Shadowcat - Paul Smith

Those who know me know that my favorite monthly title of all time is probably the X-Men. In particular, the Paul Smith run on those books stands out to me because, as they were coming out, I was in my teenage years and in the absolute prime of my collecting frenzy--when I ate, slept, breathed and dreamed every book like it was the only thing that mattered in the world. Furthermore, though many subsequent artists have done outstanding jobs, nobody, to my mind, has ever quite captured Kitty Pryde and Lockheed--the magic in those characters--quite like Mr. Smith did then. Being that she's one of my favorite characters of all time, when I saw this piece come up on eBay, I simply had to have it. Unfortunately, when it came down to it, though, the auction got far too expensive for me...and though it killed me, I had to let the piece go.

But this piece would continue to haunt me for a long time afterward. Finally, after almost a year after its sell date, I contacted the owner to see if he'd be willing to part with it, only to find out that he'd gotten it for a friend. But my persistence paid off...he was nice enough to ask that friend if they'd be willing to sell it, which they finally did...perhaps only to get me to stop bothering them!

So finally, I've got one of my favorite pieces in my entire collection, against all odds. The lesson to be learned here: stubborn persistence reaps rewards!

I usually thank the seller and artist at the end of my little stories about each piece, but as the seller never gave me their real name, I'm loathe to offer their eBay screen name as a substitute here. In any case, many thanks to the seller and his friend...and thanks, Paul!!! :D