A little while ago, I posted a comment about how I enjoy commissions which ask that I draw unusual, obscure or originally-designed characters far more than I do mainstream popular characters, and this was largely a true statement. There are some exceptions...ask me to draw Iron Man, and I'll do a backflip every time. But especially the truly iconic characters give me pause, because I've never been able to do them very well. I had a successful Wonder Woman last year, but in her golden age garb. I've done a few decent Batmen. But Superman is of the worst for me. I don't dislike drawing him, but I'm rarely pleased with the result. So when I was asked to do an illustration of the Big Blue Boy Scout for a friend's son, I was hesistant. If I can't draw Superman to look like Superman to MY eyes, how will I do a convincing piece for a 12 year old with that laser keen eyesight and media-saturated memory the kids today wield? So many talented artists have put their stamp on the guy, that while I'm struggling with finding the right look for Jor-El as a balance between his classic comc style and my mental image of him as an iconic figure, this young fellow has been spoiled by multiple, varying interpretations of the hero from today's hottest, or at least most popular, artists.

Anyway, I ultimately decided to do a version that captured a synthesis of his longest-term costume design, the more traditional sense of him being powerful without being overbuilt, and focus my energies on his face and expression: Superman to me has always been impossibly powerful, but an outsider yearning to fit in, and carrying an impossible optimism and youthful naivete into very messy human affairs. I don't particularly like the grim n gritty applied to the Superman mythos. I like him to be above that stuff, not overburdened by the tragedy of humanity not living up to it's potential, but rather intentionally presenting himself as a positive ideal, crafting his own image as a being above politics and personal motivation. Mark Waid recently wrote an essay on why Superman does what he does, which was a great thought-provoking read. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy moments when Supes has run out of patience, where he drops the higher ground thing and gets a little bit angry. But ultimately, I like the idea that this being of such immense power might float there, confidently, and just... give you a knowing smile. Because more than anything, he wants to RELATE to the average human. So this piece became about the face for me. In the end, I quite liked it, despite it's flaws. Because I look at him, and I feel like I'm seeing the Superman I imagine.

And, of course, getting paid for it is all the sweeter.