(2005) Alex Ross, Chip Kidd and Geoff Spear, Titan Books, £16.99, trdpbk, 300+ pp, ISBN 1-84023-941-7
Couldn't afford the hardback? Neither could I. So I'm dead glad Titan have brought out this very reasonably priced paperback of Alex Ross's beautiful, photo-real art of the DC superheroes. His actual comics include the brilliant Kingdom Come (with Mark Waid), Marvels (with Kurt Busiek) and Terminator: The Burning Earth (scripted by Ron Fortier), not to mention several "Treasury" books featuring Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman and the events of 11th September 2001. And his covers are legion. And Mythology is just about the most comprehensive book of art of a comics artist that I've ever seen. More pages than I can be bothered to count, over 300! (I'm not upset they didn't number the pages; that way they didn't mess up the art) I really don't know what to tell you; if you don't know Alex Ross's work, then why are you even reading this review; and if you do know Alex Ross's work, then you sure as hell don't need a recommendation from me! But I suppose you could say that about all art books and artists. So, for what it's worth, if you really don't know, then Alex Ross does painted, photo-real art in the service of the most heroic figures in the most iconic images that you will ever see in superherodom. He's The Man! If you like DC superheroes, and you like the kind of art you don't usually see in comic interiors, and see more on the covers of books, and you like photo-realism, and you want to see what the work of a bloody Genius looks like; then this is the book for you. Can't say fairer than that.
Tony Chester
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