For this installment in my Creator Profiles series, I thought I’d take a look at one of my favorite artists, John Cassaday. There are some artists that make every comic they work on a must-read, and for me, the first name on that list is John Cassaday. Cassaday, a film student and former director, takes a uniquely cinematic approach to comic art, framing his panels as if they were shots in a movie. His art style is clean and practically flawless, making it seem almost as if he captured the images with a camera, instead of pencil and ink.
Nowadays, Cassaday does a lot of cover art for other series, but for this article I thought I’d spotlight some series where he did all the interior art. Here’s some of the best work from one of the best artists in comics today. Also, before we get started, I’d like to give acknowledgement to Laura Martin, the colorist who works on almost all of Cassaday’s art and helps to give it that distinct look.
Planetary (1998-2009), with Warren Ellis
Planetary, the series that helped make Cassaday one of the biggest names in comics, is one of the deepest and most literary comics ever. Over the course of 27 issues, practically all of them self-contained individual stories, the Planetary team of superhuman archaelogists encounter all manner of strange occurrences and supernatural oddities. The comic itself is often like a meta-commentary on comics itself. Half homage and half dark-satire, Planetary presents its own slightly twisted version of tons of science-fiction and superhero fantasy mainstays, from giant monster movies to the pulp heroes of the 30’s and 40’s, and even the Fantastic Four. Planetary strikes the perfect balance between being fun single-issue reads and grander, subtextually rich arcs with a lot of meaningful things to say about comics, escapism, and our culture.
The globe-trotting adventures of the Planetary team require an incredible variety of artistic subjects on Cassaday’s part.. In one issue, the Planetary team might be in the jungles of Africa exploring the legend of a Tarzan-like apeman, in another, they might be deep in the urban jungle of Hong Kong in an homage to the crime thriller movies of John Woo. Cassaday illustrates all manner of wondrous subjects, including inventing a pan-dimensional travel ship in one amazing issue. The stories Planetary tells are incredibly sophisticated while still being fun, and Cassaday’ art matches that duality perfectly.
Captain America: The New Deal (2002), with Jon Ney Rieber
Captain America is a symbol of American strength and American spirit. The New Deal sees that spirit applied to post-9/11 America. The series doesn’t shy away from the emotional impact of the attack, starting out with Cap working search-and-rescue at Ground Zero. Throughout the six issues Cassaday drew, Cap begins fighting the war on terror, which proves to be simultaneously very different and very similar to his experiences fighting in World War II. This is a very serious comic, focusing heavily on the civilian casualties of war and the effects of American foreign intervention. It’s patriotic and inspirational while also being even-handed and nuanced. Cassaday’s art fully captures the solemnity and meaning of the subject matter.
Astonishing X-Men (2004-2008), with Joss Whedon
I wrote about how great Whedon and Cassaday’s run on Astonishing X-Men was here. A lot of times X-Men comics tend to be overtly dark and gritty, with storylines ruled by interpersonal melodrama. I’m not saying those are bad things, but the X-Men are first and foremost superheroes, and sometimes you want to see them act like superheroes. Astonishing X-Men, thanks in no small part to Cassaday’s art, firmly establishes the heroic side of the X-Men, making this the most fun X-Men run since Chris Claremont.
Cassaday is equally adept at creating bold action sequences and matching Whedon’s trademark dialogue in terms of expression and visually depicting the unique personalities of the X-Men. Whedon’s work usually has a certain tone to it, and the realism of Cassaday’s art allows him to tell serious, mature stories without becoming grim and while still maintaining a level of humor and fun. One thing I noticed with Cassaday’s art, especially in Astonishing X-Men, is that he always takes account of how light sources within his panels provide illumination. The natural light of the sun is portrayed differently from the dim, fluorescent light of a sinister lab. This technique allows for varying uses of shadow and bright colors, preventing the art from ever being one-dimensional.
I am Legion (2004-2008), with Fabien Nury
This is one of Cassaday’s less mainstream, non-superhero comics. Originally published in France, I am Legion is a World War II horror/spy comic about a secret Nazi mind control experiments that draws on ancient Romanian tales of vampires and Dracula. Cassaday’s art here is dark and ominous. One thing that jumped out to me about the art of I am Legion is the expressiveness and variety in the faces Cassaday illustrates, particularly with the emotion of fear, which helps experience the horror the characters do. If you like horror comics, spy adventures, or Castle Wolfenstein, check this one out.
Star Wars (2015), with Jason Aaron
When Marvel got the rights to make Star Wars comics again, they went big the flagship title, Star Wars. It was the first comic in a long time to star the entire main cast of characters from the original Star Wars movie, and in order to hook fans and be a success it needed to look like the original Star Wars movie. Although John Cassaday only drew the first six issues, he succeeded in capturing the likenesses of the characters and the adventure feel of the original movies. As a huge Star Wars fan, I can’t imagine a better looking comic. The general comic-buying populace felt the same way, as Star Wars #1 became the first comic in twenty years to sell a million copies. I wrote more about Star Wars here, I think I’m gonna close out this article by letting the art speak for itself.
