Nowlan, Kevin: Robin

I've heard complaints that Kevin Nowlan makes everyone he inks look like Kevin Nowlan; to this I say, who WOULDN'T want their art to look like Kevin Nowlan's? His inks are out of this world, absolutely. I became enamored with his "Legends of the DC Universe" story featuring Robin and Superman at the age of twelve, and went to this particular convention almost exclusively to track him down and snag a Robin.

I think he initially thought I was younger than I was, as he was surprised that I was willing to pay for a commissioned illustration (but he was very kind about the whole thing). Much to my agitation, a couple who were clearly eBay autograph auctioneers were right before me in line, and asked if they could have their seemingly infinite items autographed before I grabbed my piece. This clearly agitated Nowlan, who, after a certain number of items, said "hey, let me get this kid his sketch first!"

I recall being flabbergasted when he said "I usually, uh, draw him kind of young... is that okay?" Before he even finished the statement, I (over-eagerly) said "Oh, NO, I LOVE the way you draw him!"

He whipped this out in like ten minutes and it's so tight, and straight out of that "Legends" story. Come to think of it, I'd LOVE to see his take on like a Gil Kane teenage Robin, now that he brought it up. Maybe the next time he returns to the tri-state...