JL #36 "The Polaris Gambit: Part II" The Cover

Enough teasing, I'm not going to make you wait any more....! Here it is in all its glory....!

Click on it to get the total effect!

Great, isn't it?

I don't remember why I asked cyber-buddy Luke Daab to do my cover for me. Maybe because I read on his page that he was taking commissions. Maybe because I read that Hawkman and Hawkwoman were two of his favorites? Maybe it was because I loved his stuff so much. Maybe it was me wanting to support professional amateur artists. Or maybe it was just me wanting to see Luke Daab's great work on one of MY stories...! 

Regardless of the reason, I did ask him, and now we are all winners for me having done so!  

First, I asked him if he was interested and if he could meet my budget. Graciously, he said yes and yes. I sent him a black and white version of #35, Part One of the story, for background. He sent me the following sketch:  

As much as I loved this (and I DO LOVE it!) I had to tell him that the focus of Part Two would be the JLA going to Thanagar and helping out guest-stars Hawkman and Hawkwoman. Therefore, it would make sense to switch out Superman and Mera (on the left) for Katar and Shayera. Luke said that would not be a problem. As much as I wanted to use this drawing as sketched, I basically told him to include the Hawks and whichever other characters would fit. As an aside, it never occurred to me to include Mera in Part Two until I saw this sketch. I really should have, I guess. Sorry, Mera...and sorry, Luke! (I am currently plotting another guest-shot of Mera, and this time she won't just show up and leave, I promise!)

A few months later I was working on Part Two when I got a request for more background information. This time, Luke wanted to know specifically how I intended to portray Despero. As you may know, Despero has had various different "looks." So I sent Luke a profile page with coloring notes, and he said that was exactly the information that he needed.

A few weeks later, I received this wonderful piece of Luke Daab originality. The only part of this that I didn't like was having to "sit on it" for several months until this new issue was ready to drop! I've been enjoying it by myself for several months, and now I can share it!

Wait, I did have one more problem. I had to try to fit the JLA logo and title over it. I ended up just shrinking it a bit and formatting it to fit. Here's a black and white version of what will appear tomorrow.

And one more time.....
Thanks, Luke!!