Original art rules!
Why I read comics.
Well, superhero comics, anyways.
Boy, scanning double page spreads is something of a pain. Anyways, the above, for folks who can't identify it, is the titanic, yea, apocalyptic battle with the Anti-Dad, as depicted in issue #1 of Seaguy (by Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart doncha know). I was blown away by this page when I read the comic and was doubly knocked out by it when I saw the original art. This is the sort of thing that sparked my imagination when I was a wee nipper, lurking around spinner racks and pawing newsprint, hoping for a glimpse into the amazing, the awe-inspiring, hoping for a blast of pure imagination.
Yes, I'm a nostalgic sot, I'll admit. Self-doubt and internal monologue make for meatier stories (sometimes, when in good hands), but there are times that I want a hit of something a little stronger, and dare I say it, a little more fun. Dour and troubled superheroes (and villians) might be the vogue, but they sure get old.
So, anyways, I'm at the SDCC this year, and I walk past the Splash Page Art booth, and of course I have to take a look at Cameron Stewart's books there. And of course, there's THAT PAGE right there in front of me. I could try to talk myself out of it, but there just wasn't any point. Sitting right in my hands was the very sort of thing that got me hooked on comics in the first place (granted, in a slightly different incarnation.) Sure, superheroes are dumb and peurile and dopey, and I don't read nearly as many of their adventures as I once did, but I didn't argue. When you have a visceral reaction like mine, you pay attention to it.
Now the original art awaits a nice presentation and a favored place on my wall. Life's okay like that.