarwyn Cooke was an Eisner Award winning comic book writer, artist, cartoonist and animator, best known for his work on the comic books Catwoman, DC: The New Frontier and Will Eisner's The Spirit.
In 1985, Cooke published his first comic book work as a professional artist in a short story in New Talent Showcase #19, but economic pressure made him leave the career and he worked in Canada as a magazine art director, graphic and product designer for the next 15 years.
In the early 1990s Cooke decided to return to comics, but found little interest for his work at the major publishers. Eventually he was hired by Warner Bros. Animation after replying to an ad placed by animator Bruce Timm.
He went on to work as a storyboard artist for Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, and in 1999 he animated the main title design for Batman Beyond. He then worked as a director for Sony Animation's Men in Black: The Series for a year.
DC Comics then approached Cooke about a project which he had submitted to the publisher years earlier which eventually became Batman: Ego, a graphic novel published in 2000.
The critical success of that project led to Cooke taking on more freelance work, such as X-Force, Wolverine/Doop and Spider-Man's Tangled Web for Marvel Comics and Just Imagine... Stan Lee for DC.
In 2001, Cooke and writer Ed Brubaker teamed up to revamp the Catwoman character. They started with a 4 issue serial "Trail of the Catwoman" in Detective Comics #759-762 in which private detective Slam Bradley attempts to investigate the death of Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman).
The story led into a new Catwoman title in late 2001 by Brubaker and Cooke, in which the character's costume, supporting cast and modus operandi were all redesigned and redeveloped. Cooke would stay on the series, which was met with critical and fan acclaim, up until issue #4. In 2002 he would write and draw a prequel, the Selina's Big Score graphic novel which detailed what had happened to the character directly before her new series.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.
Cooke's next project was the ambitious DC: The New Frontier (2004), a six issue miniseries which sought to tell an epic storyline bridging the gap between the end of the golden and the start of the silver age of comic books in the DC Universe. The story, which was set in the 1950s, featured dozens of super-hero characters and drew inspiration from the comic books and movies of the period as well as from Tom Wolfe's non-fiction account of the start of the US Space Program The Right Stuff. The major DC characters are introduced in "The New Frontier" in the same order that DC originally published them, even down to the correct month and year in the story's timeline. In 2005, Cooke won an Eisner Award for "Best Limited Series", and a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on the series.
Most recently, Cooke contributed to DC's artist-centric anthology project Solo. His issue (#5, June, 2005) featured several different stories in different styles with a framing sequence featuring the Slam Bradley character. In 2006, Solo #5 won an Eisner Award for "Best Single Issue."
In July 2005, it was announced that in 2006 Cooke and writer Jeph Loeb would produce a Batman/Spirit crossover, to be followed shortly afterwards by an ongoing Spirit series written and drawn by Cooke. Batman/The Spirit was ultimately published in November 2006, followed in December by the first issue of Cooke's The Spirit. In June 2007, Cooke and J. Bone won a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artists" for their work on "Batman/The Spirit", and Cooke won "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on "The Spirit".
In July 2006, it was announced that Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics would release a series of direct-to-DVD animated movies based on important DC com
In 1985, Cooke published his first comic book work as a professional artist in a short story in New Talent Showcase #19, but economic pressure made him leave the career and he worked in Canada as a magazine art director, graphic and product designer for the next 15 years.
In the early 1990s Cooke decided to return to comics, but found little interest for his work at the major publishers. Eventually he was hired by Warner Bros. Animation after replying to an ad placed by animator Bruce Timm.
He went on to work as a storyboard artist for Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, and in 1999 he animated the main title design for Batman Beyond. He then worked as a director for Sony Animation's Men in Black: The Series for a year.
DC Comics then approached Cooke about a project which he had submitted to the publisher years earlier which eventually became Batman: Ego, a graphic novel published in 2000.
The critical success of that project led to Cooke taking on more freelance work, such as X-Force, Wolverine/Doop and Spider-Man's Tangled Web for Marvel Comics and Just Imagine... Stan Lee for DC.
In 2001, Cooke and writer Ed Brubaker teamed up to revamp the Catwoman character. They started with a 4 issue serial "Trail of the Catwoman" in Detective Comics #759-762 in which private detective Slam Bradley attempts to investigate the death of Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman).
The story led into a new Catwoman title in late 2001 by Brubaker and Cooke, in which the character's costume, supporting cast and modus operandi were all redesigned and redeveloped. Cooke would stay on the series, which was met with critical and fan acclaim, up until issue #4. In 2002 he would write and draw a prequel, the Selina's Big Score graphic novel which detailed what had happened to the character directly before her new series.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.
