Since he was three years old, gouache artist Alex Ross has slowly been perfecting his artistic talents to become one of the world’s most preeminent and well-respected comic book artists. After getting hired by Marvel Comics in 1994 to illustrate the publisher’s central characters in Marvels, the Portland native quickly established himself within the superhero subgenre. Around this time, he released a painted superhero cover for Superman: Doomsday & Beyond, co-created Astro Boy for Image Comics, and worked on the DC Comics limited series Kingdom Come.
Ross transition from fantasy to reality with the 96-page story Uncle Sam for DC’s Vertigo line. This non-superhero work examined the darker side of American history. Returning to the world of flying heroes and caped vigilantes, Ross drew the lenticular covers for Superman: Forever #1 and Batman: No Man’s Land #1. In celebration of the 60th anniversaries of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, Ross partnered with writer Paul Dini to produce fully painted, tabloid-sized books. He also released two specials featuring the Justice League, Secret Origins, and Liberty and Justice.
Over the years, Ross has worked on additional titles such as Earth X, Universe X, Paradise X, Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross, Justice, Project Superpowers, Avengers/Invaders, Fighting American, The Phantom, Kirby: Genesis, The Green Hornet, Silver Star, Captain Victory, The Bionic Man, Lord of the Jungle, The Spider, The Amazing Spider-Man and Squadron Supreme, among others. Ross has also provided original art for M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable, Smallville covers for the 2001 TV Guide, promotional posters for the 2002 Academy Awards, and provided 15 paintings for the opening credits of the film Spider-Man 2.
He provided the main cover for The Rise of Ultraman #1 and was a regular cover artist on Marvel books like Captain America, Black Panther, Iron Man, and Immortal Hulk. Ross took on art and writing duties for Fantastic Four: Full Circle, a 64-page graphic novel that takes the team into the Negative Zone.
Ross’ art is very desirable in the original art market, and Hake’s Auctions is providing one exciting opportunity for collectors. In their premier Auction #241, Hake’s is selling Ross’ Amazing Fantasy #15 cover recreation original art for Hero Illustrated #6. The piece combines the iconic images from Spider-Man’s debut, created by Jack Kirby, with Ross’ modern style and sensibilities. It quite literally brings together one of the most iconic character introductions of the Silver Age with one of the most popular modern artists.
“While the color palette and printing techniques of the 1960s offered limited options, this beautifully rendered gouache paint masterpiece gives a more grounded, realistic feel to Spider-Man's entrance, with Ross using warm colors and utilizing his distinctive style to convey the Silver Age action of the original,” Hake’s said in their description.
Painted on a 15” x 20” sheet of artpaper, the art was first published for Hero Illustrated #6 (December 1993), then was later printed by Marvel as a variant cover for Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 4 #1, as a variant cover for a Mexican exclusive reprint of Amazing Fantasy #15, and as the cover for Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus Vol. 1 hardcovers. The auction closes on July 30-31, 2024, at hakes.com.
