MARVEL COSMIC: THE ART OF RON LIM

Lissen' up while old man Mitche speaks,

When I was a kid one of the earliest characters I latched onto in comic books was the SILVER SURFER. The love I have for that character and the world he inhabits has only grown greater with time. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm still a kid, only bigger.

Perhaps the most significant part of that long ago initial appeal was the artwork of Ron Lim. The man defined the entire look of Marvel's cosmic arena and maintained the longest stint of any artist on the character. His incredibly cosmic artwork coupled with writers like Jim Starlin, Steve Englehart, and Ron Marz are the reason the character has endured to this day. Not to discredit Jack Kirby and Stan Lee for creating the character, for without them the Marvel universe wouldn't even be here.

Ron Lim is easily my favorite artist to have grace the cosmic realms of Marvel Comics.

Just in my "surfing" of the web I came across numerous unpublished and commissioned artwork of Ron Lim featuring a ton of my favorite characters. If you are like me and love Marvel's cosmic side of the universe then take a good look. If you don't give a hoot about this subject or any other, well enjoy anyway.

This one is so cool, I had to put it first! It's Silver Surfer, the Phoenix, Nova (Frankie Raye), and Binary (the most powerful persona of Carol Danvers) all fighting Galactus! To this day these characters have never all come together in a comic book.

This almost topped the list here as it is once again... SO COOL! The Protege (top left) and Mephisto (bottom left) fighting the 31st century Guardians of the Galaxy! Aleta (the woman next to Mephisto) is trapped in something. Gladiator (middle dude with the mohawk) battles Overkill (original Taserface from the comics and robot dude in the middle) while Major Vance Astro blasts Overkill in the background. Silver Surfer (as the Keeper) and Firelord (far right) blast the Protege with everything they've got!

I want a color and inked version of this for my Man Cave. This is the greatest Marvel cosmic assemblage ever in one image! You've got Galactus and his six original Heralds, the Elders of the Universe, the cosmic abstracts, Ego the Living Planet, Captain Mar-Vell, Adam Warlock, Drax, Super Skrull, Beta Ray Bill, Gladiator, Jack of Hearts and Ganymede, and of course the biggest cosmic baddies of them all, Tyrant, Mephisto, the Magus, and Thanos!

It's the INFINITY WATCH!! 

This one may be from the comics, I'll have to check, but I know a very similar throwdown occurred in Silver Surfer. Beta Ray Bill (top left) with Jack of Hearts and Ganymede (left and bottom left). Then Silver Surfer (top right) with Morg, Gladiator, and Terrax (all along the right) battling Tyrant (Galactus' son) in the center. Such an awesome cast of characters and a truly epic image.

Son vs Father! Tyrant vs Galactus!

All right, this is a Fantastic Four image through and through but it does have some cosmic characters represented that aren't in any other images here, namely the Inhumans (on the right) and Annihilus and Blastaar mixed with the villains on the left. Click on the image to see it bigger.

Death and Thanos above the Elders of the Universe and the In-Betweener (bottom center). The Elders of the Universe consist of the Runner (bottom left), the Gardener (bottom right), the Grandmaster (middle left), the Collector (middle right), and the Champion (middle center) above them.

Thanos, the mad Titan, victorious!

Silver Surfer vs Mephisto, one of the Surfer's greatest foes! I think this was used in an actual comic but I can't be sure. But man it looks so awesome!

Ron Lim's art of NOVA (Richard Rider)! He rarely drew Nova during his heyday at Marvel so it's really cool to see a solo shot here.

Galactus! With a tiny Silver Surfer in the background.

Seriously, this is one dude you probably shouldn't piss off. Or he'll eat your world!

Not only does Ron Lim draw my favorite Silver Surfer but he also draws my favorite Galactus. So much power!

Love it.

Thanos atop his throne in Mistress Death's realm. Not enough skulls.

Going off of what I've said before, Ron Lim's Thanos is my absolute favorite rendition of the character and the image style I always picture when I think of the character.

Silver Surfer has never looked so cool as he did in the pencils of Ron Lim

You have no idea how much I wish Ron Lim would've penciled a Captain Mar-Vell series. I'd pay money to see that.

Adam Warlock completes the big three heroes of the cosmic arena. So good.

I wish Ron Lim would've penciled the Warlock & the Infinity Watch book. I could use more Gamora looking this good.

Again, another great character which Ron Lim knocks out of the park! Gladiator, despite looking a bit ridiculous, is pure awesome!

Ronan the Accuser! I couldn't find a nice scan of this but you can still see how awesome Ronan looks!

A supremely awesome looking Beta Ray Bill!

Captain Marvel - Genis-Vell, the son of Captain Marvel!

Carol Danvers as Ms Marvel!

Silver Surfer battling fellow Herald of Galactus, Terrax, while the Invisible Woman watches. Nobody draws the Heralds of Galactus as good as Ron Lim.

Terrax is one of the coolest of the Heralds (they're all cool).

Terrax vs Tyrant!

Spider-Man is screwed. Big time!

As a kid the comic book battles were never more epic than Silver Surfer vs Thanos.

My biggest disappointment with the upcoming AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR is that we'll never see this battle on the big screen. That should be illegal.

This is a pin-up from one of Silver Surfer's annuals from the 90's. In the comic it's colored. I'd pay money for a colored, hi-res poster of this!

The Heralds of Galactus again, this time including the evil Herald, Morg.

Frankie Raye as the Herald, Nova. Perhaps my favorite woman of Marvel's!

