For once on this blog, I'm featuring a vintage talent from way back, instead of antique unpublished art. Sam Lotfi was unknown to me when I first got a commission from him twelve years ago, having only published a little work with Antarctic Press in 2002-2003. In the dozen years since, he was twice featured in DC Comics' New Talent Showcase, and worked on their titles Anti / Hero, Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend, Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story, Zatanna & the Ripper, Birds of Prey Giant, and Scooby Apocalypse; plus drew the YA graphic novel Young Alfred: Pain in the Butler. For Marvel/Icon, he did Painkiller Jane: The Price of Freedom, and contributed to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Reborn at IDW, plus the Boom! Studios mini-series Mosely, and more besides. It's been cool seeing one of "our guys" do well, but I haven't seen much of him locally between COVID and backing away from the biggest Houston show. I also ran into another art "regular" from the glory days, Nick Pitarra, who was doing free sketches on Saturday (so I argued with him about my refusing free art and ended up with a gifted hardcover of Ax-Wielder Jon instead.)
But back to Lotfi, I've always found his modern stylist take on mid-century aesthetics a great fit for Martian Manhunter material, but he did ask if it was okay to shake it up a bit with the so-called "Magician-Thief" from 1956's Detective Comics #231. In their one story together, the Martians in their natural forms were more or less indistinguishable, with a color gaffe even giving them both pink outfits. I was happy to have the artist give the Martian Criminal his own vibes, and it helped that one's had evolved over decades, where the other was frozen in fifties form. I enjoy Lotfi's more elongated and menacing face, the temple veins, and the big hand forced perspective. The unnamed Magician-Thief should have had the same powers as the Alien Atlas, but he favored subterfuge, and the art here hints at different manners of manifesting those abilities than J'Onn J'Onzz's. This turned out great, and it's also a nice way to look back on past works as part of the blog's extended anniversary celebration!
Sam Lotfi More Art Monday
