Being huge comic fans here at Grizzly Bomb, we are always eagerly seeking any awesome looking comic book creations. Personally I love it when they come from non-main stream comic sources. So it was pretty incredible when Blake Henriksen’s (or Pink Havok as he is known online) work came to my attention.
His tastes are varied and wide, but it’s clear geek culture is where he gets most of his inspiration. For example look at his Batman: The Animated Series ensemble. Here he has employed two very different artistic styles to the same image. One is his own unique flourish, which adds a slightly cartoony style and mixes it with a darker edge, and great use of character design to give us some fresh takes on old favorites. The second takes the style more akin to the cartoon series, but adding his own unique flair to the piece.
His other comic book work is equally as exciting, including his work on the X-Men piece which is incredibly dynamic. In fact all his superhero art showcases the characters attributes to a tee. The Joker especially looks creepier in each picture Blake does of him!
He also has a selection of non-super hero stuff. His versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are fantastic, really capturing the light-hearted feel of the animated series, but also manages to put in the shadows and slightly dark undercurrent of the original Eastman and Laird series. Adding zombies into the mix also gets my attention straight away!
He also delivers a certain amount of mash-up work to. His Star Wars / Joker creation is slightly disturbing, but works surprisingly well. His Indiana Jones / Doctor Who piece similarly captures the spirit of both of the franchises. Doctor Who especially works well within the poster design format of the Indiana Jones movies that I am surprised I have not come across it before.
His personal projects are an eclectic bunch of art pieces and styles, all showcasing some of Blake’s influences. His Creature from the Black Lagoon looks like it would give the Hulk a run for his money in the muscle department, and his Hipster Vampire Hunters is a new look on a popular theme. The Army of Darkness game art was something fascinating to look at. Myself, having no prior knowledge of the game, had great fun looking at how some of the design elements came into play when I checked it out recently.
You can check out the rest of Blake’s work via his Facebook page, Deviant Art and his website if you liked what you saw here, I would advise you do. He is a unique and extremely talented creator . Mr Henriksen’s tastes are so varied and vast that there is plenty here for any fan of pop culture art to absorb and enjoy.
If you like Batman related artwork then do not forget to check out Mondo’s new Batman – The Animated Series vinyl collection. If it is more indi based art work you are looking for then you could look into Hillary White, Jim’ll Paint It and Brandon Bird work. Want more movie based art? Then the promotional art work of The Evil Dead movies may be what you are looking for.
Images: Marvel, DC, Blake Henriksen, Backflip Studios,
BBC, Paramount Picture, George Lucas, Disney,
IDW, Universal, Mattel, Fantasy Flight Games.
Grizzly Bomb 