Of all the original art I have owned or seen, never has there been a bigger contrast between what it looks like published and what it looks like ‘in the flesh’ as with Hicklenton. I liked his mad, twisted creations when I was younger, and used to try and draw warped-looking depictions of Torquemada in his style (but obviously without his talent or knowledge of anatomy!) but I won’t pretend he was someone I’d have said was one of my absolute favourites. But recently, I got some of his original Nemesis pages, and was genuinely blown away. Those of us who collect original art know the thrill of seeing the additional level of detail in the original pieces... with the Hicklenton pages, the level of detail was truly astonishing. It is really striking just how much was lost in the transition to the printed pages. Up until that point, I’d have said I thought he was a great artist. After that... he pretty much rose to the status of genius in my eyes.
