John Byrne wrote:

Couldn't quite see Doom actually fighting side by side with Venom, but…

     Works well the way you did it.  There are times when Doom would prefer to sic someone else on the team in order to beat 'em up a little bit.  Why risk your own hide when you could have someone else take the licks in your place (re: the cosmic-enhanced Tyrax arc you did back in the late '80s).

     Well done.

I like your approach to Venom, he seems alien and menacing.

Well done as always!

••

Not really. But I have often used that story as an illustration of how really preposterous it is, given the process in comics, when some people claim to have "created" a character.

Look up the tale in the FAQs, if you are so inclined.

••

I was looking over some of the Doom appearances in commissions, yesterday, and was struck by the changes that have occurred, quite without my being consciously aware of them, in how I draw the armor.

Compare how I did it a few years back, in this similarly themed piece...

...with this week's piece...

The other version, much more akin to how I did it when I was illustrating FANTASTIC FOUR, is perfectly fine, but the newer one has a whole different feel to it -- equally fine!

Incidentally, the "new" way is somewhat nerve-racking. Much like my nighttime cityscapes, no matter how many times I do it, I am not entirely convinced it's gonna work until I'm done!

••

There are two sides to working in black and white. On the one hand, I am freed from having to worry about which characters are standing next to each other, or the color of the background. No problem with the Scarlet Witch hugging Daredevil -- a colorist's nightmare!

On the other hand, without color to define planes and distinguish different materials and areas of costume design, I must turn to texture. It's a challenge I very much enjoy.