When he was 23, Frank Frazetta - a fantastic artist who like Bernini was basically trained from childhood - was drawing comics for dirt cheap, and his best known work was still far in the future.

When he was 23, Charles Russell was just starting to try out watercolors.

When he was 23, Norman Rockwell had just washed out of the Navy, and despite being trained from youth as an artist, he was just starting to sell cover art.

When he was 23, Henri Tolouse-Latrec had his 1st gallery showing, and getting laid finally gave him something resembling confidence.

When he was 23, Edvin Biukovic was completely unknown outside Croatia.

When he was 23, Iain McCaig was working on Sesame Street. Which I gotta admit is a dream job.

I can't even find any details of what Tim Sale was working on in 1979.

When she was 23, Catherine Jones had just graduated with a geology degree and was just starting to get into comics.

Sergio Toppi wasn't even *doing* comics when he hit 23.

Angus McBride had just finished his stint in the army at 23 and headed for Cape Town to find work.

Victor Ambrus did amazing stuff by 23 - he'd already had one book published, was starting his career in British publishing, he'd narrowly escaped being executed, seen a horrifying amount of death, hiked across the Austrian border in midwinter and left for Britain as dreamed before speaking a word of English.