Cover recreations by Michael Maikowsky

Today I would like to speak a little about an artist whose inspirations and tastes reflect my own.

While I am not on the skill level this fella is we both share a love for the same HERO...a man who really existed. A man whose face should be on the COMIC BOOK ART Equivalent of MOUNT RUSHMORE. Just exactly who should be on this monument with him would be tough to determine , Other than KIRBY. But JOHN BUSCEMA is in my estimation the GREATEST comic book artist/illustrator who ever lived. While I do love the art of COMICS and many artists are masters...I and Mr. Michael Maikowsky share the same feelings toward Mr. Buscema.

Here in this post you will find some highly skilled and very true renderings of famous illustrations created by John Buscema. Michael Maikowsky's perfect execution of Big John's CONAN , Ka-Zar and THOR kind of inspired me to post this today.

I have seen his work over the last couple of years and not only was I impressed but I was inspired as well. Mike inspired me to pick up the pencil once again and draw. I did not draw for years. Sure I doodled and made little scribble cartoons here and there but...I never really REALLY drew anything. Not for a long time.

After contacting Michael he allowed me to post some of his works here on my COVERS blog.

I would like to share with you...just in a case you may want an expertly crafted recreation OR original in the style of Big John Buscema. You can contact Michael Maikowsky through the info provided. In the copy below...taken from Comic art fans.com you'll find the links to contact Mr. Maikowsky yourself.

See below.....

" Michael is bringing us comic art fans a gift. Everything he does is inspired by John Buscema, a truly loved man and artist. Although Big John can no longer create new images or recreate old ones, through Michael, Mr. Buscema's magic can still grace the page. Please check out his whole gallery here on CAF or go to: http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=7456 If you would like to commission Michael his rates are as follows: 11 by 17 single figure with no background: $150. 11 by 17 recreation or reinterpretation: $300. All prices include shipping. A note from Michael: Fellow CAF member Michel Maillot triggered my interest for those John Buscema recreations. Michel saw my tribute portrait of Big John in issue # 21 of TwoMorrows ´Comic Book Artist Magazine´ and asked me for a copy of my drawing which I sent him along with a cover recreation I had finished just for fun. As a result of that, Michel ordered some more recreations in exchange for photocopies of his huge J.B. original art collection (the ´French Collection´, as I use to call it). Inspired by Michel's compliments, I got hooked and developed the nutty idea to recreate every one of Johnny B.´s penciled and inked covers, which I guess was my desperate expression of how much I miss the Big Man and his exceptional artistry. A big thank you goes out to artist supreme Joe Jusko who encouraged, promoted and honored me by presenting some of my artwork in his breathtaking gallery. As you can see, I definitely enjoy reproducing those magic images of John Buscema. It's something I find very inspirational and a valuable learning experience! It taught me more about anatomy, composition, dynamics, lighting, spotting of blacks, etc. than any how-to art book out there. (Btw, my recreations are 11x17 and done on quality two ply bristol board, solely inked with a brush. The title logos are hand lettered. No stats, no whiteout. To prevent confusion and misunderstandings, the artwork is signed with the usual "...after J. Buscema" remark.) Hope I can share some of the love I feel for Big John. I miss him terribly. Nuff said! Best, Michael "

" And here is the cut and paste of my correspondance with Mike. "

Michael MaikowskyNovember 30, 2010 at 3:42am
Re: info
Hey Michael, wow, I feel flattered and honored getting featured on your "Favorite Cover Blog", thanks, mate! Basically, some infos about me and my hobby can be found on the Comicartfans Gallery Room of my art rep Kirk Dilbeck: http://www.facebook.com/l/405ccVJOyVTuMXrDrS6H7YMeiQw;www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=76312Also, our mutual friend Joe Jusko was instrumental in getting some attention for me and my stuff. Here´s Joe´s gallery featuring some of my recreations: http://www.facebook.com/l/405ccsWZa98stIBz14-eDEyHfLg;www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?Order=Date&Page=1&GSub=54837If you still need additional info, don´t hesitate to ask.Best,Michael