With the release of the anticipated Marvel title Spider-Gwen nearly upon us, I thought now was a great time to feature American Designer and Cartoonist, Robbi Rodriguez.
With just over a decade of making comics, Rodriguez in that time has worked on a host of great titles including his creator-own title Frankie, get your gun, Vertigo’s FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics, Image’s Night Club, 24seven (Vol.2), Hazed and Oni Press titles Tek Jansen, Maintenance and Polly and the Pirates (Vol.2).
Speaking of Polly and the Pirates, I was deeply disappointed to read all the negative comments it has on Amazon. Mostly from readers who preferred the author and original artist, Ted Naifeh’s style. With all respect to Naifeh, these commenters don’t know what they are talking about. I realise that Rodriguez’s work by no means needs defending, but I can not help but put these comments in their place. Yes, art will always be subjective, but Rodriguez brought more energy and better-developed characters to the book. Which, for a swash-buckling pirate book, can only be a good thing.
Interestingly, comparing his artwork from Polly to his recent work with Marvel, really showcases his versatility. Looking at the pages of Polly, you can see a strong European influence in his work, especially from the likes of Pierre Alary and Denis Bodart. His Marvel work has a rougher more edgy feel to it, in a similar vain to artist like Paul Pope and Jeff Stokely. Then there is his personal work where he really goes to town and experiments with his style, medium, and incorporating more graphic design elements.
Check out more of Robbi Rodriguez’s work on his website and DeviantArt page. Also don’t forget to pick up a copy of Spider-Gwen #1 when it hits the comic stands on February 25th.