Yo Joe June, Day 7: Alley Viper!

 As I've mentioned before, one of the fun things about collecting GI Joe artwork is that so many of the artists are fans themselves, with their own favorite characters that excite them! This is a perfect example! 

Yo Joe June, Day 7: Alley Viper by Tim Seeley! 

Tim Seeley was a huge part of the Devil's Due era of GI Joe and Devil's Due really put GI Joe back on a map. Devil's Due not only brought GI Joe back, they made them exciting and I don't know that everyone was talking about it but it seemed like everyone knew about it! 

Tim Seeley was one of the main artists on the DD run of GI Joe but he did a lot at Devil's Due, in general. As a fan, it always felt like he liked the characters and it wasn't until years later that I found out what a fan he was. Mark and Tim at Talking Joe (If you aren't familiar with Talking Joe, it's the longest running podcast about GI Joe comic books and you should really check them out!  https://talkingjoe.co.uk/) had Tim on for an interview and their interviews are so great because they go off on the best tangents about their guests and their lives! During their interview with Tim he mentioned he was a fan of the more odd characters and my ears were eagerly waiting for what kind of characters might be mentioned! Sure enough, Tim mentioned the Alley Viper! 

The Alley Viper is not a figure I ever had as a kid and they didn't show up much in the comic books or cartoon but they definitely have their following. Don't get me wrong, I had Alley Viper reference, should the opportunity ever arise. One of my concerns about an Alley Viper sketch is that the uniform design is not simple. The helmet alone is pretty nuts, at least for someone not familiar with the character...

Just a few weeks after the Talking Joe interview, Tim Seeley opened his commission list and I was there! The best part was when Tim turned down my reference! Why? Because he still has his original Alley Viper action figure at his drawing table! It doesn't get much better than that! Just a quick glance at the commission shows how much Tim put into this, the Alley Viper's lucky to have such a talented advocate, creating such a killer pin-up!

I have met Tim at a few cons and gotten some other artwork from him but it's going to be hard to beat this Alley Viper! Although I do have my next request in mind! 

https://www.timseeleycreative.com/

https://twitter.com/HackinTimSeeley