Artistic License
Light spoilers for Act One of Deadpool and Wolverine.
Near the beginning of Deadpool and Wolverine, Deadpool travels the multiverse to find an appropriate
version of Wolverine to bring back to his own reality.
Among others, we see a classic cover from the X-Men comics, the tan-and-brown variation of Wolvie's costume, and notably, the short version of the character, standing about 5'3", like the comic book version.
END OF SPOILERS
Movie adaptations have taken liberties with characters and changed certain details - sometimes BIG details.
Sometimes this works well, and sometimes it…doesn't.
Deadpool?
This is actually reflected in comics, as well - different artists would often give characters their own spin. This applies to writers, as well; when a new team would take over a comic, they would have their own take on the characters.
If the artistic team is skilled or has a certain respect for the existing material, they would start from where the previous team left off, and take their stories from that point forward in a natural way, introducing their own stories and focus as organically as they can.
Well, that applies to the writing, at least - usually the art stands out as different right away with a new team. I mean, the writing might stand out as different as well, but in comics it's the ARTWORK that stands out more.
Does Batman have little pointed ears on his cowl, or are they massive spikes? Is Wolverine a little runt and kind of ugly or old-looking, or is he a dashing, rough-around-the-edges kind of handsome?
A costume change can be done organically, which is nice; the new team on a comic can start with the existing costume for an issue or more, and then find a justification to change things up. A character like the Hulk can be constantly evolving in appearance and demeanor, as long as a little bit of time and explanation are given. This has worked out well for the Hulk over the years in his comic.
There are certain parts of ongoing characters that have to remain consistent in order to still be considered the same character - but in Franchise characters, there seems to be plenty of room for artists and writers to interpret characters in their own way. This is essential I think, to keep these characters interesting over years and decades.
The argument rages on, of course, about Franchise characters being changed in too-extreme ways that make them no longer the same person. This argument can be seen…er, everywhere on the Internet.
Even in my own comics, I've played with the look of my characters, and with their relative sizes and heights.
How about you? Do you shoot for consistency, or change things as you go along? Or, most likely, somewhere in between?
See you next time!
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Draw Your Own Conclusions
Banes at 12:00AM, Aug. 22, 2024
5 likes!
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PaulEberhardt at 10:34AM, Aug. 23, 2024
I think I've actually drawn a comic with more or less consistent art once... Only, it's just 24 one-panel pages and was done within a week. 😉 @JohnCelestri: exactly my thoughts
Marchy_D at 7:17AM, Aug. 23, 2024
In animation, consistency is key. You wouldn’t want to see Bugs Bunny with short ears in one scene and long ones in the next, right? Or picture Homer Simpson growing more hair while Marge suddenly ditches her iconic beehive for a Rachel cut (a quick search on that tidbit of useless knowledge will clear things up, gen Alpha!). So under that umbrella, you have to lock yourself into the style because those kinds of inconsistencies can really pull you out of the story, make the whole experience feel off and leave you questioning the abilities and intentions of the artists involved. But I firmly agree that at the same time, giving artists the freedom to tweak, improve, and add their own touches…over time…is just as important. Keeps things fresh for the reader/audience. So, like most things in life, it’s a tricky balance.
JohnCelestri at 5:03AM, Aug. 23, 2024
If the writer/artist creator of a comic is trying to do their best, it's inevitable that the comic will change over a period of time. It happened to all the great newspaper comic strips. To stay the same from year to year is to quickly grow stale.
plymayer at 8:32PM, Aug. 22, 2024
Of course Frank Miller's art can be all over the place in the same comic. The Dark Knight Returns and Ronin for examples.
Banes at 10:25AM, Aug. 22, 2024
@marcorossi - yeah, the pros are surely more consistent. I think changes in ongoing comics probably results from a new artist/team coming on board a series.
Banes at 10:25AM, Aug. 22, 2024
@marcorossi - I agree, and my own style has changed over the years for some accidental inconsistencies. I also have several changes made on purpose, though...sometimes a change in character design (I added eyebrows to my characters at some point) and some changes in scale between the characters (also something I've done with the 3D comics - sometimes a little change here and there just makes things work better and I see no problem doing that!
marcorossi at 8:26AM, Aug. 22, 2024
For me, I try to mantain consistence but characters change because my drawing style changes from the beginning to the end of a comic (since it takes me some years to finish a comic). Professionals, OTOH, presumably have a much more stable style since they are overall more experienced than hobbysts.
Banes at 6:55AM, Aug. 22, 2024
@plymayer - haha! I think it’s somewhere in between for me xD
plymayer at 3:08AM, Aug. 22, 2024
No. Just kidding. Consistency helps make all the more believable and professional.
plymayer at 3:02AM, Aug. 22, 2024
Wing it baby fly by the seat of your pants!!!!