Ben 10 Going Hero (and his Aliens) by Dave Johnson

We all have those things that we look back on in a fond, nostalgic way. For me, one of those things is the early 00's Cartoon Network hit "Ben 10". For those who might not know it, it's a show about a ten year old, Ben Tennyson, who happens to find an alien watch which gives him access to ten alien heroes. Considering I was ten-ish at the time of airing and loved comic books & sci-fi, you could see the appeal. Together with his family, he goes on a road trip in the US & has plenty of superhero adventures.

None other than Dave Johnson was the character designer on the show & created the look for all the major players. The first batch of aliens, as well as Ben & his family. Unfortunately, there are reasons why he doesn't look back too fondly on his time on the show. Nevertheless, he was happy to do a commission at FACTS end of October this year & to commemorate that part of my childhood.

For this piece, Dave drew a Ben at his "going hero" moment & debating which hero he would pick. I made sure my favorites Diamondhead, Heatblast & Four-Arms were present. Dave added in Grey Matter on his own.

He definitely leaned more into the design element for the piece: the circles fit (logically) well with the aesthetic of the show and are a great, economic way to add in the different aliens. There's also some almost Kirby-esque Krackle to the background - again, in line with the show. The marker work, highlighting the green light that would emit from the Omnitrix watch, is also such a nice touch.

This commission's size is 10x14 & it was done in pencils, inks & markers - the only piece in markers which he did at the show, actually.