Why do we make the requests that we make?

[kaholo1256]

Or with so many artists and characters how do we choose.

 

Right now I’m in the midst of some serious downtime. I’m ending the completion of a very long year and sitting in a tent constantly day in and day out left with my laptop, some wifi, and a *spoon* load of time.

 

While sitting here and watching as I and others like me make requests I started to wonder, why? What’s others stories? How do they come about the requests they make and how to know the perfect artist to make those requests possible?

 

In talking to some of you in just general back and forth PM’s I have found Niro’s enjoyment to Jubilee, Stryfe1000’s passion for Jean Grey, HCE’s requests for the next amazing Ms. Marvel Mutant and the list goes on. I’ve seen others who go more for the homage to a single Incredible Hulk #340 issue or who follow and pick up specific artist requests. But the question still remains. Why?

 

Do we do it for that coveted Best of the Best title of our favorite series, or do we do it out of history for the Characters we love, or even as tribute for the artists who brought these characters into our lives?

 

So what’s your story and why do you make the choices you make?

 

 

I guess since its my idea and my curiosity, why not go first.

 

When I was a kid there were multiple characters that came up in my childhood. Wolverine, Batman, Superman, Spider-man, etc… But in the 90’s the one character I went for most of all originate in the pages of New Mutants #87, Cable.

 

 

 

This was a bad *spoon* dude who came from the future in almost a Terminator style fashion. He was wiling to do whatever was necessary to change where he had come from and began using the New Mutants in order to facilitate that. He made them into a Black Ops unit and eventually with the help of Rob Liefeld became the go to must of my childhood pull list X-Force. I became entranced by all of their battles. His constant struggle with his Clone (Brother) what have you, constant run in’s with Deadpool, and even a few Apocalypse turn-in’s. Then for me their were some of the must read series crossover events that I always latched onto, such as X-Tinction Agenda, X-Cutioner’s Song, and Fatal Attractions. Long story short though, like many of us, I put down the comics and grew old.

 

When I finally came back to picking up a comic here and a comic their one story line seemed to find me and it was my favorite character who pulled me back in. The Messiah Complex. Following this story line was a Cable series of protecting a daughter, a War, and then the return of Cable with a little baggage.

 

It’s from these story lines I drew more appreciation for my favorite character and even more for the man who created him. Since the age of 18 I joined the Army. I became an Infantryman and along with it a few other fun things ensued. I could find myself being the consummate Soldier. Looking for in’s and out’s. A motto our unit used to follow, “Keep up the Fire” eventually transitioned into an unofficial second “Make Mission Happen.” I inadvertently became my comic book hero. But it’s the new storyline that struck me the most. In 2003 I had my first child, a daughter.

 

I was deployed during the first OIF when she was born but when I did come home I couldn’t even leave the airport for over an hour as all I could do was sit and stare. As she grew older I became more protective. I still deployed off to war but always did what was needed to come home to her and keep her safe.

 

Near the end of Second Coming there was a page written that stayed with me and for some reason meant something to me and stands for the reason I make my constant choice in commissions.

 

X-Force #28

Hope - "How will I know?"

Cable - "You'll feel it" - "Like nothing you've ever felt before" - "It'll be like a switch" - "Turned on inside you" - "Like a fire" - "And once that fire's lit" - "Everything will change"

Hope - "Have you ever felt it?"

Cable - "I have." - "The moment I first held you"

 

It was this page of writing that cemented my choice of always going after Cable and Hope commissions for the most part. Don't get me wrong I'll dabble here and there but for the most part its the father daughter bond that relates most with me and my own.

 

My latest Commission was from a moment in that past. From the latest Ed Tadeo opp by Force Majeure, Cable vs Stryfe.

 

 

 

One other note though. Following this request and through Ed's Posting on Facebook, Jun(Force Majuere) pointed out to me a very specific individual who had taken note of the commission and actually commented on the piece. While some may not be a fan of his art, I truly am. He held me to comics and brought to life the series I have enjoyed the most. Anyways a snap shot from Ed's facebook, check out entry number 3

 

[Niro]

As I said to you in PM, your story is a great one.

