A Titan Cover (Part 3): Closing Time

 

Peter Capaldi's last day filming Doctor Who,
photo by Sandra Franklin. 

Back in 2017, which feels like a whole other dimension in time and space, compared to what was to come in the next few years. Back then, I'd been waiting probably my whole life to see one of my illustrations published on the cover of a comic book.

Unfortunately, this was also an event that suffered from terrible timing.

First off: The Chaos

My comic cover in a shop in Liverpool.
(Thank you, George!)

The same week, my apartment's kitchen sink exploded— a waterfall resulted from maintenance trying to repair a stopped-up drain. Whatever was going on in the plumbing under the apartment complex affected four different apartments, where mine apparently was the epicenter of the disaster. (Ground Zero for tree roots growing into the pipes, or something like that.) This led to professional plumbers being called in who proclaimed that the floor must be jack-hammered open and investigated, which  turned into an extensive archaeological excavation.

So, I ended up with a crater in my kitchen. (Think the Sarlacc pit in Return of the Jedi.)

 ... and eventually I wound up with a new apartment.

I had wanted to move... but just not then. And not during the hottest Phoenix summer on record. The process of packing up my entire apartment began, and I somehow developed strep throat on top of it all. In fact, it got so bad that I drove myself to the emergency room at three in the morning because I was having trouble swallowing. (I think a lot of that actually had to do with stress and anxiety, to be honest.)

To make a long story short: if you ever find yourself living in a desert in the middle of summer and you have to pack everything up and relocate... try not to. I do not recommend it. 

This marred the celebratory event of my going to pick up Issue 3.4, Variant Cover D, that had my artwork of the Twelfth Doctor on it. But pick it up I did. I looked exhausted in the selfie that I took in All About Books and Comics, which was then my local comic shop in Phoenix.

All of the variant covers (including mine) would later be reprinted in a book of collected issues. My illustration was the last in the gallery but ended up getting a page to itself. (below) Very cool.

It was absolutely amazing to finally hold it in my hands. My online friends took photos of it displayed in their local shops, in places as far away from me as Liverpool.

Could it get better? Yes. 

Sandra Franklin meets Peter Capaldi...again. 

Freakin' Sandra  

My friend, photographer Sandra Franklin, lives in Cardiff, Wales. The running joke with her is that she always manages to be "taking pictures of squirrels in a nice park setting" when, "Oh, would you look at that! Doctor Who appears to be filming here! Oh, and here comes Peter Capaldi. Again."

Freakin' Sandra...

I lost count of how many times this had happened. 

I have to clarify that I jokingly call her "Freakin' Sandra" because she freakishly manages to do things like this all the time which results in many superb, evocative photographs. She had asked me to sign and mail a copy of my comic cover to her.

I signed my comic for her and mailed it back, adding "wiwer" over top the clockwork squirrel on the Doctor's guitar amp.  ("Wiwer" is Welsh for "squirrel".)

It turns out that Sandra had some more squirrelly business with which to surprise me. 

The cover signed by Peter Capaldi to me, (left) and the one
signed by me and then Peter, for Sandra. 

Closing Time

Peter Capaldi signing my comic on his last day of filming Doctor Who.

Freakin' Sandra manifested on the last day of Peter Capaldi filming his scenes as the Twelfth Doctor. He wandered outside to say hello and to greet fans. He signed autographs. He ended up signing a particular comic book cover as well—twice. "Two for one closing sale," he joked.
                        
                    Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sandra.

This was so surreal.

When she posted about her adventure online, Sandra shared mobile photos and said that she would be sending the autographed comic to me by post. I was in blissful disbelief. I kept checking my phone to look at it all again with a big stupid grin on my face.

I soon forgot about the record heat of the Arizona summer and my having to move out of my old apartment.

This had made my entire summer. 

More of Sandra's photos from that day...

                                                            ... Freakin' Sandra. 

All ready to hang on the wall of the new apartment.

It would take another year to finally meet Peter Capaldi
 myself, but that's a story for another post...