Brian Hitch: Reborn

Brian Hitch has, since his early, Alan Davis-inspired work, developed into an amazing artist. What an artist to be inspired by, ablely aided by one of Alan's earliest inkers, Paul Neary.

An inker is the main subject of this post, and not Brian's work on the Ultimates, but instead, Captain America: Reborn.

Jackson Guice is known for his own realistic and detailed pencils. But what his inks bring to Reborn, is a classic approach to comics. Rich blacks, full lines, even some sketchiness in places - but not rushed. Hitch's hyper-realism is still there, but tempered by Butch's pen and brush work. The large-as-life visuals are all modern, but also show how much inks bring to a page. It has always been said that the best inkers knew how to draw, and that is certainly the case here.

Paul Neary is another brilliant inker and he has brought much to Brian's work. However, with Reborn showcasing so much of Cap's history, Guice's style works very well with Brian's, bringing a new yet familiar look to the work.

The work evokes the likes of - at least in appearance of line - the work of Neal Adams, Stan Drake and the newspaper work of Lou Fine. Reminiscent of Dick Giordano's inks and refined.

Pencillers often find they aren't free to try their hand at traditional inking - to test and refine the skill. Guice shows how good it can be.