By Marc Strom
For Adam Pollina, the time has come to spread his wings and fly back into the Marvel Universe.
The fan favorite artist, best known for his more three-plus-year run on X-FORCE during the late '90s, made his return to the House of Ideas with ANGEL: REVELATIONS #1 last week. The five issue limited series, written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, shows the full origin of Marveldom's favorite winged mutant for the first time.
Pollina ascribes his return at this moment to one very simple reason: "Honestly, I came back to rest my head. It was my hope to simply be a penciler. Not a writer/director, video game designer, nor art director—simply a penciler."
"I had forgotten how much fun it is to simply draw," Pollina continues. "I had lost that. I consider myself very fortunate that Marvel once again offered [me] the opportunity to draw and create."
During his absence, spent working on a variety of projects including video games, cartoons and music videos, Pollina feels his artwork continued to grow in interesting ways, allowing him to further develop his own unique style.
"I am a perpetual student, and will always continue to apply new sensibilities to whatever project I approach," the draftsman explains. "And after a lifetime of drawing, I am only now learning to speak fully with my own voice. The choices made on the comic page are more intentional than they were in the past. There is more confidence in my line. More freedom."
And from what we saw in the first issue of ANGEL: REVELATIONS, the more intentional choices Pollina speaks of have led to some beautifully constructed images.
"Once I know the action required on the page in each panel I try to connect the dots," the artist says of his process. "With my rough layouts—before there are any real details, just placements—I try to find patterns in the initial composition that can be enhanced in the later renderings. Hopefully, this will create a sense of 'flow'
from one panel to the next, as similar patterns or shapes emerge repeatedly on the page."
Writer Aguirre-Sacasa points to Pollina's great skill as one of the key factors in their effortless collaboration.
"My editor, Warren Simons, took me and Adam to lunch, and we talked a lot about what he wanted to draw and how excited he was to be getting back to comics," Aguirre-Sacasa recounts.
From there on the collaboration continued apace without even a single bump in the road—or rather, without any turbulence on the flight. "We talked sporadically and did some e-mailing," Aguirre-Sacasa notes. "But really I just sat back and watched his beautiful pages roll in—and they
are spectacular, believe me."
Pollina, in turn, had nothing but praise for his collaborator. "I enjoyed reading the series so much, that I saved the last four pages of the last issue—unread and undrawn—'til the very end," Pollina admits. "I didn't want to spoil it for myself either."
Speaking of the story behind Angel's origin, Aguirre-Sacasa reveals his deceptively simple recipe for writing the five-issue series:
"Start with a prep school golden boy who's slowly mutating. Stir in a crazy killer who's methodically working his way across the country towards him. Throw in a recently dumped girlfriend, a bitter,
bitter rival, and a wimpy sidekick wrestling with his own personal demons. Bake over five issues, frost with beautiful Adam Pollina art, and you come up with one kick-ass, must-read [limited series]."
When it came to writing specifically for Pollina, Aguirre-Sacasa says he had no troubles tailoring his scripts to the artist.
"In this case, Adam and I both connected with the mythic, quasi-religious aspects of Angel, so we decided to highlight them," the scribe elaborates on their collaboration.
"For instance, there are lots of stained glass throughout the series, [and] lots of gothic architecture. Also, because Adam's art is as jaw-droppingly spectacular as it is, I wanted to get out of [his] way as much as possible. So I opened up the panels, tried
to have fewer panels per page, and more splashes, than I usually do."
As for making ANGEL his homecoming to Marvel, Pollina reflects that, "having now completed the series, I honestly can't imagine having drawn any other book as my return to Marvel. It's about a boy who, once he believes in himself, can truly soar."
Check out what other people have been saying about ANGEL: REVELATIONS…
"Fans of the X-Men and Angel will certainly enjoy the book, but those who are looking for something new and different will find that this one will definitely earn a place in their hands and in their boxes. The first issue has been nothing short of amazing, and I cannot wait for the next." –Silver Bullet Comics
"The story was thoroughly entertaining and engrossing, but the art, by heavens, the art by Adam Pollina is simply superb! Pollina's art is alive with energy, oh-so-creative, and visually stunning. I loved every panel, especially the art-y way in which Pollina used Angel's scarf as an artistic flourish. Great story, even greater art!" –Newsarama
ANGEL: REVELATIONS #2 soars into stores on June 25. For more Angel, visit Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
)
)
)
)
)
