Dave Stevens' Stories & Covers

I'm reviewing this book under the assumption you have the Rocketeer stories, and have tracked down most if not all of Stevens' more accessible work. For you, the question is, what is in this 272-page book?As expected, it contains all of Stevens' covers for Pacific Comics, Eclipse, Dark Horse, Comico, and other assorted publishers. These are all presented in black and white, shot from original art, and often with detailed closeups and pencil thumbnails and studies. "The Stories" section also includes, again as expected, Dave's "Aurora," "Princess Pam," and "Fair Play" stories from Pacific's Alien Worlds comic book. This book also contains some oddities and more obscure items for the discerning collector. First among these is the 12-page story "Cosmo Cat" from Quack #1, published in July 1976, this funny animal style story is claimed to be the artist's first professional published story. There's 1977's two page "My Greatest Adventure" from Fear and Laughter #1. There's also a cover and three sample pages of his work on British Tarzan comics (the book says he did eighty-one pages total!)and a couple of pages showing Stevens' inks on some Star Wars comics. A couple things I didn't know about: Stevens inking Tom Yeates on a couple pages from Jonny Quest #4 and some inks on Will Meuginot for a Marvel kiddie comic.This is all rounded out with Bettie Page pinups, Marvel T-Shirt Designs, and artwork for San Diego Comic Con programs and badges. The Complete Sketches and Studies contains some of Stevens' other commercial work, like a greeting card design and some Michael Jordan comic. So you still need that book too.Whether you're a long-time Dave Stevens fan or a neophyte, there's something in here for you. The book opens with a heart felt introduction by Adam Hughes, who sadly reminds us there's not much Stevens' art left out there. Hughes also reminds, while we mourn the loss of an artist, others mourned a true friend and family member.

I would have given this book a five star rating but for one thing. For some reason the publishers chose to totally ruin the integrity of Dave's work byusing a large 2 page format for many of what should have been highlights of the whole book. What is the point of size when 25% of the image is lost in the spine?This has been a common practice in many large format Art books but here it really hurts. What can I say...THE SMALL OF BETTY"S BACK GOTLOST IN THE CRACK!! TWO DEMERITS.

Dave Stevens was one of the best comic book and pin-up artists and with this book along with Brush With Passion, The Rocketeer Complete Deluxe Edition, and the Complete Sketchbook Collection we now have a complete retrospective of his work in book form. Covers and Stories collects all the short stories, classic covers along with sketch versions, pin-ups, prints, and other odds and ends (there's even mid 1970's artwork he drew for San Diego Comic Con souvenir programs and badges). It's amazing how in-depth this collection is and it's all beautifully printed in this hardcover collection: the classic Pacific Comics and Eclipse comics covers, several unpublished covers, Comico, Dark Horse, DC and much more. The short stories include pages where Dave was the inker (Tarzan, Star Wars), and for the Pacific Comics stories the original artwork is reproduced. The pin-ups section includes one of my all-time favorite pieces the Betty's Boudoir print in full color and so much more! For the Dave Stevens fan this is a must-have book and highly recommended. My only sadness comes in knowing that this is probably the last collection of Dave Stevens art that will be published from IDW. They've done a great job with the Dave Stevens collection and it's a superb tribute to such a talented artist. Five stars.

I discovered Dave Stevens through his work on the Rocketeer.When I was reading the Rocketeer during it;s initial run in the eighties it was obvious that I was witnessing the work of a major talent .Altho I later discovered more samples of Dave's work,i.e. other comic cover he had drawn I never connected them with him ,thank God for covers and stories.This book offer a fine sample of Dave's abilities as an artist and a story teller ,his renditions of women are beautifully realized and quite pleasing to the eye .He has taken classic illustration and cartooning to a new level and has, as far as I'm concerned ,breathed new life into pin-up art ,Betty Page has never looked soooooooo good .For anyone interested in comic art or pin-up art this is a must have,It is sad that Dave Stevens passed away at such a relatively young age,he had so much more to give .While Dave Stevens will undoubtably always be remembered for creating the Rocketeer this book showcases just how talented he was as an illustrator and painter .

