There's always something to see at the San Diego Comic Art Gallery. Sadly, I rarely go there, even though I live fairly close. But last week I made a point to visit, because they had a show dedicated to my friend Justin.
In fact, they held a Celebration of Life service there for industry professionals who knew and worked with Justin. Hopefully, it went well. Personally, I felt honored to attend another for his family and friends.
While Justin occasionally colored comic book covers, usually he confined himself to the story pages. But here's a rare cover he drew and colored for Spider-Man.
Justin and I counted Star Wars movies from the original trilogy as our favorite movies of all time. For me, it was the original "Star Wars", which received the subtitle "Episode IV: A New Hope" for subsequent releases. For him, it was the third, "Episode VI: Return of the Jedi". So there's a little irony in this sketch of the bounty hunter Boba Fett, who first appeared in the second movie, "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back".
But then, Boba Fett also appeared in "Return of the Jedi", didn't he?
Here's a page from what looks like an Avengers comic. If so, there's a little irony here as well, as the last comic Justin worked on was an Avengers comic. I love the vivid colors here. They really bring out the explosive nature of the action. A lesser colorist might not have brought the scene to life so completely.
Lastly, here's an original sketch he did. It was one of a few studies he made, either for an art class or his own amusement. You can glimpse Justin's sense of humor here, as he's drawing a picture of himself drawing a picture. Wonderful.
There was more to see, of course. But this give you a representative sampling of Justin's work, and a taste of the exhibit his mother organized along with the good folks at IDW Publishing, and their staff at the San Diego Comic Art Gallery.
Dragon Dave
