Broken Frontier

Much like the work of artists like Mike Mignola & Michael Avon Oeming, at a glance, Gabriel Bá’s art may seem simple. Many people associate comic book art with ultra-realized, hyper-detailed and stylish cinematic panels or even the gritty cross-hatching of the 90s. Bá’s art is nothing like that.

His geometric shapes and heavy lines speak volumes of the tone and context in his panels. He doesn’t just illustrate characters. He is a true collaborator that tells the story at hand. One cannot imagine the beautiful oddities of the Umbrella Academy without immediately associating a large share of its success to Bá’s designs and pencils.

Something not always mentioned with comic book art is the acting involved. An artist is not only responsible for a character’s motion through a story, but also the emotional connection from page to reader. There is a quality of facial acting and figure placement that directly affects our emotional response, an ability that seems to come naturally to Bá and his equally talented brother, Fabio Moon.

Late 2009 provided us with the first issue of Daytripper, a ten-issue mini-series that Bá and Moon wrote and illustrated together. Their character acting, color schemes and ability to be detailed, yet seemingly minimalistic is something to be inspired by and studied.

Great art doesn’t always draw attention, but instead marries itself to the story, becoming one force. One cannot imagine the zaniness of Umbrella, the breezy reality of Daytripper or the sci-fi kooky of Casanova without Ba’s hand. Every title he’s handed deserves attention.