Greg Land
Encyclopedia
Greg Land is an American
comic book artist
, best known for his work on characters such as X-Men
, Birds of Prey, and Fantastic Four
.
in 1999 and was hired to finish the covers for Birds of Prey based on the sketches of Brian Stelfreeze
. He also had runs as interior penciler on both Birds of Prey and Nightwing
.
Later, Land began to work at CrossGen
Comics, on a series called Sojourn
. The series ran from July 2001 through May 2004, for a total of 34 issues.
Greg Land was able to move on to Marvel Comics, along with his inker and colorist from Sojourn, after the fall of CrossGen. Originally at Marvel, Land did covers to various series. This led to a collaboration with Greg Pak as the main artist of X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong
. Next, Land became the penciler for Ultimate Fantastic Four
. He did the artwork for a crossover between Marvel's Supremeverse
and the Ultimate Universe, entitled Ultimate Power
, which was written by Brian Michael Bendis
, J. Michael Straczynski
and Jeph Loeb
. He then did the covers for Marvel Zombies 3
which were all homages to posters of famous Zombie movies.
Land is currently serving as the artist for Uncanny X-Men
and X-Men: Legacy.
#510, Brian Cronin of Comic Book Resources
remarked that the issue "possibly has the most harmful art to a story that I’ve seen in a comic," saying that Land's limited supply of poses and use of the same models for multiple characters "results in terrible art and particularly terrible storytelling."
Although the use of photographs as models is long established in comic book art, Land has been accused of going beyond the accepted bounds of photo use. Land’s layouts and poses were so distinctive, detailed and repetitive that critics suspected that Land was lifting photos into his pages outright and using minimal Photoshopping
to alter the picture and make the work appear to be an original drawing.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic book artist
Comic book creator
A comic book creator is someone who creates a comic book or graphic novel.The production of a comic book by one of the major comic book companies in the U.S...
, best known for his work on characters such as X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, Birds of Prey, and Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
.
Career
Greg Land first got a job with an independent publisher as the artist for StormQuest after advertising himself at a Mid-Ohio Con comic convention. After that, he went over to DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
in 1999 and was hired to finish the covers for Birds of Prey based on the sketches of Brian Stelfreeze
Brian Stelfreeze
Brian Stelfreeze is an American comic book artist. Stelfreeze, an accomplished painter, penciller, inker and colorist, has worked for nearly every major American comic book publisher and is one of the original members of Atlanta's Gaijin Studios, a prominent breeding ground for some of comics' most...
. He also had runs as interior penciler on both Birds of Prey and Nightwing
Nightwing
Nightwing is a name that has been used by several fictional characters in the DC Comics Universe. It was conceived as a Kryptonian analogue to the character of Batman, with Nightwing's frequent partner Flamebird based on Robin...
.
Later, Land began to work at CrossGen
CrossGen
Cross Generation Entertainment, or CrossGen, was an American comic book publisher that operated from 1998 to 2004.CrossGen Comics, Inc. was founded in 1998, by Tampa, Florida-based entrepreneur Mark Alessi who sought to create a comic book universe that was uniquely varied but also connected by a...
Comics, on a series called Sojourn
Sojourn (comics)
Sojourn was a CrossGen comic book series about the adventures of Arwyn and her friend Gareth as they traveled in a fantasy world with dragons, trolls, and magic. Starting in 2001, it ran for 35 issues before it was forced to end by the bankruptcy of CrossGen in 2004...
. The series ran from July 2001 through May 2004, for a total of 34 issues.
Greg Land was able to move on to Marvel Comics, along with his inker and colorist from Sojourn, after the fall of CrossGen. Originally at Marvel, Land did covers to various series. This led to a collaboration with Greg Pak as the main artist of X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong
X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong
X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong is an American five-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 2005. It was written by Greg Pak with art by Greg Land....
. Next, Land became the penciler for Ultimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Fantastic Four comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
. He did the artwork for a crossover between Marvel's Supremeverse
Supreme Power
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in publications under the mature-audience MAX imprint by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in Supreme Power #1 and was created by writer J...
and the Ultimate Universe, entitled Ultimate Power
Ultimate Power
Ultimate Power is a nine-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics.The series is a crossover that ties the Supreme Power universe into the Ultimate Marvel universe and is written by Brian Michael Bendis, J...
