Here's a commission I'd forgotten I'd never posted, from way back in 2002.
If you look elsewhere in my gallery, you'll see a piece very, very similar to this one. The other one features primarily the same characters (plus some additional ones) and the same layout. Basically, its the same scenario depicted by two different artists. As Deandre Coles says on his Saturday Night Live skit, "What Up With That?"
Sigh -- long story. Basically this: I decided to have a commission done using the cover of INFINITY GAUNTLET #2 as a template. I commissioned the piece, paid for it, and the original artist stopped responding to my e-mails. After repeated efforts, I just considered it a lost cause. However, I still wanted the scenario done, so I commissioned a second artist. In the end, both artists came through, so therefore two commissions.
This version is penciled by the phenomenal Tom Lyle. Unlike the other version, Tom wanted to do fewer viewscreens in order to draw the characters appearing on them larger, so I went with his request. It was inked by Robert Jones, who I think did a great job here. I commissioned both of them via a gentleman named Raymond Stewart, who repped them both through his website the Comic Art Warehouse. Raymond, the CAW, and Robert Jones have all been lost to the mists of time, but wherever they are, I thank them for making this happen, and of course, the incredibly talented Tom Lyle, whom fortunately the mists haven't claimed yet.
Who's Who:
The guy in the big center screen is Brother Man, who starred in his own independently published 6-issue limited series from back in the 80s -- or maybe it was the 90s. Let's just say it was quite a while ago.
Left section:
Orpheus -- Gotham City's first superhero of color. Killed off not too long thereafter.
Rocket -- the teen-aged partner of Icon, of Milestone Comics fame.
Storm -- Come on, do I really have to tell you who she is?
Rage -- A member of Marvel's New Warriors, as well as a mercifully short-loved member of the Avengers.
Hardware -- Star of his own Milestone Comics series.
Crimson Avenger -- Associate of the Justice Society of America, or JSA, or whatever they go by now.
Middle section:
Night Thrasher -- From the New Warriors. Killed off during Marvel's CIVIL WAR series.
Luke Cage -- You already know him.
Josiah Power -- One of the star's of DC's short-lived THE POWER COMPANY series.
Triathlon -- Former member of the Avengers.
Right section:
Brother Voodoo -- I think you know him already. Killed off in AVENGERS. Hmmm...is there a pattern here?
Bishop -- formerly with the X-Men. Later turned against the team and now is something of a villain of sorts, because, you know, they had way too many black guys on the X-Men. Let me stop.
Muhammad X -- Made one appearance in an issue of SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL. Hasn't been seen since anywhere in the DC Universe. In fact, he's appeared in more commissions by me than he has comics by DC. That's okay DC, that's why I"m here.
Icon -- Star of his own Milestone Comics series.
Skyrocket -- see Josiah Power above.
Black Lightning -- You already know him.
Falcon -- see Black Lightning above.
Static -- Star of his own Milestone Comics series, as well as a short-lived recently canceled one published by DC.
On the floor (from left to right): Steel, Black Panther, Mr. Terrific (seated) and Monica Rambeau (aka Captain Marvel, Photon, and Pulsar).