IDW has chosen to print a small number of Dave Steven's pinups within this volume as double-page spreads and foldouts. In theory, that doesn't sound like a bad thing. In practice, the binding style used for this book causes portions of the artwork in those kinds of treatments to visually "disappear" into the gutter area near the spine. Yes, you get to see the majority of the pinup in a larger size, but it also visually breaks up the middle of the artwork to a degree that can make you wish that it was simply a single page reproduction instead. Overall though, it's a very nice book.

I love this book. A huge collection of Dave Stevens masterful comics and paintings. Sketches to pencil drawings to pen and ink to fully painted pieces, If you are a Dave Stevens Fan this collection is an absolute must!

this book is great. UNFORTUNATELY, it seems amazon is totally unable to send a big book without damages ! there is always something wrong: scratches on covers, corners crushed, etc, which is totally unacceptable for a real book-lover. Why the books are damaged ? simply because the books are gliding and hitting before being packed, therefore, the bigger they are, the more damaged they will be. The good point is still the low price... but is it really worth ?

Great book - page after page of breathtaking artwork by the master of 80's pin up art. Multiple variations of each drawing, showing pencil layouts and finished inks seperately, and frequently there is additional blown up detail shots. A wealth of Stevens' 80's indie covers are represented from Eclipse, Pacific and the like, along with rare inked comic book pages featuring Tarzan, Star Wars as well as some lesser known characters. If this book was bigger size, it'd be considered an 'Artists edition' with a considerably larger price tag. As it is, its still oversized and great value. Dave Stevens fans will lap it up, non fans are sure to become fans after seeing this book.

Best Stevens book, for me it is, there is another one by IDW, but for me I enjoyed this as it had much more classic art and sketches (more girls) than the last hardcover, it's well written and well laid out. If you are interested in pin up and in Mr Stevens, look this up

Inspiring.

A fantastic collection of work by an extremely talented and sadly missed artist. Gave me many a smile seeing all of the classic covers from back in the 80's. highly recommended

Né en 1955, le dessinateur américain Dave Stevens est mort en 2008 d'une leucémie. Il a débuté en 1975 en tant qu'assistant de Russ Manning, glissant en 1977 vers le dessin animé et les story boards de cinéma (' Indiana Jones et les Aventuriers de l'Arche Perdue ', la vidéo pour 'Thriller' de Michael Jackson). En 1982, il créé son oeuvre principale dans le champ des comics, ' The Rocketeer ', une brève série, à la fois culte et vendeuse, qui célèbre avec talent les pulps et super-héros des années 1930. Il se consacre ensuite principalement à un travail d'illustrateur.Cette anthologie regroupe d'une part les couvertures réalisées par Stevens pour divers comic books indé, d'autre part un aperçu de son travail dans les comics (encreur, artiste complet etc.) avec accent sur ses oeuvres plus personnelles, et enfin une sélection de ses pin-ups, dessins de commande et autres illustrations.De nombreux dessins sont montrés agrandis, mais aussi à l'état d'étude ou de pur scan de l'original. Deux des pin-ups sont au format "centerfold" cher à Playboy. Avec 'Aurora', Stevens tenait peut-être un autre personnage destiné à une célébrité comparable à celle du Rocketeer. Bien que formé à l'école de Russ Manning, Stevens avait aussi une grande proximité avec Le King, Jack Kirby, comme en attestent de nombreux encrages ici rassemblés.Artiste très attentif et créatif bien que fortement inspiré, Stevens trouve toujours au moment de l'encrage le ou les "plus" qui va/vont véritablement faire décoller son illustration, sa pin-up ou sa planche.Tant les oeuvres ici reproduites que la manière de nous les présenter sont admirables. Indiana Jones et les Aventuriers de l'Arche PerdueThe Rocketeer