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· 248 ratings · 23 reviews

Start your review of Icons: The DC Comics & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee

Mar 30, 2018 Chad rated it it was amazing

A beautiful coffee table work showcasing Jim Lee's work at DC and Wildstorm. The majority of the book is devoted to Batman, then the rest of the DC heroes and finally touching on some of his Wildstorm work. It's got all kind of unseen sketches and pencils including things like a birthday drawing of the Joker Lee sent to Heath Ledger. It's gorgeous to see all Lee's artwork blown up to this scale. Also included is a little Legion of Super-Heroes original story featuring the classic lineup. I've ne A beautiful coffee table work showcasing Jim Lee's work at DC and Wildstorm. The majority of the book is devoted to Batman, then the rest of the DC heroes and finally touching on some of his Wildstorm work. It's got all kind of unseen sketches and pencils including things like a birthday drawing of the Joker Lee sent to Heath Ledger. It's gorgeous to see all Lee's artwork blown up to this scale. Also included is a little Legion of Super-Heroes original story featuring the classic lineup. I've never seen the LSH look better. ...more

Excellent collection of this artist's work. Beautiful full page reproductions. Very recommended Excellent collection of this artist's work. Beautiful full page reproductions. Very recommended ...more

I won this book at an auction.
And part of the prize for Jim Lee to draw a pic in the inside cover.
Jim is the nicest man.
He signed it to my little boy.
This book is priceless to me.

Dec 24, 2010 Parka rated it it was amazing

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

2010 has seen some great comic artists with their art books getting published. There's Alex Ross, Joe Quesada, Adam Hughes and now Jim Lee. What a fantastic year!

Jim Lee's Icons is a bargain for the price. It's hardcover with 296 pages of amazing artwork printed on good paper. Just one look at the cover and you can tell that it's really good. Publisher Titan Books has done a very good job with the printing and construction.

The work collected spans Jim Lee's e

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

2010 has seen some great comic artists with their art books getting published. There's Alex Ross, Joe Quesada, Adam Hughes and now Jim Lee. What a fantastic year!

The work collected spans Jim Lee's entire career. The amount of work featured is quite simply stunning.

Right from page 1, it's a non-stop flow of beautiful artwork featuring the superheroes of DC Comics and WildStorm — Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc. There are sketches, inks, layouts and full coloured illustrations. Many are printed at full page size, some across two pages, showing off all the intricate line work, grain left by the pencil hatches, details in the characters and background.

I spent a while on each page marveling at the quality of work, thinking about his dedication to comics. It's really inspiring.

You probably won't get as many page-pausing moments with other art books in 2010.

Highly recommended.

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This book literally took a week to get through. There's just so much goodness to be found within the pages of Icons: The DC Comics & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee that it will keep you glued to it. When I first heard about the book, in my mind I thought it was going to be some tiny book full of covers and pin-ups. Boy, was I ever wrong. When I finally had this in my hands, I was like a little kid opening up the biggest present on Christmas morning.

That's right. Biggest. This book is HUGE. I would ev

That's right. Biggest. This book is HUGE. I would even say it can be used as a weapon if need be. It's THAT heavy. Page after awesome page, you get to see Jim Lee's art on glossy paper and twice the size from that of a regular comic book. This is how you do a coffee table book right. Along with all his Wildstorm and DC art, you get insight to pretty much everything inside the book.

One thing you need to know though is that none of his work from Marvel is represented. So, no X-Men stuff and no Punisher. Had his Marvel run been included, it would have easily made this a 10 Star book. Even with this unfortunate omission, this is a book that belongs in everyone's personal library.

Get it. You will NOT be disappointed at all.

Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

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Jan 18, 2011 David Edmonds rated it it was amazing

A fantastic retrospective on arguably my favorite artist out there, Jim Lee, Icons is a beautifully presented volume covering Lee's time with Wildstorm and DC Comics. Including artwork that covers his entire career with both companies including sketches and art that I've never seen before, this really is the perfect book for any Jim Lee fan. The physical look of the book, too, from the shear size of the volume to the layout of the interior pages does nothing but add to the beauty of the book. I A fantastic retrospective on arguably my favorite artist out there, Jim Lee, Icons is a beautifully presented volume covering Lee's time with Wildstorm and DC Comics. Including artwork that covers his entire career with both companies including sketches and art that I've never seen before, this really is the perfect book for any Jim Lee fan. The physical look of the book, too, from the shear size of the volume to the layout of the interior pages does nothing but add to the beauty of the book. I think that this is a volume that can truly show that comics are not just a form of entertainment but can also be viewed as a true work of art. Bill Baker's running comments on the art and background information on Lee and his studio makes for a nice finishing touch.

