105. Babs on the Prowl

Personal work, 2013, graphite with digital tones

Horsin' around with Matt Humphrey's Batgirl design. Maybe next time I'll get those long, skinny limbs on model, huh?

097. Fresh Princess of Hyborea

Expression sheet for Suburban Barbarian Princess Jennifer, 2012, graphite.

Here's some new(ish) content headed for the portfolio.

In just a few days, the current contents of my portfolio and I are headed to CTN-X! In addition to my conventionally sized 'folio, I'll have many smaller copies on hand to leave with interested parties or, perhaps, to offer in trade. Be sure to ask for a look when we see one another at the show. (I will see you there, won't I?)

Depending on the number of copies that return home with me, in the future I may offer the small 'folio for sale online. I'll keep you posted!

092. Darcy Dare Designs

Designs from Darcy Dare paper miniatures, 2002, ink.

Wow, this month marks the tenth anniversary of the Darcy Dare SPARKS paper miniatures set!

In middle or late 2001, I approached S. John Ross to express my interest in developing a set of paper miniatures for his SPARKS line of specialized fonts. For a couple of years I’d been drawing this heroine, "Darcy Dare," and I imagined she could be the central figure in a collection of modern pulp action characters. Ever the gracious fellow, S. John said he was down with the concept and so the fun began!

I tried to think of various characters that’d be at home in the adventure comics and cartoons I loved as a kid (and continue to love). I knew we needed ninjas, a jungle princess, various costumed goons and, of course, a robot gorilla. By the time we were done we had twenty-six characters, plus Darcy Dare in four alternate costumes, as well as several “flats,” various props appropriate to the genre.

Pictured above is “classic” Darcy Dare, along with rear views of three alternate costumes: Urban Commando Darcy, Arctic Action Darcy, and SCUBA Scout Darcy!

Sure, with a decade's perspective I see things I’d change; I think the designs could be more flavorful and each suffers the effects of my “wedge finger” period. Further, Darcy’s not quite the same character she was ten years ago.

Still, I’ll always have a special affection for these drawings and for the clever names, crazy concepts, and snappy descriptions that S. John developed for the collection.

I’m flattered that folks continue to stumble upon the product and make the purchase!

088. Agents of H.O.R.N.E.T.

Agents of H.O.R.N.E.T. costume concepts, 2010, ink.

These drawings were inspired by the campy concept of a super commando/spy agency (à la G.I. JOE or S.H.I.E.L.D.) devoted to exterminating all manner of monsters, creepy crawlies, etc. As I recall, H.O.R.N.E.T. was an acronym for the agency's creed, to "hunt and obliterate rascals native and extraterrestrial."

Rest easy, citizens.

087. Amethyst Fifty-Too!

Amethyst, Goddess of Gemworld, 2011, mixed media.

Above is my submission to DC FIFTY-TOO, a collection of covers for comics you won't be seeing during the relaunch of DC's entire line of comics this fall. The collection was conceived and curated by Washington-based cartoonist and fine fellow Jon Morris. Thanks for inviting me to the fun, Jon!

As you may know, I have a fondness for Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, the DC fantasy title from the Eighties, hence the subject of my submission. It was tempting to take Amethyst back to her teenage "magical princess" years in my imagined relaunch, but I challenged myself to work more or less within her main continuity.

Here's the write-up that accompanied my submission:

Much time has passed since young Amy Winston was a mere Princess of Gemworld. In her desperate struggles against the tyrant Dark Opal, the Flaw and the Child, and the archsorcerer Mordru, Amy drew upon the planet’s limitless energies, becoming an avatar of Gemworld itself.

Now, a lifetime away from Earth, Amy shields the inhabitants of Gemworld from menaces beyond time and space. She is AMETHYST, GODDESS OF GEMWORLD!

Amethyst created by Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn, and Ernie Colón. Original Amethyst logo by Todd Klein. Amethyst, the distinctive likenesses thereof, and related elements are trademarks of DC Comics.

