“Like, yeah, I don't know that that's the right way to repeat history here, you know?” And I thought, oh, that's the Jack Kirby experience where I'll do all the work, figure it out and then Stan will come in and dialogue it,” Ross recalls.

“He was pushing Stan on me, saying you could be working with Stan Lee on this. And he mentioned “This Man…This Monster!”ĭeFalco even suggested pairing Ross up with Stan Lee for the project. We would retell a story, expand it and tell new things that happened within that historical context. “After I'd worked on Marvels for them, I was pitched by the then Editor-in-Chief, Tom DeFalco, that I could take any story from the Marvel pantheon and then revisit it. The idea for it dates back to the mid-90s, when Ross, fresh off the huge success of Marvels with Kurt Busiek, was offered a golden opportunity. Ross’ story hearkens back to one of the high points of the legendary run by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, “This Man…This Monster!” From Fantastic Four #51. While there, they encounter a figure from their past. In Fantastic Four: Full Circle, a swarm of parasites from the Negative Zone prompts the FF to return to the anti-matter dimension to investigate. It’s not the problem you have with ink where you basically are gonna have to put white down on top of it to then draw something.”Ģ1 Images The Origins of Fantastic Four: Full Circle “If I really made a screw-up, I could use layers of water and pull up what I just put down. “I wasn't really using ink,” he clarifies. He used jet black gouache paint for the inking stage, mainly to provide some breathing room for corrections. The artist did make one concession as he shook up his creative routine. If I just did my typical painted process, I don't think I would have gotten across any of the notions of that time period successfully. “Doing traditional pen and ink and having flat color was essential. “I knew I would have to change myself to really get it across in a way that maybe connects the dots a little bit more for the contemporary reader,” Ross tells IGN during an interview via Zoom. Ross created the art in Full Circle using pencil and ink and flat coloring to capture the retro Pop Art vibe he sought with his original story. That’s why it was a surprise to learn he changed up his art process for his newest project.

Ross’ painted artwork in 1994's Marvels and 1996's Kingdom Come grounded Marvel and DC’s superheroes in hyper-stylish realism, and his distinctive style still makes him one of the most in-demand cover artists in comics. 14 Images The Evolution of Alex Ross' Art

Full circle alex ross