Well hello my name is Green Lantern, and I like to do draaawings...

Wow, I can't believe it's been 10 years since I purchased this book! Crazy thing was that I could probably figure out how to adapt Bruce Timm's style to the other DC Superheroes at the time, I just am drawn (no pun intended) to these how to draw super hero books. Now this was way before Justice League, but after the Batman and Superman Animated Series had made their rounds. This book along with a magazine published around the same time really got me thinking about the other Justice League majors and minors, if there can be a Justice League minor... I mean they are all super heroes, right?

So, published in 1998 Walter Foster's "How To Draw DC Comics Super Heroes", with your hosts Green Lantern and the Flash, brought to you by Eclectorama, featuring an Aquaman Spread by the Aquaman Shrine! The book is illustrated by John Delaney and Ron Boyd, two fine artists. It was published by Walter Foster Publishing, Inc in Laguna Hills, CA. Printed in China with a finished size of 10.25" x 13.75". Of course under license of DC Comics.

First I appreciate that they had the Green Lantern of the time co host this with one of my favorite super heroes, the Flash. Mainly as the Green Lantern puts it on the first page "In my civilian identity, I'm a professional artist, so I'll teach you to draw well." that and the Flash promises that "I'll help teach you to draw in no time flat!" Sweet and double sweet, I'm going to be the fastest, professional artist out there!



So first up we gather the supplies, now being an artist I have everything on the page, probably in triplicate in some cases, but Joe Average has to get mom and dad to spring for a starter studio. Now wait I already have this stuff, and I'm buying a basic drawing book, not even that it's a starter, but hey it has DC Super Heroes in it! None of my college books have DC Super Heroes in them! I need to know this stuff.

So lets just start with a few of the pages, first thing that struck me and I thought was really cool, no Batman or Superman! That's right it is everyone else's time to shine. Here a short run down of actual instruction pages, though more heroes appear through out the book: Green Lantern, Doctor Light, Martian Manhunter, Blockbuster, Aquaman, Black Manta, Green Arrow, The Key, Huntress, Black Canary, Shazam with Black Adam, Plastic Man, Hawkman, the Gentleman Ghost, Firestorm, the Atom, Steel, Superboy (guess I spoke too soon), the Cyborg, Starman, and the Mist... phew! Mixed in are lessons on Perspective, drawing hands (still trips me up), expressions, bodies, all the basics. It really does cover a lot in a short amount of time.



So here's some favs of mine, Green Arrow, Plastic Man, Huntress and the Canary spread, and the expressions page. Now something of note, Green Arrow was never really big for me when I was a kid and it's not till recent years I really began to appreciate the character, plus the orange hood costume... not so much, but Ollie is represented in the ghost clouds and this page has a dynamic. The expressions page just cracks me up, and how could I not post the Huntress and Canary spread... last PLASTIC FREAKING MAN! Remember this guy? If you are a DC nut of course you do, but I'll say it again PLASTIC MAN! How cool is it that they threw him in?





So I have another favorite spread featuring one of my favorite little drawings in the book of Green Lantern, Scuba Lantern! To see the entire spread though I'm going to ask you to take a trip to the shrine of all things Aquaman, you will not be disappointed, it really is a beautiful layout. A shout out to Rob at the Aquaman Shrine for participating in this fun little cross blog idea of mine, Thanks ole' Shrine Keeper!



In parting I leave you with the last splash page from the book with some teaser shots of other DC Heroes you can draw, so get your pencils sharpened and ready to go and as the Green Lantern and the Flash say "Practice makes perfect!"