Attempted as a cool upshot, this illustration more just looks sadly out of proportion. It was also a vain attempt to work out the details on Johnny’s scarred epidermis. I took pride in keeping all those scars and wounds consistent as the series went forward.
This Johnny Saturn pinup was originally drawn as a Frumph.net contest prize and was awarded to the winner of a webcomic scavenger hunt. It was won by Deth Invictus of Australia. I like the basic theme of this drawing enough that I think I’m going to adapt it for a Johnny Saturn. Cover. It has an old fashioned pulp feel to it, especially with the skull hanging overhead. Does the skull stand for Johnny Saturn’s nemesis Dr. Wissenschaft, or for Johnny’s own imminent demise? Time will tell.
These are my initial character designs for Alaric the Axe, a villain seen so often in Johnny Saturn. Really, this design was not far off the mark from how I initially drew Alaric. Looking at this now, I wonder if some of his appearance was subconsciously influenced by Thulsa Doom’s barbarian henchmen in the movie “Conan the Barbarian.” Alaric’s old costume looks a little too “90’s” to me now, and I’m glad I gave him a new costume in his later, one-armed incarnation.
Here, our resident hulking behemoth of a villain, Alaric the Axe, has almost taken his final form. At this point I envisioned a huge axe tattoo on his chest, and that might have been cool, but it never made it to the final design. If I think of it in the future, Alaric may just get that tattoo. That massive leather codpiece is certainly an attention grabber, is it not? This particular illustration was one of my early explorations into watercolor, a medium I quickly fell in love with.
This is my first drawing of Lieutenant Brezneski, or “The Brez,” Detective Buchanan’s kind-hearted boss. I wanted the Brez to look sloppy, disheveled, and a little run-down. I don’t know if his appearance compliments his good-hearted nature and role as a mentor; maybe it does, or maybe not. Truth is, after Benita made up his name, his appearance came to me in whole in one shot.
I’m really pleased with this character design, and I look forward to having Celerity show up more often in the future. My favorite feature of her headdress is that it radiates from her face when she’s still, and folds over behind her when she’s running.
This is my first and only preparatory drawing of Corkie, our favorite tavern proprietor and ex-cop. As soon as I put Corkie to paper, I knew he’d have to show up in future again, most likely as a sounding board for Greg Buchanan. I think it’s interesting to point out that civilian characters take just as careful consideration as the superhero characters.
This drawing is Decorum, who has appeared in the prose short story “Death on the Docks.” She has not appeared to date in the comic, although she is certainly in continuity with it. At the time that I designed her, the hot hairstyle for women looked as if it were a crazy bird’s nest, with hair carefully arranged to look messed up.
After Decorum’s loss of her partner, and part of her hearing, in “Death On The Docks,” I had plans to bring her into the comic. The crazy fetish/Goth outfit was to illustrate the turmoil she felt over the loss of her partner, Shadowcowl. I never got around to bringing her into the regular storyline, but when I do I doubt it will be the Goth version.
Shadowcowl, who was introduced and killed in “Death on the Docks,” derived his formidable powers from his magic cloak.
