RED LORD OF DISCORDIA (2015) by Michael Whelan. Photo courtesy of Kris Webster.

Kris has long been an admirer of the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. You can tell by the photo, right? We chatted quite a bit about Michael’s work on the series last year when Kris picked up a small preliminary concept for THE LONG ROAD we’d offered in an email newsletter.

The acquisition triggered an undeniable itch for Whelan originals. Kris followed with a limited edition of THE ART OF MICHAEL WHELAN, complete with a Dark Tower influenced Remarque. Ultimately he was looking for something larger and more colorful and hoped that Michael would take on a commission. Little did Kris realize that his wife had contacted us as well.

On the sly, Chantal had been prying details from Kris about what he loved best about Whelan art. Her goal was to find a special gift for Kris’ birthday in July.

Luckily this little gem, started at the same time as UNMASKED, had been lurking in Michael’s files waiting to be unearthed. He’d set it aside to finish at a later date then forgot about it. Chantal’s prompting nudged Michael to rediscover it and complete his initial vision. She loved the final piece—and the framing—so off it went to Canada.

To say that Kris went bonkers when he opened the gift is an understatement. Nice guy that he is, he sent a photo with thanks for making it happen. We also received a gracious letter from Chantal for helping her achieve “Best Wife Ever” status.