Happy Anniversary! Top Ten Supergirl Commissions!

I continue my semi-self-congratulatory tenth anniversary of Supergirl blogging by looking back at my every growing collection of commissions. I am pretty lucky that New England has a good convention scene that allows me the opportunity to run into creators on an annual basis. And I am also lucky enough to have a job where I can moonlight an extra shift to fund a convention season, allowing me to at least try to get commissions.

As I write this, I have just under 100 commissions in the collection. Initially I got them on separate Bristol board and would frame them. But I quickly ran out of wall space in the comic area of the basement. It also was kind of hard to share the collection. So a while back I switched to sketch books which I now bring to conventions. It has served me well. I know have a portable art gallery. And artists who I do commission seem to like flipping through the book themselves.

As part of this 10th anniversary celebration, I have been looking at some Top Tens and figured my commission collection was a natural for such a list. The problem is I love all my sketches. So picking a top ten feels like I am rejecting the others. So I am presenting the top ten commissions that stuck out to me today. Ask me tomorrow and I might pick a different 10 all together. And these are listed unranked and alphabetically by artist. This is just the top ten.

If you love any of my commissions, please drop me a note. In the mean time, on to the list,.

Boston Comic-Con 2016: Daniel Govar Commission

Boston Comic-Con was only a month ago but it feels like much longer. Life has been a bit crazy since then. It only makes those three days, dedicated to comic nonsense, that much sweeter in my memories.

The last commission I have to share is this unbelievably fabulous watercolor commission by Daniel Govar. Govar is something of a mainstay at the Boston Con and I have always been impressed with his art. His work is incredible.

I already had a commission from him (see below) and I love. But almost immediately after getting the first commission I realized I had made a mistake. I realized I should have got a full color Supergirl from him. And I had the idea that he would be perfect for a 'flame wing' Supergirl. (For those who don't know, when Supergirl was an Earth Angel, she could manifest flame wings.)

I contacted Govar early on (Twitter is a powerful tool) and set up the commission. And on Sunday, I picked up my sketch book and saw this image.

Unreal. Gorgeous.

Everything works here. The wings. The background. The flaming eyes. The hair straight up. The colors of her costume contrasting the fire.

It is just beautiful.

Boston Comic Con Recap #1: Con And Terry Dodson

Welcome to the first of multiple posts covering my time at this last weekend's Boston Comic Con. This is *my* show, a huge con right up the road that have attended since its inception. This show has gone from being held in an insurance building basement to selling out the Seaport Convention Center. I consider myself lucky that such a great show is in my back yard.

I went to the con with hopes of getting commissions from Terry Dodson, Jae Lee, Tana Ford, and Daniel Govar. I was lucky enough to grab them all.

I have been a fan of Terry Dodson for a long time. He is a really nice personable creator who was fun to meet. He takes a long list of potential commissions on the first day and by the end of Friday he had narrowed down the selections to which commissions he thought he could get to. I decided that the 70s costume would be fun and interesting for Dodson to draw and so asked for that Kara. Luckily, I won the lottery and Sunday morning I picked up the above piece ... just stunning!

This is pure Dodson. But I love how with just copic markers he makes the sleeves seem translucent. And the salute is a nice patriotic touch. I am just thrilled with this piece. I'll be posting the other commissions over the next three weeks on Thursday. But the rest of this post covers the rest of the con.

Closing in on the Boston Comic Con

I know that SDCC starts today. But I'm not going to be there. Instead, I am finding it Hard to believe that in just about 3 weeks from now I'll be standing in line to get into the Boston Comic Con. I have been going to this con since its inception and have been impressed with how it has grown.

Over the last couple of years, the con has started to invite some celebrities to the event but the focus is always on the comics. This year they added a tag line espousing that ideal. "True to comics, committed to fans." I like it.

There is the usual glut of fantastic guests coming this year. And so I thought I would present the list of commission hopes. As you know, I try my best to get 4-5 commissions each year from this con. If I get my top two, I'll be thrilled. But as always, there are others I am hopeful for. And, as usual, the Grail piece will be within eyeshot but most like unattainable.

Here are the commission hopes.

Terry Dodson - I have always been impressed with the sheer beauty of Dodson's work. From the first Peter David Supergirl story in Showcase 96 to runs on Daredevil, Xmen, and Wonder Woman, I have always been drawn to his art.

This is the first time that I'll be seeing Dodson at a convention and so I'll be running to his table first in hopes of getting a Supergirl from him. I am leaning towards the Matrix style costume for Dodson although I might ask him if he'd be interested in doing the 70s version I have become just as fond of.

Jae Lee - My second commission hope is Jae Lee. Lee's stuff is just breath taking. I gushed about his work on Batman/Superman. I especially like the way he draws women. His Huntress, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and Lois were all just gorgeous. Like Dodson, I haven't seen Lee at other conventions I have been to so I am hoping to get on the list.

If I'm able to get these two and nothing else I will be thrilled. I love both their styles. Fingers crossed. But on to the others.

Boston Comic Con Recap #4: Daniel Govar Commission

The Boston Comicon is now a month ago, a fair distance in the rear view mirror. And so here is my last look back at the event.

First off, here is the fourth commission I got at the con, a wonderful Supergirl from Daniel Govar.

I have looked at Govar's stuff for many years at local conventions and have been amazed at his stuff. His work just looks like classic prints in ancient books, like the picture on a page in an old tome in a monastery somewhere. I knew he would produce something fantastic.

I think this commission is fantastic. It is beautiful Kara floating in a stormy sky. There is something about the flow of her hair and cape that is wonderful. The depth, the background, the pose ... all superb!

But in some ways I think I messed up. Looking at this, I really think I should have bit the bullet and had Govar do Supergirl with her flame wings! Maybe another day.

As for the rest of the con, I had such a good time. I was able to meet people I know from social media, meet creators whose work I love, and grab some cool books to read. I am thrilled that this con exists and keeps growing.

Now, onto granitecon !