Thats what friends are for.

I have been a huge Art Adams fan my whole life. I remember the first time my uncle bought me a comic it was Classic X-men #1. The love affair started at that moment. I was 11, I didn't know an artist or writer were but when I saw that cover and then saw the interior I knew that some thing was off. No disrespect to Dave Cockrum (who I later learned to love for different reasons) but that cover stuck in my head. Cut to 15 years later and I'm living in Orlando working part time in a Comic Shop for a good friend of mine. We close up the shop and start talking comics and artists. I bring up my Art Adams story and how I love his art. I tell my friend that Arts' Creature from the Black Lagoon comic was my reason for watching the movie and falling in love with my favorite movie monster. My friend says " You know I'm waiting on a piece of Art from Art.". I was confused wait a minute i thought to myself you can have artists draw you custom pictures? This was something new to me. I asked my friend what seemed like a million questions. I asked him if I could get a piece by him. My friend proceeded to tell me that Art only does sketches at conventions and that the only reason he did not have his was because Art could not get to it at the convention so he said he would do it at home and mail it to him. I asked how long he had been waiting and he told me " Two Years, But he gave me his phone number so i can contact him". My mind blew yet again, here is this artist that i have admired since childhood and he has a phone number. For the next couple of  months everyday i would come in to work I would pester my buddy " Did you call him? "  To which my friend would reply " You have to have patience and wait for good art." One day I come into work and buddy has this grin on his face. " You will never guess who I just got off the phone with. Art Adams! He picked up the phone apologized for the lateness of the art and said that he would work on my art and get it out as soon as he can.". I was in shock I had just been a part to six degrees of Art Adams with only one person in between me. A month passed by and my friend calls me at my full time job and asks if I can meet him out side. I walk outside and my friend is holding a sheet of paper. " Guess what I got in the mail today?". He turns the paper and it is an amazing commission of Longshot and Spiral in the middle of a fight. The attention to detail was amazing and I think I drooled a little bit. My friend says " So I wanted to thank you for getting me off my ass and calling Art. I have a little surprise for you. When I called art to check on my piece I asked him if he could do a little head sketch of the creature for you and this is what came.". I was shocked this was more than a little head sketch this was a masterpiece. I asked my friend how much I owed him, I would have cleaned out my bank and given him ever penny. My friend said. "Nothing, consider it my gift to you." I was taken aback, no one had ever given me a gift like that before. I thanked my friend and we both went back to our lives. This is one of the most memorable times of my life. This wasn't my first piece of art (my first was a Art Adams female Indiana Jones piece I won on ebay) but is still my most treasured piece I own.

This blog is dedicated to Art Adams for being an amazing artist and to My Friend Tony who has made me who I am today. Thank You for everything Tony!