Cooke's next project was the ambitious DC: The New Frontier (2004), a six issue miniseries which sought to tell an epic storyline bridging the gap between the end of the golden and the start of the silver age of comic books in the DC Universe. The story, which was set in the 1950s, featured dozens of super-hero characters and drew inspiration from the comic books and movies of the period as well as from Tom Wolfe's non-fiction account of the start of the US Space Program The Right Stuff. The major DC characters are introduced in "The New Frontier" in the same order that DC originally published them, even down to the correct month and year in the story's timeline. In 2005, Cooke won an Eisner Award for "Best Limited Series", and a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on the series.
Most recently, Cooke contributed to DC's artist-centric anthology project Solo. His issue (#5, June, 2005) featured several different stories in different styles with a framing sequence featuring the Slam Bradley character. In 2006, Solo #5 won an Eisner Award for "Best Single Issue."
In July 2005, it was announced that in 2006 Cooke and writer Jeph Loeb would produce a Batman/Spirit crossover, to be followed shortly afterwards by an ongoing Spirit series written and drawn by Cooke. Batman/The Spirit was ultimately published in November 2006, followed in December by the first issue of Cooke's The Spirit. In June 2007, Cooke and J. Bone won a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artists" for their work on "Batman/The Spirit", and Cooke won "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on "The Spirit".
In July 2006, it was announced that Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics would release a series of direct-to-DVD animated movies based on important DC com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
October 4, 2016
A beautifully presented coffee table book dedicated to the recently deceased cartoonist Darwyn Cooke. This collection presents all of Cooke's DC Comics work that isn't readily available in trade format. For both completists and interested newcomers to his work alike, this simply is a no-brainer.
What you get here is more than worth it: not only does it contain a plethora of stories on famous DC characters like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, but also on lesser known ones ( Doctor Fate, Jonah Hex, The Shade, etc..). At the end, there is a generous gallery of Cooke's gorgeous two-page spreads. This kind of retro art will never get old. Still can't believe the man is gone. Such an enormous loss.
What you get here is more than worth it: not only does it contain a plethora of stories on famous DC characters like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, but also on lesser known ones ( Doctor Fate, Jonah Hex, The Shade, etc..). At the end, there is a generous gallery of Cooke's gorgeous two-page spreads. This kind of retro art will never get old. Still can't believe the man is gone. Such an enormous loss.
May 28, 2016
If beautifully produced books, especially books containing fantastic comic art then "Graphic Ink" by Darwyn Cooke is a must have collection.
Darwyn Cooke was an Eisner Award-winning writer/artist. There is a really nice introduction by Cooke that does give a little insight into the majority of the stories in the book. The book is a massive 400 plus pages of art and stories.
Here is a Youtube video flip through of the book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVSHL...
And here is an interview with Darwyn for iFanboy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM4ML...
We sadly lost Darwyn Cook recently. A horrible, horrible loss.
This book is highly recomended.
Darwyn Cooke was an Eisner Award-winning writer/artist. There is a really nice introduction by Cooke that does give a little insight into the majority of the stories in the book. The book is a massive 400 plus pages of art and stories.
Here is a Youtube video flip through of the book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVSHL...
And here is an interview with Darwyn for iFanboy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM4ML...
We sadly lost Darwyn Cook recently. A horrible, horrible loss.
This book is highly recomended.
May 24, 2016
I'm a huge Darwyn fan and this collection was perfect for me since I only get collected editions now and most of the stuff in this has never appeared in collections I have bought before. I'm going to end with a list of the stories collected in the book since people shouldn't buy it sight unseen. The only double up I had was his stuff from Solo - since I got that trippy collection a couple of years ago (mainly foe the Darwyn part - but I enjoyed a lot of it).
All in all it is Darwyn - if you appreciate his minimalist cartoon art then you'll love this collection. The stories, for the most part are all solid - no jaw dropping classics in terms of stories but almost all are enjoyable reads. My favs were the Jonah Hex stories. Never collected Hex but I enjoy the character.
Okay, the stories in the collection (as well as a lot of cover art):
Private Eye (1985) - this predates Cooke's real foray into comics by over a decade. Not the Darwyn we have come to love but neat to see.
