QUENTIN COLLINS by Andrew Chandler

Part of the fun in collecting original sketches at comicbook conventions is discovery. Usually, when I hand my sketchbook to an artist, I've got no idea who they are. If they've got samples on their table, it can give me some idea of they're style, and also let me know if they're within my budget. If all of the factors align, I'll usually gamble on getting something interesting. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn't.

The sketch above, of David Selby as QUENTIN COLLINS, is one of the times it worked. I suspect artist ANDREW CHANDLER has never seen DARK SHADOWS, but he was able to whip up this sketch with a scant amount of reference material. It's one of my favorite pieces from the 2013 HeroesCon.

BARNABAS COLLINS by Aaron Campbell

More from my sketchbook: BARNABAS COLLINS by Aaron Campbell, the illustrator of the first three issues of Dynamite's DARK SHADOWS comicbook series. This was drawn at the 2013 HeroesCon in Charlotte, N.C., for those of you keeping score at home.

BARNABAS COLLINS by Francesco Francavilla

Francesco Francavilla.

I spent the weekend at the annual HeroesCon in Charlotte, N.C., most of which was devoted to the pursuit of sketches and signatures from the creators in attendance. By the end of the weekend, I managed to add a few more DARK SHADOWS themed drawings to my sketchbook, and plan to share them here over the next few weeks.

It seemed only proper, though, that I lead off with this beauty: BARNABAS COLLINS by artist Francesco Francavilla. Francavilla won the 2012 Eisner Award for "Best Cover Artist" for his work on DARK SHADOWS, THE LONE RANGER, THE BLACK PANTER and others, and created this sketch of Jonathan Frid for me from memory.

While I've been a little hard on Dynamite's various DARK SHADOWS comics, Francavilla has certainly not been part of those books' various problems. He's a terrific artist, one who manages to evoke influences as diverse as Jack Kirby, Eduardo Barreto and Frank Miller without looking very much like any of those guys (if that makes sense.)

You can see more of Francesco Francavilla's work at his official website, www.francescofrancavilla.com.