Long John

“Promises are the worst things a man can make,” Rich Jack said when we first met him in Chapter 5.

–00–

No one draws water better than Becky Cloonan, who is among the artists I’ve mentioned most while writing about Long John (she shares that designation with Simon Roy, Giannis Milonogiannis, and Greg Capullo). While each has their individual strengths and influences, Cloonan approach to drawing water has no peer and is something I want to study.

Examples of Cloonan’s incredible illustrations of water.

To describe it is to undersell it, though I’ll try. It’s equally expressive and accurate––it looks how water actually looks but, depending on the scene it’s in, can carry so much threat and menace (or solace and warmth) that it feels like another character in the story, which is especially true for her mini-comics collected as By Chance or Providence. More than anything, it feels uniquely hers; I feel I could recognize Cloonan’s art solely by observing how the water is drawn. It’s an incredible signature to have as an artist and will always be my go-to for reference and inspiration whenever I need to draw a body of (or in!) water.

Thumbnail for this page. Click for a larger version.