Q&A with Justin 2Pages

Which piece in your gallery is your favorite and why?

The write-up I did for this piece goes into greater depth but basically Tradd Moore's art captured my attention after reading Ghost Rider. I knew I wanted a commission from him but I never knew which cons he was attending, he may have even been in-between reps at the time and he doesnt do them very often. So it took a few years before I finally got the opportunity so I initially signed up for 2! This ended up being the result, a opus of a commission if you ask me and probably a few others.

Please tell us a little about yourself.

Late 30's, N.West coast native. Keeping it weird.

How long have you been collecting comic art and what prompted you to start?

I bought my first piece of art at a con in 2015, it was unpublished pencils and I overpaid but it grabbed my attention and I still have it. Started to pick up more after having a conversation with a con-friend of mine who was already into OA. The idea of having a 1 of 1 was the tipping point for me.

How do you display/store your collection at home?

Most of my art is in folders but I have a few framed pieces too.

What are your top five most wanted original pages or commissions?

1. Amazing Spider-Man 375 (anything) 2. DC Showcase 94 1-2 (Joker, New Gods stories) 3. Tradd Moore (anything) 4. Werewolf BY Night 32 or Sienkiewicz Moon Knight 5. Silver Surfer (Alex Ross commission)

Grail

Silver Surfer: Black - Relativity

In summer of 2018 I received notification from Felix that Tradd Moore would be accepting a limited number of commissions. I'm pretty sure time slowed down a bit in that moment, like the neck dart scene in Old School; once I realized that I wasn't hallucinating, I emailed Felix requesting two commission spots, he responded back to confirm that I had claimed at least one but they wanted to keep the limit to one per customer so others could have a chance as well. Since I was thrilled to have anything, when Felix wrote me back a few days later to tell me that Tradd had agreed to extend his list due to crazy high demand and that if I still wanted the second commission I could have it; so I swallowed the lump in my throat and took the plunge! Though no small amount, and knowing this might just be the best if not only chance I would get for a while, I decided to go as big as possible.

Since I had missed his previous list sometime around 2016, I had been a jotting down commission ideas in case the opportunity presented itself. I gave a few to Felix in hopes that they would play well with Tradd's styles. After that it was sit back and wait. I've learned over the years that commissions can easily take months, possibly years, especially from a dedicated and busy artist like Tradd so I did my best to be patient.

Fast forward a year to mid-2019 and the massive success of Silver Surfer Black; which blew everyone's mind and put the entire industry on notice. The Surfer is very special to me, so once I was lucky enough to land one of the coveted pieces from SSB, a light bulb went on and after some self-deliberation, I emailed Felix and asked if it was possible to scrap the two separate commissions and instead combine them into one larger “Wall-Power” piece featuring the Silver Surfer? Tradd had not yet started on mine so after a phone call from Felix, it was a-go. To add an extra layer of ‘Traddicalness’ to it, I asked if there could be a theme of surrealism in the vein of M.C. Escher, a favorite of mine (and apparently Tradds too). To my delight, Tradd agreed and seemed to be jazzed about it. It just seemed like a natural fit to blend those themes together, especially since SSB was as surreal & mind-bending as many of Escher's best works.

The results are...well, incredible, just incredible. I think "WOW" was about all I could say for several minutes when I saw it for the first time. I feel like I'm looking into another dimension or realm of space where time has no meaning and reality as we know it is absent. The sheer amount of energy/effort it must have taken to pencil then brush; yes BRUSH, all of those lines, just hurts my hand to think about. Of course the background is eye-catching but then there is Surfer himself, humanoid sure, but with proportions that seem more alien than we're used to seeing him have and the arms, man...just blow my mind! Not to mention he looks like he's about to fly right out off the paper! I mean my goodness, the lines, THE FREAKIN LINES!! I’m tripping out on details like the different textures and perspective of distances, not to mention the way his shadow casts beneath and how it perfectly mimics his silhouette. Just bonkers man. Even in b&w I can see the way Tradd drew the chromium finish reflecting the surroundings on his metallic skin. The geometry involved, the angles and architectural design that went into this piece is just astounding to say the least!

I seriously can't believe I actually get to put this one on my wall! Now begins the hunt for a suitable frame for the monster 18" x 24" masterpiece. Apparently this is largest commission Tradd has done to date and the first ever done in those dimensions. As Felix and I discussed over the phone, having just wrapped SSB, now was an optimal time for Tradd to pull this one off. It seemed that the stars did some aligning and perhaps a little power cosmic came into play to forge this beautiful image into existence. I truly could not be more honored and humbled to own this amazing work of art! In an effort to give this piece something of a working title, I have taken to calling it "Relativity" in honor of one of Escher's most famous works.

Huge, cosmic sized thank you's to Felix and Tradd for making this happen.

About The Owner

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Member Since: September 2015
Last Login: April 2026
Ebay Id: silveriderblackghostpanthersurfer
Country: UNITED STATES
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