

Declan Shalvey is yet another artist that I discovered years ago through the fantastic Comic Twart blog. Oh, how I miss that blog. Anyway, the first time I saw Declan's work in a comic was when he started drawing Thunderbolts. I loved Declan's work on that book, and his takes on Juggernaut and Crossbones in particular were real standouts to me. So, a couple of years ago when I was working on my list of future Karate Kid commissions, I had to list Declan's name as the artist to draw Crossbones for this series. I have yet to meet Declan at a convention, but my buddy Nate Stockman was going to see him at DICE 2014 and Nate agreed to pick up this commission there for me. And Declan did an incredible job on this piece! I love the unique angle that Declan used here, and the gorgeous grey tones. I also really dig some of the details like the shape of the knife and the loose strap on Crossbones' pants. Big thanks to Declan for drawing this and to Nate for picking it up!





Brock Rumlow is one of the most formidable villains in all of Marvel. Not only is he a weapons expert, but Brock is also master hand-to-hand fighter, having went toe-to-toe with both Captain America and Daredevil. That being said, Karate Kid's gonna kick Crossbones' butt. Crossbones is tough, fights dirty, and will have a few weapons on his person, and that may help him last a little longer than the average opponent, but Val Armorr outclasses him completely and will put Brock down hard.





If you like this piece, then please do go buy some comics featuring Declan's work in physical or digital format and/or go buy some of his art for yourself.