Deadpool by Alvin Lee

Back at the beginning of the new millennium, Udon Studios - and specifically Alvin Lee - was handling the art chores on Gail Simone's Deadpool run (and the brief Agent X fill-in series). It was during that time that I picked up this sketch from Lee at a con in the summer of 2002. While Deadpool certainly had a following at the time, it was nothing compared to what's it become today.

Deadpool is an ideal character for my "Ouch" theme. Lee renders him in a fairly typical super-hero fashion here, and his manga-influence style isn't as readily apparent. Strictly on its own, this pencil sketch doesn't really convey the silly or oddball nature of the theme or this moment of violence, but Lee's decision to include the thought balloon brings a goofiness to bear that I appreciated.