I've acquired several jam pieces in states of completion and then finished them out if necessary, but this was the first one I have shepherded from start to finish. It started with Daniel Govar and Tony Moy, whom I had previously met at Dragon Con. I approached them in the summer of 2022 to see whether they would participate in an X-Men villains jam project. They ended up sitting next to each other at some event, and I think they spurred each other on, setting a tone of excellence for the project as a whole. I didn't specifically set out to have them all painted, but after such a beginning, how could I not?

Receiving the piece from Tony at Dragon Con 2022, I was already familiar with BREED, Bisley, and Mack from previous experience. I had them pass the grid around, each adding one character. Scott Rorie was a surprise; I saw the paintings in his booth and signed him up for a panel. He took the piece home from Dragon Con, then it got mailed around between artists until complete.

I had discovered Colon and Woodward earlier in the year and had recent work from them, so I contracted with them to add the final two panels before the art returned to me. Colon documented his painstaking work, starting with a digital prelim which for another artist would have been the level of detail on the final product, but then Colon improved upon it substantially in the finished traditional piece; see additional images.

Each artist chose his own character, sometimes consulting me with two options. Except Rorie; when I saw his skill at likenesses, I saw a golden opportunity to specifically request a photorealistic Ian McKellen, which he delivered, even at the small scale (4x5 inches) of these panels. I also got multiple requests for Phoenix or Maddie, but I already have other art of her along these lines. Just in case you're wondering who the popular subjects are! All the artists were timely and provided good communication, which really does impact how I will think of the art.

This piece was shown and discussed in my interview with Bill Cox for Comic Arts LIVE on August 14, 2023.

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