Question:
If you know of a book that teaches how to draw comic heroes, I would
appreciate hearing from you with the title and author.
Answer:
-The classic text is, of course, *How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way* by
Stan Lee and John Buscema (ISBN 0-671-53077-1; $13.00) which, although
nearly 20 years old is still worth a place on your bookshelf.
A more recent, similar book is *How to Draw Comic Book Heroes and
Villains* by Christopher Hart (ISBN 0-8230-2245-5; $18.95) which you also
ought to pick up.
If you're looking for books on drawing figures (and you should be), you
should also take a look at some of the instruction books by the late
comics master Burne Hogarth. Two of his best are *Dynamic Anatomy* (ISBN
0-8230-1551-3; $18.95) and *Dynamic Figure Drawing* (ISBN 0-8230-1577-7;
$19.95).
There are also general references on the comics medium itself such as
*Understanding Comics* by Scott McCloud (ISBN 0-06-097625-X; $20.00),
*Comics and Sequential Art* by Will Eisner (ISBN 0-96147-281-2; $19.95),
and *Graphic Storytelling* by Will Eisner (ISBN 0-91647-282-0; $24.95)
which should be required reading for all aspiring to work in comics. This
is not exaggeration; you *must* read these books.
-I believe the -locus classicus- for such instruction is Lee and Buscema's
"Drawing Comics the Marvel Way."
Christopher Hart, I think, weighs in with a newer book which I believe is
called "How to Draw Comic Book Heroes and Villains." I don't have the
ISBN's before me, but I can get them for you if you need them.
You should also --- this is no joke --- have an atlas of anatomy, of which
there are a number of inexpensive paperback versions; and make a careful
study of bodybuilder magazines.
-Or, if you really want to get somewhere, you could always try:
Burne Hogarth's books on figure drawing from Fantagraphics
Will Eisner's book on the sequential narrative
Scott Macloud's Understanding Comics, and just about every comic he
quotes within.
Books by classic illustrators and 19th & 20th century realist
painters.
Even if you just want to draw super-heroes, having a solid knowledge
of comics art could give you an edge, and enable you to develop a
distinctive style.
