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Light Comitragies
Light Comitragies, a comic book commonly known as Light, is one of those comics that demonstrates the late Greg Irons extraordinary virtuosity with pen, ink and color, and provides the strongest foreshadowing of his future (all-too-brief) career as a tattoo artist.
Light is not your standard comic book, as half the book seems to be comprised of a storyboard for an animation project and the other half appears to be a mini-portfolio of Irons' illustration. But these two halves are melded together with a transition that fuses them into one elaborate narrative. Light also marks one of the first comic book collaborations between writer Tom Veitch and artist Greg Irons, which is no small event considering the extraordinary body of work they would produce over the next few years.
Light begins with a simple illustration and a brief quote from Veitch's free-association The Luis Armed Story (1965), which set the stage for the incendiary "chain reaction" mutations that follow. The wordless drawings build upon each other sequentially, with psychedelic images cascading out of a human head as if portraying a mind-blowing acid trip, growing more complex until the metamorphosis completely envelopes the head. The progression of images grow darker and more ominous as they lead up to the center spread, where a nuclear cloud punctuates a gruesome nightmare of human carnage, aloofly surveyed by amused political leaders (and the Grim Reaper). The next spread isolates the Grim Reaper on a fierce red background, as if all life has been obliterated in a fiery holocaust.
The next series of images portray symbols of menace, conflict and death, growing more monstrous towards the end of the book until another spread depicts an apparition of celestial demons who seem to be rejoicing in victory. The book ends with a defeated, ashen pile of human bones, characterizing the bleak outcome of worldwide war, commemorated by a single red rose stuck into a broken skull.
Light Comitragies is a dismal allegory of the irrevocable consequences of war and nuclear weapons, brilliantly illustrated by Irons. The opening sequence of drawings demonstrate Irons ability to create iconic images, which would serve him well as he built a new career in designing tattoos. Tragically, Irons was killed in Bangkok, Thailand in November, 1984, when he was struck by a bus. He was only 37 years old.
(from comixjoint.com)
Light is not your standard comic book, as half the book seems to be comprised of a storyboard for an animation project and the other half appears to be a mini-portfolio of Irons' illustration. But these two halves are melded together with a transition that fuses them into one elaborate narrative. Light also marks one of the first comic book collaborations between writer Tom Veitch and artist Greg Irons, which is no small event considering the extraordinary body of work they would produce over the next few years.
Light begins with a simple illustration and a brief quote from Veitch's free-association The Luis Armed Story (1965), which set the stage for the incendiary "chain reaction" mutations that follow. The wordless drawings build upon each other sequentially, with psychedelic images cascading out of a human head as if portraying a mind-blowing acid trip, growing more complex until the metamorphosis completely envelopes the head. The progression of images grow darker and more ominous as they lead up to the center spread, where a nuclear cloud punctuates a gruesome nightmare of human carnage, aloofly surveyed by amused political leaders (and the Grim Reaper). The next spread isolates the Grim Reaper on a fierce red background, as if all life has been obliterated in a fiery holocaust.
The next series of images portray symbols of menace, conflict and death, growing more monstrous towards the end of the book until another spread depicts an apparition of celestial demons who seem to be rejoicing in victory. The book ends with a defeated, ashen pile of human bones, characterizing the bleak outcome of worldwide war, commemorated by a single red rose stuck into a broken skull.
Light Comitragies is a dismal allegory of the irrevocable consequences of war and nuclear weapons, brilliantly illustrated by Irons. The opening sequence of drawings demonstrate Irons ability to create iconic images, which would serve him well as he built a new career in designing tattoos. Tragically, Irons was killed in Bangkok, Thailand in November, 1984, when he was struck by a bus. He was only 37 years old.
(from comixjoint.com)
28 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 1971
13 people want to read
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November 13, 2024
Light Comitragies, or simply known as Light, is a showcase of the psychedelic artwork of Greg Irons. A very loose narrative is strung together between the opening words and closing coda written by Tom Veitch, but every page in between is wordless. Based off of Veitch's own "The Luis Armed Story", the reader is placed in the front seat of witnessing the end of the world. The narrative isn't fully clear based on the imagery, but that really isn't the point. Greg Irons made his name for his psychedelic tattoo designs and eye-popping concert posters, so that really is all that Light is. Irons' use of color is astounding, and the full splash page artwork allows the reader to fully appreciate the genius of the compositions. You'd be hard pressed to find more impressive interiors than what's contained here. So just sit back, let your third eye open, and enjoy the ride.
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