Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection, Review
Directed by Kelvin Mao, Dave Steven: Drawn to Perfection is a documentary about the late comic book artist Dave Stevens. Although Stevens may not be a household name to many, his most famous creation The Rocketeer almost certainly is, in part because of the affectionately remembered Disney movie that was released in 1991. The documentary, therefore, sets out to rectify this, exploring the life and times of its subject through a series of talking head interviews, including a generous amount of archival footage of Stevens himself, allowing the artist to tell his own story. Although Stevens may seem a slightly obscure figure to those uninitiated into the world of comic-book art, it quickly becomes apparent that Stevens is a fascinating and talented subject, well worth the documentary treatment.
Drawn to Perfection tells us about Stevens’ early days as an artist. We learn that he worked for Hanna-Barbera, where he soon developed a reputation for being the slowest artist in the company, turning out the best work he could in an industry that valued quantity over finesse. We also learn that he made storyboards for Indiana Jones, and that Steven Spielberg encouraged Stevens to lavish an uncommon amount of attention on each board, probably because the filmmaker wanted to keep them as works of art. This opens up one of the documentary’s main themes, that Dave Stevens was striving for an unattainable level of perfection, which is the reason for the impeccable legacy of his work, and the limited amount of it to enjoy.
Drawn to Perfection also does a good job of showing us why Stevens’ work is so special on a more technical level. The film pays particular attention to the quality of his inking, and how that gave detail, shape and shade to his illustrations, and to his ability to imbue his characters with a vital spark of personality. In doing this the documentary successfully makes one aware that Stevens was a true artist, and that the comic book, just like any other popular form of entertainment, can attain the level of great art when in the right hands.
Beyond his work and his obsessive, often infuriating desire for perfection, we learn that Stevens adored women, many different women, and this is reflected in his more erotically charged illustrations. Indeed, Stevens’ hunt for perfection seems to have included a need to create an idealised image of the female form. Refreshingly, no negative spin is put on this aspect of Stevens’ personality, and several of his models and ex-lovers talk in terms of flattery and amusement about having various parts of their bodies included in Stevens’ sexy, yet respectful illustrations.
More broadly speaking, the documentary explores Stevens’ cultural influences, which largely focuses on the 1930s through to the 1950s. As such, the documentary becomes a kind of celebration for a glamorised version of America’s cultural past, which Stevens, born in 1955, was not alive to experience first-hand. The film also provides a window into the history of the comic book industry, mentioning some of the great names who inspired Stevens, such as Frank Frazetta, Jim Steranko, and Jack Kirby. This may have the added bonus of making the more casual viewer go out and buy classic comics, after buying their copies of Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures, of course
However, we learn more about Stevens, not from what is said about him, but from how he’s spoken about, as the documentary is clearly a passion project, made by the people who knew him best. The various people who share their stories, are by turns infuriated by his slowness, gently mocking of his vanity (which includes the infamous puffy shirt made legend by an episode of Seinfeld) and in awe of his art. More than anything their love for Stevens is palpable and gives us a reflected sense of the man and his worth.
