Supergirl by García-López & Ordway

In my opinion, José Luis García-López is the best, unheralded talent at DC Comics! From 1982, he created their character style guides, which would inform licensees for the ensuing decades. His work on the second series of Atari Force from scripts by Gerry Conway in 1984 made it, hands down, the finest looking book on the stands. And his joining team Titans in 1985 reinforced the book’s hold as one of the publisher’s top titles! So when he attended a store signing in town later that year, I had the rare opportunity to chat with a favourite artist, and ask for this wonderful drawing. And what a pleasure it was to watch him work!

I met Jerry Ordway at the Chicago convention in 1986. It was always possible to spot a project he’d inked - his brushwork invariably enhancing the base drawing, never overwhelming it! This was the first of three convention sketches he agreed to ink. Once home again, I had a local graphics house produce stats that he would lightbox to create the final drawings, warning the project might spill into the new year, as his schedule was quite full up. Eventually the package arrived, and I was very happy with the results. Here is the first of three!