A Change in Climate (Legion Worlds 2) - weak story
Here Be Monsters (Batman: Gotham Nights 2) - beautiful Black and White Batman story
On the Street: A Stan Lee reimagining Catwoman - odd story
Doctor Fate (JLA All Stars 3) - wow - a perfect homage to early Fate stories
The New Frontier Special: Not included in all New Frontier collections and a wonderful must have
The Phantom Quarterback: (DC Presents 1) Stan lee doing an old timey Superman story. Fun but forgettable
Solo #5: A lot of great stuff in here
Flight (Green Lantern Secret Files and Origins) : three periods of Hal Jordan's life. Neat how Darwyn tries to copy the art from those three stages - Gil Kane and Neal Adams - his Neal Adams imitation does leave something to be desired :)
Cousin Walter the Scientist - written by indy comic writer Harvey Pekar
The Hunting Trip: Jonah Hex 33 (my fav of the collection)
The Great Silence (Jonah Hex 50)
Armistice Night (Weird war Tales 1)
The Laws of Motion (House of Mystery 36) - yikes this was a stupid story with the lamest ending ever in the history of everything
Times Past: 1944 (Shade 4) - also a fav of mine
The Final Curtain (All Star Western 34) Another great Jonah Hex story
Harley Quinn 0 and Harley Quinn Holiday Special
All in all it is Darwyn - if you appreciate his minimalist cartoon art then you'll love this collection. The stories, for the most part are all solid - no jaw dropping classics in terms of stories but almost all are enjoyable reads. My favs were the Jonah Hex stories. Never collected Hex but I enjoy the character.
Okay, the stories in the collection (as well as a lot of cover art):
Private Eye (1985) - this predates Cooke's real foray into comics by over a decade. Not the Darwyn we have come to love but neat to see.
A Change in Climate (Legion Worlds 2) - weak story
Here Be Monsters (Batman: Gotham Nights 2) - beautiful Black and White Batman story
On the Street: A Stan Lee reimagining Catwoman - odd story
Doctor Fate (JLA All Stars 3) - wow - a perfect homage to early Fate stories
The New Frontier Special: Not included in all New Frontier collections and a wonderful must have
The Phantom Quarterback: (DC Presents 1) Stan lee doing an old timey Superman story. Fun but forgettable
Solo #5: A lot of great stuff in here
Flight (Green Lantern Secret Files and Origins) : three periods of Hal Jordan's life. Neat how Darwyn tries to copy the art from those three stages - Gil Kane and Neal Adams - his Neal Adams imitation does leave something to be desired :)
Cousin Walter the Scientist - written by indy comic writer Harvey Pekar
The Hunting Trip: Jonah Hex 33 (my fav of the collection)
The Great Silence (Jonah Hex 50)
Armistice Night (Weird war Tales 1)
The Laws of Motion (House of Mystery 36) - yikes this was a stupid story with the lamest ending ever in the history of everything
Times Past: 1944 (Shade 4) - also a fav of mine
The Final Curtain (All Star Western 34) Another great Jonah Hex story
Harley Quinn 0 and Harley Quinn Holiday Special
May 23, 2016
Note/Clarification... On GoodReads I first saw the Kindle edition. I intended to add and review this hardcover version. What got me mixed up was the cover design. The hard version has this one is on the cover, and used the kindle version on its dust jacket.
Another clarification is that I first found this in a bookstore before looking it up on GoodReads.
"Oh wow" was the feeling I got when you didn't know such a compilation existed. The next reflex was to purchase. And whenever we wanted, my husband and I can admire the stories, colors, prints and all.
Another clarification is that I first found this in a bookstore before looking it up on GoodReads.
"Oh wow" was the feeling I got when you didn't know such a compilation existed. The next reflex was to purchase. And whenever we wanted, my husband and I can admire the stories, colors, prints and all.
November 4, 2018
Darwyn Cooke is at the very top of my all time favorite comic book creators. As I began to find an interest in superheroes, I didn’t realize that Cooke was behind most of my favorite things – he designed the opening title to Batman Beyond, wrote several of my favorite Justice League episodes, and once I started reading DC comics, his masterpieces Batman: Ego, Justice League: New Frontier, and Superman: Kryptonite were among my very favorites.
Eventually I connected the dots and realized that not only was Darwyn Cooke my favorite creator, but he was also an artistic and writing genius, a truly special and gifted giant of the comic books world who has never – and will never – be replaced.
I am sure a person with deeper artistic and writing knowledge can tell you why he’s an absolute genius. But as a fan, I can tell you that I love his simple, graceful style with thick brushstrokes and a noir, retro, almost 50’s feel; how he isn’t afraid to shy away from the loneliness and the dark underbelly of superhero storytelling; his ability to play with shape and color; his use of wordless panels; how he can create a laugh, a nostalgic sigh, or a poignant moment in an expression or posture scene. Over the years I’ve come to also love how he revitalized Will Eisner’s The Spirit (no offense to Eisner, but that character was made for Darwyn Cooke); his books adapting Richard Stark’s Parker, a must for any noir fan, and some of his other lesser known works.
