Mel Gibson's name, in old times (the 80s), was synonymous with action star - and for good reason. Movies such as "Road Warrior" and "Lethal Weapon" showcased Mel's gripping presence. He was rogue, tough, likeable, and of course good-looking. No wonder the women loved him.

I think men loved his movies just as much, though. Of course, they loved the nail-biting action. I, for one, loved something else even more: the idea of having a friend like Mel in those movies. The characters I saw him play were honest and always stuck their necks out to do more, rather than passing the buck. One thing you didn't get from the Road Warrior was an excuse.

I've never seen many movies at all - including Mel's. I hear he played a lot of Shakespeare earlier in his career. I haven't fact-checked that, but it makes sense: Shakespeare's characters are every bit as over-the-top as the Road Warrior.

Years ago, when they were filming "Bird on a Wire", my classmates would go to watch "Mel and Goldie" at lunch break. I never went to see them. They were there, I think, for about a week.

I drew Mel over a year ago. He was hard to get right; I did several before settling on this one. Ironically, this was my second-last drawing of Mel:)