What’s to Love: With the previous editions of Pen & Ink featuring the art of industry veteran Brian Stelfreeze (Day Men) and newcomer Vanesa R. Del Rey (Hit), we wanted to go back to a comics legend, and naturally that had to be George Pérez! His detailed pencils and inks on George Pérez’s Sirens-his first original title in over 10 years-are on full display and are a testament to the lasting popularity of his skills.
What It Is: Perfect for fans who want to look “behind the scenes” of making comics, the Pen & Ink series features artwork from highly skilled illustrators stripped down to their inks in the original artboard dimensions of 11″ x 17″-or, in this case, and for the first time in a Pen & Ink book, stripped down to the pencils alongside inked and lettered pages. Get a detailed look at the making of George Pérez’s Sirens #1 from one of the industry’s greatest masters.
- Boom! Studios, July 29, 2015
- ISBN 844-2-84004-657-0111
- 12″ x 17″, 48 pages, softcover
- $14.99 USD
- Order online: eBay
As with all AE format material (Artist’s Editions, Artifact Editions, Gallery Editions, Art Editions, Studio Editions, etc.), this is a collection of classic comic material and I’ll be reviewing the book and not the story. For a complete list of all current and announced editions, with review links, please visit our Index. Also, see What is an Artist’s Edition and our Artist Index. This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
I had avoided these large-format softcovers from Image and Boom as I have no desire to pour over inked production pages; this also excludes a large portion of European tirages de tetes albums. But George Pérez’s Sirens: Pen & Ink was mentioned on the forums because it contained all of Perez’s pencils for the issue as well. That means this 48-page book contains inked production pages for the entire first issue of Sirens with no text and then the entire first issue in pencil with digital text added. Plus Perez has added a wealth of comments to every page of art in the book.
Let’s get to the heart of this volume: the inked pages appear to be enlarged from production pages and are not in any way AE format; they are pixelated. The pencilled pages on the other hand are the reason to pick this up: very similar to what DC did with their Unwrapped line, only much larger. You can see how Perez’s process for his work when he’s doing the pencils and inks, and how much or little detail he puts in at each stage. And that’s the saving grace of the inked pages: to compare to the pencils.
The design is engaging, utilizing the art pages and text in a straightforward manner. The running comments along the bottom of each page work in the space, as do the page number and title. With the comments and margins the art is 10″ x 15″.
Production is excellent: a stapled binding of approximately 180 gsm uncoated matte paper stock in a sturdy softcover with French flaps. It’s a single folded and stapled signature and is quite firm and sturdy. The book will lay flat is the center is aggressively smoothed.
I used the full title from the colophon, but at this point, it’s clear we won’t be getting any more Sirens: Pen & Ink issues. It’s still available via Diamond but was difficult to locate at any online comic shops, so either order from your local comic shop or eBay.
