I was introduced to Tonci Zonjic’s work through the comic Who Is Jake Ellis? and I immediately became a fan. But I’ve only been a fan for three years. In many ways I feel like I’m still discovering him.
In Who Is Jake Ellis? I fell in love with his approach to colour, the way each scene had a distinct and very immediate mood, and the way he handled action, especially in the car chase in issue 2. Then he came aboard Lobster Johnson, and I fell in love with the way he drew the 1930s and the reporter Cindy Tynan. Then along came Caput Mortuum and I fell in love with the way he drew faces, especially those two guys in the cinema at the beginning. In Get the Lobster I was struck by the way he used shadows, and in Zero #9 I was blown away by the way an environment could be used to such powerful effect to externalise visceral emotions. With every new cover I appreciate his sense of design, and his layouts are distilled down to such elegant simplicity.
I suspect I will be falling in love with his work over and over again for years to come.
Check out more of Tonci Zonjic’s work on his website, his blog, or on Tumblr, and you can follow him on Twitter. And don’t forget to pick up Lobster Johnson: Get the Lobster #5 and Where Is Jake Ellis? #4, both out today.
Inks from “Lobster Johnson: Get the Lobster” #2 (page 6)
(Originally sourced from Splash Page Comic Art)
I love the way the blacks define the environment on this page. And I’ll never tire of Tonci drawing Cindy Tynan.
From last year’s “Blood, Meth and Tears: A Farewell to Breaking Bad”
“Zero” #9, pages 22 and 23
This spread gives me chills.
