Friday, June 30, 2023

Spider-Gwen/Ghost Spider

Spider-Man:
Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

2018's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" is probably my favorite Spider-Man movie.  It's funny, filled with nerd callouts and Easter Eggs, and just packed with comic book references and energy.  With Spider-Gwen, they did a great job translating her into the movie.  I have a fondness for the character when she first appeared in comics, and has an excellent and well-designed costume.

When my daughters were younger back in the 1990's, I continually looked for media which included female leads and main characters, of which there was a dearth at the time.  While still not anywhere near parity, it is much improved and I wish I had a number of comics from today I could have given to them back then to read.  Representation in media matters, people.

With "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," it was a great sequel with tons references to just about every Spider-Man costume that has ever appeared, lots of humor, and family-based heart.  Most people have commented on the continual, visual creativity of the animation, and they are right.  From an alternate Vulture from Medieval times done in a pseudo-Da Vinci style, to the soft Magenta/Cyan process watercolor of Spider-Gwen's universe... the term every frame is a painting is probably over-used, but it applies here.

Also, as I've mentioned many times in the past, even with the current glut, I'm still a sucker for any Multiverse/Alternative Universe stories.

I was probably one of the few people who didn't realize that "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" was only Part 1 or 2.  A few minutes before the movie ended, I was thinking "Wow, they have a lot to wrap up before the end of the movie...", just before the "To be continued..." came up on screen.  D'oh!

So far, it was one of my favorite movies of the year, although I won't know for sure until I see Part 2 next year (!).

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STEP ONE: Here are the digital pencils in Rebelle on a 1,100px x 1,500px @ 300dpi canvas.

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STEP TWO: And here is the digital painting, completed in Rebelle.  I made a slight change to the face mask, suggesting a face underneath.  Y'know, sorta like Alex Ross does when painting Spider-Man.

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Done digitally in Rebelle 6.

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