06 May 2012

Chris Giarrusso’s Brother Act

My favorite set of brothers in superhero comics appears in Chris Giarrusso’s G-Man series. Mikey, called G-Man by his friends, is the younger brother: eager, imaginative, perseverant, and naive. David, who took the name Great Man, is his elder: capable, exasperated, bossy, and protective.

Giarrusso was at the MoCCA Festival last weekend, and I did something I’d never done before: commissioned a sketch.

Specifically, I asked for “Great Man cosplaying Nightwing and G-Man cosplaying Robin. The Tim Drake version.” To which Giarrusso answered, “Really?” and “Um, I don’t have all the costume details in my head.”

I assured him I wouldn’t sweat the small stuff. After all, he publishes with Marvel. (And he knows the costumes well enough to produce these versions of Batman, #1, and Superman/Batman, #26.)

By the end of the afternoon, I was the proud owner of this piece of art.
I asked Giarrusso about the next volume of G-Man. He said he was more than halfway through creating that story, in which the fraternal dynamic of Great Man and G-Man will be tested by the arrival of…a baby brother!

(And speaking of annoying baby brothers, last week Caanan, creator of Max Overacts, posted this convention sketch of Damian Wayne and his babysitters, titled “Don’t Be Rude—Be a Hero.”)

3 comments:

Icon_UK said...

Congratulations (Though I should warn you that commissions CAN be addictive! :) )

I'm a long time fan of Chris Giarrusso so am loving the picture! (Though I always feel Great Man is more "a jerk" than just "protective". )

He also did an homage cover to Nightwing #96.

J. L. Bell said...

Your opinion of Great Man makes me wonder if you're a younger sibling! Which is not to say it's wrong. I think Dave is protective of Mikey, if only because he views ordering his little brother around as his own exclusive turf. He could learn from Dick Grayson.

I did recall your Nightwing, #96, commission, and thought about whether I should ask Chris Giarrusso to draw his version of Nightwing without editorial mandate. But I liked the idea of a double homage to both Dick & Tim and Dave & Mikey. Don't the little guys look serious!

Icon_UK said...

I'm both a younger and an older sibling (big family) so I can see it both ways.

And yes, they do look very... mission focussed. :)