Hi, Everybody!
So, I got a weird email from "Dave," with some images , and no context.
But thanks to Friend of the Blog, and Heir to the Throne, Eddie Khanna (and Dave's Patreon,) I got the lowdown:
CEREBUS BIRTHDAY CARD NO. 1 (2019)
Hi everyone! I wanted to give everyone the heads up about this special reward for Patrons from Dave:
"As you should be seeing soon on AMOC, Neal Adams has agreed to let me use a drawing he did of Cerebus for Dean Reeves as CEREBUS BIRTHDAY CARD No. 1 (2019). When you get a chance please let the Patreon Patrons know that they each get a personalized one mailed to them in time for their (2019) birthdays."
I'll be looking into getting addresses and birthdays from anyone interested, (which I assume should be possible through Patreon; otherwise I'll collect them through my email), and will let everyone know once I've set it up (along with an image of the illustration, which I assume is the one found here:)
Best,
Eddie
Sounds like now is the time to become a
Patreon Patron if you're not already one.
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| It is the image Eddie linked, click for biggerness |
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| Click. Big. Er. |
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| The inside of the card |
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| Neal says this is cool. |
Also,
Comics Link. Go. Bid. WIN!
Next Time: Judenhass, I swear...
6 comments:
Neal!
He is the greatest Penciller of all time. There is no debate.
The greatest Comic Book artist of all time though is Kirby. There is no debate.
Um, not to rain on anybody's parade, kindergarten to third grade is four years. Although, many, if not most, third-graders are nine years old. Regardless, very cool.
I think the joke is that Cerebus got held back several years....
Yeah, looks like Jeff got thrown off his high horse again...
Gratuitous Comicsgate Reference: I wonder what Mr. Van Sciver et. al. make of the legendary O'Neill/Adams "Message" issues of GL/GA?
Okay, yeah, I see the joke now. I was tired when I read it, so, please, "rendereth Thou unto me a fucking break"!
Hey Everybody,
Dave asked me to write a few notes on how this Birthday Card came about. So here goes.
It all started back in the mid 80's when I first discovered a comic about a little grey aardvark. It quickly became my go to comic and has pretty much been that way long after Dave and Gerhard finished it at 300 (a re-read occurs on an almost yearly basis)…anyway…in 1987 a book called Anything Goes came out - Issue number 3 to be specific - this issue featured an AMAZING cover image of Cerebus by none other than Neal (frickin’) Adams - with a pose that was based on Neal’s own creation - Armor . I loved it! It was…no…is…incredible.
Fast forward many years. Many, many years (I don’t want to say decades even though it applies). Neal was going to make another appearance at a local convention (he had come several years prior and I got a mandatory Batman head sketch from him but I didn’t think of asking for a commission at that time). So I decided to look at his commissions prices and see what’s what. After my initial sticker shock I decided I would bite the bullet and get a commission from the master. But what to get. I already had a Batman head sketch, I always liked his Deadman, there was also his Green Arrow/Green Lantern, Black Canary…etc. etc. but I wanted something he would not normally draw.
CEREBUS!
I went through the Official Neal Adams commission procedure and contacted Jason Adams (who handles the commissions) about getting on the list. I submitted a few Cerebus reference images to Jason, just in case, so that Neal would know what I was hoping for. But it is Neal Adams, so I was sure I would be happy with whatever he decided. Among the images I sent was the Barry Windsor Smith cover to Swords 5 which, if you look at the medallions and toes, that cover seemed to have a bit of an influence on the final piece (although Neal did do the same style of toes for Anything Goes).
Day one of the show I go straight to his booth. He hasn’t even unpacked yet, and this is a man with a lot to unpack…the real estate he has on the convention floor is massive. There are usually about 5 show volunteers guarding the perimeter to ensure no one takes anything. So I introduce myself, “Hi, I’m the guy that asked for the Cerebus drawing”, he smiles, tells me he had a lot of fun doing it. I said “you probably don’t get many requests for Cerebus”, and he surprised me by saying he has had a few over the years There goes my individuality). He brings out the drawing and BAM! Amazing! I immediately loved it, the pose was perfect, the expression was perfect, my favourite part - that foreshortened arm extending outwards…classic Adams. We talk about Dave, about Cerebus, about Neal, about stuff. The man is incredible.
After the show was over, and I had this amazing image to look at, I thought to myself…you know who might like this? Dave. Dave might like this.
By the way, Dave also wanted me to stretch this story out so I’m going to continue this on another day.
If anyone feels like talking about this, or contacting me please leave a comment under this one.
Thanks
Dean
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