 

Unfortunately my 'addiction' to getting jubilee art, is down to when I was a kid watching the 90s x-men cartoon. It was this that first got me interested in comics and why i love x-men above anything else. Jubilee was the character I liked the most, at the time i didn't realise why, but I guess it was that she was the kid in the team, and as a kid you can relate to her being left behind or made to do something else while the adults were busy. Simple and silly, but it's why Jubilee is my favourite character and why i enjoy getting jubilee artwork.

Of course my favourite artist is Jim Lee, as the cartoon character of Jubilee was styled on his artwork of her in the 1991 x-men series. One day I would love to get an OA page of his featuring Jubilee.

 

I do get sketch covers of other characters like Magik, Psylocke, Mirage, etc if I feel an artist style would not be best suited to doing Jubilee. For example if an artist has a more abstract style, I would go for Magik, because abstract and Magik go hand in hand. If an artist is more pin-up style then I would go for a character like Mirage. And sometimes based on artist previous work, i go for a different character because they are just damn good at drawing that character.

[MedicAR]

Dang. That is an impressive cover. I mean this with the utmost respect as I have been looking at a lot of Gold Key covers lately and the lighting, colors, and style remind me of George Wilson's GK covers. It is gorgeous!

 

Personally, I don't have a single theme to my books. I started collecting with Fallen Son books and Captain America. They are still among my favorites, but I try to attach the subject matter to the artist and the book. I've got a sweet Elektra by Bill Sienkiewicz, there was no book at the time that had a blank with an attachment to Elektra, so the Avengers was generic enough. I've got a nice Groo by Sergio Aragonés on a Secret Invasion, again, because there was no blank that had anything to do with Groo. I look for artists and characters that I connect or connected with for whatever reason. I really like to get characters by the artist that created them or are very closely associated with them. I really want a Neal Adams Green Lantern, Deadman, and Batman and hope to be able to afford them (one at a time, of course) but I have been successful with many, many others.

 

I'm less focused but at the same time, it allows me a lot more leeway in getting stuff done.

 

This is also why I don't generally participate in the ops here on the boards. It's not that I don't like, appreciate, or respect the artists but I collect stuff that I have an attachment to and by definition, they are new so I have no attachment.

 

That may change, though...

[Stryfe1000]

When I first saw that thread in a recent PM, I was utterly stunned. It's easily one of he best commissioned covers I've ever seen. Now understanding your attachment to the characters it somehow seems even more special.

 

Having a two year old son myself, I can appreciate how much of a chord Cable's quote can hit.

 

Suppose I should share a little myself.

 

I bought my first ever comicbook when I was about 5 years old. The UK reprint of X-Men 1. I was gripped by these weird teenagers and their struggle to beat some truly evil magnet-dude. That book got re-read to the point of disintegration and was lost many many years ago.

 

Fast forward to my teens. More specifically a wet GCSE maths lesson where I found myself sat next to the class nerd. I noticed he had a small stack of comic books in his school bag.

 

Uncanny X-Men 200 - 210

 

After a lot of cajoling and offers to do his homework, I was allowed to borrow them for the weekend.

 

I was hooked. But where were Eye-Beam guy, Snowman and Wing-Dude???

 

Class nerd told me about a local LCS so the following weekend I made my way there and bought the first of a very long list of imported US comic books. That book was Uncanny X-Men 239 - The start of Inferno. To my joy, I found that the X-Men I kind of remembered from many years ago were still around. Not only that, but Marvel girl had apparently died, been cloned, come back to life, become god-like and killed an entire planet.

 

I needed to know more and as such a hunt for Uncanny X-Men back issues turned into many years of comic-based joy.

 

I collect X-Men stuff as it's the book that got me hooked.

 

I love Jean Grey as it's her epic history that made me want to hunt down back issues.

 

Incidentally, I may not have that #1 reprint but I did manage to buy those 200-210 from class nerd for £10 (About $15). They may be well read but they are amongst my most truly treasured books.

[HCE]

That Tadeo sketch is awesome, congrats! Cool that it caught the eye of Liefeld as well.

 

I tend to request my favorite characters, only very rarely will which artist it is affect my character choice. My favorite and go-to character is X-23, and then I have a secondary tier of characters like Domino, Pixie, Psylocke and Kitty. If I don't have a particular preference, I like to let the artist choose from this shortlist as in my experience that yields good results.

 

Personally I'm more about the art than the artist. I'd much rather have an awesome sketch by a "no-name" than a 5-minute doodle by the greatest artist in the world. The latter kind of sketch holds no appeal to me unless something more is made of it by having it inked/colored by other artists.

