Julie Martin from Echo. This might actually be my favorite Terry Moore work. Sure, SiP is far more in-depth and substantial, but I think Julie’s journey throughout the series is heartbreaking and exhilarating, from the unknown powers to the absolute loss of her agency and sense of self.
It’s Terry Moore Week! All characters from the major Terry Mooreniverse comics.
When I met my current ladylove, she did not like comics. Which is good, because who needs some Fake Geek Girl bullshit, am I right, my dudes? Comics are for boys! I bet she doesn’t even know Bart Allen’s home address in Alabama!
No, wait, that’s wrong. Who gives a fuck? And, comics are for everyone. There is a comic out there for literally anyone. So, when she broached the subject of possibly wanting to read a comic, I knew I could find SOMETHING she liked. I’m learning her tastes and interests. But she said specifically “I like female protagonists and dark subject matter.”
Done.
Now, there’s a hundred other things I could have found to start her on, but I picked Strangers in Paradise. There were no preconcieved notions, no TV shows or movies to look at and compare. It is its own thing, and it’s a book that I loved when I first read it over 20 years ago. It’s also a book that just kind of fell off my radar at a certain point. I think what happened was that I was buying the trade paperbacks, but then caught up with the monthly comic schedule. I’m just enough OCD that if I buy a comic series in one format, I’m not switching to another. Then, I just bought the trades irregularly. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I finally finished the collection, but I still had never gone back to read where I had stopped.
So, I decided that I would keep up with her. As she read Strangers for the first time, I would re-read alongside her, and then finally catch up and finish the series. I was absolutely delight to find that my ladyfriend loved the series, but fell in love with the characters. I was also delighted to find that, after a rocky start (I mean, the first couple trades are definitely very early 90s), I also remembered what I loved about the series and Terry Moore’s work in general.
The ladyperson is still heading into the end of the first SiP series, but I have plowed forward, and re-read Echo; read Rachel Rising, Motor Girl, and SiP XXV. Currently I’m reading the Endgame of the Mooreniverse, Five Years. I have the Serial omnibus on order, and awaiting Ever in my next monthly comic shipment.
All that is to say, is I’ve fallen down a Terryhole.
And in the course of reading all this stuff, I thought “I should draw some of these characters”.
First up is Tambi Baker, a major supporting character in Strangers, and honestly one that I grew to love quite a bit more than most of the others. She’s sort of the Wolverine or Snake Eyes of the Mooreniverse, but before either of those characters really ran their course. Aloof, cool, badass, mysterious. Tambi!
It’s Zoe Kravitz as The Catwoman from the The Batman movie – of which I will probably never watch.
The next Batman movie I watch will have him in blue & gray spandex with a yellow oval. Robin will be a 10 year old kid, and there will be jokes. Movies are back, baby.
So I usually try not to mention my Patreon supporters by name, even though I know them all because there are so few of them, and they are all my friends (Hi Joe, Jorell, Jim, and Jephanie!)!
So anyhoo, Jim Purcell asked for something a little different this month. This sketch is based on a story idea he’s working on – a Sci-Fi/Superhero/Slasher. Part Teen Titans, Part Brat Pack, Part Alien, Part Friday the 13th. I quite liked his outline. It’s very very Slashery, and works better than most Superhero horror books I’ve read or seen. This is one of his characters.
I always worry about drawing characters so intrinsically linked to a particular style. I don’t wanna ape the style, but I do want it to be instantly recognizable as that character. So, a little, I was intimidated by Frozone. But also, had a lot of fun drawing this. Could be my very deep-set love for Iceman.
I miss Iceman. I wish he wasn’t dead. I wish Marvel still published X-Men comics. I wish they continued making Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.
Oh well, maybe someday.
Patreon reward, by the way.
A little over 10 years ago, my friend Jim asked me for advice/help on getting started with a podcast. I gave him what little advice I could (which, after podcasting for almost 14 years, is still very little and useless). Then I offered him a URL and hosting space on my server, and I started The Gutter Trash Podcasting Network. Which basically has mostly consisted of 2 podcasts at all times. The constant being The Savage FINcast, a popular and enduring show dedicated to Erik Larsen’s Savage Dragon comic series.
Last year, Jim asked if I’d like to participate in a little self-published fanzine (FINzine?) organized by him and his FINcast Cohorts to celebrate their 10 year anniversary. Despite having long dropped off as a Savage Dragon reader, that book and Erik Larsen will always have a fond place in my heart, and I happily contributed a pin-up.
Shortly after I submitted my piece, Jim informed me that upon being given a review copy, Erik Larsen decided to publish the ‘zine as an official Image Comic.
That book is now officially solicited for Pre-Order from your Local Comic Shop, or wherever it is you buy your funny books.
Wanna know what I drew? Buy the book!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from the palest, gingeriest, Irishiest, Catholic guiltiest superhero of all time, Matty Murdock, the Dare Devil.
Patron requested the new female Captain Universe, which sent me down a weird rabbit hole of Captain Universe lore. Apparently this isn’t Captain Universe anymore, Eddie Brock/Venom is? I hate comics.
In 2016, most likely during an episode of The View Masters, I mentioned to Joe Grunenwald that I could draw Two-Face and any golden age superheroes all day and be content. Within days, I had a script. Within days of that, I had made some changes and drawn the 1st page!
Then, nothing.
I sat on this thing so long, Joe and his wife moved to Seattle for 5 years, and have now moved back to Ohio.
Over on my Patreon page, I had been slowly working on a comic project and posting my (again, slow) progress. I had completed roughly 5 full pages as if 2021. I had let that fall to the wayside for a bit, and was looking to focus on it a bit more strongly in 2022.
Then I discovered that I had lost the entire project. Toward the end of last year, I had been doing some file reorganization and cleanup. During that process, I must have accidentally deleted it. Everything. Gone. Irretrievable.
Soooooooo…
After a bit of fretting and wailing, I decided to work on something new. But that is when I discovered a folder named RBvTF01. I opened it up to discover this six year old dumb comic that Joe had written and I started. I decided that I will finish it.
Page 1 drawn in 2016. Page 2 drawn in 2022. I can definitely feel the differences. Page 1 had been drawn when I was JUST learning how to use ClipStudio (then called MangaStudio) and trying to impose a “this is how I draw on paper” method into the work. Page 2 is me still not knowing how to use ClipStudio properly, but also not giving a damn about consistency or quality. Page 2 also leans closer to how I want to draw (but still can’t figure it out, and still drawing in a way I dislike, like barnacles in my brain).
As for the lettering… well. I hope you can read it fine. Joe wrote a fun script, and I ruined that too, by removing a panel of Two-Face wildly firing guns at bees.
And for the record, yes, I posted this on 2/22/22 at 2:22am.
Thank you.
How much do I like and support my Patrons? When one asks me to a) draw a likeness of b) a character from a movie I fucking loathe, I grin and bear it and doodle something I hope is acceptable.
MacGruber. Oy.