When I finally did make it over there, I was happy to be proven wrong on both counts. First of all, the painting was (as you can all see) certainly more than “just another Wolverine piece.” As soon as I saw it, the impact of its raw energy and emotion was like a punch in the face. Forget everything you think you know about what a Wolverine piece SHOULD look like. With Kent, you never get the same old tired looking Wolverine drawing. In fact, with Kent, the only thing you CAN expect is to get something you never expected. Secondly, I was very happy to learn that the price tag was within my budget. That basically made the decision a no-brainer. If you get the opportunity to bring home an exceptional Kent Williams painting, you really don’t have to think about it.

Now about the photo. First of all, I should mention that since the painting came already framed, I did speak to Kent about him possibly sending me a copy of the scan for the piece. Unfortunately, Kent confessed to me that in his haste to get the piece framed in time for San Diego, he forgot to make a scan before sending it off to his framer. Kent does scan all of his completed works, so he was quite upset at himself for not doing so with this piece. Still, if he ever decided to include this painting in an upcoming art book, he very generously offered to pay for having the piece professionally photographed through the glass.

In the meantime, my intrepid travel companion (and unofficial Comic Con photographer) Jonathan Mueller did everything he could to capture a suitable representation with his phone camera. The minute we got home from our trip, he pulled out his phone and was ready to go. He took indoor shots, out door shots, with me holding the piece, with the piece propped up, with the piece flat on the ground, with artificial light, with natural light - he tried pretty much every combination of shots you could think of. The image you are looking at is, to my mind, the best result. I believe this was an outdoor shot with the piece laying flat on the ground and Jon shooting straight down from overhead. So again, what you are looking at has been shot through glass in direct sunlight. As such, there are some minor glare and focus issues. The white area in the upper left is probably the worst glare spot. Also, for you eagle-eyed spotters, there is a slight reflection of Jonathan’s baseball cap over Wolvie’s arms. Otherwise, this is a fairly decent representation.

One other note about the artwork. If you're a Kent Williams superfan, or just someone with an uncanny memory, this image may seem more than a bit familiar. For those of you who need a more obvious clue, check the Additional Images for the inspiration of the pose. Will have confer with Kent, but apparently that particular panel was something that stuck in his mind. Enough so that he decided to elaborate on the image with this full painting. Not that I have anything against a naked Wolverine, but I think I'll stick to the one where he's at least wearing pants. LOL!

Anyway my thanks, first and foremost, to Kent Williams. One of my favorite thing about this particular acquisition is that it afforded Kent and I a chance to visit and catch up, since he happened to be present when I bought the piece. We’ve known each other for the better part of three decades, but would only bump into each other on rare occasions, like when we both happen to be at the same con. Not that this necessarily meant we would have the time or opportunity to chat. That’s why this year’s Comic Con was so much fun for me. I was able to catch up with so many old friends, including Kent. Anyway, thanks also to my buddy Jonathan for his diligence and determination in trying to get as good a photo of this piece as possible, considering the circumstances. Oh, and thanks to Allen Spiegel for counting and taking my money. LOL

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