Sketches that were got

February 9, 2009 on 5:20 am | In Comic Cons, Comics | 4 Comments

As you know, if you read the blog, I’m a Mad Hatter fanatic. At every convention I go around getting as many sketches of my favorite Bat-villain as I can and, thanks to an unexpected influx of cash this year, I stocked up on these guys. Some of the quicker sketches were free, others cost a bit of money. Brian Bolland was out of my price range, but next year…

This is Ivan Reis’s (Green Lantern) version of the Hatter. I got it about 10 minutes before the con ended, so we were in a rush, but I’m making it a point to get a full one next time.

This is from Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash, Loaded Bible).

I got this from Anthony Williams (all kinds of everything DC and Marvel, especially 2000 AD) who talked about advertising a little bit with me. Nice!

Amanda Conner (Terra) was the one sketch that I really had to get this con. She was possibly the nicest person I met all weekend and she was also the busiest by far. Thanks Amanda! I wish this photo came out better!

Mike Norton (Green Arrow & Black Canary) was selling Recession-Proof Sketches, which means I’ll be able to retire off this. Love the caption!

Todd Nauck. Currently riding high off his Spider-man/Obama crossover, he pencilled a ton of Young Justice books that SHOULD BE IN TRADE PAPERBACK.

I got a quick sketch from Jim Calafiore (Gotham Underground), one of the artists I’ve been tracking down to get a sketch for 2 cons already. His sketch list fills up fast. But this piece is exactly what I wanted!

Eddy Barrows has been doing spectacular work on Teen Titans lately so I was happy to get a sketch. My request did have to be translated into Portuguese by Jim Prado.

Christopher Jones pencilled every issue of The Batman Strikes but never got a chance to draw the Hatter. He said it was because he didn’t appear in the show, and that only show villains could be made into the comics. Also, he mentioned that he was told specifically not to include Two-Face, Ra’s Al-Ghul, or the Scarecrow, probably because of the films. I asked him to imagine the Hatter if he did make it to the Batman Strikes comics.

Jack Purcell (Gotham Underground) came up with the version of the Hatter that most reminds me of a Pilgrim on meds.

Sometimes an artist has a special place for you even if he isn’t signing at Artist Alley. Jim Mahfood (aka Food One) is one of my favorite indie artists, putting out books like Stupid Comics, Bad Idea, Grrrl Scouts, and One-Page Filler Man. With Jim, if he’s got a new book out, I’m buying it on day one. He lives in LA and this is his only East Coast con, which made it an incredible coincidence that he was signing as I was on my way out. This is one of my favorite sketches, since it’s pure Food One.

Sam Henderson’s another indie artist who I adore. He’s done work for Nickelodeon Magazine but I love his work with his title Magic Whistle. To get his take on a supervillain character just made my day.

Leonard Kirk, currently on Captain Britain and MI13 but penciller for a whole host of other books, did one of the best-composed Hatter sketches of the weekend. All those hats!

Cliff Chiang’s hot talent, especially since his Dr. Thirteen mini was the sleeper hit of 2007. Usually his sketches are priced out of my con allowance, but he was doing quick sketches for free at the DC booth. Now I know what his Hatter would look like!

Rafael Albuquerque (Blue Beetle), hands down, did the creepiest Hatter of the weekend. I likes it.

Philip Tan’s (Final Crisis: Revelations) another hot talent and I’m going to try to get a full sit-down sketch the next con. This was another freebie at the DC booth.

Billy Tan (no relation to Philip) is currently wowing everyone with his Avengers series over at Marvel. He did this Hatter while I waited – the guy knows his way around a sketchbook.

Dustin Nguyen (Detective Comics) offered a free headshot with the purchase of one of his prints. I bought his Batman villains poster which, if I remember right, features the Bat family amongst 17 different villains. I’ll frame it and hang it in my office, I like it so much. I’m trying to get a few of his original pages from the Hatter issue of Detective he put out last year, through the inker Derek Fridolfs, but DC hasn’t released the pages yet. Soon!

Greg Titus (Annihilation) did a pretty lovable Hatter, almost like he was off to prom. Greg told me this was the best piece he’d done all day, and I’m way impressed.

I know, it’s a lot of pictures.

Nathan Fox (Pigeons From Hell, DMZ) exceeded my expectations with this ink piece. It’s impressed everyone who’s seen it, just because it’s something unexpected. So cool.

This is my girlfriend’s favorite. Christopher Uminga. I should have gotten this inked, his inked stuff is amazing.

And finally, Reilly Brown (Cable & Deadpool). He doesn’t disappoint, and this is on an oversize piece of board, so it’s going to look all the more impressive when it’s framed.