image from BUDD'S BEAUTIES AND BEASTS 2, Feb 2007



This is another of those posts that were part of a larger topic, that I feel really deserved its own topic:

 Originally Posted By: Wonder Boy


Anyone interested in Budd Root's work who isn't already familiar with
it.

Bud Root began CAVEWOMAN in 1994-1995 as a 6-issue series.
His art from 1994-2001 has more of an early John Byrne look to it.

The other series in order are
CAVEWOMAN: RAIN 1-8 (1996-1997)
CAVEWOMAN COLOR SPECIAL 1 (Nov 1999, only 12 pages)

After that, Budd Root's art started to change. He was hanging out
with Dave Stevens, and whether on his own or because of
Stevens' influence, his art began to evolve in a beautiful way.

And it was about the time Budd Root started improving his art that he
began CAVEWOMAN: PANGAEAN SEA (2000-present).

If you were to begin
reading Cavewoman, I'd skip the earlier stuff and go right to this PANGAEAN SEA series.
At this point, 11 of 12 issues have been
released, and he's taking his sweet time producing the last one.
Once you've seen this run, then I think you can go back and enjoy the
earlier issues, and how Root evolved
up to this point.
Also showing Root at his peak are the shorter nudity-laden series:

CAVEWOMAN:JUNGLE TALES 1-3,
and
BUDD'S BEAUTIES & BEASTS 1 and 2.

The first 6-issue 1994 series was a few years ago re-released in a
new "director's cut" type reprint series, as CAVEWOMAN: RELOADED 1-6, where Root
added about 10 pages of new scenes to each issue. I guess this is a
good starting point too. But while it starts you at the beginning and has some nice
new pages, it's kind of a warts-and-all package that forces you to read
his cruder early work that is far below what he's doing now.

Aside from that, you have CAVEWOMAN:PREHISTORIC PIN-UPS 1-7 (or so)
that aren't stories by Root, but 32 pages each of
pin-up pages and convention sketches. I think he stopped these, and
now just does annual convention books.

The other Cavewoman books are all by other artists, and may have Bud
Root covers, but are either by Devon Massey (most of them)
or Paul Renaud (the last 5 years or so of new CAVEWOMAN titles).
And, like Mignola's farming out HELLBOY, I've mostly hated any
CAVEWOMAN titles that Root didn't write and draw himself.

The one exception was Devon Massey's first effort, in [url=]CAVEWOMAN: ONE-SHOT[/url] (2000).
But his art got much looser and out of proportion after that. With huge boobs flopping everywhere, akin to a black and white comic version of a Russ Meyer film.

You can probably find the cheapest price on these from the source, at
http://www.amryl.com

Or mycomicshop.com




Regrettably, Bud Root hasn't produced a new issue in a few years now, but I've been promised "Soon, soon! No, we really mean it this time!" in my inquiries with its publisher, Amryl. That the final issue of PANGAEAN SEA will be out in the near future. Bud Root seems to make a lot of money doing convention sketches and other commission work, that apparently pays better than doing the actual series he began with. His publisher told me that he is very backed up with commitments to do commissions that he has to take care of before he can do more series work.

But regardless, Budd Root is among the best of the smaller independent-publishing comics artists, and his occasional covers (on new Cavewoman limited series, with interior art by other artists) and new Bud Root pin-ups are both fun and beautifully rendered.

Root has created a character and fanbase over 25-plus years comparable to Dave Sim's CEREBUS, Wendy Pini's ELFQUEST, Colleen Doran's A DISTANT SOIL, Jeff Smith's BONE, Mike Mignola's HELLBOY and other independent publishers who have presented a similar long-term vision and consistent but sporadic run on a series over many years.