Graphic Ink is not meant to be a “best of” collection, even though it includes some great stories from the big DC heroes including a Justice League story based on his New Frontier masterpiece, Green Lantern, Batman, and Superman, along with some of his lesser known stories from Doctor Fate, Jonah Hex, and even Looney Tunes. This is best understood as an anthology of some of Cooke’s unpublished work (including his very first DC story which he wrote and illustrated at only 20 years old!), which will make this a must for Cooke collectors, and interspersed are at least a hundred of his covers and full page spreads over the years. Thankfully the comic titles and publishing information are removed from the covers so we can fully enjoy Cooke’s artwork.
This photo is thanks to Wing’s Art!
As a fan, this is a treasure trove, especially if you take the extra ten dollars to invest in the larger version – I’m a loon so I have both, and trust me, the coffee book edition is worth it if you love his art. The collection showcases the range of Cooke’s talent and his influence on the comic book world. The covers in particular show how Cooke was able to create a scene and evoke wonder and feeling with only a few colors and brushstrokes.
That might be the best way to describe Cooke’s work: wonder.
And while you might think that his artwork surpasses his writing, prepare to be delightfully mistaken. Cooke seemed to be able to peer right into the soul of these characters, whether it was analyzing Batman and Bruce Wayne as a sort of bipolar thought experiment in Ego; Selina’s determination and unapologetic sass in Big Score; and Clark Kent’s essential goodness and loneliness in just about every one of his Superman stories. I would need some serious convincing to pick up a Jonah Hex story, but this one by Cooke had me riveted, and it was a dark and heartbreaking tale. Cooke could take any character, literally any character, and make them shine. I was also very pleased to see a few issues with Cooke’s original character, King Faraday (yes it’s meant to be a pun), who isn’t very prominent in DC but was still a phenomenal character – you’ll meet him in Frontier as well as a few Justice League episodes.
Unfortunately, DC missed the boat in several respects with this collection. While there is a nice forward by Cooke, in which he wrote a few sentences about each of the collected issues, there is no focus on Cooke’s biography save for a short “about the author” at the end, nor are there any behind the scenes photos of his artistic and writing process. While of course we can celebrate Cooke’s final product and the incredible amount of work he contributed to DC, this collection doesn’t pay any attention to the man behind it and how the work came to life. This would have been especially interesting since in many cases, Cooke was both writer and artist.
Some would say that this collection was meant to be an art book and solely focus on Cooke’s artwork, but if that were the case, DC would have cared a little bit more about what they were doing.
It was maddening that many of the full page spreads were left to the back of the book, and at 400+ pages, the binding covers up at least an inch of the center of these pages. This is a HUGE loss, since the focal point of many of those spreads are in the center and therefore the impact of the art is completely lost. (Cooke fans, I want to make a New Frontier joke right now. It’s there, I’m aware of it, so are you, thank you very much.)
Here are some examples. Below you’ll see a picture of a cover and my photo of what it looks like in the book. These are part of a “DC Stands for Darwyn Cooke” celebration in December 2014, in which all 23 of their comics had variant covers drawn by Darwyn – see them all here – and they are all collected in the book as well. (I’m sure people were disappointed when they picked up these variants and realized the issue wasn’t also by him!)
This is Batman & Robin #37:
Green Lantern #37:
Batman/Superman #37, probably the worst of all of them:
And Justice League #37, look at Martian Manhunter in the middle:
This is such an unfortunate part of the book, because this art is absolutely tremendous, some of the best I’ve seen (nope not biased at all), and could have been easily solved if these covers were just in the middle of the book. C’mon, DC. You publish art all. The. Time.
Darwyn Cooke died two years ago (May 2016), a tremendous loss to the comic book industry and a tragic loss for his family as well. Along with all the #ComicsGate crap going on, some dogshit asshole (nope not biased at all) decided to try to tarnish Cooke’s memory and suggest he would take their side. It only takes a moment to see his art and read his stories (especially those highlighting Selina, Jon Stewart and other minority characters) and know that Darwyn Cooke knew, better than most of us, the power and beauty of superheroes, and he would never have taken that side.
If you’re a fan of DC comics, and of comic books in general, Darwyn Cooke’s work is 100% worth your time. I highly recommend DC: The New Frontier, Batman: Ego, Superman: Kryptonite, Catwoman: Selina’s Big Score, and his critically acclaimed adaptation of Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter. This book is a fantastic introduction to Cooke’s legacy, and absolutely worth the $40 or so for the coffee table book which, aside from the covers at the end, beautifully showcase his work.
I would love to see another coffee table book that highlights his process, interviews with family and colleagues, and celebrates the creator who I’m sure was a wonderful person and also gave so much to me personally as a fan and to comic books as a whole.
For more reviews please check out my blog, Reading Art!
