CREATOR SPOTLIGHT: Writer and Artist Skottie Young
If the title of this new book and the above image doesn’t sell you, I’m not sure anything I write can do a better job. I’ll still give it a shot.
If you read a lot of Marvel books chances are you’ve come a cross one of Skottie Young’s variant covers. He’s done a crap load. They’re cute, they’re cool, and they’re very stylish in a “Skottie Young” kind of way. Wait, I just confused myself…But seriously, his style has a wonderful charm and sense of humor that is contagious. Just one look at a cover he’s done or a book he’s worked on will give you an idea of what I’m talking about.
If variant covers aren’t your thing you may have recognized his amazing artwork in Marvel’s OZ adaptation series including THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, THE MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ, OZMA OF OZ, DORTHY AND THE WIZARD OF OZ, THE ROAD TO OZ, and THE EMERALD CITY OF OZ. Young absolutely nails the art here bringing to life the vibrant imagery the book series before it has to offer. He was a truly wonderful (see what I did there) choice for this series and if you want a gateway into his art style THIS is the book to get.
More recently, Young served as writer and artist for the new ROCKET RACCOON series that ran 11 issues before SECRET WARS pooped on every creators parade. Personally, I read and own every issue of ROCKET RACCOON and was extremely impressed with Young’s “Saturday morning cartoon” approach. Seriously, you can see his images moving on the page if you stare long enough.
Which brings us to I HATE FAIRYLAND from Image Comics. This is a pretty damn important book for Mr. Young. While Marvel has been his bread and biscuit butter for the past few years, it’s so great seeing him join team Image where creator-owned content is the name of the game. No longer tethered to a big-wig such as Marvel, Young can run free in a bright green meadow with all the other writers out there who want to frolic unfiltered and fancy free. The aforementioned cover alone proves my point here. It features a small child welding a bloody axe surrounded by adorably murdered cartoon characters. Count me in! I feel like I HATE FAIRYLAND will be the most Skottie Young book out of all the Skottie Young books out there because he is calling the shots. And it looks damn glorious.
Am I saying skip his previous (and future) Marvel books because it’s not creator owned? Absolutely not. He’s done amazing things at Marvel and now we just get more…with blood and stuff. Basically what you need to take away from this article is that Skottie Young is an up-and-coming creator who has proven himself in the field and is exploring some new options. Put the dude on your radar, pick up a few of his books, and keep and ear out for any and all of his upcoming projects. You’ll be glad you did.
You can keep up with Skottie Young on his official website HERE.
I HATE FAIRYLAND hits comic stores THIS week!
Words by Jason Furie
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