Other than Merriam up in the corner these are all practice sketches – no specific characters. Probably done in early 1995.

A version of August Thyme, circa 1995.

After finishing the first four pages of Bugfuck Palace I didn’t use the sketchbook for a while. I probably picked it up again because I needed a sketchbook and it was available. No point wasting it. The rest of the work in it dates from 1995 after Nizzibet and I had moved to Seattle.

In this particular set of sketches the only thing of significance I recognize is Chainsaw. He was a cat who adopted me back in 1993 when I was still living with the Potter. He hung out on our porch for months, probably stealing food from the other cats I was feeding, but otherwise being friendly and cheerful. I finally gave up trying to discourage him and when the Potter and I broke up I took him with me.

This story, on the other hand, is obviously a riff on an old Arabian Nights tale.

—

And thus endeth our flashback to 1988. A new sketchbook begins tomorrow.

Out in the present I’m working on covers for The Complete Annotated Oz Squad. Steve is collecting the series in two trade paperbacks for debut at this year’s San Diego ComiCon. The first volume will have 1-4 of Oz Squad, the Millenium Special and Lil’ Oz Squad. The second will have 5-10 of the series. I’m not sure what the “annotated” part will include.

I have great admiration for short story writers. It ain’t easy telling a story economically. At least, it ain’t easy for me. I have a hard time telling an anecdote from my own life. I’m not very good at summarizing books or novels I’ve just read. So I have no idea how I came up with this little story. It might have been one of those lucky occasions when the story popped full grown into my mind.

Nothing to say about this one. The calendar had to have a cover didn’t it?

When Luvset and I were kids (ten and eleven or maybe eleven and twelve) we guest dj’ed on a friend’s radio show. The show was broadcast by Sonoma State University in Cotati. I don’t remember now how many times we were on – two, three times at the most. The friend dj’ed under the name Johnny Petrol. My bro and I went by the names Jack Lightning and Davey Thunder. It was a lot of fun. Somewhere in the world there might still be a tape or two of the broadcasts.

Years later, when I was getting ambitious about minicomics I asked Luvset to write a series and we revived Lightning, Thunder and our version of Johnny Petrol. And no, we didn’t ask our friend if we could use the character. We were self absorbed, punk kids. Permission is so polite.

Petrol is the guy in shades holding things up. Lightning is the guy with the vest. Thunder is the geek with the hat. I’ve never let anyone call me Davey. I hate the nickname. But for this character it just seemed appropriate.

Merriam is an itinerant jeweler in a Tolkien/Robert Howard inspired world. She travels from town to town with her kids. When in the wildernesses between civilization she looks for the treasures of older, fallen cultures. Sometimes getting these treasures means fighting off their guardian monsters and demons.

If I had a choice of DC superheroes to use in a series Ragman would be at the top of a fairly short list. I think Ragman looks cool. I didn’t think either version of the actual character (during the time I was reading comics anyway) were particularly compelling. The creepy patchwork costume character idea is wonderful. This is an early version (not meant to be Ragman – I think he’s some sort of sorceror-highwayman) but I’m sure many more will show up in later sketches.

Nizzibet’s latest essay is up at Tuppenceworth.