Emma and Jean

Client: WIZARD MAGAZINE, 2002
Medium: pencil, ink, Adobe Photoshop

I found the file for this oldie the other day, so I thought I'd post it!

This is a cover I did for WIZARD magazine 7 or 8 years ago. They wanted Jean Grey and Emma Frost of the X-MEN books, and nothing else. No background, no other characters, nada. Always give the client what they want!

WIZARD went on to give the art to MARVEL, who proceeded to use it along with all their other art (any art produced for MARVEL goes into a sort of giant ClipArt database, and since they own it all, anyone MARVEL person or licensor can use any of the art), the only problem being MARVEL never paid me to use the art. It was produced for a news periodical, not one of their comics. It's seen print in several MARVEL books, I never made a dime, nor was I given credit, or even a complimentary copy of said publication. I usually found out when a fan would bring up the thing to be signed.

I'm not griping - it's the nature of the business. The same thing happened to me with TOMB RAIDER. All the Lara Croft art I did for PLAYSTATION MAGAZINE somehow ended up at Top Cow (whom I had legitimately done quite a few TOMB RAIDER covers for), and Top Cow has used that PSM art many times. I'm not sure how that works; did PSM give the art to EIDOS, the TOMB RAIDER owner, and THEY gave the art to Top Cow? Who knows.

My point is: kids, keep an eye on things when working as an artist.



Oh, a note on Jean's finger touching Emma's boob... in my mind it was less about Jean copping a feel, and more about Emma being a pushy Personal Space Invader. She'll go into your mind with no reservations whatsoever, and she'll stand way too close when she knows it makes you uncomfortable.