Just wanted to do another one, took requests via Twitter.
Jet & Earl
Happy Anniversary to the woman I have fallen deeply and madly in love with, Stephanie Cooper. We matched on Tinder and within a day, she asked me out on our first date – August 28th, 2021. I was broke as fuck, I had to work that night, and it was Jack Kirby’s birthday, so I almost said no. I’m glad I didn’t.
So Stephanie hated comics, but as she started to get to know me, she expressed more interest in possibly reading some.
As we all know, Comics Are For Everyone. She was under the assumption that all comics were straight male misogynist supehero power fantasies, with women often projected as sex objects. Sadly, she’s not entirely wrong, but Comics Are For Everyone. They may not get as much press or spotlight, but all sorts of comics exist outside that narrow field, and I knew I’d get her hooked if she just was willing.
Enter Strangers in Paradise. She said “I like dark stories with female protagonists”. Now, I knew that SiP could get dark, but starting her at the beginning, a book that was written 30 years ago might get problematic. I decided to re-read along with her. Luckily, she fell in love with it almost instantly. So as she worked her way through the series, I knew that I would get her to read Terry Moore’s other books. As of this moment she is entirely caught up through his ouvre, and is eagerly awaiting Moore’s brand new Parker Girls series.
As she read Rachel Rising, she fell in love with Jet and Earl (they are fucking adorable). About a month ago, Moore posted the following sketch on Twitter, and eventually made it for sale.
Stephanie LOVED it, but there was no chance that either of us were affording it. But, hey, I’m an “artist”, and our anniversary was coming up, and I can download things, and I know how to ruin perfectly good pencils…!
So, this is definitely not the next best thing to owning original art, but it’s the best I can do. Sorry, baby. Love you.
Big Barda
It’s Kirby Day! Happy 105th birthday, Jack Kirby.
Wonder Woman
Suggested by Stephanie Cooper.
Patreon Reward: Super-Adaptoid
I really like combo villains/characters
Howard the Duck
Suggested by Joe Grunenwald.
Patreon Reward: Zombie Doctor Strange
I’m just really glad Sam Raimi made another movie.
Prince and the Super Powers Generation (44)
Alright. It’s my birthday. 14 years now I’ve been annually posting sadness. Well, not so much this year. I mean, listen, the world is fucking crumbling around us, and I’m still fucked up and broken, but, y’know, things could be worse for me. In just a few weeks will be the one-year anniversary of meeting a woman who has changed and influenced my life for the better. I have fallen hard. I’m scared of that, because that has generally only led to incredible heartache and then, we get to 14 years of consistent birthday sad-man suicide notes. But, I am attempting hopefulness. Despite an odd and non-traditional situation, I truly think this will be the lasting one.
Meanwhile everyone around me is screaming, on fire, and flailing like windmills. But there’s only like 5 or 6 people in the world I give a damn about, and all I want is for those 5 or 6 people to be okay.
So. Art.
Back like 12 years ago or so, when I got into doing Cover Recreations semi-regularly, I stumbled across this issue of Justice League of America, Issue 95.
Featuring a cover by the late Hollow-Earth conspiracy theorist Neal Adams, I latched onto the black Pied Piper with a guitar imagery and thought “man, it would be great to re-do this with Prince in place of Johnny Dune”. I even went so far as to set-up the design elements in Adobe Illustrator, do a couple thumbnails and find references for Prince. Then… nothing.
But, it always stayed in the back of my head as a “one day” project.
I’m not entirely sure when or why exactly I just decided “go for it”, but I’m suspecting that the aforementioned ladylove bringing up the song Pussy Control repeatedly sort of snagged onto me. I thought lyrics from that song used as the cover blurbs in juxtaposition with the Justice League dancing and vibing to it were too funny to pass up. The layout and idea I had 12 years ago was essentially the same as I pulled off now, but maybe some better skill? I dunno. For most of the League, I referenced photos of Solid Gold dancers from the 70s and early 80s. All but Batman. I knew I wanted him to be doing the Batusi, and I knew I wanted the Michael Keaton ’89 Batman. Because, as we all know, Batdance is the greatest song ever written and performed, and the Batman ’89 soundtrack is Prince’s best album, and the best soundtrack of all-time.
I decided on the Morrison JLA logo and DC bullet, because, well, I like them. Deal with it.
Anyhoo. Prince, R.I.P.
Patreon Reward: Valkyrie
Patron had asked for Valkyrie, and while she told me “whichever version I like”, I knew she’d rather have the Tessa Thompson version from the movies. As is my refrain in life, I am terrible at likenesses. I’m even more terrible at drawing the movie versions of comic characters and their movie costumes. Gimme old-school superheroes any day. Anyhoozlebees, I went with the comic version of the movie version of Valkyrie that was introduced into the Exiles comic after Thor: Ragnarok had come out.
I. Hate. Comics!