Hooded Justice Unmasked from HBO's

Hooded Justice "Unmasked" from HBO Watchmen
By Brian Stelfreeze

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is a seminal work in the medium of comics its execution of storytelling is, flawless. The need for any additional content beyond those twelve issues is not necessary but can be incredibly enjoyable.
When other creators work with the characters and world it naturally makes fans nervous and its particularly uncomfortable for those who know the behind the scenes frustrations and disputes between Moore, Gibbons, and the rights holder DC Comics.

I loved HBO's Watchmen series. It truly had something to say. Showrunner Damon Lindelof threaded a very small needle, the series as a whole stood alone but brilliantly incorporated the mythology that Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons crafted in their 1986 masterpiece. The TV series enriched the world while never invalidating the original comic,

The show shared with many the sadly unknown true story of the Tulsa Massacre. Like the comic it is based on HBO's Watchmen is an incredibly dense experience which gladly encourages multiple viewings. My favorite part is how they incorporated and created an origin for Hooded Justice, a story Moore and Gibbons only hinted at. The episode “This Extraordinary Being” was one of the most powerful hours of television I have ever seen. Jovan Adepo's performance as a young Will Reeves, the last survivor of a long dead town, is incredible. The rage and vulnerability he conveys as he navigates the world as the first masked hero is a masterful performance. Will Reeves wears many masks in his life and Adepo capture all of them brilliantly and beautifully in his performance and Brian Stelfreeze does so as well in this gorgeous Commission .
Brian Stelfreeze is a master of his craft whose impact of the comic medium can't be understated, I love stopping by his table at comic cons, particularly when he is speaking with young artists and providing them such wonderful insights and guidance. At the beginning of October Brian opened his at home commission list for New York Comic Con. I requested him to draw Hooded Justice unmasked and hope that it would be a request he would want to do. When I saw Brian in person at Baltimore Comic Con I asked if he had finished his list as I had made a request. He asked what my request was when I told him his face lit up and said he absolutely wanted to do that request as he loved the series and the story of that character. He told me to follow up with him so that it would stay on his radar. When I saw the finished piece I could not believe it. I was genuinely moved by the power of this piece and I can't believe it will be a part of my collection. The expression and the single tear captures everything I loved about the character. Thank you so much to Brian for doing such an amazing job on this piece.