Artist Steve Skroce recently posted a commission recreating an iconic Spider-Man/Venom cover, and the Matrix storyboard artist shows why he’s also one of the all-time great comic book artists. With credits including stints on Spider-Man, Wolverine, Gambit, and the more-recent Maestros, Skroce would be an icon even when discounting his work on the Matrix films, and his recreation of Todd McFarlane’s iconic cover to Amazing Spider-Man #316 shows why.
Sharing his art to Instagram, Steve Skroce highlights the original issue’s importance, writing, “This was peak spidey for me, I read this actual issue until it disintegrated in my fingers.” Check out Skroce’s incredible work below:
Amazing Spider-Man #316 was the first time Venom appeared on a comic book cover, drawn by the character’s co-creator, Todd McFarlane. Skroce faithfully recreates McFarlane’s work, though it’s interesting to note that Skroce’s Venom has the more extended, toothy maw that the character would gain when drawn by later artists.
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Steve Skroce Pays Homage To Unforgettable Todd McFarlane Spider-Man Cover
With his one-of-a-kind commission art recreating Amazing Spider-Man #316, Skroce pays homage to his roots as a comics fan in the days, before he broke into the industry as a professional artist. His hyper-detailed and energetic style makes him one of the best artists to have ever worked on Spider-Man, and also made Steve Skroce the perfect choice to bring the groundbreaking action of The Matrix to life. Skroce got his start in the comics industry in 1993, when he was assigned to Ectokid, one of four titles in Marvel Comics “Razorline” imprint masterminded by Clive Barker.
After that line folded, Skroce moved on to working for Marvel, working on various X-Men and Spider-Man titles in the ’90s. Interestingly, one of the writers on Ectokid was Lana Wachowski, who remembered the artist after becoming a filmmaker, and gave him the monumental task of storyboarding The Matrix after it went into production at Warner Bros. Skroce’s work was invaluable in getting across the groundbreaking visuals the Wachowskis had in mind for The Matrix. Now, Steve Skroce brings his career full circle with this sketch recreating one of the most iconic covers in Spider-Man history.
From Spider-Man to The Matrix, Steve Skroce Is One of the All-Time Greats
In spite of his newfound role as one of the top storyboard artists in the business, Skroce continued to make comics throughout the subsequent decades, returning to Marvel for the memorable “Blood Debt” story in Wolverine. Skroce joined the Wachowskis once again for Doc Frankenstein, the debut comic in the siblings’ comic book company Burlyman Entertainment, and co-created the 2015 Image Comics series We Stand On Guard with writer Brian K. Vaughan. More recently, Skroce has been writing and drawing his own stories, such as his Image series Maestros and the Thing-centric Clobberin’ Time from Marvel Comics.
Skroce’s tribute to Todd McFarlane’s Amazing Spider-Man #316 cover is further testament to his skill as an artist, as well as to the wide and lasting effect McFarlane’s work had on comic book readers and writers of Steve Skroce’s generation. Having made his own incredible impact on popular culture – working in multiple mediums on some of the most iconic franchises in history – Steve Skroce has proven time and again that he is one of the most engaging visual artists in the industry, as he has been for decades, from his work on The Matrix to Spider-Man and beyond.
Source: Steve Skroce
The Matrix
In a dystopian future, hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves) learns about the Matrix, a simulated reality hiding the truth of humanity’s enslavement by machines. He joins rebels led by the mysterious Morpheus, who believes Neo is destined to free humanity. Betrayal leads to a deadly confrontation with villain Agent Smith as Neo discovers his true power, defeats his enemies, and promises to change the world.