[Evil Cody]

I'm like Niro as to why I focus on certain characters: Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men: TAS are what got me into comics.

I've always liked the villains and I like to get female sketches, so Harley Quinn and Mystique are two of my main focuses. I love their looks and personalities. The X-Men movies and the Arkham video games made me love them more.

 

I also like to get Magik because I just love everything about her: Her backstory, powers, look, dialogue, demonic-side, etc.

[Bomfy]

First off, that's one of the best sketches I have ever seen, period. Awesome that Liefeld saw it and commented. It's not as huge as Liefeld commenting on your sketch, but I found out via Facebook that an artist really liked a sketch she did for me and decided to make a print of it. For some reason it made me even more enamored with it.

 

I've always been a comic fan, took a break in my early teens and then again in early mid 20's (stupidly sold off a lot, but I digress). Up until I was 9 or 10 it was almost completely Marvel books for me, with the occasional something from other publishers. Then Batman: TAS (don't forget X-Men: TAS not as good as Batman, but still great) started and it was like a whole new world opened up to me. I started reading DC stuff.

 

We're a pretty small group and we can see patterns in what we request. If I'm not putting up a few choices and letting Doug and/or the artist choose it's likely going to be Zatanna or in the recent past Harley.

 

Harley and Zatanna are probably my 2 female characters. Harley thanks to B:TAS and Zatanna because of a conversation I had at my LCS long ago with another customer. He was ancient, and not how kids/young people see adults as old. The owner of the LCS was in his 50's and this guy made him look very young. One day he asked me why I didn't read Superman, and I said it was like he was a God. He laughed and started telling me about how Superman was susceptible to magic and start reading up on it. So, I did and that is that.

 

I tend to get fixated a bit on one character (or a couple) and get them until I get one that I see for the first time and think, that's it, I'm good. Even though it's new Harley my Daniel Leister is so good, I think I'm done with getting Harley sketches for a long while at least. Not saying that my other stuff is not great, it all is, and a few exceptional. Am I the only one here who has gotten a sketch and thought okay I'm good with that character? I have a Zatanna in the works that might just do it, but we shall see. Happened with my Phoenix by Dijana Granov. I saw it and I'm so pleased with it I likely won't need another even though she's such a great character.

 

Even though I get so many DC sketches, Marvel stuff holds a special place in my heart. I have a tough time going with Marvel characters for sketches. I've only had a few and they all have been great. But, I seem to worry it'll taint my childhood memories. That's also why I seem to go more female sketches. As a kid you think maybe you could be a superhero someday.

 

Writing this has made me realize, it's time to branch out a bit. Also, kudos if you read my whole long winded post.

[Goldeneye]

Interesting post. Myself the commissions fall in three categories for me.

The artists that got me addicted to comics like Adams, Grell, and Romita.

Artists which I discovered their work later and loved it like Epting and Romita Jr

Artists whose work looks like they can fit a vision in my head that I want to see on a cover.

For instance Natali Sanders is on my list for two comics, Alfred Trujillo is on my list for another, and Agnes Gabrowski for my Teen Titans project.

[kaholo1256]

It's always fun to read a good Origin story in comics and then even better to read one from our own lives. I have to say its pretty cool knowing I wasn't the only guy who came home from school during the school week to watch Batman the Animated Series as well as the weekend wonder of X-Men animated. Still have that theme song in my head.

 

Niro, we've talked quite a bit in PM's but gotta say the father-daughter relationship between Jubilee and Wolverine has been a commission I have wanted to do for awhile now. Especially with the newest cover of X-Men released a little while ago featuring her and him.

 

MedicAR, I appreciate it. Neal Adams has been one of my favorite artists ever. Trying to get him to do an Avengers headshot collection and was able to get a

[Psithyrus]

I just get characters that I like (Black Canary, mostly), but have branched out to include characters that I think mesh well with a particular artist (even though most artists do beautiful work regardless of subject). I have an Oz blank and an idea for an artist.

 

Recently, though, I have started to get more Firefly/Serenity works. I have two from Sara Richard (the Inara bust she did is gorgeous) and one from Chrissie Zullo. I just really like that show, amd it is something that I share with my friends, who I first watched it with, but are now 1200 moles away.

