Every week How to Love Comics spotlights a comic book artist that should be on your radar. I present you a gallery of their work and then leave you some reading recommendations if you are starving for more. I’ve cleverly titled this Artist of the Week.
This week’s artist is cartoonist Skottie Young. His uniquely vibrant style has become a favourite for many, with many people requesting me to feature him in this column. Most people would know him for his humourous variant covers, which depict Marvel characters as kids, but he is also a accomplished cartoonist in his own right taking on some of Marvel’s most popular characters in his own voice and style.
Below is a gallery of his work from various points in his career. Enjoy!
Skottie Young Reading Recommendations
If you’ve enjoyed this gallery and want to read some of Skottie Young’s work here are 4 comics I highly recommend.
Rocket Raccoon
Written by Skottie Young. Art by Skottie Young and others. Published by Marvel Comics.
You probably saw him in Guardians of the Galaxy, but Rocket Racoon really shines in his own solo series. Follow Rocker, along with his pal Groot, as they rescue princesses, go to intergalactic wrestling matches and get in trouble with a league of vengeful ex-girlfriends.
While only the opening story arc is drawn by Skottie Young, he has been able to go all out with crazy alien settings and scenarios. With offbeat designs for aliens, robots and spaceships, Young’s art is fun to look at and adds extra humour to what is already a comical script.
Rocket Raccoon will be collected over two trade paperbacks with the first featuring art from Skottie Young.
Oz Series
Written by Eric Shanower. Art by Skottie Young. Published by Marvel Comics.
A few years ago Marvel did a series of all ages comics based on the Wizard of Oz novels by L. Frank Baum, which were beautifully illustrated by Skottie Young. The Oz adaptations were a critical hit and award winning and due to this spawned 6 miniseries in total.
Unlike his Marvel variant covers, Young’s line work is loose but detailed which helps create fun and expressive characters in lush and fantastical environments. It’s a style that’s full of imagination and brings the land of Oz to life.
Skottie Young has done art for all of the Oz series and it is collected in the trade paperbacks: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Marvelous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz and The Emerald City of Oz.
I Hate Fairyland
Written and art by Skottie Young. Published by Image Comics.
Continuing on the fairy tale theme is Skottie Young’s upcoming series – I Hate Fairyland. This series hasn’t begun yet but looks like it see Young do his own take on the subject, with a bit sadistic twist. Unlike his Oz comics, this is definitely not for children.
The series is about a young girl named Gertrude who was transported to Fairyland, but has been trapped there for 30 years. While everything is happy and sugarcoated in the world of Fairyland, Gertrude mind has become twisted and she decides to take it out on the residents of this land in a morbid and violent manner. Full of black humour, this series would be perfect for fans of Happy Tree Friends.
I Hate Fairyland should debut sometime in late 2015.
Giant-Size Little Marvel: AvX
Written and art by Skottie Young. Published by Marvel Comics.
If you’re a fan of Skottie Young’s variant covers that depict Marvel characters as kids then I think you will love this series. Giant-Size Little Marvel: AvX stars cast of Avengers and X-Men as they take on each other in childish (literally) squabbles.
While the series has only had one issue released so far, it has so far been lots of fun. Young has cranked the fun up to 11 with his expressive characters and outlandish situations – as you can see from the cover and page in the gallery.
Giant-Size Little Marvel: AvX is as part of Secret Wars and will be collected in trade paperback later in the year. Don’t worry if you haven’t been reading Secret Wars as this comic is quite removed from the main goings of the other series.
Check out previous Artists of the Weeks.
Have Your Say
Did you enjoy Skottie Young’s art? If so, will you be checking out any of the comics recommended? You can let me know in the comments below or via Facebook or Twitter.
Have your say!