Eventually I connected the dots and realized that not only was Darwyn Cooke my favorite creator, but he was also an artistic and writing genius, a truly special and gifted giant of the comic books world who has never – and will never – be replaced.
I am sure a person with deeper artistic and writing knowledge can tell you why he’s an absolute genius. But as a fan, I can tell you that I love his simple, graceful style with thick brushstrokes and a noir, retro, almost 50’s feel; how he isn’t afraid to shy away from the loneliness and the dark underbelly of superhero storytelling; his ability to play with shape and color; his use of wordless panels; how he can create a laugh, a nostalgic sigh, or a poignant moment in an expression or posture scene. Over the years I’ve come to also love how he revitalized Will Eisner’s The Spirit (no offense to Eisner, but that character was made for Darwyn Cooke); his books adapting Richard Stark’s Parker, a must for any noir fan, and some of his other lesser known works.
Graphic Ink is not meant to be a “best of” collection, even though it includes some great stories from the big DC heroes including a Justice League story based on his New Frontier masterpiece, Green Lantern, Batman, and Superman, along with some of his lesser known stories from Doctor Fate, Jonah Hex, and even Looney Tunes. This is best understood as an anthology of some of Cooke’s unpublished work (including his very first DC story which he wrote and illustrated at only 20 years old!), which will make this a must for Cooke collectors, and interspersed are at least a hundred of his covers and full page spreads over the years. Thankfully the comic titles and publishing information are removed from the covers so we can fully enjoy Cooke’s artwork.
This photo is thanks to Wing’s Art!
As a fan, this is a treasure trove, especially if you take the extra ten dollars to invest in the larger version – I’m a loon so I have both, and trust me, the coffee book edition is worth it if you love his art. The collection showcases the range of Cooke’s talent and his influence on the comic book world. The covers in particular show how Cooke was able to create a scene and evoke wonder and feeling with only a few colors and brushstrokes.
That might be the best way to describe Cooke’s work: wonder.
And while you might think that his artwork surpasses his writing, prepare to be delightfully mistaken. Cooke seemed to be able to peer right into the soul of these characters, whether it was analyzing Batman and Bruce Wayne as a sort of bipolar thought experiment in Ego; Selina’s determination and unapologetic sass in Big Score; and Clark Kent’s essential goodness and loneliness in just about every one of his Superman stories. I would need some serious convincing to pick up a Jonah Hex story, but this one by Cooke had me riveted, and it was a dark and heartbreaking tale. Cooke could take any character, literally any character, and make them shine. I was also very pleased to see a few issues with Cooke’s original character, King Faraday (yes it’s meant to be a pun), who isn’t very prominent in DC but was still a phenomenal character – you’ll meet him in Frontier as well as a few Justice League episodes.
Unfortunately, DC missed the boat in several respects with this collection. While there is a nice forward by Cooke, in which he wrote a few sentences about each of the collected issues, there is no focus on Cooke’s biography save for a short “about the author” at the end, nor are there any behind the scenes photos of his artistic and writing process. While of course we can celebrate Cooke’s final product and the incredible amount of work he contributed to DC, this collection doesn’t pay any attention to the man behind it and how the work came to life. This would have been especially interesting since in many cases, Cooke was both writer and artist.
Some would say that this collection was meant to be an art book and solely focus on Cooke’s artwork, but if that were the case, DC would have cared a little bit more about what they were doing.
It was maddening that many of the full page spreads were left to the back of the book, and at 400+ pages, the binding covers up at least an inch of the center of these pages. This is a HUGE loss, since the focal point of many of those spreads are in the center and therefore the impact of the art is completely lost. (Cooke fans, I want to make a New Frontier joke right now. It’s there, I’m aware of it, so are you, thank you very much.)
Here are some examples. Below you’ll see a picture of a cover and my photo of what it looks like in the book. These are part of a “DC Stands for Darwyn Cooke” celebration in December 2014, in which all 23 of their comics had variant covers drawn by Darwyn – see them all here – and they are all collected in the book as well. (I’m sure people were disappointed when they picked up these variants and realized the issue wasn’t also by him!)
This is Batman & Robin #37:
Green Lantern #37:
Batman/Superman #37, probably the worst of all of them:
And Justice League #37, look at Martian Manhunter in the middle:
This is such an unfortunate part of the book, because this art is absolutely tremendous, some of the best I’ve seen (nope not biased at all), and could have been easily solved if these covers were just in the middle of the book. C’mon, DC. You publish art all. The. Time.