, which was written by Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
, J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
and Jeph Loeb
Jeph Loeb
Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost, writer for the films Commando and Teen Wolf and was a writer and Co-Executive Producer on the NBC TV show Heroes from its...
. He then did the covers for Marvel Zombies 3
Marvel Zombies 3
Marvel Zombies 3 is a four-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics beginning in October 2008. It is part of the Marvel Zombies series. The series is written by Fred Van Lente, penciled by Kev Walker, with covers by Greg Land.-Plot:...
which were all homages to posters of famous Zombie movies.
Land is currently serving as the artist for Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
and X-Men: Legacy.
Critical reception and controversies
Commenting on Land's work on Uncanny X-MenUncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
#510, Brian Cronin of Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
remarked that the issue "possibly has the most harmful art to a story that I’ve seen in a comic," saying that Land's limited supply of poses and use of the same models for multiple characters "results in terrible art and particularly terrible storytelling."
Although the use of photographs as models is long established in comic book art, Land has been accused of going beyond the accepted bounds of photo use. Land’s layouts and poses were so distinctive, detailed and repetitive that critics suspected that Land was lifting photos into his pages outright and using minimal Photoshopping
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
to alter the picture and make the work appear to be an original drawing.
DC
- Action ComicsAction ComicsAction Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#743 (1998) - Birds of Prey #1–6, 8–10 (full pencils); #13 (along with Patrick ZircherPatrick ZircherPatrick Zircher is an American comic book artist and penciller.-Biography:Zircher's early career as an illustrator in the genre began with production of several completed works for Villains and Vigilantes, Champions and other pen and paper role-playing games as well as early stints with...
) (1999–2000) - Justice League of AmericaJLA (comic book)JLA was a monthly comic book published by DC Comics from January 1997 to April 2006 featuring the Justice League.-Publication history:The low sales of the various Justice League spinoff books by the mid-1990s prompted DC to revamp the League as a single team on a single title...
, vol. 3, #15 (along with Howard PorterHoward PorterHoward Porter is an American comic book artist from southern Connecticut.-Biography:Porter graduated from Paier College of Art in Connecticut where he majored in illustration. One of his teachers there was Frank McLaughlin...
) (1998) - New Titans Annual #11 (1995)
- NightwingDick GraysonDick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....
#41–43, 45–46, 48–50, 52, 54–56, Annual #1 (2000–2001) - Nightwing/HuntressHuntress (Helena Bertinelli)Huntress is a fictional character in the DC Universe. Based upon the Earth-Two character Helena Wayne, she is one of several DC characters to bear the Huntress name...
, miniseries, #1–4 (1998) - Supergirl, vol. 3, #11-12, Annual 2 (1997)
Marvel
- Free Comic Book DayFree Comic Book DayFree Comic Book Day is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to help bring new readers into independent comic book stores. Retailer Joe Field of in Concord, CA brainstormed the event in his "Big Picture" column in the August 2001 issue of Comics & Games Retailer...
X-MenX-MenThe X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
: Pixies and Demons (2008) - Ultimate Fantastic FourUltimate Fantastic FourUltimate Fantastic Four is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Fantastic Four comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
#21–32 (2005–2006) - Ultimate PowerUltimate PowerUltimate Power is a nine-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics.The series is a crossover that ties the Supreme Power universe into the Ultimate Marvel universe and is written by Brian Michael Bendis, J...
, miniseries, #1–9 (2006–2008) - Uncanny X-MenUncanny X-MenUncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
#500–503, 508–511, 515–517, 520–521, 530–531, 540-542 (2008–2011) - X-Men: Phoenix - EndsongX-Men: Phoenix - EndsongX-Men: Phoenix - Endsong is an American five-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 2005. It was written by Greg Pak with art by Greg Land....
, miniseries, #1–5 (2005) - X-Men UnlimitedX-Men Unlimited-Volume 1:The purpose of this title was to run stories that fit between the main X-Men comics. The stories included all characters from the X-titles, and the issues were collections of short stories...
#13 (1996) - X-Men: Legacy #235–237 (2010)
Other publishers
- StormQuest #1 (1994) (Caliber Press)
- Sojourn #1–33 (2001–2004) (CrossGen)