Bill Sienkiewicz freaked me out

I have been slowly working through the most influential artists on my personal aesthetics on Discord and social media. I’m bringing it to the blog and my Patreon to flesh out the series more.

 

Here is Bill Sienkiewicz, a true revolutionary in sequential art. When he took over New Mutants in 1984, I was horrified. His visual style was as far from Jack Kirby as you can get. But, like most artists I treasure today (in all forms of media), my discomfort gave way to joy.

 

I don’t know if he was the first to incorporate mixed media, paint, and collage into their sequential art, but he was the first I experienced. If this style looks familiar, it’s only because he inspired a generation of artists.

 

He started his career at 19, working on Moon Knight. He was shuffled around until he landed on New Mutants. That’s when his style started to take center stage. It was his miniseries Stray Toasters in 1988 that truly blew my mind. He went on to illustrate the Elektra: Assassin limited series and then The first six issues of DC Comics’ The Shadow (a great series taken over by Kyle Baker, another hero of mine). His partnership with Alan Moore in the Brought to Light graphic novel didn't just blow my mind—it expanded it.

 

Anyway, let’s let the art speak for itself. The last pic is from 2022 of me at the Bill Sienkiewicz: Pop Culture Revolution exhibition at the Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County in Libertyville, Illinois.