Darwyn Cooke died two years ago (May 2016), a tremendous loss to the comic book industry and a tragic loss for his family as well. Along with all the #ComicsGate crap going on, some dogshit asshole (nope not biased at all) decided to try to tarnish Cooke’s memory and suggest he would take their side. It only takes a moment to see his art and read his stories (especially those highlighting Selina, Jon Stewart and other minority characters) and know that Darwyn Cooke knew, better than most of us, the power and beauty of superheroes, and he would never have taken that side.
If you’re a fan of DC comics, and of comic books in general, Darwyn Cooke’s work is 100% worth your time. I highly recommend DC: The New Frontier, Batman: Ego, Superman: Kryptonite, Catwoman: Selina’s Big Score, and his critically acclaimed adaptation of Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter. This book is a fantastic introduction to Cooke’s legacy, and absolutely worth the $40 or so for the coffee table book which, aside from the covers at the end, beautifully showcase his work.
I would love to see another coffee table book that highlights his process, interviews with family and colleagues, and celebrates the creator who I’m sure was a wonderful person and also gave so much to me personally as a fan and to comic books as a whole.
For more reviews please check out my blog, Reading Art!
January 27, 2016
It can be difficult to create a sampler collection like this that appeals to both hardcore fans and newbies. After all, Darwyn Cooke fans have probably read his most famous stuff, while if you don't get enough of the good stuff, newcomers will wonder what the big deal is. Thankfully, this collection is spot-on.
The sample here is phenomenal. You get stuff from his earliest works, pieces of The New Frontier that didn't show up in the collections (the ones I read, at least), Jonah Hex stories, Green Lantern, Superman, Batman, and even a page from Looney Tunes. The writers he worked with is staggering: Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Geoff Johns, Harvey Pekar (!), Stan Lee (!!! doing Superman, no less), and even his own, original works.
But it's his artwork that ties this collection together. Quite simply, his style never gets old. Bold, expressive, fun art that can just as easily switch to dark and shadowy. And the many, MANY covers he's done that are put throughout is genius. You get a perfect chronological look at his artwork, the evolutions in his rise to comics legend that ends with his own variant cover month that captures DC's finest at their best.
The one unfortunate problem with this collection is Cooke's introduction that explains backstory about some of the comics. The oversized format works perfectly for the comics, but somebody seems to have forgotten to make sure the intro would look good because it's near unreadable. Seriously, it's at the level where you need a magnifying glass or some aspirin in order to read it.
Even with that small problem, this collection isn't just a must-have but a must-keep. I can see myself re-reading the stories or just browsing the gorgeous artwork for years to come. A great collection for any comics fan.
The sample here is phenomenal. You get stuff from his earliest works, pieces of The New Frontier that didn't show up in the collections (the ones I read, at least), Jonah Hex stories, Green Lantern, Superman, Batman, and even a page from Looney Tunes. The writers he worked with is staggering: Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Geoff Johns, Harvey Pekar (!), Stan Lee (!!! doing Superman, no less), and even his own, original works.
But it's his artwork that ties this collection together. Quite simply, his style never gets old. Bold, expressive, fun art that can just as easily switch to dark and shadowy. And the many, MANY covers he's done that are put throughout is genius. You get a perfect chronological look at his artwork, the evolutions in his rise to comics legend that ends with his own variant cover month that captures DC's finest at their best.
The one unfortunate problem with this collection is Cooke's introduction that explains backstory about some of the comics. The oversized format works perfectly for the comics, but somebody seems to have forgotten to make sure the intro would look good because it's near unreadable. Seriously, it's at the level where you need a magnifying glass or some aspirin in order to read it.
Even with that small problem, this collection isn't just a must-have but a must-keep. I can see myself re-reading the stories or just browsing the gorgeous artwork for years to come. A great collection for any comics fan.
November 15, 2015
This is a really beautiful book. It includes short comics, one-shots, and cover illustrations by comic artist Darwyn Cooke. The pages are larger than standard comic pages, so you get to see these great pieces up close. Fans of Darwyn Cooke should have a copy of this in their libraries.
March 2, 2017
Oh man I want to buy this gorgeous hardcover and have it on my coffee table forever and ever now.
March 17, 2018
Cooke might just be my favorite comic artist, for what that's worth.
August 27, 2018
I'd give this book 100 stars if possible. The late great Darwyn Cooke is my absolute favorite comic book artist so I'm biased. My wife knows this and she likes his art too and she gave me with this book as a gift a couple of years ago and it is in a treasured space among art books on our bookshelf.
January 1, 2018
Sumptuous coffee table book collecting bits and stuff Darwyn Cooke did for DC over the years.
I don't think there's much unpublished stuff but hard to collect at the very least. And it's all there.
The book covers a wide range of stories and characters, illustrations, covers, double pages and whatnots. The whole lot ranges from good-some short stories are not mind-blowing plotwise- to simply amazing, demonstrating once again how talented Darwyn was.
If like me you're a fan of Darwyn Cooke, one of the greatest artists of the last 2 decades, you simply cannot miss this one.
I mean it.
You can't.
I don't think there's much unpublished stuff but hard to collect at the very least. And it's all there.
The book covers a wide range of stories and characters, illustrations, covers, double pages and whatnots. The whole lot ranges from good-some short stories are not mind-blowing plotwise- to simply amazing, demonstrating once again how talented Darwyn was.
If like me you're a fan of Darwyn Cooke, one of the greatest artists of the last 2 decades, you simply cannot miss this one.
I mean it.
You can't.
May 22, 2016
It's always hard for me to write reviews of these kinds of books, they're almost always a no-brainer. If you like Darwyn Cooke's art then you'll want to pick this up.
Aside from getting a nice collection of his covers, and other miscellaneous art, it also has several issues of comics that haven't been collected before now, at least as far as I'm aware.
If you like big beautiful collections and you're a fan of Darwyn Cooke's art then this is for you. Even if you've collected all of his previous trade paperbacks, there's no doubt something new for you to see.
Aside from getting a nice collection of his covers, and other miscellaneous art, it also has several issues of comics that haven't been collected before now, at least as far as I'm aware.
If you like big beautiful collections and you're a fan of Darwyn Cooke's art then this is for you. Even if you've collected all of his previous trade paperbacks, there's no doubt something new for you to see.
October 10, 2023
Darwyn Cooke was one of the most imaginative and creative artists at DC during the contemporary era as this book clearly shows. His work is both modern and refreshingly nostalgic but is never saccharine. Both longtime fans and readers unfamiliar with this artist should find much worthwhile material in this book. This book is especially recommended for fans of and for fans of Catwoman and Batman and any reader who enjoys the art of graphic novels as much as the writing.
May 26, 2016
A wonderful overview of the work of the late Darwyn Cooke. In this volume are excepts from his classic New Frontier series, three entire Jonah Hex stories, a personal favorite-his artwork for the SHADE mini-series, so much more.
For fans this is a treasure trove of a great artist and to new readers a introduction to man who has left us to soon.
Thanks Mr. Cooke
For fans this is a treasure trove of a great artist and to new readers a introduction to man who has left us to soon.
Thanks Mr. Cooke
March 13, 2018
Darwyn Cooke is easily my favorite artist who's ever worked for DC. And this book has a fantastic assortment of his work, some of which I hadn't seen before. There's chunks of his Batman stories, some one page Looney Tunes gags, the weird What If Stan Lee Wrote The DC Universe Catwoman story, some New Frontier sections. There is a varying degree of writing between the snippets of work in this collection, but the art is all five stars.
It contains all the covers Cooke did for every iteration of New Frontier, the covers from his Catwoman run, pin-up pages, just really everything you want from his time at DC. It makes me want to hunt down some of his original art to hang on my wall.
I recommend this to really anyone, but mainly to fans of nostalgic DC art, fans of pop art, people who loved Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter but aren't too sure about mainstream superhero art, and also, well, anyone really.
It contains all the covers Cooke did for every iteration of New Frontier, the covers from his Catwoman run, pin-up pages, just really everything you want from his time at DC. It makes me want to hunt down some of his original art to hang on my wall.
I recommend this to really anyone, but mainly to fans of nostalgic DC art, fans of pop art, people who loved Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter but aren't too sure about mainstream superhero art, and also, well, anyone really.
August 1, 2021
A great retrospective look at the late Darwyn Cooke's work in the DC universe. It's a nice companion piece to Batman: Ego and Other Tails, which collects his Batman work. The highlights include Solo #5 - one of the best single comic issues ever, from the truly great artist-centric Solo series that Mark Chiarello spearheaded at DC. The Jonah Hex stories are particularly great also.
Apart from that, there's a whole lot of pin-ups and covers. Stan Lee does a Superman story that reads really dated but it's great seeing Cooke draw a classic Superman. There's a Johns Green Lantern tale and it's interesting seeing Cooke update his art to look more modern. But yeah Cooke is an amazing artist and it's great seeing how elevates his animation style to suit a whole range of stories.
Apart from that, there's a whole lot of pin-ups and covers. Stan Lee does a Superman story that reads really dated but it's great seeing Cooke draw a classic Superman. There's a Johns Green Lantern tale and it's interesting seeing Cooke update his art to look more modern. But yeah Cooke is an amazing artist and it's great seeing how elevates his animation style to suit a whole range of stories.
January 3, 2021
I can't get enough Darwyn Cooke. I recommend this book to anybody who even remotely likes his style.
