For those of you haven't checked out this book yet, you really have been missing something. I was a little late coming to the book and only picked it up after it made just about every awards list in 2017 and then won numerous awards at San Diego Comic con. I happened to attend the Awards night and saw Emil go up on stage multiple times to get various accolades. I heard her speak about the tragedy and paralysis she overcame through working on this book. I took this book out of my local library to read, not sure it would find a place on my shelf but I wanted to check it out. I'd seen the art and it was brilliantly rendered with Bic pens and appeared to be on notebook paper. The original art is done separately and then added digitally to notebook paper for the final image but it does not take away from the intensity and organic nature of the originals. I found the book a good read and of particular enjoyment for me was all the Chicago references and the in depth look at several of my favorite pieces of art at the Art Institute. When I later found out that this was this 50+ year old phenoms first foray into comics and sequential art, I was amazed. I did search out her artwork but it would be a year before I found any being offered by galleries and at the time the content and price didn't connect with me. I waited.

In 2019 I attended the Lucca Comic Festival in Italy and saw an exhibition of Emil's work there. This piece was the highlight for me although there were a number of other outstanding images. After Lucca I traveled to Paris and visited with Galerie Martel who represents Emil's art. I spoke with the owner when I was there and she had very few pieces available but had said that some of the pieces in the show were the gallery's. I thought most of them were private collection pieces but a few were from them. Earlier in pre-pandemic 2020 I went to Atlanta to visit some comic art friends and happened to be there the day one of them got in some art from Emil and again was impressed with it. I decided this was the year for an Emil Ferris piece in my collection. While self-quarantining a few weeks ago I was looking around at some of the European galleries and returned to Gallerie Martel. They had updated with a number of new pieces and I like 4 or 5 of them enough to inquire about including this one which I was secretly hoping would be obtainable. It was. I paid for it but had been waiting to hear from the gallery about a few pieces by another artist they represent which they could not give me prices on. After a bit of time, I decided to have them just ship the Ferris as it seems the other artist no longer wishes to sell his work. It arrived today, well packed and safe.

So here it is, my Emil Ferris piece. I think it is a great portrait for the main character, Karen Reyes. It captures the humor, warmth and kindness of the character well and I thought it was a great stand alone example of Ferris's art. It will be part of the second volume of the book which is being looked forward to by many including myself. I am curious where it will show up in the book. I am planning on framing this but my framing gallery is still closed. I think in future years I will remember this piece for the artist, her story, seeing her at my first SDCC, seeing it in Lucca and this pandemic epoch in which it came in to my collection.

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