Friendly Friday: Transformers and Dan Khanna

There’s something about Transformers that I find uniquely satisfying. Is it the big giant robots beating the crap out of each other? Maaaaayyyyyybe. Is it the hilarious way that Megatron would shut down Starscream‘s whining with a single glare? Or the fact that there were ultra-rare female Transformers who showed up in the movie but were thought to be extinct? Okay, maybe not so much. (Side note: I want that story. Did Megatron kill them all?) Starscream was definitely true to his name. But Soundwave, hoo… He was the shizzit. I mean, seriously, you have a boom box Transformer with a chest that can open and close to release other Transformers. That is legendary, right there.

Thanks to a re-issue of the original, I did manage to get my hands on this bad boy.

Fast forward to New York Comic Con many years later… I wasn’t able to attend, but for our anniversary my SO brought home several retro Transformers prints beautifully illustrated by Dan Khanna. As it turns out Dan has worked on Transformers for some time, and is a frequent guest at comic book conventions who can often be found in artist alley. Dan is one of the artists that I refer to as “hoofing it”, because he’s always on the road with a sketchbook in hand and another booth to set up. I honestly don’t know how he manages to live in NYC, travel as much as he does, and draw so beautifully. So awesome! Thanks to his busy travel schedule, I did manage to catch up with Dan the following year at C2E2 and enjoyed a “geek out” moment.

According to the Transformers Wiki (Life goals!), Dan started out as a fan artist before he was hired to work on the official line. This, right here, is a testament to what I keep preaching: fans become pros all the damn time. There’s no such thing as “just a fan”, and I’m very happy that Dan’s talent continues to be recognized and appreciated.

Known primarily for his work with Transformers, Dan has also worked as a colorist/illustrator on comics for IDW and Titan UK; he has also designed packaging for Hasbro toys as well. In fact, you could say that Dan is…more than meets the eye. (Insert groan here.) I’m hoping someone will tap his creativity for the sequel to Pacific Rim. Can you imagine Dan illustrating big, giant Jaegers beating the crap out of each other for a second time? Yes, yes I can.

For more about Dan and his work, you can visit www.dantheartguy.com or Dan the Art Guy on Deviant Art page.

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Final Fantasy X-2

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Aurora

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ONCE: Upon a Time

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