Nate Powell - X-Men Address the United Nations

Perhaps one of the most incredible commissions I've ever had the pleasure of receiving. There's a long backstory here: I met Nate at OAX 2026 and we really hit it off talking about his "On a Sunbeam" commission which I was lucky enough to see at his table. Nate (and Sean) was one of the kindest persons I've ever met. He even recognized my Valentine Smith "Ask me about the X-Men" pin which cued me in that he knows his stuff and really supports other artists. Nate also really loves the X-Men, as do I. Nate would go on later that day to become an inaugural Jack and Roz Kirby Award Winner. He is most deserving of this award. You can read about his award here: https://www.seemybrotherdance.org/seemybrotherdance/2026/2/23/jack-amp-roz-kirby-award-for-independence

I barely made it 48 hours before I was in touch with Nate and Sean (from Athenaeum Comic Art) to grab a commission. 

Nate approached my ideas with an unwavering exuberance. The idea of having Cyclops giving a speech at the U.N., taking some inspiration from the Trial of Magneto spoke to me as an attorney, as well as, having a connection to Nate's work on March and other politically inspired artworks. Nate jumped into this immediately and the prelim blew me away. We collaborated closely on a lot the characters, costumes, and the postage stamps to capture the close ups.

Nate did such an incredible job.

When I opened this piece I looked at it and it feels so warm and fuzzy, so much so you just want to crawl into it. The inks are so confidently expressed onto the page capturing the fluid pencils underneath. The colors glow with energy. 

I love that this was Nate's first time including Emma in a piece, and I love that he was gracious enough to surprise me with Logan set offstage. I definitely workshopped to myself what Scott would say, and the reactions really signify how I believe the X-Men would react. 

This is one of those pieces which has tremendous personal significance. Cheers Nate, I owe you one! Also, thank you Sean - go grab everything from Athenaeum right this instant!

Nate Powell - X-Men Address the United Nations

11" x 17"