Magical Adventurer Gal, 2010, mixed media.

The "mixed media" here are graphite, a sheet of newsprint, and digital tones and effects.

Suburban Barbarian Princess Jennifer character turns, 2010, ink.

Here's a character of which I'm fairly fond. Also, here's a lively rendition by my pal Jesse Hamm!

I hope this post finds you well, enjoying the lovely autumnal weather.

Black Canary, 2010, graphite and ink with digital color.

Above is my submission to the “Canary on the Catwalk” challenge over at Project Rooftop. This was a tough one for me! How to dress a Black Canary?

Personal guidelines, to make things interesting:

• Easy to draw
• Works against dark backdrop
• Little exposed skin
• No fishnet stockings

The naked silhouette is plenty of tease, especially when encased in black (ask Batwoman, Catwoman, Black Widow, and Black Cat if you don’t believe me). The yellow corset shape is similarly suggestive.

An element of Dinah’s costume only at the very beginning, the mask adds to the mix of allure and intimidation I associate with the character. It also serves as a stronger link to the “mystery man” tradition to which Dinah belongs.

I went back and forth on the eyes—pupils or no pupils? I decided the lack of pupils presented more emotional distance than I wanted. The pupils show there’s someone there, just behind the mask. I made an alternate version with no pupils, if you care to compare.

Black Canary created by Kanigher and Infantino. Black Canary, the distinctive likenesses thereof, and related elements are trademarks of DC Comics.

G-3 (Jun the Swan), 2009, graphite with digital color.

Since the release of the Speed Racer feature film, I've discovered a love for the work of Tatsuo Yoshida.

I could say, "rediscovered a love," although as a kid I had no clue that my beloved Speed Racer and Battle of the Planets (originally Gatchaman) were created by the same person.

Looking at both series with adult eyes, the similarities are clear and wonderful. Both series feature simple yet flashy designs with great colors. Both series feature family units of a kind and hefty helpings of melodrama.

Also, as a person who lost a parent at an early age, I greatly appreciate the mysterious masked figures present in either series, Racer X in Speed Racer and Red Impulse in Gatchaman. Whew, it's powerful stuff.

I'm wary of the CG Gatchman film in the works but I hope, if nothing else, we'll see a fresh release of the original TV series on DVD to coincide with the film's release.

Cassie's Wonderful Threads, 2009, ink with digital color.

Summer's a great season for superheroes and superheroines. Something about athleticism and primary-colored costumes, perhaps?

Cassandra Sandsmark, the current Wonder Girl, celebrated the new year (2009) with a new costume. Image above and words below I composed in response ...

... Oh, Cassie. I see you've changed your costume again.

You've conjured a new pair of jeans, donned an armored collegiate sweater, and dropped the bracers, even. There's a colloquial charm in these (arguably) street-ready threads but are they appropriate dress for superheroics?

Consider your predecessor's clothes: Donna's costume in NEW TEEN TITANS was a wonder of economic, elegant design, truly a heroine's costume. Her current starry suit ain't half bad, either.

We'll spare you an all-red get-up; you tried that and, I must agree, it didn't always work. Also, we must control the blue, lest we mistake you for Kara, and temper the star motif, lest you remind us of Courtney. We'll respect your decision to omit the bracers, despite my uncertainty regarding your motivation for that decision.

Just wear it on your next couple of adventures, Cassie. Should it fail to wow friends and foes alike, we'll try something else.

Fondly, Jonathan McNally

Cassandra Sandsmark created by John Byrne. Wonder Girl, the distinctive likenesses thereof, and related elements are trademarks of DC Comics.

U.S. Marshal John Jones Is The Martian Manhunter!, 2009, ink with digital color.

For those of you who don't know this character, the Martian Manhunter is a person from Mars named J'onn J'onzz who was beamed to Earth accidentally and is now trapped here.

