Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Boston Comicon Recap #2: Matthew Clark

I continue my review of recent conventions with this look back again at Boston Comic Con this year.

I have been collecting commissions for about 13 years now and I have a couple of basic rules of thumb.
1. I have to like the style of the artist to get a commission
2. It is a bonus if the artist has a connection to Supergirl
3. It is a bonus if I consider the artist one of 'my favorites'
4. They have to be affordable

The top three is pretty easy to figure out. It is that last one that is the tricky one.

I saw that Matthew Clark was going to be going to the show and I pretty much knew I was going to target him for a commission. He drew a Doom Patrol book that I loved as well as the covers for Huntress Year One. I like his style a lot. And he did the Omens and Origins story in Supergirl #38 back in the Gates/Igle run.

And thankfully he was affordable. This three quarter body commission was something of a steal. Just gorgeous with all the copic work. I love the pose with one hand behind the back, adding a bit of innocence or maybe mild insecurity to the feel of Kara. And that expression is just great.

Really a great addition to the collection.


As a process guy, I was glad that Clark let me grab a picture of the work in progress. I love seeing how it all plays out.


And Clark was a super-approachable guy. I talked to him about the creative process and his Doom Patrol book while there.

His handler threw the bunny ears behind Clark's head when I took this pic.


And he signed books for free if he could personalize them. He otherwise would charge $10. He called this the 'McKone solution', apparently how Mike McKone handles sigs.

Overall I was just thrilled with the interaction.

I can say that the three commissions I got at the convention together cost less than some artists were charging by themselves. I was so happy that I could afford Clark's piece. Wonderful.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is a beautiful piece. Kara looks insecure and at the time daring anyone take her on.

She also looks older. Curious. Have you gotten the feeling that artists nowadays tend to draw Kara like a woman in her early twenties instead of a teenager? Jack Herbert, Patrick Zircher, Robson Rocha, Stephen Segovia... they make her look like a young adult.

I remember that Sterling Gates issue. Sigh. That run was soooo good. Why people can't go past the first issues is beyond me.

Anonymous said...

I like her quizzical little smile, thats the charm of Supergirl she' can smile and find humor in things and show her emotions a bit, she "Loves the Job" her poor cousin "Is The Job" and thus is reduced to scowling (if you don't believe me, when was the last time Henry Cavill winked at the camera?)

JF