One correction: the sentinel in New X-Men came out a few months before 9/11. Should’ve fact checked myself on that. A weird reminder that our memories can’t always be trusted!

Quite frankly, there’s no one like Frank Quitely

Co-Workers: "Jesus...is that a f**king hail storm outside?" Chris: "No. That's a muthaf**kin intro idea outside, baby!" Frank's detailed style alone is top tier but his composition is what's won me over even more through the years.

I think the reason why Frank Quitely's art look so good when drawing for either Grant Morrison or Mark Millar is because they all live in Glasgow and are usually in the same room rather than liasing through e-mails. In the Morrison documentary, Quitely joked how Morrsion would breath down his neck whenever he makes a mistake.

Frank Quitely is one of the most gifted storytellers in all comics. He has that Kirby-esque quality where you get the gist of the story without reading much dialogue.

The idea that Quitely's faces are his weakest point is funny to me. Sure, they aren't beautiful all the time, but that makes them believable. More real. People aren't always beautiful. Plus, like you said in the essay, limiting your critique to his faces is missing everything else he does so well. Great essay heren

I met Frank Quitely by chance in the lobby of my hotel during a convention one time. He was coming in just as I was going out, and I quickly worked up the nerve to ask if there was a comic signing limit when people lined up at the convention (it was 3). He asked how many I had, and I said, "Like, a lot." ”Do you have them with you?” So he proceeds to sign them for me: All-Star Superman 1-12, We3 1-3, and Batman and Robin 1-16. I also specifically remember he signed them on top of his portfolio which, at that time, contained the brand new material for We3's extended edition collection. It was surreal and awesome. I'll never forget how nice he was to do that for me.

I love reading Morrison talk about Frank quietly, it's just him adoring his art and love of his work

I've met Frank a few times and know people that have worked with him, the thing that most inspired me about him is how chilled and relaxed he always came across despite spending hours on pages. The BBC documentary on him is well worth the watch

I appreciate the commitment to the intros. They are the best. Also, as someone who is trying to break into writing comics your videos are so damn helpful.

Quite frankly, I love his visual storytelling talents

Chris getting plummeted by hail and watching morbius just to film an intro is dedication to a new level

I own 6 original pages of Frank Quitely's artwork from Authority #14. What was weird to me was that the dealer had a bunch of original art pages by guys like Todd McFarlane and they went for over a grand. The Quitely pages were 40 dollars each. It just didnt seem fair.

My first proper taste of Quitely was WE3 and he's been a favourite ever since. Excellent video as always, Chris. Thank you.

Really loved his run on the Authority, but for some reason didn't enjoy it as much on X-Men. His art is amazing and beautiful, but his level of detail, though impressive, can sometimes get uncomfortable. That's not a diss on his talent, but just shows the impact his art can have.

I remember We3. It was insane how the "pets" are so innocent, but nearly unstoppable. I also have not been aware HOW much Quietly stuff I've read because of his flawless work catching my eye.

Next to Brendan McCarthy, Frank Quietly is one of my biggest influences as an illustrator. His work with Grant Morrison on the New X-Men had a HUGE impact on me, when I was in highschool. Thanks for the awesome video!

I was one of those who didn't like Quitely's art at the beginning but I gave him a chance with We3 because it focused on animals and after that I just love his art. I think for me what stands out is the anatomy and use of perspective. I think a lot of artists draw bodies always in similar poses, no matter how much I love Jack Kirby and Jim Lee, I think that's part of artists after them taking the wrong lessons from their art and I see lots of artists drawing bodies with almost the same body language (the way they draw open hands, fists, arms and legs...), but you don't see that happening with Quitely. Even when a comic has multiple variant covers and Quitely does one, you can see his cover stand out, I can picture almost any Jim Lee variant cover in my mind with the character front and center in a heroic pose, but with Quitely you never know what to expect. And don't get me wrong, I love Jim Lee's art, he's one of my favorites, but to Chris' point in the video, you can see the "shortcuts" sometimes with the way he draws bodies and poses. Also, Quitely is one of the few artists where everything feels very carefully integrated in the art, nothing feels out of place. You can feel the weight of things, how things interact with each other, how characters interact with their environment. Something I always notice is the position of character's feet and how that's perfectly lined up with the surface they're standing on where other artists straight out avoid drawing feet or in some occasions, it feels like they're not really standing there. It's a "small thing" but I always notice that when Quitely is drawing compared to other artists. With Quitely, I feel like no part of his art is uncreative. From the perspective, to the body language, to the clothes and backgrounds, to the layout, all of it feels carefully thought out before being put to paper, nothing feels like he's just drawing something in a rush. He probably still takes some shortcuts here and there, I mean, the man has been drawing for decades at this point, but with other artists you can easily spot the shortcuts, not with Quitely.

