This year I was able to add some artwork to my collection from some of my favorite artists, artists I didn't think I'd ever have the chance to own original art from!
Part 1: FRED HEMBECK!
Growing up reading comic books in the 1980's, Fred Hembeck was always popping up! And even if you were a fan who didn't follow artists, you couldn't miss Hembeck's cartoony style!
I think I first got to know Hembeck's work in Marvel Age Magazine! A "news magazine" put out by Marvel comics with all the latest news on their characters and books! If you were lucky, Hembeck's Page would fill the centerfold with a good natured comic strip by Hembeck, often featuring Hembeck and some Marvel characters in a zany story!
Every now and then, like during Assistant Editor's Month, Hembeck would go wild and work on a title like Spectacular Spider-Man! You never knew where or when you would spot his iconic cartoons with the squiggly knees but you knew it would be silly!
Fred Hembeck still does some art for Comic Shop News but it's just not as like it used to be.
That was until I realized that Hembeck sells sketch cards online!
I watched what he had for a few weeks and while the assortment of characters was wide, none of them interested me.
Then, I spotted Jeffrey Mace, the Patriot! One of my favorite WWII characters as I was getting into comics as a kid! And I made him mine! My very own, Fred Hembeck sketch card,
from Fred Hembeck!
Patriot was cool, I didn't own any artwork of Patriot but then I came across the Flash! Now my childhood memories of Fred Hembeck were all based around Marvel Comics, so Flash was a little different but I'm such a Flash fan I couldn't pass him up!
And after owning the Flash, I couldn't pass up Kid Flash!
And then I came across X-Men! My first monthly comic book I collected!
And Cyclops! I had to have him!
And Angel, in his X-Factor unifom? How cool!
So, I got a little carried away but if you're familiar with Fred Hembeck, it makes perfect sense!
I really love having these in my collection! It feels like the artwork I didn't know I was missing, I finally own!
Thanks again, Fred!
