This is my cubist version of Superman fighting Shazam from the graphic novel "Kingdom Come." I have loved superheroes and fantasy works my entire life. Perhaps it was escapism from a humdrum life of midwestern marshmallowniss or a deep seated yearning to climb beyond what is possible but Superman, Batman, Star Trek and Wars, and Tolkien and Lewis filled that void for me. But I was never a true comic book fan. It was not until I saw the works of Alex Ross and I discovered the format of graphic novels that I truly began to appreciate the true art and beauty of the comic page. Ross illustrated "Kingdom Come" and it pains me to state it thus in the same vein that I am pained by the attempt to peg Norman Rockwell as simply an "illustrator" for doing covers of "Saturday Evening Posts."

Oil on Canvas 36" x 48"