All Star Superman was my favorite rendition of Superman and my introduction to Frank Quitely. And it lead me to New X-Men. I'm so happy that you made this video analyzing his body of work. The artistry on each page really uplifts the story telling on another level.

Man this video is an eye-opener! I have always heard Frank Quitely was good but never really saw anything that wowed me. But over the course of this video I was wowed multiple times! I have some comics to read!

This man is the best, love his work.

Thanks to being Scottish I was lucky enough to meet Frank Quitely and Grant Morrison along with fellow Scottish comic writer Alan Grant at a small Glasgow comic con in the early 00's before such things would have cost way more than I could afford. All were wonderful to meet and speak to, I was lucky enough to go home that day with three sketches of Batman drawn by the three of them, they are the most treasured parts of my comic collection.

Fanatic and enlightening video. Sequential art is always so tricky to get right.

Wonderful video! I've met Frank once and almost broke down telling him how moved I was with We3. He was very patient and graceful. Great work as always, Chris. Intro, fun bloopers, great insight, whole package!

“Oh hi! You caught me… loving your intros!” And the rest of the vid too, of course. Always amazed at the depth of your content. Thanks!

His work on We3 blew me away. One of the best comics ever.

Thank you for this video! As a Scottish person myself this video really opened my eyes and inspired me! Can't wait for the next one!

Not a big western comic book reader myself but your analysis and commentary kept me engaged the whole way through, big props

I think the first work of his I saw was on Morrison’s Batman & Robin and I was blown away. Perfectly expressive and the colors and lines were so beautiful. After reading All-Star Superman he was made into my favorite illustrator.

My Ex (Tom McCraw) colored the Flex Mentallo series for DC/Vertigo. Frank Quitely's art was hands down the most riveting and realistic we ever worked on. Thank you for this episode!

something I especially love is how much weight he gives to bodies, both in motion and at rest. not only does it make it more tactile and grounded, but he can (for lack of a better word) 'animate' a wider range of body types believably. Most artists, even good ones, feel like they know how one kind of body works, and either just add or subtract size from that shape without thinking about how mass, posture, timing are effected. Half of the impact of his action scenes, especially the violent ones, just comes from how much the figures move and drop like human bodies, as if they were stunt performers on the page.

22:09 i love this page from All-Star Superman so much, it's just so powerful. It made me love the comic and made me fall in love with the character.

This is a really great and well researched video. In my opinion, he is also one of the best artists working today

i admired quitely from the first sight for his exquisite linework

One of the greatest creators in comics, ever. Thank you for this wonderful episode!

It was crazy how it hailed here last week. Frank Quitely is an excellent artist. I recognize his work more than I did his name, and it is reminiscent of Moebius, as you mentioned about that series. Great video as always, dude!

I've said it once and I will say it again. That animated intro is probably the best one on youtube. It is absolutely beautiful

I remember buying "Flex Mentallo" as the single issues came out and thinking how amazing the art was

OMG! I paused the video to grab my copies of New X-Men #1-3 on single issues from the shelf, just to look at them again. Bought them over 20 years ago. Truly beautiful stuff. The genocide of Genosha was truly scary stuff to read, both as a child and now as an adult. Not anyone can draw something like that to such effect.

This was wonderful. I agree completely that Frank Is a master. I also love the Geoff Darrow name check! I feel like we probably read alot of the same comics growing up! Lol

He does page composition and figure work like nobody else. His work is definitely idiosyncratic, and an acquired taste, but there's a reason why Grant Morrison keeps working with him. We3 would be my pick for his best work.

Standing out in a hailstorm for the opening gag? That, is dedication to the craft... Maybe a little too much dedication...

I love We3 so much. One of my favorite comics of all time. Quitely is amazing.

Awesome review! My first exposure to Quitely was with E is for Extinction and it blew my teenage mind. The raw, hard hitting visuals made a huge impression, that hand-through-Trask-face was unusually disgusting looking (and I loved that). And how I adore all-star Supes. Even seeing the small version of the suicidal girl page was making me tear up again. What a legend.

