The Art of Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips with Eddie Robson
Dynamite Entertainment, 2013

This is a lavish, career-spanning retrospective of an acclaimed artist who has worked for 2000AD and Vertigo, created superhero titles for Marvel and DC, and made several creator-owned series with Ed Brubaker.  Phillips selected the best examples of his art for inclusion, beginning with comic strips assembled with childhood friends and his earliest published work on British girls’ comics (which were about how it sounds: comics about teenage life, sort of the British version of Archie comics).

Phillips’ work for 2000AD marks a significant milestone in his career, being the first publication that brought him widespread recognition. A series of his iconic covers and some internal pages are reproduced, demonstrating his early mastery of the craft. However, it was his opportunity with DC’s Vertigo that truly provided a showcase, as he responded with stunning internal art for Hellblazer and a long run of covers during the Paul Jenkins era. The entire run of covers is reproduced, albeit in thumbnail form, to give a glimpse of his prolific output. This was where he developed his skill of going direct to ink (bypassing the pencilling phase), which gave him the ability to complete pages very quickly. His reputation for consistently making deadlines became a potent professional calling card.

Hellblazer 111 page: original art (click to enlarge)

Key collaborators were interviewed, so we get their insights as well as Phillips’ (there are also a number of testimonials included, from people like Jamie Delano, Paul Jenkins, Shelly Bond, and of course longtime collaborator Ed Brubaker, who provided an Introduction). The last part of the book is largely devoted to their original crime noir series, ending with Fatale (which was the most recent at the time of publication). Yet even then Phillips somehow managed to work in some side projects.

An iconic image from Criminal (click to enlarge)

Another notable feature is the inclusion of several short features in their entirety. “The Harvester” was written by Thom Metzger, and originally appeared in the Vertigo horror anthology Flinch. “Autopilot” was written by Joe Casey, and originally appeared in the Dark Horse anthology Reveal. “Right Behind You” was written by Mark Millar, originally appearing in the Scottish newspaper the Sunday Herald. The Criminal and Incognito teasers (with Ed Brubaker) gave a brief taste of the upcoming series. “Sunset on Sunset” was written by crime novelist Don Winslow and published in the newspaper the LA Times. Finally, “The Brothers McKenzie” reunited Phillips with childhood friend Pete Doree for a Western tale from the Image Comics anthology Outlaw Territory.