I had the pleasure of meeting Joe Infurnari a few months ago at the 2019 Toronto Comic Art Festival (TCAF). I was there to meet a few artists and writers, find some new comics to read, and just have a good time geeking out. Now, I had no idea that Joe was even at the event. He didn’t advertise his presence at all, and I was totally floored when I realized it was him working a booth on the third floor! I’ve been a fan for a while now, and if you’re not familiar with Joe’s work, you damn well should be. Here’s why.
I first encountered Infurnari’s work in a comic called The Bunker, written by Joshua Hale Fialkov, another up and coming writer in the comics industry. The Bunker is utterly fantastic, and a lot of that has to do with Infurnari’s artwork. It’s not your standard line art like you’d see from Jim Lee, Jim Starlin, or George Perez. No, Joe’s artwork is in a word, messy. That’s not a criticism. It’s something that’s utterly unique and compelling. In fact, the only artist whose work I can think of that even looks remotely like Joe’s is Barry Windsor-Smith. That should tell you something. The Bunker ran for 19 issues and all of it is filled with spectacular art. But it’s not just the line art. Joe letters everything; he colors everything. It’s a rare case where you see the entirety of the artwork from a single person, exactly as it was originally envisioned.
The art tells the story in a more visceral way, one that makes the characters seem more human somehow. Infurnari’s art reflects our humanity. It shows us how complex and messy we can be, even in the simplest of circumstances, and certainly in times of struggle such as the ones shown in The Bunker. I won’t ruin the plot for you because I don’t do that, but it’s a must read. In fact, it was even optioned out by Hollywood, but nothing has come of the project as of yet. It’s a damn shame too, because it would make an excellent show.
A couple of years later, I picked up another comic. This one was called Evolution, written by a team of writers but still drawn singlehandedly by Joe Infurnari. You could tell the colorist and letterer worked with him to keep the same feel to his work however. Evolution is the story of a virus, one that’s already taken over most of humanity. Again, I don’t want to ruin the story for you, because it’s awesome, but it’s the artwork that really completes the book. Keep in mind, I’m not an art critic. I don’t buy comics for their art. I pick most of the books I read based entirely on who’s writing them or if I’m not familiar with the writer, the type of content of the comic.
Joe Infurnari is something different. He’s that rare breed of artist that makes a comic speak without even focusing on the panels. The background is as much a part of the piece as the characters and often times, they blend together, making a more complete work. Sure, it’s ragged around the edges, but it’s on purpose. Each page has that same sort of directed intent that you’ll see from the greats all the way back to Will Eisner, no matter their style. Evolution, for example, has a lot of The Thing in it. There’s a creeping unease where everything appears unclean and every panel feels like the virus is right there, crawling across the pages. That’s Joe. His work makes every page feel like it’s infected because that’s what the story demands. It’s such a humanizing style that the creatures within it are even more terrifying. Evolution oozes viral terror entirely because of Joe Infurnari’s unique artistic expression. And that art wouldn’t fit just anywhere. This isn’t the sort of stuff that’s inherently suited to clean superhero outfits and Bams, Thwacks, and Pows (although I have no doubt that he could manage it in an entirely fascinating style, and he’s done a bit here and there). But it’s visceral. It’s raw. It’s the kind of art that lives and breathes, earthy and street-wise.
So yeah, when I ran into Joe at TCAF this spring, I was pretty pleased. Even more so, when I actually talked to him. You see, he’s a regular guy who happens to be a damn good artist. We must have chatted for at least a half-hour and he doesn’t put on airs. He isn’t a douche. He’s genuine and interesting, just like his artwork. You never know what to expect when you meet the people whose work you’ve been reading and with Joe Infurnari, it was an utter pleasure. This is a man who does something he loves for work, he’s good at it, and he just puts it out there. He has a rather varied portfolio out there too, as you can see from his website here. In fact, at the show, I picked up a comic called Dronez from him which he’d produced and published entirely on his own, both written and drawn. And it was excellent. Socially relevant, entertaining, and gorgeous, with a dark, seamy underbelly that came straight from the deepest recesses of the brain, Dronez hits the mark. It’s got that trademark raw Infurnari feel to it too, almost a glimpse into the psyche rather than a corporate-approved watered down book stamped off by a House of Mouse committee. It was only produced in a limited quantity for the show, but you can take a peek at the beginning right here. Trust me when I say if you can get a copy, it’s worth reading!
Regardless of whether he’s drawing The Bunker, Evolution, a bit of Astro City, or his own work such as Dronez, Joe Infurnari is an artist and a writer to watch for. He’s active on Twitter at @infurnari, on Instagram at @infurnari, on Facebook at @artistjoeinfurnari, he’s an absolutely great guy, and I’m sure he has more interesting projects coming out soon. I’ll definitely be watching for them! Go check his work out!
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