Here's One From Me, Just Because.

Red Vengeance pin up I did a while back, colored in black and white for that 50's retro feel. I think it was something I may have done for a proposal and it never made it in. And that's all I have to say about that.

No One Cooler Than Coover

Next up, the awesome Colleen Coover.  She is, to me, the ultimate embodiment of the word "cartoonist".  Her style is so fun, so energetic, and it encapsulates everything that is unique and appealing about cartooning.  All her figures are light and fluid, with perfect gesture and body language, her line work is sublime, and you just feel good looking at her stuff, regardless of what she's drawing.  Kind of like a modern day Herge. The woman could make a car wreck look charming, and that's no small feat.  She's like the comics equivalent of "The Andy Griffith Show"...you just can't NOT be in a good mood after looking at her work.  Like Jaime's piece, I had her draw John/Red Vengeance sans helmet, because I find her faces so darn charming.  Once again, an awesome piece that I'll treasure always.

Jaime. Freakin'. Hernandez.

Yeah, that's right.  Artistic Powerhouse Jaime Hernandez, of legendary "Love and Rockets" fame (and yeah, the comic came first, NOT the band, although I dig them too) came to Heroes Con in Charlotte back in 2006, and was rockin' the house.  I was of course terrified to approach him, as I'm a HUGE admirer of his work, but I just couldn't pass up the chance to get drawings from him, as it is so rare that he ever comes to NC (he hasn't been back since, so I'm glad I did).  What kills me is how fast he cranked this out.  Literally in under 2 minutes.  No pomp and circumstance, no glitz or glamor, just him sitting quietly at an empty table with a bristol pad and a few pencils.  A little handmade sign with his name, and that's it.  Why no one was lining up around the block for him was beyond me, but I wasn't going to argue.  Of course I couldn't decide on what to get him to do, so I got 2.  Red Vengeance, which you see here, and of course a Hopey sketch.  Absolute gorgeousness, done effortlessly in the blink of an eye, made to look deceptively simple.  He's such a genius with faces, I made sure he drew RV with his helmet off, showing John Conroy underneath.  If I had the money and if it wouldn't have made him angry, I would have stood there all day and just said "Hit me again."  "Again". and just had him do drawings the whole time.  Jaime, you da man.  And damn you for drawing my character better than me, in like less than a minute.  Gah!

Red Vengeance, From A Fan's Perspective (Me)!

One thing I get a kick out of when I get the chance, is getting artists I respect and admire to sketch Red  Vengeance and get their take on him.  It's always a rush to see an artist I'm a fan of draw my character, kind of like a pin up artist would do in the back of a graphic novel or something.  I've got a good little stack of them now, and I find them very handy to draw upon for inspiration from time to time.  Here's just a few.... 

First up, the awesome Craig Rousseau.  I mean, how cool is this?  I love the rhythm of the curves in the legs, the exaggerated proportions, the angles in the hands....it's a perfect balance of stylization. I also really dig the texture and "pop" that the color and Canson paper bring to it. Craig's one of the top artists in the biz, having done tons of work for DC (Batman Beyond, Impulse, and licensing), Disney (Kim Possible/Disney Adventures), and Marvel, as well as the super awesome creator-owned Perhapanauts series that he and Todd Dezago do for Image.  Plus, he's just a swell guy to boot.  I've always cherished this drawing, always will. He took my design and did it like a million times cooler, in my opinion. Thanks, Craig!