metalsonic655's art Reviews on Newgrounds

[Next Issue: Never (April Fool’s!)]

Ahh, yes, the crossover with the simultaneously little known but also infamous '90s Malibu run of Moon's Eye Saga. Thank goodness this happened before the storyline where Ninjiro hung up the mask and The Rival became the newer, edgier Ninjiro (I didn't even know that was a title that could be passed down) with more cyborg parts and a will to KILL. Unfortunately, it is after the issues where Twinjiro became an anti-hero and was promptly replaced with the much maligned Ninjicide.

Seriously, though, I remember being shown previews of this image and being over the moon. That hasn't changed, it's actually SO good. I'm honored to have Ninjiro AND Jennifer included here alongside other dope OCs, including that RONIN. I unironically kinda love that design. The chest symbol, reintegrating the blues, and just look at those pouches. The stark '90s comic shading was also done expertly on him, glorious work. The '90s gets a bad rap for comics, sometimes justifiably, but there was undeniably a lot of good stuff to come out of it too. This is now one of those things. Love it!

HeartisttheArtist responds:

Yeah, the whole New Ninjiro arc was a huge misfire—it felt like such a marketing stunt. You can just tell that it was designed with action figure brand deals in mind. Same with “Ninjicide”, there’s a reason he hasn’t been mentioned since. I mean, nobody likes it when a beloved character is ripped away from them and suddenly replaced by a TOTALLY RADICAL and WAY BETTER new character!

Designing the characters through a 90s comic book lens was a really fun exercise, and challenging in interesting ways! Like, Ninjiro himself is almost unchanged from his actual design, he’s just drawn very differently. But Jen and Ronin got an overhaul, and I worked to include as many ridiculous costume details as I could. Especially with RONIN™️—especially with superfluous pouches, straps, and accessories. But I found myself really liking the reimagining of his costume from armor into more of a jumpsuit, I’m really glad you like it too!

[Mortal Kombat Mythologies Sub-Zero]

This art is way too sick for a game like Mythologies. I seriously love every piece here, spectacular work.

DomesticVamp responds:

Thank you so much!

[Heartist Doodle Dump: March 2024]

Cool to see assassin Spidey. Any design that's derivative of the Alex Ross concept art is a-okay in my books. Love that suit.
Nice lighting on Cykes' optic blast, that's really well done. So is the shading on Magneto, the stark black shadows over the eyes look killer. Great doodles for the month!

HeartisttheArtist responds:

You know, I’d never realized that’s where the suit is probably drawing inspiration from, but now I like it even more!
Also, thank you very much! I’m quite proud of the lighting—I really pushed myself on it with Cyclops.

[scorpion mate]

YESSSSSS SCORPION MATE

algotracosa responds:

sale un verde?

[TAS Spider-Man!]

That's my GOAT. Instantly recognized this as '90s animated Spidey, even in this style. You nailed it!

shamartTM responds:

Glad you think so! I was initially going to put a lot more of my personal touches on this but out of love and respect for the show I decided to just dial it back in order to maintain as much of the original aesthetic as possible.

[Hang Man]

Love the design and colors here. Fantastic spooky vibes.

YonusBahtzee responds:

hey thanks man!

[Battle Armor Skeletor]

I absolutely adore your art style, Skeletor always looks great in it. Great choice drawing him in the Battle Armor too, it's the coolest variant.

Ninjatron responds:

Thanks so much. I'm really glad to read that. I should eventually make a He-Man and Battle Cat drawing to go with this image as a counter point. Then I'll make both into stickers!

Sayonara.

[the ultimate mascot]

Named Smoothie because they've got a smooth brain.

SmoothE responds:

this is true

[Jokers]

why you bein the joker dude

RenTheMonkey responds:

The joker's awesome get off it

[Break the Bat]

You know, I'm something of a Bane appreciator myself.

He's actually my favorite DC character and a top 10 villain as a whole for me, so I very much get that passion for the character. It's funny, I've had almost the exact opposite experience as you when it comes to the art of Knightfall. That interior panel of Bane breaking Batman's back really landed for me when I first saw it. That dynamic onomatopoeia of the crack, the bright orange background that contrasts the two characters, and the bold, almost primal, "BREAK YOU." Even viewed outside the context of the story as a kid who just liked Bane from a design standpoint and was looking for cool images of him online, it hit like a truck.

The cover? I actually wasn't a fan. I think by the point I saw it, I already had my perfect mental image of the character. That overly muscled, monstrously roided up look just didn't suit how I saw Bane. Tend to prefer a comparatively subtle kind of musculature for him, something that reflects the kind of characterization I prefer for him. Still huge, but not to such an exaggerated degree.

As I've become more familiar with Kelley Jones' art style, I've grown to appreciate it that much more. Everything Jones draws is exaggerated, not just Bane. So that ridiculously top heavy beast that normally feels a little out of place in most depictions of Batman, actually fits perfectly within the world he draws. I also get what you mean as that exaggerated style also means that the impact of the back break is much more visually visceral and painful to look at. In the interior panel? Ehhhh, yeah that looks like it hurts. On the cover? Oh my god, his spine is definitely not supposed to bend like that.

You've really done a great of capturing that here, while still keeping true to your style, and I can definitely feel the love put into it. Really great stuff, my man.

HeartisttheArtist responds:

“Why yes, I do like Bane, how could you tell?”

I didn’t mean to come off vindictive, I still have huge respect for Jim Aparo and cannot stress enough how critical his art is to making Knightfall the masterpiece that it is. Everything you’ve described is 100% right, and is the reason that Bane got put on the map as a character. So when I talk about why I don’t think the interior art works as well, it’s my own personal opinion and not something that I want to be taken as fact.

See, this is how the tables turn, because the stuff that didn’t work for you about the cover is why I liked it, or was at least mesmerized by it, when I first saw it. I wasn’t familiar with Kelly Jones’ art at the time, so seeing Batman and Bane depicted so grotesquely and in such a violent scene struck a chord with me—like I said, it was something that scared me as a kid! It’s almost comically exaggerated, but it had the intensity that I was looking for.

Ah, that’s a huge honor to hear! Making it feel like a proper tribute while still making it my own was what I was hoping for more than anything. Thank you so much!