Customer Reviews

Icons: The DC Comics & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee

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Length:: 1:04 Mins

2010 has seen some great comic artists with their art books getting published. There's Alex Ross, Joe Quesada, Adam Hughes and now Jim Lee. What a fantastic year!

Jim Lee's Icons is a bargain for the price. It's hardcover with 296 pages of amazing artwork printed on good paper. Just one look at the cover and you can tell that it's really good. Publisher Titan Books has done a very good job with the printing and construction.

The amount of work featured is stunning.

Right from page 1, it's a non-stop flow of beautiful artwork featuring the superheroes of DC Comics and WildStorm -- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc. There are sketches, inks, layouts and full coloured illustrations. Many are printed at full page size, some across two pages, showing off all the intricate line work, grain left by the pencil hatches, details in the characters and background. You won't see any work from his days at Marvel though.

I spent a while on each page marveling at the quality of work, thinking about his dedication to comics. It's really inspiring.

You probably won't get as many page-pausing moments with other art books in 2010.

Highly recommended.

(There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

Jim Lee is finally honored with a long time deserved perfect quality art book showcasing all of his work (at least at DC and WS).

The reproductions are excellent, same as the paper stock and binding. The design is really well done: you can compare Jim Lee Icons to Alex Ross Mythology and Desperado's The Art Of Brian Bolland and it stands on his own. A beautifull detail is that when you remove the dustjacket you get the same image of cover printed in raw pencils in your hardcover.

Nonetheless I have to say there's a catch with the design of the book: a lot of the images are cropped. I guess it was done to let us appreciate the artwork in an even deeper detail, but I think it would have been much better to reproduce said artwork in its entirety.

But don't let this disencourage you from getting this book, because all in all it's an excellent product and a real must have for any Jim Lee fan and comic art aficionado in general.

After waiting for what seem to be ages for this book to be released, it appears that the wait was well worth it!

Released in line with the Jim Lee collaboration, the DC Universe Online video game, ICONS: Jim Lee displays the progression of a young Jim Lee, at first co-founding Wildstorm Comics and then eventually moving on to working on the ICONS of DC comics (hence the double meaning in the book's title). Included are his labors of love on Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Wildcats, Deathblow, DV8, and a multitude of his lesser known efforts.

My reaction: The art is gorgeous! ICONS: Jim Lee contains page after page of colorful artwork, with black and white pencils side-by-side with his accomplished finished work. The printing is outstanding and the book itself is quite sturdy.

(Note: due to the book being shipped with a lack of bubble-wrap around the book, I had to exchange my dented copy for a new one; but as usual, Amazon's exchange process was seamless.)

If you leave this on your coffee table, I guaranteed it will be the quickest dog-eared tome you'll have in your living room. A true bargain at ~$30; get it before the price goes up!

My only regret is that, with Jim Lee now being a corporate big wig at DC, we'll not be seeing his Marvel X-men work any time soon in this format.

Jim Lee has changed the industry.
First, with his art, and now, his co-publishing role and creative control of DC Comics. This is a time to celebrate, and Titan Books along with Bill Baker, have done that in this high quality, glossy, art packed, in depth examination of Jim Lee and his art.
It is a thing of beauty. Pegging in at nearly 300 pages, the sheer volume of art is amazing. If you have never appreciated the artistry and vision of Mr Lee, you will now.
Some artists make their name with their own characters, some with their dazzling vision, some with their talent. Mr Lee has carved a niche in comics that few might have dared. His pencil art is amazing, and it is only through the collaborative process that he has risen to the top. Comic book creation is a team process, and Mr Lee knows team work.
Baker breaks the book into characters. They are:
Batman, Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Trinity, DC Heroes, Wildstorm, Wildcats, Gen13, Divine Right, Deathblow, Stormwatch, and the Wildstorm/Vertigo heroes.
There is even a special feature at the end of the book that was specially produced for Icon....a new Legion of Superheroes story that includes Jim Lee and Paul levitz.
Mr Bakers interview is interspersed amidst the copious art and is not too much, nor too little. Inspite of the high art/low text ratio, the balance is just right.
I loved this book, and while it weighs in at a few pounds of paper and art, it is what other books should be. I can imagine this treatment for Kubert (s), Rogers, or even a Kirby. May the buyers buy, and readers read what Jim Lee has to offer the industry he clearly loves.

This book is really something else. You'll get to see Jim's pencils like never before. I don't know about other people but for me this is a gold mine I will learn so much just by looking at his pencils. The book itself is really well put together and hefty.

this book is great,
no its awesome,
Jim Lee is one of the best artists ever and
whether you like comics or just awesome artwork both are in this book.

The price was awesome as well,
this book is easily 5+ pounds.

the paper quality is superb, the artwork is mind blowing.

its a great reference for learning to draw or just as eye candy. =)

if you like comic art work or just comics,
buy it and keep it, this book is worth every penny and more.

Quality and Quantity mixed together! This book is amazing! The amazon price is a steal...so buy it now and even if you don't get it for $26, it's definitely worth the $40 retail. No buyers remorse with this purchase. I am a satisfied customer. Thank you Titan Books for publishing this excellent piece of work. Thank you Jim Lee for the eye candy. God has blessed you with the gift of art!

Hello all got this item for my beloved husband he really enjoyed the book he's a fan of Jim lee's art work I guess if I had to name a con on this book is its mostly about his DC comics artwork my husband would have loved to see his Marvel Comics art but its definitely a nice book for Jim Lee fans and plus it can cost you double buying it somewhere else.

I am brand new to the comic scene, but not to comic heroes and characters. After picking up Batman: Hush, I fell in love with the artwork. I mean literally head-over-heels in love! Googling the artist responsible, Jim Lee, I came across this book. I am so very happy I bought it! I wasn't expecting much more than a few pretty pictures and maybe an introduction. I got that and a lot more! A full introduction, notes and/or thoughts on every image, comparison shots of Jim's sketches for staues and figures along with photos of the final product, and even brainstorming sketches compared to the final pieces. My absolute favorite part of this book is the page with two panels of Superman and Batman...along with some snarky comments from Jim ("This image is so wrong on oh so many levels..."). I do wish it included other art of Jim's, especially from his time on the X-Men series, but I do understand why it wasn't included. Maybe that could be something for another artbook like this one (my own wishful thinking).

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to oggle and drool over this book again...

Mow, that the new 52 has started, I think it is safe to say the Jim Lee and David Finch are powerhouses and it is good that they are both working for DC. This book is filled full of his amazing visions of some of the most iconic figures in comics, a great book.