Review by Aaron Cooper

There’s a great line by Jack Nicholson as the Joker in 1989’s BATMAN where, as he thumbs through news photos of bodies, skulls, death and conflict, he joyfully says (and I paraphrase) “I don’t know if its art, but I like it!”

Art has always been subjective to the opinion of the individual observer. Obviously, some artists are deemed more ‘popular’ then others, which is why we will sometimes receive entire volumes focusing on one artist from a publisher.

Yet something else I personally have noticed in the past few years is that many times as these ‘art books’ are released, they lack one important element: Art! I can name at least three books in two years I was all hyped up about, only to be disappointed when I read them, because they were woefully short on art and big on text, featured art far too small to truly appreciate, had very little new material, or was horribly incomplete.

So obviously, you see my criteria for what I consider a true art book. All I want is a lot of nice art displayed well, text at a minimum, and some obscure as well as classic or favorite material. Fortunately, MYTHOLOGY has met that criteria and done it well. It contains just about any piece Alex Ross was ever commissioned to do featuring DC Comics characters, which means you not only get some examples of every book Ross has worked on, but cover art from various publications and even a lot of examples of pieces he did for lithographs and collector plates from the now-defunct Warner Bros. Studio Stores. A few of the more obscure examples I was most impressed with was a nice painting featuring Alan Moore’s characters from Watchman, Swamp Thing, and more, as well as a wonderful painting featuring a slew of classic Hanna-Barbara animated action adventure heroes, like Space Ghost, Birdman, etc.

Credit must be given to Chip Kidd, who wrote the text and designed the overall layout of the book. Text is kept to a minimum, while still giving the reader a lot of information on Ross, his biography, his style of working, and influences, and the text is interspersed nicely throughout the volume, never interfering or detracting from the art. Besides art, there is also some photos and reproductions of art and influences that Ross derives his work from. The paper stock used is very nice, sturdy and glossy, presenting the art in a dynamic style. In many ways, some of the reprinted art looks better here then in their original presentations. It’s very reasonably priced (about $35) for the size and amount of pages it contains. Also included is a brand-new story by Alex Ross and Chip Kidd and a selected biography of Ross’ work. As the title suggests, this book only concentrates on Ross’ DC Comics work and their affiliates, so no Marvel art is included.

Obviously, if you are a fan of Alex Ross, this volume is a must have, but even the casual collector can pick this book up, enjoy it, and see how a real art book should be presented.