SwanShadow Thinks Out Loud

We’re heading into the home stretch of our seven-day review of the best comic art commissions we picked up during the past twelve months.

I believe that I can say without too much fear of contradiction that I’m the only collector in the comic art field who regularly commissions art featuring either Isis, star of the classic 1970s Saturday morning TV series The Secret of Isis (and later, The Shazam!/Isis Hour), or Taarna, the iconic warrior from the groundbreaking animated science fiction anthology Heavy Metal. This year, my favorite new Isis and Taarna artworks both happen to also be entries in my primary commission theme, Common Elements.

Favorite Isis Commission:
“Ye Gods!” (costarring the mighty Thor)
Pencils and inks by Steve Rude

If you’re going to put together a retro heroine from the Disco Decade and a superhero cocreated and designed by Jack “King” Kirby, there’s one artist at the top of your wish list: Steve “The Dude” Rude. This amazing tableau demonstrates the reason Rude was the perfect choice for this combination.

Favorite Taarna Commission:
“One-Way Ticket to Midnight” (costarring the original Sandman)
Pencils by Edgar Tadeo

I had no idea what Ed Tadeo — one of the brightest talents among the new school of comics artists coming out of the Philippines — would do with the pairing of Taarna and the Golden Age hero Sandman. Ed devised an evocative scene with a hint of mystery and subtext. Then he drew the heck out of it.

In tomorrow’s post, we’ll trot out the two best single-character commissions from 2009 that don’t fit into any of my established theme categories. They’re simply two great drawings that deserve a second look. We’ll see you here in 24.

And that’s your fifth chapter of Comic Art Year-End, 2009.

This entry was posted on December 29, 2009 at 11:30 am and is filed under Comic Art Friday. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.