I discovered Becky Cloonan 4 years ago in a comic book compilation called Year’s Best Graphic Novels, Comics & Manga. Tucked away in this superb collection was a preview from One Shot, Don’t Miss - the story of a young American sharp-shooter who had just been drafted into the war in Iraq. One Shot was the 7th in a 12 issue indie mini series called Demo, a series that won tons of critical acclaim, an “indie of the year” award and 2 Eisner nominations.
While the premise of One Shot itself was very gripping, it was Becky’s art that got me by the throat… the thick black brush strokes, the large pools of black shadows, the shimmering heat of the desert… and all this in simple black and white, in positive and negative spaces… it was something like I had never seen before.
There was something about those panels, those thick black pools that kept haunting me, I simply couldn’t get over it. And so, I went and found out more about the series and managed to get a Demo trade paper back (through a friend in Malaysia)… and it was worth the wait and the trouble.
Demo is one of the best comic book series/ stories I have ever read, and while I’m tempted to go on and on about the series itself, this post is about BC’s art, so… let me talk about her art.
Becky Cloonan is one of the most versatile comic book artists - hell, she is one of the most versatile artists - that I have ever come across. When she wields a brush, it’s pure magic. The way she switches her art style from story to story has to be seen to be believed.
Take Demo volume 1, for example. Each of the 12 Demo stories was a mini graphic novel - it started and ended in the same book. And Becky brought out 12 different styles, month after month, for each of the 12 issues.
This year, when Vertigo came out with Demo volume 2, she was there again with brand new visions of Demo… from one book to the next for 6 issues.
Becky’s art moves (or rather, flows) from realistic, wartime stories to peppy, music-video-inspired love stories; from cute, dysfunctional, obsessive heroines to dark, brooding cannibalistic heroes; from chameleon like protagonists to toxic, hazardous antagonists… without breaking a sweat. Really, it’s quite unbelievable that one artist can execute so many different styles and I sometimes suspect that Beck Cloonan is a true shape-shifter.
Demo V1 #01 NYC Demo V1 #07 One shot, don't miss
Demo V1 #12 My last day with you Demo V1 #03 Bad Blood
Becky Cloonan is someone to definitely watch out for, one of the rising stars in comic books today… I’d say that she’s just getting warmed up, and I for one am looking forward to tons of awesomeness to spring forth from her brush and pencil and pen in the years to come.
Becky Cloonan's blog: inkandthunder.blogspot.com/
Deviant art page : stabstabstab.deviantart.com/
All image © Becky Cloonan