[Niro]

 

Niro, we've talked quite a bit in PM's but gotta say the father-daughter relationship between Jubilee and Wolverine has been a commission I have wanted to do for awhile now. Especially with the newest cover of X-Men released a little while ago featuring her and him.

 

 

Ah you just made me think of an even better idea...Wolverine has father type relationship with both Jubilee and X-23...and those two x-girls are now best buddies, its like a family haha

 

a sketch cover with all those 3

[kaholo1256]

Niro, Sounds awesome already. For me once I clear some of mine out of the way I'm thinking something like this:

 

I guess having a daughter of my own makes me highly susceptible to seeing mine and her relationship in these. Don't get me wrong I have a son as well and is definitely into comics something huge and I love just the same:

 

But my daughter came first and almost 8 years ahead of little man. I had all of that time with her and once getting back into comics have enjoyed seeing the parallels in the protective and loving father and the adoring daughter's that Marvel produces.

 

 

[Niro]

yep i know that cover, i was going to ask Doug to get slab of that for me, but a little something called sketch covers appeared on my list

 

and Superman?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[kaholo1256]

yep i know that cover, i was going to ask Doug to get slab of that for me, but a little something called sketch covers appeared on my list

 

and Superman?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

 

 

He does Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor and a few others every now and then but we have this thing right now when i come home. He runs up and says "Daddy, Super Kama" which is our thing where I pick him up and launch him as high in the air as i can get him and catch him when he comes back down. Best part is he brings his old Halloween costume up when he wants to do it. What can I say, he knows...

 

But not to worry, I'm already pre-conditioning him for Marvel. Got him the Hulk gloves and now its "Kama Smash" although I think my wife is ready to kill me for teaching him that one...

[hdiddy8706]

My father got me into comics when i was younger and his favorite character, and still is, is green arrow. So it grew on me and i grew up reading mike grell's work (he kept the more mature issues away from me) and then some neal adams when my father considered me old enough and since then i just love the look of green arrow and black canary from those two artists and i love seeing other people draw them

[freshcollect]

Thanks for putting this thread up, I love reading the why behind everyone's personal collections and obsessions.

 

For me, I'm focussing on Hawkeye sketches currently, I wouldn't say my passion is as deep as some of the stories mentioned, but for me I need a focus. Without narrowing it down I'd be buying anything that looked cool (and for me that's most of what's on these boards). Anyway, Avengers was my first super-hero book, and with it was West Coast and Hawkeye at that time, and he soon became my favorite hero.

 

Of course over the course of near 30 years I stopped and started with comics many times, came back to X-Men in the late 90's and jumped on the Image bandwagon, and left Avengers alone for quite a while. Then my next big break from comics came, and I didn't jump back in until the Secret Invasion storyline - that and the epic crossovers that followed really got me back on the Avengers bandwagon (the movie didn't hurt), and all of the Avengers titles are now on my pull list permanently.

 

When it came to my first Con earlier this year a buddy brought me over to Artist's Alley, and I knew if I was going to stay under control, I'd have to narrow my focus. It was easy to pick Hawkeye as my favorite Avenger, and I also added Deadpool as my other favorite character, it also helped that one of the artists I got was Nick Bradshaw, and since he had Deadpool on his resume I had to go that way. Since then the few CGC books I've gotten done to date have been Hawkeye, and I've enjoyed seeing the differing perspectives of various artists on the same character. I think like was said above, I'll know I'm done when I get that one perfect sketch, until then I'll keep looking to get some of my favorite artists on my fav character. Getting Tony Daniel at NYCC was my primary goal when I started this sketch journey, so now it's time for another.

 

On that note, I mentioned above that Avengers was my first hero comic. My first comic was GI Joe, which was my childhood obsession. The comic shop where I got my subs during the later issues was guilty of transitioning me to Avengers, but Joe is always my first passion. I've avoided sketches to date as I'm anal about having an appropriate blank. That all changes next month when the GI Joe blank comes out, and honestly I haven't decided how I'm going to deal with that yet. There's a ridiculous number of characters to choose, and even with it narrowed down to my favorites (those I collect figures of), there's still 7 characters to choose from. I'm hoping to get one artist to do all of them, and from there I'll rotate characters through artists as they come up. That 7 will of course be an investment so I'll be cutting back on the Hawkeye for a while I guess. And that's enough blabber for me.