Dark Phoenix by Paul Gulacy

It's still pretty warm outside but it's feeling pretty nippy in here. Classic early Gulacy work. The tight pencils and ink lines are fabulous and even the colors are very complimentary to the piece. I love the body language, as it appears as if she's in the process of being possessed and you know that means death is coming for the D'Bari!

Really lovely commission piece with great colors!

Gorgeous Gulacy Dark Phoenix rendition!

You really feel the immense power emanating from Dark Phoenix.

Congrats on a beauty of a piece Marcus!

A sensual Dark Phoenix in Gulacy's unmistakable style. Great piece!

Love that pose and those colors!  Really beautiful piece, congrats!

"Now and Forever..."

Beautiful effect on the Phoenix manifestation with the greens and yellows. This is the first time I've seen a Gulacy color piece (I think?) but I'm a fan. Congrats, man! 

Wow - a really beautiful piece by Gulacy. The colors are fantastic.

Don't know who requested this posted Marcus, but glad that they did!

Thanks for sharing this gem.

Power is intoxcating. 

Entrancing

Captures a nice 80s style of this iconic merging

Beautifully done!

Great design ! I love this. Great pick up for sure. 

Interesting choice to use green in the background, but like the effect it gives. Thanks for sharing. 

It's in reference to the X-Men 135 cover which had the green color background.  

Fantastic pose and rendering! 

Really lovely piece, the colors are so well done.  Any idea on year?  It's has the more refined look of his 80s work to me.  Congrats!

I would say it is an 80's work as his more recent color pieces are done on regular bristol board instead of the thick illustration board.  It seemed to be the standard back then for color commissions.  Dark Phoenix only appeared in those few issues back then and this references the X-Men 135 cover which had a green background  hence the green and yellow on the phoenix force here.    

I would say that all the ones he painted on thick Crescent board are mid 80's (specifically 1986).  Not sure this is part of the Donnelly batch, but I was actually at his old comic shop when they all came in.  I think he ordered 6 commissions originally.  Three 2-character pieces, and three single character pieces.  I'm sure other people were also getting commisisons at the time, so it's hard to remember which are from that original Donnelly batch.  I own three of these, but I know for sure only two of them are from that batch.  I always told myself that I would try and snatch these up if and when they ever surfaced.  I love this one, as I don't yet have a single character example.  But yeah, it's pretty easy to tell the newer ones from these 80's examples.  Both from the drawing style, and the different art board that he used (weird that he didn't date this one).   Okay, come on Marcus.  You know you want to trade this to me.   LOL

Cool rendition of Dark Phoenix!!!

This is really nice. Congrats!

Nice!

She's got the whole cosmos in her hands  

She has the itty bitty X-men in her hands....

Beautiful!

Green Phoenix fire glow, nice contrasty choices.  Really good looking commission. 

She has the satisfied look of someone who just consumed a sun.  Beautiful piece by Gulacy!

Great Gulacy -congrats on another amazing pickup. 

Love the classic vibe and the green is a great contrast color for Phoenix. Congrats - thanks for sharing!

Another artist I need to get something from for myself!  Kind of an eerie calm to his Jean, with that pose, ane the green Phoenix behind her.  And loving that color work, boy.  Super effective stuff.  Congrats, Marcus!

Powerful depiction of Dark Pheonix and just love how she looks in this.

I love that he chose green for the flame, which we don't usually see.  The colors really compliment each other here.  

Beautiful Gulacy peice!

Oh this gorgeous green....her hair, the pose!
💚 "Our paths will cross no more. My destiny lies in the stars." 💚

The aura of the Phoenix works extremely well with the character pose, which is unique on its own. Character detail is outstanding and the colorwork is beautiful. Stunning piece, Marcus!

I really did the colorful Phoenix in the background. Nice addition, Marcus.

Beautiful color work! 

Jean looks so beatiful, delicate and WILD at the same time. Amazing art shot by this talented artist! Very, very nice pick up!

There is a primal awe and respect on display in Jean's quiet reverence and posture in this gorgeous rendition.  Wow!

Magnificent !!!

Stunning piece ! Gulacy really put his best effort into this one !

Ooo! Gorgeous Gulacy painting of Dark Phoenix! What a beautiful pinup!

Beautiful piece, Marcus, and great call on the 135 cover shout-out.  Incredible figure work and hypnotic green Phoenix effect.  My first thought in seeing it was the link to the previous "primary color" in Phoenix's costume, and how it felt like a bit of a wistful callback to her former incarnation, before the power consumed and corrupted...?  A bold and captivating color choice, to be sure.  Superb pick up, Marcus!  Congrats!

Wow, that's so impressive (and so Gulacy!), congrats!

Me, conversing with my late teens/early 20 year-old self, trying to imagine a "what if" scenario, as if Paul Gulacy had taken over the X-Men in the first half of the 80s. This whole world of imaginary possibilities contained in this one single piece. 

Wow, this is gorgeous, love it!

A rare treat indeed! I especially love the inscrutable expression on her face: so out of this world, already...

Love this vibrant, original take on Phoenix! Prime Galaxy.

We must all stand to attention as the Phoenix and other things are rising,,,Great Gulacy piece.

I'm a huge Paul Gulacy fan.  His art on MOKF kept me reading comics at the age most guys stop.  He's as nice a person as he is a great artist.