Creative panel usage and art direction

I appreciated reading these selections from the X-Men series because the story lines and characters are much more complex than those of the other superhero comics that we've read in class thus far.  The artistic directions of Jack Kirby and Dave Cockrum seem to really enhance these complexities.  Even though both artists have different drawing styles, the way they organize the panels are thoughtful and creative.  I think this page with Storm from chapter one of Second Genesis particularly shows off Cockrum's talent and eye for design.  The horizontal layout and movement of the wind in the top two panels beautifully juxtapose the vertical shape of the last three panels and the falling rain.  For me, these contrasts help portray the full scope of Storm's powers and ability to change the weather.  Another thing that I found provocative about this page was the way in which Cockrum drew rain.  The black and light blue lines drawn to mimic sheets of rain falling down are an incredibly clever way to draw something that doesn't actually have a color.  Many of the artistic techniques shown in these X-Men comics show how well-developed and evocative graphic novels can be, which I find to be an even further step away from previous superhero comics.