A review by giantarms
Batman: Death by Design by Chip Kidd
2.0
[a:Aaron Diaz|3427105|Aaron Diaz|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1328403015p2/3427105.jpg] promised me Art Deco Batman. Okay, maybe this kind of fits the bill, but as I read I remembered something.
Superhero comics are crap. The end.
But so I don't forget this, here's a list why.
1) They are, without exception, too goddamn wordy. Why did you go to the trouble of drawing all those pictures just to have people stand around and blah blah blah?
2) By trying to draw people realistically, all they really do is spend the book in the Uncanny Valley. Anatomy is HARD, people. That is one of the benefits of using more stylized representations. In this particular book, there was a drawing of Bruce Wayne's head at the beginning and I was like "Hello, handsome" but he never looked that way again. Why? Because he -- nobody, in fact -- ever looked like the same person for two frames in a row. Good lord. So not only did I sit here thinking, "What the heck is wrong with this woman's shape?" I was also thinking, "Is this really the same lady as before?" (Of course she was, because there was only one woman in this comic and she was, of course . . .)
3) DAMSEL IN DISTRESS OMG
Anyway. I still like you, Chip Kidd, because even though I don't remember what [b:The Cheese Monkeys|28756|The Cheese Monkeys|Chip Kidd|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167956353s/28756.jpg|1363319] was about, I was entertained by the way the book was made. Also, you called it The Cheese Monkeys.
As for you, Aaron Diaz. I can't criticize, but that's largely because it takes so long between pages I can't remember what the heck went on before. You will note that I wrote most of this review entirely because of poor memory. You do draw pretty, though. Don't get me wrong there. You keep on keepin' on, man. If you gots to read terrible superhero comics to fill up that creative gas tank, don't you pay me no nevermind.
OK NOW THE END FOR REAL.
Superhero comics are crap. The end.
But so I don't forget this, here's a list why.
1) They are, without exception, too goddamn wordy. Why did you go to the trouble of drawing all those pictures just to have people stand around and blah blah blah?
2) By trying to draw people realistically, all they really do is spend the book in the Uncanny Valley. Anatomy is HARD, people. That is one of the benefits of using more stylized representations. In this particular book, there was a drawing of Bruce Wayne's head at the beginning and I was like "Hello, handsome" but he never looked that way again. Why? Because he -- nobody, in fact -- ever looked like the same person for two frames in a row. Good lord. So not only did I sit here thinking, "What the heck is wrong with this woman's shape?" I was also thinking, "Is this really the same lady as before?" (Of course she was, because there was only one woman in this comic and she was, of course . . .)
3) DAMSEL IN DISTRESS OMG
Anyway. I still like you, Chip Kidd, because even though I don't remember what [b:The Cheese Monkeys|28756|The Cheese Monkeys|Chip Kidd|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167956353s/28756.jpg|1363319] was about, I was entertained by the way the book was made. Also, you called it The Cheese Monkeys.
As for you, Aaron Diaz. I can't criticize, but that's largely because it takes so long between pages I can't remember what the heck went on before. You will note that I wrote most of this review entirely because of poor memory. You do draw pretty, though. Don't get me wrong there. You keep on keepin' on, man. If you gots to read terrible superhero comics to fill up that creative gas tank, don't you pay me no nevermind.
OK NOW THE END FOR REAL.