Thursday, June 27, 2019

The Phantom Stranger and Iron Man



This is a good example of a cover that was a bit trickier to accomplish than may look at first glance.  One might think that all that needed to be done was to add in an image of Iron Man on top of the Phantom Stranger splash.  As you can see below, I used the splash page from DC Comics Presents #72, which had a lot of captions and text that needed to be removed and replaced with background elements first.  Sometimes even the simple looking covers can be a challenge to create.


22 comments:

jlbgriggs2 said...

Beautifully done!

Toby O'B said...

We might not always notice or even know about all the work you put into these covers, but the end results are always appreciated.

I’ve always had an interest in the various “business-suited” heroes and their juxtaposition with the more outlandish costumes. So a company crossover like this is aces.

det_Tobor said...

Ross, your time and work are much appreciated. That background looks just right.

Being a big fan of the Phantom Stranger from the 1960s onward, I'm glad he hasn't been forgotten today. Just wish he had been more popular. I know he was on Brave & Bold with Batman & The Spectre, but can't think of anything else.

Los Thunderlads said...

They never look easy to me! I'm amazed that you keep doing this every day.

Anonymous said...

I'll say that the reason Tony was spared was because he was meant to become the father of Ace Buckley's time-traveling companion. ;-)

Anonymous said...

@Anon 8:49 AM: How about Iron Man and the Stark clan of "game of Thrones"? XD

Anonymous said...

The story of the original artwork starred the Joker. So here we have Stark replacing stark, raving mad.

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous928: why not? I've half-seriously joked to friends (who are bigger fans of the show than I am) that House Stark should become rulers of the Iron-island Men.

Bob Greenwade said...

The work you do is amazing, Ross, and in this case particularly so; not just for the work you talk about, but the end result as well. It's hard to tell that it wasn't originally drawn to look like this, the only real clue (to my eye) being the differing styles between the two characters involved. Putting Iron Man where you did is a good call, not only because it covers where Superman's thought balloon obscures the roof in the original, but also to match up the Phantom Stranger's line of sight, and to fit the shading -- the light source on Tony's armor seems to perfectly fit the light source for the Phantom Stranger's shadow.

Plus, this looks like a good "teasing what's inside" cover that might actually be used. As someone remarked on an earlier cover featuring the Phantom Stranger, he seems to work with just about anyone you pair him with, but this looks like a perfectly typical story for him.

What unlikely pairings could PS work with? Just musing randomly: Luke Skywalker, Snow White, Sarah Connor, the Doctor, Pinky and the Brain, SP//DR, Space Ghost, Conan, James Bond, Indiana Jones, Darkwing Duck, Hong Kong Phooey... I could see any of those.

(Another random thought: "We must act, Pinky! We cannot take over the world if it's been eaten by Galactus!")

Jay Johnson said...

I wonder when some of the artists will start selling or posting the original art digital files that they use nowadays to ship the work around. Then Ross could just throw out the lettering layer (and probably the Superman layer) and work from a clean background.

Glenn said...

This is even tougher than usual since it was not even originally a cover. Excellent job or as Stan would have said Excelsior!

Carycomic said...

@Bob Greenwade: LOL! PS bringing those two together against Galactus would be delightfully bizarre. But, definitely NOT random!*

*There's always a method to the Phantom Stranger's "madness."

Anonymous said...

What unlikely pairings could PS work with? Just musing randomly: Luke Skywalker, Snow White, Sarah Connor, the Doctor, Pinky and the Brain, SP//DR, Space Ghost, Conan, James Bond, Indiana Jones, Darkwing Duck, Hong Kong Phooey... I could see any of those.

But you missed the most obvious one: PS and Scooby Doo Team up! :D

Ken said...

Wow, that's a lot of work! The end result is fantastic.

ShadowWing Tronix said...

A lot of work but it paid off gloriously.

Anonymous said...

Bob G and previous anonymous, I like your suggestions of PS and Darkwing Duck or Scooby Doo.

Here's another: PS and the Doom Patrol at the Sancta Sanctorum. Strange, Stranger, and the Strangest heroes of all.

Daviticus said...

I've read DC Comics Presents #72! Teaming up the Stranger with Supes and the Joker was just about as weird as pairing him with Iron Man! Still, excellent work, as usual! :)

Anonymous said...

Could you make this one work Ross? The Phantom Stranger and The Lone Ranger. Who was that?

Anonymous said...

Appreciate the BtS. Great cover!

Simreeve said...

Anonymous said...
"But you missed the most obvious one: PS and Scooby Doo Team up! :D"

DC actually has done that one... and it was good!

^_^

Carycomic said...

Well, then, how about Scooby Doo and the Pet Avengers?

Carycomic said...

Or, failing that, PS and the Badger!

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