Sketchbook Commission - Tyler James

For general info about my convention sketchbook's theme, click here.


This is the first of a couple sketches I picked up at the 2010 Baltimore Comic-Con.  A friend of mine found out that Tyler James was offering a deal through his website that the first fifty people that contacted him before the convention would get a free sketch card (the size of a baseball card) of a character of their choosing.  He would also do a full character sketch on 7x10.5 inch board for $10.  Well, I thought this was a real nice deal, and poking around his site I saw that he has a nice style, so I emailed him.  For the free sketch card I requested ROM and am quite pleased with it.



I think I'm going to hang this on the front of my ROM shortbox.  It's all like "WOAH! There's Spaceknights all up in this box! Watch yourself, human!"

For the commissioned sketch I asked him to do Hawkeye because I've been wanting to get a Hawkeye sketch and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.  I explained the concept of my sketchbook and sent him the site address and left the details up to him, like I always do.  The result is so cool, unexpected, and characteristically Hawkeye that I immediately fell in love with it!


As Tyler explained to me, "It's Hawkeye jumping out of someone else's car that he just drove off a cliff."  That is definitely something Hawkeye would do!  This baby's going up on my wall.  This is EXACTLY the type of action shot I was hoping for when I came up with the idea for this sketchbook!  I love all the stuff I've gotten, but I feel like this really hits the full "action" potential of the collection.  So thanks for the awesome sketch card and commission, Tyler!

You can all see Tyler's website and check out his projects over at TylerJamesComics.com

It's called Cialis, Hank.

Hank Pym has some troubles.


"Changing the size of things remains my life's work." Yeah... is that why you hit your wife that time, Hank?*

From West Coast Avengers v2 #1 (1985).

*Cheap shot, I know. But what do you want from an ED joke?!

Crossfire: Not as Lame as You Might Think

The recent announcement of a new Hawkeye & Mockingbird ongoing series was the last kick I needed to finally crack the Hawkeye hardcover I got for Christmas. First up is the Hawkeye four issue miniseries from 1983, which was really excellent. In the final issue we find out that the villain behind all Hawkeye's troubles is Crossfire. Now, to look at him, you'd think he was your run-of-the-mill second string villain.


Sounds like your standard supervillain rant. Well, it's not quite as bad as all that.


So he wants to kill all superhumans on ideological grounds. Okay, that's actually a pretty good slant for a supervillain. I'm intrigued. I'd like to hear more about your plan, and some of your informational literature!

(Click to enlarge)

Well that's... actually not a bad plan. In fact, that sounds pretty likely to work. Very likely, actually. And that bit at the end? Isn't that basically what happened in Civil War?

It appears I've drastically underestimated you, sir! Well done! You have true supervillain vision! I give your plan four Red Skulls!

There's just one big problem with Crossfire. Turns out he's a puss.


Oh well. Hit the gym, eyepatch. Better luck next time.

The Fans Have Spoken

Clint Barton, the Avenger most frequently known as Hawkeye, has had a few super-persona's throughout his career. He started out as the criminal Hawkeye before reforming and becoming an Avenger. Eventually he switched persona's to Goliath, along with the ability to grow to extreme height (as supplied by Hank Pym). He later returned to being Hawkeye until he died. When he was resurrected he took on his current mantle as Ronin. Now it looks like he'll return to being Hawkeye in the post-Siege Marvel U.

Rumor mill has it that lots of fans aren't happy with that, and that they have taken their complaints to the next level...


From Iron Man v1 #206 (1986).