Another great pic of Nova!

Firelord! Former Nova Corpsman, Firelord is one of the best Heralds and later goes on to be a member of the original GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY!

The Air-Walker, the second Herald of Galactus and perhaps the most underappreciated. Air-Walker is awesome and definitely not the least of the Heralds.

The sixth Herald, Morg! The villainous Herald of Galactus!

Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet vs the Beyonder. Never had much love for the Beyonder but this image looks really good. It's based off the cover of Guardians of the Galaxy #47 which depicted the Protege vs the Beyonder.

Seriously. Who can draw these characters better?

My favorite version of the modern Guardians of the Galaxy! It's the 2008 line-up of the team! The 2008 team was never better than they were then and Ron Lim nails it again! His art here is far better than some of the actual art from that run.

The pencils for the cover of WHAT IF... Vol. 2 #14 by Ron Lim! Mar-Vell and Silver Surfer.

I wish there was a clearer version of this without the crease in the middle... because this image is AWESOME! It's the two page splash from Silver Surfer Annual #4 featuring the Silver Surfer in the year 3016 a.d. battling the 31st Century GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY!!

The big EGO, the Living Planet two page spread from Silver Surfer #22!

Now this one isn't Ron Lim but I found it during the same search and had to include it. Mar-Vell facing down Death while Drax looks on in the background. The artist isn't Jim Starlin but the picture is done very much in Jim Starlin's style. Wonderful. Simply wonderful.

Okay, it's not Ron Lim. It's Jim Valentino, the master of the 31st century Guardians of the Galaxy. Yondu has never looked better. James Gunn's version of Yondu doesn't even compare!

DREAM ON

If I could commission Ron Lim to draw a cosmic Marvel character montage and there was no limit this is what I'd ask for:

The Setting: On the surface of a rocky barren planet with an outer space star field filling the sky

Deep Background: Galactus battling Ego the Living Planet and the In-Betweener at once, the Stranger vs the Sphinx, and the Celestials, Eternity, Infinity, Entropy, Eon, Epoch, Master Order, Lord Chaos, Mistress Love, Master Hate, the Hawk God, the Never Queen, Kronos, Mistress Death, Oblivion, the Shaper of Worlds, the Watchers, and the Living Tribunal all looking on in the very background. Champion and Grandmaster and the Collector and the Gardener and the Runner and the Contemplator and the Caregiver and the Possessor off to the side simply watching. Michael Korvac (cosmic star-field design) and Carina (dress design from Avengers Academy) also watching in the background.

Middleground: (the following characters are in the air) The Protege locked in battle against the Beyonder, Quasar (Wendell Vaughn in his Annihilators costume) and Quasar (Phyla-Vell) tag teaming Maelstrom, Adam Warlock (2008 Guardians costume) vs the Magus (classic costume), Nova (Richard Rider Nova Prime) vs Garthan Saal (purple and yellow costume), Rom and Starshine (Brandy Clark) and Ikon vs a handful of Dire Wraiths, Silver Surfer and Starhawk (Stakar 2008 costume) and Binary (Carol Danvers) and Aleta (90's Starhawk costume) and Kismet (90's costume) vs the Dark Phoenix (Jean Grey), Firelord and Air-Walker and Nova (Frankie Raye) vs Morg and the Fallen One (Herald of Galactus), Stardust and Red Shift vs Phalanx drones, Genis-Vell (2001 Captain Marvel uniform) vs Glorian, Moondragon (in Infinity Watch costume) and Mantis (in classic costume) and Captain Universe (both female and male versions) vs the Goddess, Imperial Guard members Manta and Starbolt and Nightside and Smasher (female) vs Xenith (in her War of Kings costume) and Deathbird and Dr. Minerva, Darkhawk vs Talon (Raptor from War of Kings).

Foreground (along the lower half/bottom): Captain Mar-Vell vs Thanos, Charlie 27 and Major Victory and Nikki and Yondu and Martinex vs Overkill (Taserface) and 3 of the Stark, Star-Lord and Drax and Rocket and Groot (big Groot) and Bug and Jack Flagg (all in 2008 guardians uniforms) vs Badoon soldiers and a Badoon monster, Gamora (2008 guardians costume) vs Nebula (cyborg design), Beta Ray Bill and Jack of Hearts and Ganymede and Terrax and Gladiator and Stormfront (Herald of Galactus) vs Tyrant, Ronan the Accuser and Kl'rt (the original Super Skrull in his Annihilation costume) and Praxagora vs Annihilus and his bugs, Stella Nega and Skytower and Aerolite and Tua Zon and Astrolabe vs three Kree Sentries, Death's Head II and Tuck (in her 90's costume) vs Blastaar, Death's Head (original) vs Stellaris, Corsair and Ch'od and Raza and Hepzibah vs a handful of Brood, Warstar and Fang and Neutron and Titan and Hussar and Astra and Mentor and Oracle vs Shatterax and Captain Atlas and Supremor (Kree Supreme Intelligence's humanoid form) and Ultimus and Korath (90's design) and Death's Head 3.0 guards, Monark Starstalker and Man-Wolf (John Jameson in his 70's star god costume) vs Paibok and Talos (skrulls).

Did I mention this image would be large enough to fill an entire wall? Ridiculous right? BUT I WANT IT! My next choices for cosmic artists would be Andrea DiVito or Paul Pelletier. I'd be extremely happy with any of these amazing artists!

Anyway, this whole post is me at some of my nerdiest! If you made it this far then you've made it farther than I imagined you would!