Supergirl and Streaky by Jim Shooter

Jim Shooter has always been an enormous inspiration to me, especially since I really started getting into Legion comics when I was around thirteen, the same age he was when he began writing scripts for DC. His contribution to the Legion's mythos is probably second to none. I'd always hoped I would get the chance to meet him, and was heartbroken when I learned of his passing earlier this year. You can bet that his legacy lives on in just about every Legion comic written after his initial contributions to the title, though (not to mention all the other parts of the comic book world he had an enormous impact on). Before I discovered CAF, I had no idea Shooter would sometimes turn his talents towards drawing, and not just writing. I'm not quite sure if he would take commissions, or just do convention sketches, or something else entirely, but as an art collector, I'm certainly thankful for the chance to own a piece by one of my favourite comic writers, which doesn't happen very often in the OA world.

This piece is really something special, too. I'd worked out an agreement with a good friend of mine to have him ship me one of his spare large portfolios (since I just keep on buying art, you see), and when the portfolio arrived, I found that he'd tucked this piece inside it as a little extra surprise! And now I own a genuine, bona fide Jim Shooter piece, which is just incredible. Not only does it feature the Silver Age Supergirl (the Silver Age being the time when she most frequently interacted with the Legion), but it has Streaky the Super-Cat, too! I don't know if I'll ever end up with another piece of art featuring him, since I don't collect much in the way of Supergirl comics, so I'm delighted to have an example of him here, and by such an impactful Silver Age figure, besides.

It's such a sweet piece, too! It was purchased from a dealer some time ago, so no telling what Shooter's original intent for the context was, but I think whatever way you look at it, it comes out very romantic. Obviously, being the Legion fan that I am, I like to think her bouquet of roses is from Brainiac 5, either gifted in person or sent back in time, just for her.