Naturally, the only thing that would make this volume perfect would be to also include his art and time with Marvel, but since he is now DC Comics' co-publisher, this may be the best book that we'll get for the foreseeable future.

Highly recommended to anyone who is a fan of Jim Lee's artwork or to anyone who enjoys a beautifully presented book of art.

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Jan 05, 2011 Leslie rated it it was amazing

WOW! Icons: The DC Comics and Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee was a truly gorgeous book detailing Lee's early work including Wildcats then segueing into his DC art then onto his more recent stuff. Loads of full color images from his countless covers and other work, many of which include comments from the artist himself about his "process" for that particular piece. I especially liked the "work-in-progress" pages that showed Lee's original lines before they were colored and then the completed work right WOW! Icons: The DC Comics and Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee was a truly gorgeous book detailing Lee's early work including Wildcats then segueing into his DC art then onto his more recent stuff. Loads of full color images from his countless covers and other work, many of which include comments from the artist himself about his "process" for that particular piece. I especially liked the "work-in-progress" pages that showed Lee's original lines before they were colored and then the completed work right next to it. All in all, a really beautiful coffee table book for fans of DC Comics (or any comic book art for that matter) and its characters and Jim Lee himself. ...more

Jan 09, 2011 James rated it it was amazing

In my opinion this man is THE best penciler in all of comics. Fresh lines, exciting movement, and articulate nature drive me to draw more like him.

Jul 13, 2020 Ian Massey rated it really liked it

It's a bit of a cheat to say that I've "read" this book, given how few words are actually in it, and I'm not one to pore over art. But over the last few days I have greatly enjoyed looking at Jim Lee's gorgeous finished art and intricate pencils, as well as appreciating the development of rough sketches to finished product.

Lee is, despite his frequently point out faults, one of my favourite comic artists and the depth of work in here - much that I hadn't seen before - is astounding. Yes, some c

Lee is, despite his frequently point out faults, one of my favourite comic artists and the depth of work in here - much that I hadn't seen before - is astounding. Yes, some covers follow the same formula, but so what?

Why four stars? Well, I would have liked a bit more text - an interview would have been nice (although dated now) and possibly a more comprehensive checklist of his work (comic collectors are, after all, collectors...) Oh, and the Legion story, although again with stunning art, was little more than a fluff-piece, which is a shame.

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An astounding collection that does justice to the master: Jim Lee.

Lee helped get me into comics with his X-Men run, then brought me back to comics with Batman 'Hush.' This collection details his DC work (as well as Wildstorm, Vertigo, etc) and it does so beautifully, offering a behind-the-scenes look at sketches, in-progress works, beautifully printed and colored final products, and important context of what was going on at the time he worked on certain milestone projects.

It's the art book othe

An astounding collection that does justice to the master: Jim Lee.

It's the art book others should aspire to be. Just like Jim Lee is the ARTIST so many aspire to be.

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Feb 18, 2020 Will Harris rated it it was amazing

I've had this sitting on my shelf for years, read it back and forth, stared at it for hours a day. Now it's just a thing for the kids to marvel at (no pun intended) and ask me endless questions about. You can clearly see the wear and tear of them flipping through the pages. I love this artbook, so much great work from my favorite comic artist of all time. Definitely going to get another copy and keep it safe from little hands. I've had this sitting on my shelf for years, read it back and forth, stared at it for hours a day. Now it's just a thing for the kids to marvel at (no pun intended) and ask me endless questions about. You can clearly see the wear and tear of them flipping through the pages. I love this artbook, so much great work from my favorite comic artist of all time. Definitely going to get another copy and keep it safe from little hands. ...more

Feb 18, 2020 Joe Schmoe rated it it was amazing

Mar 13, 2020 David rated it liked it

Thought the fact that it has a beautiful looking Legion story-et deserves a 4th star.

