FROM SKETCH TO COVER!

Friday Flashback 003: Cover Story

For this installment of Friday Flashback, we’re going to go back just about six months or so to Comic-Con International 2012 and the show’s Souvenir Book. This year’s giant book had an amazing cover penciled by John Romita Jr., inked by Klaus Janson, and colored by Dean White. We thought you might like to see how that cover came together. As always, click on the images to see them larger and–in this case–a pretty neat progression of cover from sketch through printed piece!


First there’s JRJR’s original sketch. One of 2012’s anniversary themes was the 50th anniversary of Marvel Superheroes, specifically the five heroes who came directly after the Fantastic Four brought the publisher back into the costumed hero comic book fold in 1961.

Second is John’s full pencils, which are so rich and detailed, we were tempted to publish them as is for the cover! The five heroes celebrating their 50ths in 2012 were (clockwise from upper left) Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, Hulk, and Spider-Man. As you can see from the assembled might–and longevity–of these Marvel legends, 1962 was a very good year!

Third, we add Klaus Janson’s amazing inks, which are so clean and crisp, we were once again tempted to go without color. Klaus and John have collaborated on many amazing Marvel characters and story arcs, including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Thor, Avengers, and the new Marvel Now! version of Captain America.

The fourth step is, of course, color and frequent Romita Jr./Janson collaborator Dean White was the perfect pick to finish the art. Dean is known for coloring a number of John’s comic series, including both runs of Kick-Ass, and also for painting a series of Marvel Masterworks covers based on the original comics covers by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and John Romita for the trade paperback editions of Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, and many more.

Finally, there’s the final cover as published with type, showcasing the power and resilience of these heroes who first came into the world fifty years ago!