Captain America

Anyone who knows me knows that my oldest brother (the cop) is a huge part of my life. He's always meant so much to me. In trying to think of something to give him for officiating my upcoming nuptials, I decided on giving him a piece of original art (a little cheap of me, but I'm trying to save money and I know he'll be appreciative, and it truly is from the heart).

So I started to think about what piece I could possibly do that would mean something to him (and me both). I thought back to the recent past and one of the moments I was most proud of my brother. It was 9/11. Just having my brother be there to me was incredibly heroic, but also calming, as if for some crazy reason, I knew we'd be okay because he was there. It's crazy to say, but for me one of the things that helped with the dealing process was John Cassaday's run on Captain America. This new series started out right after the fallout of 9/11 and dealt with a real world Cap fighting terrorists. That story arc laid the groundwork for everything else that has since been written or drawn. Cassaday changed the way people drew Cap forever.

Captain America has always been a favorite character of mine. I remember watching as a kid (with my brother) the made for TV Cap movie where he rode this souped up motorcycle. I thought it was so cool. Basically I was done. I was gonna be a big fan. Over the years the title has been both brilliant but most times has fallen flat. The same can be said of the art. In my eyes Cassaday's Cap is the best Cap ever drawn. Jack Kirby, Steve McNiven, John Byrne, Ron Garney, Michael Turner and now Steve Epting have all drawn great versions of Cap. I think it's sad that it took Cap dying (allegedly) to become important again. I'm sure he'll be back again shortly (if they can bring back Bucky they can bring back Cap).

Getting back to this piece. This was a cover that John Cassaday did on his run of the regular series. It was a little different for me to draw than the style I've been using lately. A little more realistic and less stylistically cartoony. Cap in motion from right to left with the American flag is such an iconic image. The pencils took a little more than an hour (that damn chainmail took forever). The inking took a little over 2 hours. The chainmail was very intricate as well as adding the heavy black shadows. After I was done with the inking I went back in with the pencils and added some extra shading for more texture. I think its a piece that turned out very well, and I think my brother will really appreciate it.