When people think of great comic book artists they tend to gravitate towards Kirby, Miller, Ditko or even Lee and McFarlane. One of the most overlooked artists today is a man by the name of Mike Ploog. For those that are not familiar with the name he was the person that brought Werewolf by Night to life (and that has to be one of my favorite Marvel creations). It may come as a surprise to those unfamiliar with Mike Ploog that he has worked in every aspect of the industry from comics to movies to animation and even in the collectible games market working for such iconic companies as Wizards of the Coast! Recently the folks over at FPG Publishing put together a volume of his work and this short review details what you might expect to find in this compendium.
First it starts out with his early works from his career in the military working for Leathernecks magazine to other projects that were before his career in comics. Before his time at Marvel he was working for Warren Publishing on magazines such as Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. When he was approached by Marvel he not only worked on the amazing series Werewolf by Night but other series as well including The Monster of Frankenstein and Tomb of Dracula. What I love about these illustrations is we get to see the black and white mockups for the covers and then in color. Some of the painted covers are simply stunning!
Next the book goes into detail on his movie career showcasing storyboards for some of the films he’s worked on. From his animated features such as Shrek and the Ralph Bakshi Lord of the Rings and Wizards to live action movies like X-Men, Little Shop of Horrors and my personal favorite The Thing. Each of these storyboards shows in detail how the shots are supposed to be framed and the direction taken and if you watch the movie along with looking at these storyboards you can see how flawless it was in its execution. Last but not least the book shows off paintings that Mike has done for various projects including the collectible card market. Each of these paintings are simply amazing and are just a joy to look. This is especially true for the CCG ones because they are without the text of the cards and can be enjoyed on their own.
This compendium has something for everyone whether you love great art, comics, horror or movies. I strongly urge you to check out this book and pick it up. It’s a steal at $49.00 and it’s something that you would love to have on your coffee table. For more information about this and other great books head over to https://www.fpguniverse.com/ and get ready to experience the genius of Mike Ploog.