Fantastic Look into the career of Frank's Work, I was lucky when I worked at Marvel to be able to see his artwork upclose. Beautiful stuff.

I love his art. New X-Men and We 3 are some of my personal favorites.

Great episode. I agree with all you said. All star Superman was one of the last books i bought and now I want more of quietly. Keep up the good work

I loved All star Superman's art. It really fit the mood.

Quitely's Lois Lane from All Star is the sexiest she's ever been. The astounding coloring in that book also contributes to this.

growing up, i didn't know how I felt about his artworks.. but as a full-grown adult' i fell in love with his work. especially on all-star superman and on Jupiter's legacy. I really wished he illustrated some part of invincible

I love you took that one huge hail storm as an opportunity for a lead-in pun. I'm down at the edge of Lake Washington and we got hit for a solid 40 minutes of hail, but I still like to imagine you heard the patter on your car hood and dove out of the car to make a pun while you could.

I'm glad you made this video. Quitely is a legend and WE3 is one of the greatest graphic novels of all time, IMHO. Also, Quietly's ability to utilize storytelling and page layouts are unparalleled. I love how he incorporates elements from panels into the overall page designs. I saw an interview of his regarding All Star Superman and how much work he put into the slouching Clark Kent. He's a brilliant storyteller.

I've got the same Alan "in space no one can hear you in space" shirt. Good episode

I met Frank Quitely twice. A college I went to had a "make a comic" course where it teaches you the ins and outs of the comic industry and he was a guest there. I also met him during a Q&A he was giving and he remembered me. Cool guy, seemed to really enjoy talking about his work and didn't talk down to anybody.

Great video on a great artist

I just read Pax Americana yesterday. Really good and unique art.

As a Glaswegian, I’m now infinitely inspired to continue drawing!

Truly one of the greatest comic artists. Pax America might be his best. Or maybe Jupiter's Legacy. He seems like he's only getting better with time. Also, I liked the info on what he's doing these days. Great video, man!

by far my favorite artist ... and it seems im not alone in this!

Hail Chris! Well done on another great video. Frank is really great. Anybody who is interested in one of the building blocks of his style should check out the much-loved Scottish comics: "Oor Wullie" and "The Broons". Cheers Chris - and cheers to all the comic readers out there. ☺ "LiL'JpD."

Can't wait for the All Star Superman video. His Batman and Robin was also very interesting. Great video Chris, as always.

What a great episode! I literally took notes on all the Quitely stuff I haven't read so that I can go pick them up

So glad you did this video! I love Quitely - ever since picking up All Star Superman. I almost think "composition" undersells it as a word, all those crazy inventive panel designs are simply superior to almost every other artist out there. Thanks for showing all his other work, I especially want to check out Pax Americana.

Thank you a lot for this video. I kinda avoided Franks work from time to time because i was missing that little over the top superhero style. As someone who works on a comic series myself this video just showed me how much i have missed and that i should indeed dig deep into his work. He does excel at a lot of things i totally adore any artist for and might have "judged a book by it's cover" too soon. Luckily i own already some of his work like All Star Superman and will dig deeper now. Thank you! GREAT work on these videos!

Him and Morrison make up the perfect writer/artist team.

I really enjoy Frank Quietly's work; like the way that his superheroes tend to bulge against their clothes. Regarding his expressive faces, I'd put Frank up there with Kevin Maguire; another real favourite of mine. Both are skilled at conveying their characters' emotions; though Frank's renditions feel more sort of "homely" to me, than Kevin's slick, cool finish.

An incredible artist, definitely one of my favorites.

Frank Quitely is one of the few comic book artists I can think of who truly take advantage of the medium.

My favorite comic artist. So weird that I was watching his TED talk and sending it to friends just last week. Thanks Chris!

The classic intros just keep getting better and better 😂

This is one of my favourite episodes you have done! Thank you sir may I have some more.

I belive Frank Quitely and Grant Morrison are one of The Best duos in the industry, they work so well together.