He manages to capture movements and feelings in a way few artists can. His style is much more "cartoony" than Jim Lee's for example, but I find it more enjoyable and actually better suited for the stories he's telling. I'll take the New Frontier's art over Hush's anytime, but I understand it is a matter of taste.
This book has a few very interesting stories (I especially liked the ones on Jonah Hex) and superb art, including some beautiful covers. Really enjoyable, and a book that I'll go back to very often.
He manages to capture movements and feelings in a way few artists can. His style is much more "cartoony" than Jim Lee's for example, but I find it more enjoyable and actually better suited for the stories he's telling. I'll take the New Frontier's art over Hush's anytime, but I understand it is a matter of taste.
This book has a few very interesting stories (I especially liked the ones on Jonah Hex) and superb art, including some beautiful covers. Really enjoyable, and a book that I'll go back to very often.
February 6, 2020
4 1/2 stars
The world is a sadder place without the promise of any new art by Darwyn Cooke. My personal favorite of all of DC comics artists, Cooke wasn't only brilliant because of his bold and beautiful artwork, but because he was able to visually communicate an entire story in each panel he drew. This book is a wonderful collection of his work, a little heavy on the Jonah Hex content for my tastes, but wonderful all the same. Whether you're a fan of superhero comics or not, this is a must for any art collection.
The world is a sadder place without the promise of any new art by Darwyn Cooke. My personal favorite of all of DC comics artists, Cooke wasn't only brilliant because of his bold and beautiful artwork, but because he was able to visually communicate an entire story in each panel he drew. This book is a wonderful collection of his work, a little heavy on the Jonah Hex content for my tastes, but wonderful all the same. Whether you're a fan of superhero comics or not, this is a must for any art collection.
January 2, 2017
Great collection of pieces by one of the greatest to work in comics. Collects a couple single issue stories, all of Cooke's short works, and most of his covers for DC (I think it's only missing a couple that came out just before his death). Cooke's introduction provides some commentary on several of the stories, although I wish there was more of this throughout the book. It's a beautiful reproduction, though, and a worthy collection of Cooke's always incredible art.
December 1, 2019
One of my all-time favorite artists who's artistic talents are heavily influence from his work in the animation industry. He takes iconic DC characters and gives them a pulpy "golden age" feel.
This book collects DC one shot stories and other rarities that are not collected in other books.
I really fell in love with his work and I always looked forward to anything new by him. He will surely be missed.
Highly Recommended.
This book collects DC one shot stories and other rarities that are not collected in other books.
I really fell in love with his work and I always looked forward to anything new by him. He will surely be missed.
Highly Recommended.
September 6, 2021
This is a terrific showcase of some of the late, great Darwyn Cooke's output for DC. Fans of Cooke will want to add another star to this rating, but newcomers will be much delighted by Cooke's impressive artwork. The stories we see here are often good but not great, and we definitely get the feeling that once Cooke aimed his formidable talents at noir crime stories, the sky was the limit. Truly, a talent gone before his time.
February 11, 2023
As a comic anthology probably three stars but more practically this is quite a cool artbook that happens to include a bunch of short stories in addition to pinups.
Cooke is a master cartoonist and this artbook shows his range well. There are some fun stories in there too but there's also some bummers -- classic anthology.
In the future I'll flip through this for art/style reference but I doubt I'll ever really read cover-to-cover again.
Cooke is a master cartoonist and this artbook shows his range well. There are some fun stories in there too but there's also some bummers -- classic anthology.
In the future I'll flip through this for art/style reference but I doubt I'll ever really read cover-to-cover again.
December 15, 2022
3.5 stars
Some of the stories in this collection are better than others but collectively they serve as a reminder that the late Darwin Cooke was an extraordinary, one-of-kind talent. He understood, better than anyone else in his generation, what mainstream comics, especially superheroes, could and should be.
Some of the stories in this collection are better than others but collectively they serve as a reminder that the late Darwin Cooke was an extraordinary, one-of-kind talent. He understood, better than anyone else in his generation, what mainstream comics, especially superheroes, could and should be.
January 4, 2025
Glad to have picked this up. For a guy this talented, it's amazing how much of his work was short fill-ins and things that are out of print now. RIP Darwyn.
(Also my god when are they going to collect the rest of the later Jonah hex books? Those issues were a hoot in this collection)
(Also my god when are they going to collect the rest of the later Jonah hex books? Those issues were a hoot in this collection)
May 7, 2018
will always be a fan
May 11, 2019
Not my favorite of these but I do love the art
June 10, 2019
Delightful.
November 22, 2020
Five stars, hands down. A consummate master at work.
August 26, 2021
Absolutely beautiful art.
November 14, 2022
This book is great.
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