A round-spectacled man is slumped pensively in a chair, alongside a family photograph and a tilted table lamp. He looks like any other man brooding on his own private thoughts, a bad day at work, or his life ahead. You could have been right except that his wrinkled shirt is partly unbuttoned to reveal an iconic emblem. The heavy built figure is Superman, and he is home after a day’s work of saving the world.
The above description holds true for most artworks of Alex Ross, a comic book great. His art brings down your favourite superheroes to the earthly realm—a glimpse of how they would survive in our world. Ross has discovered his own way of interpreting the fictional characters. He does not redefine them as much as he makes them visually relevant and close to reality. His superheroes usually look to be in their 40s, with wrinkles on their face and clothes, and a bit of body fat here and there. He wanted everyone to think of him as the Norman Rockwell of comics, and it makes for a worthy comparison.
Alex Ross was born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in Texas. At the age of three, he made his artistic debut when he drew the contents of a television commercial. By the age of 13, he was already scripting and producing his own comic books. He began his professional career with Terminator: The Burning Earth in 1990. Four years later, he was hired by Marvel Comics to illustrate their characters in Marvels (1994), a four-issue limited series.
Alex’s affair with DC started when he pitched an idea of a ‘grand opus’ along the lines of Marvels to James Robinson, a writer at DC. His pitch was approved and he teamed up with writer Mark Waid. The result of this collaboration was Kingdom Come, a four-issue mini-series, one of the best superhero stories ever told. The storyline critiques the philosophy of superheroes, with Superman retired and other central characters, including Batman, relegated into background. A new generation of superheroes, free from moral and ethical oath towards protecting the human race, have taken their place, and the world stands in despair.
After his critically acclaimed, creative stint with superheroes, Ross painted for Uncle Sam, a real-world graphic novel by DC’s Vertigo, based on the dark side of American history. The novel is centred around Sam, a homeless man in an unnamed city getting visions of injustice and oppression. The novel was nominated for the Will Eisner Award for Creativity. Alex’s realistic depiction of superheroes in natural lighting is a variation from the general cartoonish palette. One of his most famous artworks is of Superman breaking away from the conventional imagery of the man of steel. Rather than standing tall and his chest expanded in divine light, Ross depicts him in extreme close up, with his iconic hair curl and his head down. Though his signature shield is not visible, the audience is able to identify the character.
Another famous illustration is a black and white painting of Bruce Wayne, the alter ego of Batman. He is shown standing near his superhero costume hanging from a wall and checking out his scarred back. After all, a caped crusader and night vigilante who strikes fear in the hearts of criminals has to pay a price for his actions. It comes with the job.
In a career spanning 29 years and still counting, he has presented the world of fictional comic book characters with the weight of the world and the years gone by.
