Mike Deodato, Star Wars, Vader vs. Luke, Commission

I discovered this dynamic undated commission by Mike Deodato for sale last year at NYCC. Something about it — the composition, Luke’s face, the overall “loose” style — reminded me of Carmine Infantino’s enjoyable run on the original Marvel series 40 years ago.

When I acquired the piece at NYCC, it was pencils only, and although it looked fine, my gut told me to get it inked. (Sadly, my guts often have opinion.) It was definitely still a bit "rough."

Fortunately, my pal Andrew Pepoy, the talented inker, happened to be literally nearby. Turns out, he always wanted to ink the late Infantino, and, well, maybe this is the next best thing…

He nailed it — keeping the looseness intact, while adding polish and depth to make it pop. (Look at Luke’s Lightsaber against Vader’s cape for instance.) This is especially impressive because the pencils were created on an odd very thin paper stock. Definitely not an easy task.

https://greggoldsteincomicartgallery.com/mike-deodato-andrew-pepoy-family-feud/