Daredevil and Elektra "Unrequited" by Kevin Maguire

Kevin Maguire (along with Keith Giffen and John Marc DeMatties) is one of the key creators responsible for cementing my life-long passion for reading and collecting comic books. His artwork on Justice League International/of America in the 1980s blew my mind, as his panels featured iconic characters that had facial expressions (albeit overexaggerated at times) and body language like real, flesh-and-blood people, which was so novel and humorous that it fueled my imagination and left me clamoring for more. I mean, how would Batman really react to a smartass subordinate whom doesn't fall in line: a progression of flippant dismissal, evil-eyed glaring, aggressive posturing, and then..."one punch." How cool was that! From faces of disgust to those of pure exuberance, Kevin continues to show us how real people might react if they were thrown into extremely extraordinary circumstances.

That's why I'm so very pleased to add an original commission from Kevin to my collection, featuring two of my favorite characters in all of comics, Daredevil and Elektra. My collecting buddy (and fellow Global Convention Alliance member), Rob Casteel, offered to track Kevin down at this year's Emerald City Comic Con for me and try his hand at acquiring an original Daredevil sketch from him. I went in thinking that it would be a longshot, as Kevin is extremely popular and always has a long commission list and full schedule. However, to my surprise, Rob reported back that, not only had Kevin hooked me up with my commission request, he even went off script and decided to make it a two-character piece, featuring DD and his famous femme fatale, Elektra. I'm also pleased to say that Rob considered it among the very best that Mr. Maguire churned out during the con, so I'm really thrilled that my request (via the silver tongue of Mr. Casteel) struck such a chord with one of my very favorite artists. What a beauty! The sense of yearning and the iconic emotional barrier between these two complex characters is on clear display here in Kevin's tribute, and I couldn't be more pleased.

A BIG thanks go out to Rob for making all of this possible and to Kevin for going the extra mile on this one.