The Black Knight Rides Again: An Appreciation

[Cap'n_RDM]

Added to my pull list!!!

[mrjinjin]

From interview of artist Luca Pizzari in Newsarama:

http://www.newsarama.com/25813-red-s...rk-finale.html

Nrama: After Red Skull, you’re taking on Black Knight with Frank Tieri. Between the horror aspects of Red Skull and the sword-and-sorcery feel of Black Knight, you’re becoming a go-to artist for blending superheroes with other genres. Why is that?

Pizzari: First of all, just the thought that I can be the "go-to guy" for anything at Marvel, whose books I grew up devouring, is just mind-melting for me!

Jokes aside, I think it really comes from my taste and artistic formation, really. I've always read superhero comic books, but I’ve always been also a huge heavy metal fan, which brought me very early to enjoy and seek really obscure horror movies, which in turn brought me to look for different kind of stories in other media, like comics, as well. I basically very early in my artistic formation found this niche that was self-feeding from this pool of interconnected comics, music, movies and books. The way I draw is 100% self-taught on American comic books, so I always had a style reminiscent of that specific way of telling a story, but at the same time I've always been so contaminated by horror movies and heavy metal imagery that for a time I had come to peace with the fact that I would have probably never drawn mainstream superhero comics cause I was afraid my style didn’t really fit that look. Thank God, apparently I was wrong!

"Black Knight #" cover by Julian Totino TedescoPin It CREDIT: Julian Totino Tedesco (Marvel Comics)
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Nrama: Black Knight takes place on Weirdworld, a former Battleworld territory with a kind of twisted fantasy setting. Do you have a history with fantasy, or is this a new experience for you?

Pizzari: Yes, this is absolutely new for me. I always had an affinity for the weirdest side of fantasy, but I’ve never been too familiar with the classic Lord Of The Rings-like type of stories. But again, I've always thought that as an artist, there aren't really things you like drawing more or less, just things you have already drawn or not. In other words, I can't really say I don't enjoy drawing classic fantasy (even though, I just read the script for Black Knight #1 and boy, classic fantasy it ain’t), just that I've never really done it before, apart from sketches and pin-ups. But I take every new career direction both as a challenge and an occasion to have fun with new settings and so far, among other things, I have to say that fantasy allows for a freedom in costume designs that I’m quite enjoying.

Nrama: Tell us about the process of designing Black Knight’s new look. What was the feeling you were trying to capture with this more armored costume?

Pizzari: Re-designing Black Knight was great, really easy and really hard at the same time. To better explain it: the character has a very specific visual identity, connected with super-heroes classicism and medieval tradition that makes it very easy to come up with new versions of that look that are still immediately recognizable as the Black Knight if you play with the right things, but at the same time there was the risk of doing too little to really renew the character, for fear of messing too much with that iconic look, and of doing too much and straying too far from what makes him Marvel's Black Knight.

Black Knight character designs by Luca Pizzari.Pin It CREDIT: Luca Pizzari (Marvel Comics)
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With that in mind we knew we wanted a more bad-ass and less "urban" look for him. Dane has gone throught a lot mentally, and we wanted him to look rougher, more dangerous, while at the same time clearly stating that he is our protagonist, not simply a troubled anti-hero. He was an Avenger after all!

I looked a lot at how Mike Del Mundo dealt with fantasy-inspired looks to make sure our vibe could fit in the same universe he designed, and we decided to push more on the proper "medieval knight" side of his costume. The helmet was probably the element that took the most takes, cause we wanted something that could look good visually but at the same time would realistically work in the same way that medieval helmets did. Frank Tieri along with our editors Jon Moisan and Wil Moss made sure I didn't fall into the trap of designing some "Iron-Man" kind of mechanics for the helmet that would have looked out of place in a setting like Weirdworld, so we tried to keep everything old-school, from the way the front plate opens to reveal Dane's face to the scaling of the armor on his shoulders and neck. So far I’m quite pleased with the result and seeing the covers by Julian Totino Tedesco with my design in action was definitely a high point in my career so far.

Nrama: Black Knight is still a few months away. What are you most looking forward to about the project?

Pizzari: As I said, I just read the script for issue 1 and its gonna be crazy! There are a lot of brand-new characters and an interesting backstory that is hinted throughout the whole issue that promises to deliver a lot of punches and twists. I love doing first issues cause that's when you establish elements that are gonna stay around for the whole run, plus being on an ongoing book allows me to really mature and grow accustomed with characters and visuals, which doesn't really happen on shorter stints. Also, Frank promised me possible cameos by other members of the '90s Avengers run, one of my favorites, so I couldn't be happier!

[MollyBarton]

^Thanks for posting this! I am getting more and more excited for this book.

[mrjinjin]

^Thanks for posting this! I am getting more and more excited for this book.

Your welcome. Me too!

[idisestablish]

...
Pizzari: ... Also, Frank promised me possible cameos by other members of the '90s Avengers run, one of my favorites, so I couldn't be happier!

Shared this a while ago on Crystal's appreciation thread, and thought I would share it here, too. Great poster with Dane and one of my favorite Avengers lineups!

[Moriarty]

i love the bomber jacket era. its when i first started reading Avengers month to month.

[Nomads1]

Shared this a while ago on Crystal's appreciation thread, and thought I would share it here, too. Great poster with Dane and one of my favorite Avengers lineups!

Also loved that period of Avengers. I wish they would have used that costume for Hercules (maybe minus the shoulder pads).

Peace

[legion_quest]

That era would be a must buy omnibus collection for me

[MollyBarton]

I hope Sersi pops up in Dane's book. I'd love to see them reunited!

[Nomads1]

This exemplifies what's a perfect Avengers line-up in my opinion.

All are experienced veterans (even Crystal, as a former member of the FF). You have the right balance of power and skill. A Demigod, an Eternal, an Inhuman and an Android, a Soldier, a spy and a modern Knight. That's an amzing mix of different backgrounds, which has the potential to generate instresting stories. Only one character with his own book, but a couple with potential to have theirs. The quinssential Avengers leader plus a few characters that were born in the book, becoming synonym for it. And you have the obligatory scientist to boot. Too bad they don't make them like this anymore. Now it's all about teens and popular characters, even if they don't make sense as members.

Peace

[mrjinjin]

Dec. 2015 Solicts:

BLACK KNIGHT #2
FRANK TIERI (W) • LUCA PIZZARI (A)
Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
variant cover by DAN PANOSIAN
MARVEL '92 VARIANT BY STEVE EPTING
• Why did Dane Whitman end up in Weirdworld?
• What were the circumstances that led him to flee Earth?
• Whatever they were, it's enough to have the Uncanny Avengers show up on his doorstep, looking for him!
• Have Dane's past actions finally caught up with him?
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

http://www.comicbookresources.com/im...over-4ea0b.jpg
http://www.comicbookresources.com/im...nVar-1bd62.jpg

[MollyBarton]

Dane looks so pissed off in the second cover!

[Of Atlantis]

Absolutely love this cover. Would love it as a poster.

[mrjinjin]

I hope Sersi pops up in Dane's book. I'd love to see them reunited!
Dane looks so pissed off in the second cover!

Out of all of the 90's Avengers, I think she is the most likely to show up. They have unfinished business to discuss, I guess.

I like the black armor better than the blue.

[The Whovian]

Out of all of the 90's Avengers, I think she is the most likely to show up. They have unfinished business to discuss, I guess.

Ah, the old Sersi/Crystal/Dane love triangle