Yo I’m so glad you dug into Pax, you hit on some sneaky 8s I hadn’t even noticed, he’s by far one of the best pairings with one of my other favorites, Grant, so that’s just a match in heaven along with All Star Supes

Thank you for this! I think I was quietly waiting for a profile on my personal favorite comic artist. His work is reminiscent of Moebius who I also love. Proud owner of his hardcover DC book and flip through at least once a month. Cheers~

Frank Quitely has an incredible sense of how to block action and compose panels. He’s one of the best in the medium.

Loving the longer format deep dives. Great work, Chris. Quietly is also a favourite of mine so I really enjoyed this look into his work. Cheers.

Huge Quitely fan. Thank you for such a detailed look into the the talent and history of his career. Also gave me a reason to look for some of his earlier work. Keep reading comics?! Challenge accepted!

We3 is my all time favorite comic. It feels like the perfect comic. I never get tired of rereading it

His compositional and narrative storytelling strengths aside, I love his quirkiness, especially in his faces, because they are so distinct and unique to him. Comics are an exercise in stylization of one type or another, and his quirks don't mess with my suspension of disbelief. They are obviously planned or at least used to a given effect, and I love the emotional reactions they trigger at opportune times in the story.

are you working out, man? looking good - this is my favorite channel about comics and your love for this medium is so apparent I would give you all my money just for that if I had any

An absolutely brilliant analysis.

Great video! I've never read any of Frank Quietly comics but now I understand why people think he was a revolutionary artist. Could you do a similar video on John Romita Jr? I begun to love his art last year while reading his ASM run with JMS because of his story telling capability. Thanks for the well researched video!

aaaaaah!! New comic troopes video on monday morning!!! HELL YES!!!!

I have never liked Frank Quitely but I have never seen his comic interior. I am very impressed after watching this. I think most people like myself are introduced to stack cover shots and not his examples. I didn't know he could do these amazing gestures and compositions. I wanna see more of his work. Thank you, sir.

I adore WE3. Quitely’s Superman is a thing of beauty, like a loving tribute to George Reeves❤

Learned about this legendary artist today.

My favourite videos are always the one were you focus on different artist and their styles. How you focus on what they excel at, what makes them unique.

Thanks for giving us this retrospective on the works of Vincent "Frank Quitely" Deegan - there were quite a few things I didn't know until now, especially his real name. One thing I particularly noticed was his interpretation of the differences between Superman and Clark Kent, it reminds me of a scene in the 1978 movie, in which Lois urges Clark to straighten his shoulders as she feels he slouches too much. It is a real insight as to how Frank Quitely is a master of composition, as ably demonstrated with the collaborations with fellow Scots Grant Morrison and Mark Millar. It must be the Irn-Bru.

Quitely has the best drawn gloves in the business.

Frank is an undisputed legend and a titan. We are lucky to live in his wake.

For some very inventive figurework, check out The Kingdom: Offspring from back in the nineties. Quitely doing a Plastic Man type of character! His cartooning craziness really shines.

The guy makes of all jealous and at the same time, inspire us. I can't remeber who said it, but the phrase "he might draw ugly people but GODAMMN, HE'S AMAZING" still rings true. Glad you mentioned Moebius, I'm sure some people don't know him. I still have to chek his b/w work. Thanks for the reminder. And keep up the great work, cheers from Argentina!

Thanks to Frank (and others) I became very appreciative of multiple art styles. Before my late teens I mostly didn't care about art that wasn't similar to Jim Lee's, McFarlane's or whatever ultra popular creator before the 2000s. These days I have tons of admiration for lesser-known super talented folks. Not that I hate famous artists, some are just overrated. Sadly too overrated.

I liked how he would draw John Hawksmoor from the Authority. He has a strange powerset it was hard to show how his powers actually work. Quitely did a really good job portraying it!

I just reread The Multiversity and once again was floored by it. The scene with Nightshade and her father is brilliant. Credit to Morrison also, since the dialogue dictates the action (he says something about turning a corner as they turn and we also turn our attention in the opposite direction completing the backwards "z" path).

This is very serendipitous. I just bought and read All-Star SuperMan yesterday and the thing I loved a lot was your thumbnail; the difference between Clark and Kal.

DUDE! You do this essay craft like he does art. No shortcuts! Just amazing content-- information and entertainment, aka, Art.

Quite frankly, Frank Quitely is a masterful artist.

I've always loved Frank's art but haven't read a lot of the stuff he's worked on. Thanks to you I definitely will! Thanks again for another fantastic video.

His work on Batman and Robin was so good in the first few issues! ❤