Marvel's First Family Artists Discuss the Pleasures and Obstacles of Illustrating the Fantastic Four
In the world of comic books, few titles hold as much historical significance as the Fantastic Four. First published in 1961, these iconic characters have been brought to life by some of the best comic artists over the years.
One such artist is Mike Perkins, a British illustrator who differentiates the four characters in his Fantastic Four drawings by giving each a unique style. Perkins believes that the Thing should be drawn cartoony, while the Human Torch should be more scratchy.
Another British artist, Frazer Irving, has his own approach to illustrating the Fantastic Four characters, focusing on visually representing their unique abilities. Irving prefers digital methods for his portrayal, as it allows for a broader creative canvas.
Walter Simonson, a legendary comic artist, drew a fan-favorite run on the Fantastic Four comics in the 1990s. Simonson primarily uses traditional methods for his work, with occasional digital touch-ups.
Lee Garbett, another British artist, sees the Fantastic Four as adventurers and explorers, rather than standard crime-fighting superheroes. Garbett works traditionally using pencil and ink on board and then scans the art to color it digitally.
Simonson's approach to drawing the Fantastic Four characters was to emphasize their family dynamic, a theme that Garbett also appreciates. Garbett does not believe the Fantastic Four need to be modernized, and instead prefers to maintain the essence of the original characters.
When it comes to digital art software, Adobe Photoshop is a standard tool among Marvel artists for painting and coloring characters, including iconic MCU superheroes. Clip Studio Paint is also increasingly favored by comic artists for its comic-centric features, such as precise inking, screentones, vector lines, and panel layouts tailor-made for comics. Marvel artists like Anthony Francisco have historically painted and illustrated directly into Photoshop using Wacom tablets, while Clip Studio Paint's rise in comic-specific tasks has made it popular in the industry.
Artists often use Wacom Cintiq or Intuos tablets combined with these software tools for direct digital drawing. No explicit source confirms a single exclusive software used for Fantastic Four, but Photoshop combined with professional tablets is a confirmed industry standard for Marvel artists, supplemented by Clip Studio Paint's rise in comic-specific tasks.
Dean Haspiel, a veteran US indie artist, sees Jack Kirby as a significant influence on his take on the Fantastic Four. Haspiel's process for creating a Fantastic Four cover involves penciling, inking on paper, and coloring and lettering digitally. Haspiel believes that the Fantastic Four's timeless story is about a curious family cosmically mutated by their obsession with existential truths.
Neil Edwards, a British artist, now works digitally for covers and interiors of the Fantastic Four. Simone Bianchi, an Italian comic artist, sees the Fantastic Four as representations of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water.
For those interested in exploring more about comic art, the article suggests reading about how comic artists draw Superman for more inspiration. Marvel's Fantastic Four: First Steps artwork is available to check out.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a new Marvel movie, is set to release on 24 July 2025. The movie is directed by Mat Shakman and features a cast including Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby.
Sources: [1] https://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/tablets/cintiq/cintiq-22 [2] https://www.clipstudio.net/en [3] https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html
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