Fish in a Barrel: Top 5 Art Gaffes in Hawk & Dove #1

Because I needed something easy to write, here are my favorite art flubs from Rob Liefeld's first issue of Hawk & Dove. Remember, he's had more than 20 years to hone his craft!

5. Dove's car crunchHere's an example of poor staging on Liefeld's part. Doesn't it just look like Dove is destroying a car for no reason in the last panel? That's because all the eyelines, motion and dialog all distract from the idea that the car is actually being pursued by the cops. Dove is just doing her duty, ok?

4. Making Maybeline jealous
Usually, even when you have problems with the distance between your eyebrows and actual eyes, they still manage to stay UNDER your hair.

3. Don't fall into the pond
Look, I've seen the Washington Mall. I've even BEEN to the Washington Mall. I don't remember there being a ledge that high. That kid has to stand on tiptoes to even see the water. But security comes first, I guess! The kid's dad said so, and his tiny hands do not lie.

2. Bay windows
The airplane in the story has this HUGE window at the front of the cockpit that Dove busts out of. Pretty sure that's not regulation issue. Not that the airplane's interior has any relationship whatsoever to with its exterior:

And finally...
1. The delicate choreography of the Alexander Quirk Henchman Dance Company
This inspirational ballet's star is clearly the guy being lifted up by Hawk's deformed claws on the left, with his twinkly toes and fluttering fingers, but the guy going down on the right gets points for unhinging his head in a most disturbing way. Special guest dancer Dove's sitting in a most unladylike manner that gets raves from L'il C who calls it "buck". Me? I can't take my eyes off the poor guy who fell unconscious in an uncomfortable "screaming" position.

But you may have other favorites. Comments section at your disposition.

Comments

Buryak said…
Looks like the guy on the floor, unconscious and screaming, is missing the top part of his head. Pretty graphic. I can only assume that it's implied that Hawk used his claws to shear it off and then proceed to eat the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent's (why are they fighting Nick Fury's bunch... I thought that was a different comic company?) brains and skull cap. Liefield is a horrible horrible man for exposing such awful violence to children... and me.
Siskoid said…
Nasty.

Madeley on Twitter also points out how mishappen the red car is. Looks like an Oldsmobile to me (classic car shape in comics), but the part where the motor is supposed to be is short and dinky.

Then gets longer?
Buryak said…
I think he has some sort of equilibrium problem when he picks up a pencil. The anatomy of a car shouldn't stray so horribly... especially when drawing a pretty generic looking car.

I wonder if Liefield's art will be ironically celebrated in the future, much like Fletcher Hanks. I kinda hope not.
De said…
If a commercial aircraft was flying that close to the city, Air Force jets would be all over it.

About once a quarter, some amateur pilot who can't read a chart flies a bit too close to the city and fighters are launched immediately out of Andrews. Since 9/11, DC has become very touchy about its no-fly zone.
You're right, Sisk, easy post today due to Liefield's art being such an easy target for scrutiny.

While I've seen worse artwork than his before, it does make we wonder, like Chris Griffin did in the Family Guy episode where he goes to see a Kevin Costner movie, and comes out saying "How does this guy still get work?"
Siskoid said…
Buryak: I think it's being ironically celebrated NOW. With both mocking and contracts. I don't understand the latter.

De: Who needs jets when you have Hawk & Dove?
Siskoid said…
Dale: I'm not proud or anything.

Yeah, Costner has the same effect on me.
SallyP said…
Having to actually sit down and analyze the shortcomings of Rob Liefeld's artwork has to be a herculean task.

Not to mention painful.

I don't care HOW much cross-hatching you jam in there, one of these days, you REALLY ought to learn some basic anatomy. And perspective.
Well, I have to say from those panels posted that he has improved *slightly*. I can see feet where there would once have been dust clouds...
Delta said…
The pool on the mall doesn't even remotely match between the two panels shown.
Steve said…
I love reading posts that mock bad comic art. More please! I admit I can't draw better than that myself, but that's not the point. It's annoying that bad artists are getting paid good money for bad art. I know a couple of artists who can do better than these examples, and they'd chop their arms off for the chance to draw for one of the "big two". But I told them not to, because they can't draw without arms.There are so many better artists out there it's staggering, but they struggle to find work sadly. Maybe Liefield got famous because he was very fast at churning out the pages?
Siskoid said…
That can't be because he's had problems with lateness in the past.
Steve said…
In that case it's a mystery, up there with Dan Brown's success.
Martin Gray said…
Aah, so that's what the car thing was about. Thank you!