Comic Book Art

Recently, I was reading a bit about science fiction movie poster art from yesteryear. I rather like those cheesy posters, actually. Some people don't like retro, but artwork for such films have become part of the culture for my generation. However, one of the folks who purchased my suspense book, The Gift Horse, said that the cover to Trinity on Tylos kept him from buying it. Others have mentioned that the cover is too much like a "comic book." Okay, I would rather have had my cover art look like that iconic poster art for the very first Star Wars film, the one with Vader's helmet as a huge backdrop and Princess Leia wielding a blaster but not looking much like Carrie Fisher. That was seriously cool art. Despite its possible role in low sales and abysmal royalties, I don't dislike the Whiskey Creek Press cover for Trinity. It isn't bad, it just isn't quite comic book worthy, and maybe that's the problem.

My first reader for The Gift Horse, Sarah Trippe, has three children. Her first born, Dean, is a comic book artist. That is, he graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in sequential art. He has blogs and websites, is multi-published in print, and seems to be building quite a following. While I am no expert in such matters, his art seems to be well-received by fans. I have not done enough research to know what the critics say about it, but his drawings combine action with simplicity. They're clean...or something. Anyway, check out this print, which I really like. Or better yet, buy one!