Magneto as King Lear (the unfinished commission by the late Dave Simons)

I had heard that Dave Simons was battling cancer, but that he was still feeling strong enough to take on commissions. I contacted his agents, Bob & Kim Shaw at Comic Art House, and they informed me that Dave was in fact quite keen to tackle my idea, Magneto & the Scarlet Witch as King Lear and his daughter, Cordelia.



Tragically, last month, I received a message from Bob telling me that Dave had passed away. Despite the loss of his good friend, Bob dutifully informed me that he was unsure of the status of my commission and gave me a couple of options as to how we could handle the matter. I decided to wait and see what, if anything, Dave had completed.



Today, I received an email from Bob containing this image, Dave's pencils and nearly-finished inks for the commission. Needless to say, despite the sad circumstances surrounding its creation, I am quite pleased.



I have asked Mr. Simons good friend, Bob Almond(who is also represented by the Shaws), to complete the commission for me, and Mr. Almond has graciously agreed to do so. In honor of both artists, I plan to make a donation to the Inkwell Awards or to a charity of Mr. Almond's choosing.



King Lear is often referred to as Shakespeare's cruelest play. An arguable point I suppose, but in the context of these circumstances, very apt.



In this scene, Cordelia (the Scarlet Witch), who in act one, was spurned by her father for refusing to flatter his ego, has just been stabbed, executed upon the secret orders of Edmund, the illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester, and a love interest to Lear's other daughters, the traitorous Regan and Goneril. Lear, drawing strength from his anger, slew the assassin and now carries his faithful daughter's lifeless body while howling in agony, like a dying animal.



KING LEAR:
Howl, howl, howl, howl! O, you are men of stones:
Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so
That heaven's vault should crack. She's gone for ever!



I hope this description allows you to see why I think these two characters are perfect for these parts and this scene. And I hope everyone viewing this can understand why I chose Dave for this commission.