Being a Martian gives him quite a surprising mix of powers. One of his key powers is shape-changing, which he uses to disguise himself as Earthman John Jones, a detective.

I first saw the Martian Manhunter on the pages of Justice League of America 229-230 (which I picked up on a walk to 7-11 with my grandma). In the story, a Martian armada invades our planet and J'onn J'onzz betrays his race to defend the Earth.

Space operatics ensue—the JLA satellite is destroyed, the Manhunter dukes it out with a Martian champion-general type, etc. Since then I've read lots of stories featuring the Martian Manhunter but that one remains one of my favorites.

The image above is my attempt to depict a Martian Manhunter who's ready for the kind of rollicking space action I just described, as well as some serious police work.

Oh, I gave him a shape-changing Martian dog, too. :)

J'onn J'onzz, the Manhunter from Mars, created by Joseph Samachson and Joe Certa. Martian Manhunter, the distinctive likenesses thereof, and related elements are trademarks of DC Comics.

Suburban Barbarian Princess Jennifer, 2009, ink with digital color.

I drew this for a friendly trade. The colors were added several days after the drawing was handed to the postman.

On the topic of color, a question I've posed elsewhere: Do those of you who tinker with digital color typically use a "channels" method or a "layers" method (or a combination of the two or another method altogether)? Does your method vary according to image type?

Lady Uliya title card, 2009, ink with digital color.

Who can forget watching this on Saturday mornings, huh? Pajamas and bowl of Cheerios recommended for optimum viewing.

Vampirella, 2008, graphite with digital color.

Had I submitted a design to Project Rooftop's Vampirella ReVamp, it might've looked like this. (Click here for entire, footed figure.)

Vampirella created by Forrest J. Ackerman and developed by Archie Goodwin, Frank Frazetta, and Tom Sutton. Vampirella, the distinctive likeness thereof, and related elements are trademarks of Harris Publications, Inc.

Superman Despises Your Meaningless Existence!, 2008, mixed media.

Holy cow! I can't believe my luck!

I managed to get my hands on the spread pictured above, which features the following items:

• a super-rare Action Comics cover
• a page of crisp original art
• a pristine pair of finger-puppet playsets

Here's a closer look at the page:

Detail of Superman Despises Your Meaningless Existence!, 2008, ink.

What's that? Doesn't look authentic?

Okay, okay, you got me!

These items were created during the second leg of my PNCA comics intensive. Prompted by an excerpt from My Dinner with Andre, we explored visual narrative on and off the comics page. Local artist Daniel Duford guided our exploration.

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Batman created by Bob Kane. Superman and Batman, the distinctive likenesses thereof, and related elements are trademarks of DC Comics.

Superman, 2008, ink with digital color.

Here's another submission to Project Rooftop, this time for the event Superman: Man of Style!

As mentioned in the previous entry, circus performer and dancer were operative words for my Batman costume. For Superman, the words were football player and athlete.

Looking at the finished design and thinking about Superman's personality, I think the concept now seems natural, even obvious. However, it took me quite some time to stumble in this direction. Not until I read Jemma Salume's comments on her classy design did my own materialize. Thanks, Jemma!

My design's not far removed from Kal-El's classic threads, but I think it feels complete, a closed circle.

Funny that the design somewhat resembles Flash-Gordon-style duds, since I made no conscious attempts to include such elements. The resemblance makes sense to me when I consider that Raymond and company themselves alluded to fashion from contemporary and historical periods to depict their science-fantasy.

In other news, this is day three of my nine-day comics intensive at PNCA. So far it's a blast!

The first three-day leg is taught by powerful pair Jessica Abel and Matt Madden. It's true that I'm prone to hero worship, especially in classroom settings, yet I'm fairly convinced Jessica and Matt are two fine folks, regardless of location. If you have a chance to take a course with them, do so! Otherwise, pick up a copy of their new book Drawing Words and Writing Pictures!

