Marvel and DC Comics artist shows hand-drawn art that’s become a rarity as the industry goes digital
- ‘Pages of Power’ features sketches for titles such as Batman, Superman and The X-Men that artist Pat Lee did for Marvel and DC Comics between 1997 and 2007
- The original illustrations being shown are hand-drawn – a medium fast disappearing as illustrators ditch ink and paper in favour of digital software
Comic-book artist Pat Lee has a new exhibition in Hong Kong of sketches that he did for Marvel and DC Comics between 1997 and 2007, for titles such as Batman, Superman, The X-Men and Transformers.
“Pages of Power” at Shout Art Hub & Gallery, a three-storey space in the Star Street precinct of Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, features drawings used by US comic book publishers.
The Canadian-Chinese Lee, who has lived in Hong Kong for more than 10 years, also did a live demo on a large, 120cm (4ft)-tall wall-mounted canvas on Saturday that was auctioned to raise money for a cancer charity.
Lee moved to Hong Kong in 2011 after turbulent times in the comics industry, which at one point saw his Canadian company filing for bankruptcy. Though he remains a part of the comic world, the kind of work he does has become more varied.
“When people think of comic books, they think of it as vintage. What I love about being in Asia, though, is I get asked to do all sorts of different things. I’ve done concept design for advertisement campaigns, music videos and games. I’ve done toy projects.” He and his brother are also working on a passion project about a samurai in an apocalyptic world.
