Rough Stuff continues to be my favorite TwoMorrows publication for its unique take on its material: it looks at the construction of comics without pandering to wannabes (polite version: without becoming exclusively a how-to) or wallowing in nostalgia. I find myself interested in most of the articles, which shed new light on good reads, and I learn things that I can use while reading more comics, both current and past.

The issue starts with some Mike Allred Madman pencils, as well as sketches of other heroes, accompanied by commentary by both Allred (description and history) and editor Bob McLeod. McLeod presents learning points from the compositions, pointing out details I otherwise wouldn’t have noticed. The centerpiece of the issue is an interview with John Romita, Jr., exploring his family influences, accompanied by his penciled pages.

McLeod’s clearly got his bugaboos and strong feelings, but since they’re opinions I agree with, I don’t mind. He hits hard simple ideas that need to be better considered, like “learn to draw hands” and “get the basics down before detailed rendering”. They’re most clearly expressed during his final feature, critiquing art by an aspiring artist brave enough to submit to the review.

Also included this issue are fantasy art sketches by John Buscema, an informative article defining “breakdowns”, and sections similar to the Allred focus for Yanick Paquette, P. Craig Russell, and Lee Weeks. I talked about the previous issue here.