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Superman, the distinctive likeness thereof, and related elements are trademarks of DC Comics.

Personal Batman No. 2, 2008, ink with digital color.

Who says you gotta be grouchy to patrol the streets of Gotham?

In this design I tried to hint at the theatrical roots of superhero couture. Hopefully you see a bit of dancer or circus performer.

The addition of goggles is partly an attempt to afford Bats a more natural, manageable range of expression. Some can work wonders even with white, empty sockets but others, myself included, struggle with their application. I'm inclined to say this troubled application is more evident in comics than in cartoons.

Does Batman need a wider range of expression? Oh, that depends. Referring specifically to comics, I think the scary white sockets work best when Batman appears infrequently, like an an avenging spectre (not the avenging Spectre), or when his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, gets a fair amount of screen time. In my experience (again referring to comics), either scenario is an exception so, perhaps, another design solution'd be helpful.

I suppose only repeated drawing will prove any goggle merit!

Design aside, the grouchy Batman frequently depicted in comics doesn't work for me as a personal heroic archetype. He seems hardly admirable beyond his ability to put criminals behind bars.

Given his origin, the Batman who makes sense to me is much about hearth and home, hence the importance of Wayne Manor and the Batcave in the Batman myth. From his own place of safety, Batman ventures to safeguard all the households of Gotham. Further, he creates his own Bat Family, not (or, at least, not only) because he needs soldiers for his war on crime, but because it's what a person must do to flourish (surely what his parents would wish for him).

Batman created by Bob Kane. Batman, the distinctive likeness thereof, and related elements are trademarks of DC Comics.

Iron Man concept sketches, 2008, graphite.

Featured above and below are precursors to my final submission to the recent Iron Man contest at Project Rooftop (see previous entry).

Iron Man concept sketches, 2008, graphite.

I haven't seen the Iron Man movie. I did see Speed Racer, which elicited from me the same looney excitement I experienced when watching the cartoon as a wee one, thirty-some years ago.

Iron Man created by Heck, Kirby, Lee, and Lieber. Iron Man, the distinctive likeness thereof, and related elements are trademarks of Marvel Comics.

M.A.D.I.M.F.* Iron Man!, 2008, ink with digital color.

I hesistated to submit an entry for the Iron Man: Invincible Upgrade at Project Rooftop. The meaning and the appeal of Iron Man have always been for me a tad elusive. Still, I did a bit of research and was reminded that changes in costumes and equipment are a significant part of the Iron Man myth. There's been stealth armor, underwater armor, etc.

M.A.D.I.M.F. Iron Man in Action!, 2008, ink with digital color.

So, rather than focus only on the looks of the basic armor, I decided to draw a nifty new armor for Mister Stark's collection. Inspired also by another Iron Man, I imagined a giant-size armor built to tackle all those fearsome Marvel Monsters! I imagine he's got all the essential giant robot features, like rocket fists and missile fingers ... but I guess I'll have to depict those in future drawings.

* Mega Atom Drive Invincible Monster Fighter

Iron Man created by Heck, Kirby, Lee, and Lieber. Iron Man, the distinctive likeness thereof, and related elements are trademarks of Marvel Comics.

Batgirl Juggles Her Beaus, 2008, ink with digital color.

She wasn't kidding when she said you gotta be fast to make it into her datebook!

I'm excited by news of the coming Batman cartoon. Looking at the teaser image for that show, I can't help but think of the Sixties Batman TV show, which I adored in my youth. Pondering those shows and old Teen Titans comics resulted in the image above.

Batgirl created by Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff. Batgirl, the distinctive likeness thereof, and related elements are trademarks of DC Comics.

PS: I'm lately enamored with LiveJournal and so, in the present and the immediate future, new content here is mirrored there, as well. At some point I'll decide which tool, Blogger or LiveJournal, I prefer for the long haul.