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The Marvel Art of Marko Djurdjevic
Marko Djurdjevic burst onto the scene from obscurity, a passionate artist sharing his work online. The quality of his illustrations needed no explanation beyond that which was obvious at first glance: the sleekly stylized figure work, his masterful command of colors, and the layers and subtext that formed an essential part of his vision. It was a short trip from anonymity to his current status as one of Marvel's most compelling cover artists. This lush art book features a treasure trove of Marko's cover illustrations - plus sketches, designs, and extensive discussion about the process that has made him one of Marvel's most popular artists. In collaboration with the artist himself, and with input from his peers, The Art of Marko Djurdjevic is the kind of deluxe art book you'll be proud to show off to friends and fellow art fans.
239 pages, Hardcover
First published July 22, 2009
About the author
Marko Djurdjevic
233 books6 followersMarko Djurdjević (born January 23, 1979) is a German illustrator and concept artist of Serbian descent, best known for his character designs. He works for Marvel Comics, and has produced a large body of cover art, as well as promotional designs, character concepts, and interior artwork. He resides in Berlin with his wife Jelena Kevic Djurdjevic, who's also an artist and illustrator.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 5, 2012
(More pictures at parkablog.com)
When I found out the book was in stock at the local Kinokuniya, I left for the bookshop immediately. It's finally here!
Marko Djurdjevic is a German illustrator who has only started drawing comic covers for Marvel since 2006. In these three years, he has amassed a ton of top quality art to create his first portfolio art book, The Marvel Art Of Marko Djurdjevic
This book features the cover art he has drawn for X-Men First Class, Blade, Thunderbolts, Daredevil, Mystic Arcana, Wolverine: Origins, Thor, Spider-man-One More Day, Avengers, Hulk, Magneto and many more. The lavishly painted illustrations are accompanied by the original sketches, including rejected pieces by editors. In the last chapter, there are even character designs and sketches which got him talent scouted by Chris Allo, talent manager at Marvel.
The hardcover opens up to a concept sketch of Thor battling skeletons drawn with intense cross hatching. Straightaway you know this book is going to be good. The comic covers are reproduced brilliantly and big on the semi glossy paper. The quality of art is amazing, of course. He's got all his foundational skills down - composition, form and anatomy.
Although he has a lot of dynamic pieces, his strongest ones are actually the quieter and subtle pieces which capture the mood perfectly. The piece I like is the one with young Magneto in tears watching people being burnt in Nazi camp furnaces. It makes readers really feel for him. It's incredibly difficult to tell a story with only one panel. This illustration did it. It's really a powerful and emotive piece.
All the illustrations are accompanied by captions. Marko Djurdjevic shares his thoughts on the covers, colour choices, comments and criticisms, among others. There's also the story of him breaking into the comics industry, which is really inspiring considering he did it through sheer determination, discipline and passion. The closing interviews by Coro Kaufman and Andrew Jones give even more dimension into his personality. He self taught everything himself, was a heavy drinker before he met his wife, draws with a pen to build confidence. Very interesting read.
I love art books that talk about the artists in addition to the art. This is definitely one of my favourite art books in 2009.
Most highly recommended.
January 14, 2023
Es interesante cómo este libro, al incluir comentarios del mismo artista se convierte en un recorrido por su carrera, específicamente en Marvel. Además de lo impresionante del arte, lo que más me llamó la atención es esa sensación de artista agradecido con las oportunidades que la gente le ha dado en el camino, pero al mismo tiempo un poco el cliché del artista insatisfecho que sin querer habla un poco demás acerca de su trabajo o de X o Y proyecto. Me parece una excelente obra de referencia, en especial para alguien que quiera entrar a la industria de los cómics o a las portadas de libros en general.
November 6, 2019
732 - 2019
December 1, 2013
While quite a lot of the art showcased here is lovely, there really isn't much of the behind-the-scenes information that I like in these types of books. I was also unprepared for how cynical Djurdjevic is. He is refreshingly honest at times, though, clearly stating when he was just phoning it in.
There are some undeniably great pieces in this book, but his attitude towards most of his work seems to be one of ennui. I also get a sense he doesn't take criticism well. Anyway, pretty pictures.
There are some undeniably great pieces in this book, but his attitude towards most of his work seems to be one of ennui. I also get a sense he doesn't take criticism well. Anyway, pretty pictures.
September 4, 2015
When I first started getting back into comics, Marko Djurdjevic was an artist that quickly became one of my favorites. His covers are beautiful, and tend to really stand out on the rack. His style is very much his own, and you know right away when you're looking at one of his covers. This book is filled with covers of his, along with a lot of commentary on them by the artist himself. Most of the covers in here are from before I started collecting his stuff, so a lot of it was new for me.
October 30, 2013
An amazing collection of artwork by Marko Djurdjevic that features his cover paintings for several Marvel titles. Throughout the book he gives his thoughts on graphic design and his thoughts on the pieces. Many of the paintings feature an interesting palette choice and include preliminary concept sketches. Highly recommended for fans of painted comic art.
September 11, 2009
Beautiful artwork from the best cover artist of my life time. Marko does uses contrast of colors to make his work stand out among other painters. what made this book a favorite of mine was that Marko took the time to explain his motives for doing what he does.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews