CBR Live! Archive
365 Reasons to Love Comics #260
Yep, I've fallen behind again. Life is evil and stuff. You know the drill. Luckily, I know lots of awesome people around the internets who can come in and do some pinch hitting. Today's column comes to you courtesy of frequent commenter and pal Ian Astheimer. Hit it! (Archive.)
If you've ever taken a glance around the comics blog-o-sphere, you've probably seen his work. If you're a fan of redesigns, you certainly have. Who is this tremendously talented artist, and why hasn't Marvel or DC thrown oodles of cash at him by now? The answer to one of those questions behind the cut.
9/17/07
260. Dean Trippe
In 2006, inspired by Andi Watson's unused designs, Trippe cooked up his own version (see above). Inspired by Trippe's ingenuity, more than a thousand other artists joined the club. And, lo, the "Draw [Insert Character Here]" meme was born. And, it was good. Nay, it was excellent.
Hot on the heels of Barbara Gordon's fashion show came Iron Spider-Man, Aquaman (see Trippe's above), more Batgirl, Supergirl, and Power Girl memes. Even Green Lantern got in on the action, although I can't seem to find a working link to that list.
Trippe and Chris Arrant -- along with Jessica Plummer, Joel Priddy, and Vito Delsante -- parlayed that meme fever into one of sweetest spots in cyberspace, Project Rooftop. The site plays host to dozens of redesigns, including the recent Mike Wieringo tribute, which asked artists to re-imagine Bart Allen (Trippe's above, 'natch).
Inspiring the masses and memorializing a lost talent would be more than enough reason to snag a spot on this year-long list, but Trippe took things a step further when he dared to ask: What if...?
What if Robin had a sidekick?
The answer is Butterfly, the story of a precocious kid whose twin loves are ice cream and saving the world. It's a fantastic send-up to not only the Batman franchise but also to the entire DCU. And, it's good, clean fun. In fact, it might just be the cleanest fun you can have without soap!
Trippe also started an eerie webcomic, called Wake, at Act-I-Vate, but that series seems to have stalled. It was building up so much suspense, too. Alack.
Maybe he'll give it another go after The Lion of Rora, the true tale of Joshua Janavel, who fought for religious independence in the French and Italian Alps. Napoleon was a fan. With Christos and Ruth Gage writing, you can bet I will be, too. Plus: dig that duotone!
Also! Trippe was onboard to draw the My Name Is Earl comic (the fruits of his labor above). I'm not sure what happened to the project, but here's hoping some good karma will bring it back.
Also, also! Trippe colored promo pieces for and at least the first cover of The Middle Man, which was just optioned to become a TV series.
Need more Dean Trippe in your life? Of course, you do! Hit the wiki.
- Posted on September 17, 2007 @ 07:27 PM
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15 Comments
Lewis
September 17, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Dean Trippe is the man. Always loved his artwork and he's running a Stephanie Brown meme right now. ^_^
DCD
September 17, 2007 at 8:36 pm
The Inside Joker = Awesome.
Anonymous
September 17, 2007 at 10:40 pm
He's bloody excellent, but shouldn't he have done more comic work to become a reason to love comics?
Apodaca
September 17, 2007 at 10:50 pm
That's a point. I mean, he's surely a reason to love the internet comics-world, and he's an excellent artist, but I've never even seen a Dean Trippe comic. Hopefully, it's just a matter of time.
Dean Trippe is very awesome, indeed.
J to the AAP
September 18, 2007 at 12:39 am
Oni Press is going to publish The Lion Of Rora according to that link in the column. I've never heard of Dean Trippe but that book definitely seems like something worth checking out. Digging the artwork (and that duotone)!
FunkyGreenJerusalem
September 18, 2007 at 1:20 am
I was the anonymous poster before!
Ian Astheimer
September 18, 2007 at 6:09 am
Ideally, he'd be tearing through the Marvel Adventures line or Johnny DC or anything, but that's not yet in the cards.
So, consider this reason an addendum to web comics week -- until Lion of Rora hits, at least.
Also: that first line should read "In 2006, inspired by Andi Watson's unused designs, Trippe cooked up his own version (see above)." I probably screwed up the formatting when I sent it Bill's way. Sorry, folks.
Mordechai Luchins
September 18, 2007 at 6:34 am
A great artist and a really nice guy too. My six year old has become obsessed with his art since getting a Supergirl print at MoCCA.
Dan (other Dan)
September 18, 2007 at 9:41 am
Nice job, Ian. I'll be looking for The Lion of Rora when it comes out. I love comics because there's always more stuff to see!
FunkyGreenJerusalem
September 18, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Screw the kiddies, I want him on all sorts of books, Darwyn Cooke/Mike Allred style!
In fact now I have this dream of those three, teamed with Paul Pope, redesigning all of the big two's super characters.
It'd be sweet.
Of course, if they did, I'd complain for them to get back to their earlier creator owned work.
Bill Reed
September 18, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Of course Dean Trippe's a reason to love comics. See above? See the comics? They're awesome. And yeah, I hope he continues to be a reason to love comics into the future-- specifically, when DC lets me and him do an actually good Supergirl comic.
Trippe does a lot of good in and around comics. He's great.
Thanks, Ian!
Comics Should Be Good! » 365 Reasons to Love Comics Archive
September 18, 2007 at 8:05 pm
[...] 260. Dean Trippe (guest-written by Ian Astheimer) [...]
Dean Trippe
September 19, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Wow! Thanks, man. I'm gonna have to get a shirt with #260 on it.
Ian Astheimer
September 19, 2007 at 2:50 pm
FunkyGreen said:
Toss in Cheeks, and my mind would be blown apart by the sheer sweetness.
Dean Himself! said:
Right on!
Comics Should Be Good! » 365 Reasons to Love Comics #274
October 1, 2007 at 10:06 pm
[...] Priddy is a frequent contributor and commentator on Project Rooftop, the costume redesign site from Dean Trippe (who was also a recent Reason to Love Comics here). [...]