This is great presentation of Jim's art from his WildStorm and DC eras, roughly from 1993 through 2010. There is actually a note in the copyright section that says that the book was originally published as "Icons: The DC Comics and WildStorm Art of Jim Lee" (copyright 2010). I'm embarrassed to say that after thoroughly enjoying this book, I realized that I had another copy, it just had a different title. I guess they renamed and reissued it with plans for an eventual Volume 2.

I suppose the fact

I suppose the fact that I effectively bought this book twice is pretty good evidence that I'm a fan of Jim's. He was my favorite of the Image artists and remains a favorite to this day. It's been fun for me to follow Jim's career. We were born a few months apart and both had a real love for comic art growing up (I took weekend classes at Joe Kubert's academy in New Jersey in junior high and high school). Like Jim, I went to an Ivy League college and graduated in 1986. Unlike Jim, I didn't give myself a year after graduation to break into the comic business (of course, I had nowhere near his talent). Thank goodness he did, and someone recognized his talent during that time. Because of the similar backgrounds and my enjoyment of his work, it's been fun to watch his progress, from Marvel, to Image / WildStorm, to DC. Here's looking forward to many more years of his tremendous superhero artwork and a Volume 2 of this collection.

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This book is very aptly titled, because there are few comic artists as iconic as Jim Lee. As is illustrated in the title, this books covers his DC and Wildstorm art, so none of his X-Men stuff is included.
The book is broken into sections, and covers great stuff like Batman: Hush, and Superman: For Tomorrow. There's a good mix of pencils, inks, and finished pieces. Every piece of art has a bit info about it as well.
I wasn't completely familiar with Jim Lee's Wildstorm stuff, so that was nice to l This book is very aptly titled, because there are few comic artists as iconic as Jim Lee. As is illustrated in the title, this books covers his DC and Wildstorm art, so none of his X-Men stuff is included.
The book is broken into sections, and covers great stuff like Batman: Hush, and Superman: For Tomorrow. There's a good mix of pencils, inks, and finished pieces. Every piece of art has a bit info about it as well.
I wasn't completely familiar with Jim Lee's Wildstorm stuff, so that was nice to look through. Very interesting to see how his style has changed and matured since that earlier stuff. ...more

This is a reprint of Icons: The DC Comics & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee. I believe DC Comics are planning to release a volume 2, hence why they've renamed the title. This book includes his art up to 2011, so hopefully volume 2 will include his art from 2012 to now. This is a gorgeous book. Recommended. This is a reprint of Icons: The DC Comics & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee. I believe DC Comics are planning to release a volume 2, hence why they've renamed the title. This book includes his art up to 2011, so hopefully volume 2 will include his art from 2012 to now. This is a gorgeous book. Recommended. ...more

Dec 02, 2011 Jacobi rated it it was ok

There is nothing wrong with this art book, but I personally found it a little lacking. There wasn't much in the way of interesting information, and a lot of these images I've seen already. Also, I know this was DC and Wildstorm specific, but any book about Jim Lee's art that can't include his Marvel work feels incomplete.

It's easy to see why people are grooving on this book. I'm just not one of them.

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Nov 10, 2010 Brian rated it really liked it

a beautiful 'coffee table book' covering the career of Lee. Some of this artwork is stunning, and looks great even magnified to this larger format. I especially liked seeing some pages in progress....to witness the evolution of some of Lee's art from concept sketches to final product. a beautiful 'coffee table book' covering the career of Lee. Some of this artwork is stunning, and looks great even magnified to this larger format. I especially liked seeing some pages in progress....to witness the evolution of some of Lee's art from concept sketches to final product. ...more

I love his artwork. Amazing collection

Jan 02, 2012 Hannah rated it really liked it

Absolutely amazing artist. Would be nice to have some more comments by Jim Lee though.

He did draw some feet after all!

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Jim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, creator and publisher. After graduating from Princeton, he decided to attempt illustrating comic books, and met with success. Lee's distinctive, crisply hatched line art style and rigid, idealized anatomical forms established a new stylistic standard for superhero comic-book illustration and reinforced a popular trend away from brushed to penned inking in the late 20th and early 21st century. Lee is currently one of the most successful artists in American comics.

He has received a great deal of recognition for his work in the industry, including the Harvey Special Award for New Talent in 1990.

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