Hey, That's me!
The artist, that is, not the guy in the picture. A couple of people have seen this and wondered, "Does he only have one eye?"
Well, if I did, that would be a good excuse for some of my not-so-good art, but, no, the person pictured here was originally supposed to be Nick Fury, from Marvel Comics. I have been a rabid Steranko follower since I first discovered his art on Nick Fury, Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the late 60's.
The model for this piece was actually the bass player in my old band Vertigo, Paul Browne. I had several old photos I had had taken of the band with black and white film, and I needed a model for a story I was going to draw. I never drew the complete story, but I love the old black and white noir films of the 40's and 50's, and decided to create this image. It was originally going to be the splash page main image at the beginning of the story, where you don't see the character until he lights a match or a lighter in a darkened alley. I wanted a dramatic, high contrast stylized look. I was kind of rushed when I did this, and one day I hope to redo it. I am not really happy with the hand, but the rest is working alright for me.
