Talk about hitting the ground running! I and some of my Kubert School friends (including Sean Tiffany and Chris Wichtendahl) attended the 1998 San Diego ComiCon, and we had a real blast. Sean had a booth promoting his late-lamented comic, Exit 6. He was right down a walkway to the Artist's Alley, where Nick Cardy had a table.I don't remember how I got the idea exactly to ask Mr.Cardy for an Aquaman sketch, since I was not someone who ever did that, but somehow I got the idea. I politely asked him if he could do it, and he readily agreed. While he drew I asked him some questions about doing comics back in the 60s and 70s, and he was very nice about answering my nervous, inane questions. He was done very quickly and I was thrilled to get a sketch of my hero by the Nick Cardy!
With the glow still coming from the paper, I noticed that right next to him was Ramona Fradon. I have always loved Ms. Fradon's work, having first discovered it in the Super Friends comic. She, too, made a name for herself drawing Aquaman, so I asked if she would be willing to do a sketch for me, as well. She said sure and you can see the drawing she did--it's just beautiful. When I asked her how much, she asked me "How much did Nick charge?" "$25.00" I said. "$20.00, then." she replied. What a sweetheart!
I left them, reveling in my good fortune--I got two Aquaman sketches by two great artists, and I didn't make a total jackass of myself (bonus!). I showed the sketches to Sean, and I think at that moment, the idea of Collecting Aquaman Sketches was born. The slight whimper, barely heard over the din of the crowd, was from my wallet anticipating the inception of a very pricey hobby.
1 comment:
Wow! These are very nice, and I'm suitably impressed. I love seeing how artists interpret iconic characters, such as Aquaman, differently, and sketch books really offer you an opportunity to compare and contrast. I can't wait to see the other sketches to be posted this week.
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