On the Darkman art post I did elsewhere today (link below,) I talked a bit about my history with Derec (Aucoin) Donovan, dating back to 1994's
Zero Hour event aftermath. With Tennessee Tom Peyer, the artist applied his shadow-drenched and distinctive style to one of my favorite comic runs of the period,
L.E.G.I.O.N./R.E.B.E.L.S.. I only realized while doing that other write-up that, late on Friday after driving to Louisiana for a comic convention partially for him specifically, my first priority was probably getting another piece of the JLA #1 homage jam down. To be honest, I thought of this jam as something of a cursed project, given that I was already half a decade into it with only four of the projected seven figures drawn, and I was not entirely happy with what I had to that point. It was your basic "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; You're My Only Hope" situation. I'd long admired Donovan's work, could see that his commissions remained at a high level of quality, and I really needed something to turn the project around to justify the continued effort and expense.
Hemmed in by a bunch of other figures and limited space, Derec absolutely nailed it. I've never been a big Flash fan, but Howard Porter is one of my favorite artists to ever draw Wally West. Derec Donovan totally captures that sleek and iconic quality, reflecting the classic Porter/Dell cover while making the character his own. After much frustration and disappointment, this was what I was looking for from this jam, and I told him that he'd "saved the piece!" Then I gave him a bunch more money to do that even more awesome Darkman, and I hope to give him more still in the future!
Derec Donovan
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