 Jim asked Sandy about the above artwork. Sandy: DC Comics published a special deluxe format edition for the 50th issue of The Legend of the Dark Knight, one of their approximate 179 Batman titles of the time. About half the issue (if memory serves me right) was devoted to pin-ups of the character by various artists. The only thing really memorable about the assignment was the fact that the editor- the much beloved Archie Goodwin- gave me a call immediately on receiving it, and showered me with praise. That sort of thing can really make a freelancer's day. Sandy's inked and rough/color guide are included here:    Jim asked Sandy about the above artwork Sandy: This is one of several commissioned drawings I did for a collector here in Athens, Jeromy Holland. He's one of those comic fans, born into the end of the Silver Age, who still holds an abiding love for the super heroes of the 40's. Every so often he's have me do another character from that era, some that have continued to thrive and others who are just a nostalgic memory. He later took my pencil drawing of the Green Lantern and had another artist digitally ink and color it. Other art Sandy found in his files which relates to this post:  Lady Liberty — another Golden Age figure for Jeromy  Mary Marvel — member of the might Marvel Family created by C.C. Beck  A Spider-Man commission from around the same time  Taking a break from reviewing Athens, Ohio, or Marvel work, Jim asked Sandy about his work on 1993's Spectre [Vol 3] #3 cover for DC Comics.
Sandy: I'd done some work for DC before I got a call to do this cover. Neal Adams helped get me my first job for the company. He had this deal with them -- if they gave a script to an aspiring artist he thought had promise, he would ink the resulting pencils, thus guaranteeing that even if the guy turned out not so promising, Neal would save the job with his inks. I think I had moved to Ohio by the time I'd received the assignment and never did meet the editor. We didn't establish the best of relationships but I don't remember the reason for the friction. Deadline issues? Quality? What I do remember is this: a couple days after the cover hit the stands, I got a phone a call. Picked up the receiver and a very distinctive voice came through the other end, "Hi, this is Harlan Ellison." Fans of science fiction of the late 60's through the 80's will recognize that name as a preeminent writer and media critic of the time. He was/is a tremendous fan of Golden Age characters and wanted to buy the original. I happily obliged. And thus, whatever the editor thought about the cover, I was feeling pretty smug, having received validation from such a esteemed fan favorite. I did a fair number of roughs before I managed to come up with something that expressed what I felt was the intrinsic nature of the character- an awful (in the biblical sense) instrument of divine judgement and retribution. Spectre Vol 3 #3-related images from Sandy's archive are below  Three roughs which should let you see how the idea for the final version evolved.  Inking rough done with an old brush on parchment, used to work out black and white placement.  Final pencils  Pencils with Sandy's inks |
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