The Superhero Ladies Series Returns!

A while back I wrote a post about how I wanted to do a series of illustrations showing Superhero Ladies, dressed and posed like human beings, not like…whatever comic books thinks is sexy.

While there are ladies in comic books and graphic novels that are in charge of their sexuality, and there are superhero ladies who are clothed, they seem to be the exception, rather than the rule.

Thus, I came up with the idea of the art series Superhero Ladies: a series of illustrations showing superhero ladies dressed and posed like…actual people.

sojourner superhero ladies art series
Number 1 in the series.

I put it on the back-burner, though, because I wasn’t sure how I wanted to exactly tackle this series.

But then I wrote about my Goals for 2015. And one of my goals is to make more eBooks full of sketches.

So I had the idea, “How about I make my first eBook of sketches be the Superhero Ladies series?!”

So that’s exactly what I’m doing.

This actually ties in well with another one of my goals, which is to draw two sketchbook pages a day. So I’ve been drawing quite a few superhero ladies this week already.

Here’s a peek at just one of the new ones:

mary wildfox superhero ladies art series sketch
Mary Wildfox (Click to enlarge).

I forgot to mention that the Superhero Ladies series will feature entirely original characters.

So, no, I’m not going to be doing re-designs of famous superheroines like Spider Woman, Power Girl, Captain Marvel, or anything like that. That can be addressed in a different series of sketches altogether.

Nope. This series will feature only original characters, costumes, and (hopefully) powers.

I’ll post more sketches occasionally. I don’t want to post them all online because I don’t want to spoil any surprises I have in mind for the eBook.

Speaking of books, though, Johnson & Sir have a book on pre-order. I talked about that in this post.

I’m working hard to make sure there’s new prints, books, and more for you. If you have any suggestions or ideas of what you would like to see more of, leave a comment below!

Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you tomorrow.

Writing Claire’s Story

claire comic post apocalyptic zombie fighter
(Click to enlarge)

So one of my New Years Goals was to write 1000 words a day. Which sounds pretty lofty, but really I can accomplish that in about an hour. Sometimes less.

In writing 1000 words a day, I’m actually getting a LOT of writing done.

It’s not just blog posts either.

Thanks to my 1000 words written a day goal, I’ve revisited an old script of mine, and am now in the process of writing it and continuing off of it.

I’m talking about my post apocalyptic lesbian love story with zombie-killing, starring Claire and Tracy.

claire and tracy in work in progress

I finished editing Chapter 1, and I powered through Chapter 2. It’s a GREAT feeling knowing there’s progress finally being made on a project that’s been on hold for months.

I’ve been revisiting this project in my sketchbook, as well.

claire and tracy comic work in progress art sketch
A Work in Progress (click to enlarge)
claire and tracy comic work in progress art sketch of environment
Sketching out an idea of the world they explore. (Click to enlarge).

And I’ve been doing some sketching to flesh out their world bit by bit.

I’ve also been looking at this list of post-apocalyptic tropes to avoid and what hasn’t been done yet. I’m hoping to add elements of things rarely done in post-apocalyptic stories, pulling inspiration from this list.

Like bike-riding. Oh my shit there need to be more bike riders after cars become useless hunks of metal.

What are some tropes of the post apocalyptic genre you can think of? What hasn’t been done in a zombie story yet that you can think of? Leave them in the comments below. I would love to hear about them!

Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you tomorrow.

A New Commission, Finished

art commission by Kelci D Crawford
(Click to enlarge).

You should click that image up there and get a better look.

No, really.

I’m so proud of this new commission I finished for a friend of mine. The client is an old high school friend of mine and the commission was to draw her family.

From left to right, they are: Delias, Kendall, Andris, Jake, Zo, Leon, Margie, and Itzal.

At the moment, I’m not available for commissions. There’s a few things I need to sort out with my day job first.

Once I’m available, though, I’ll announce it here on the blog and on my Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.

Thanks for checking out the new work! There will be more of it soon.

I’ll see you tomorrow with a new blog post. :D

Six: An Anthology of Comics…Review

There’s a new addition to my comic collection thanks to the power of KickStarter…

six comic book anthology from kickstarter

I completely forgot I backed this project until it arrived in the mail, along with a really fun “Believe in Comics” sticker (which I already put on my sketchbook).

To be honest, this was the first horror comic I have ever purchased or read. I’m not usually a fan of horror. I don’t read horror comics and even horror movies are ones I watch sporadically. I’ve never seen many of the things this author draws inspiration from, like Tales from the Crypt.

The only horror films I have seen thus far are PsychoThe BirdsOrphan (which I would say is more a thriller than a horror film), and Shawn of the Dead.

Wait, zombie movies count. Then I’ve seen more horror than that.

But it wasn’t until I read this comic anthology, Six, that I was introduced to the idea that the horror genre had its own niches like atmospheric horror and supernatural horror.

So my mind was pretty much a blank slate in terms of expectations for this book.

And it’s actually good.

This anthology features stories written by one author, Fabian Rangel Jr, with different artists for each story.

The first short story, “The Blood and the Snow,” features a Conan the Barbarian-esque woman warrior fighting her way towards her arch nemesis. This one is still my favorite, but mostly because I have a soft spot for badass ladies (or else I wouldn’t have started the Women Warriors Project). The artist, Jonathan Brandon Sawyer, does a great job.

six comics anthology woman warrior
Look at this artwork! It’s gorgeous!

The second story, “The Souls of Wicked Men,” follows two train robbers who fail in their heist, and retreat into the woods for shelter. I’m not going to spoil the ending, but it made me gasp out loud. I haven’t read a comic that made me do that in a long time.

The third story, “No Stranger to Death,” is probably the weakest story of the bunch. It follows an old man as he travels to a stranger’s house, only to reveal himself as a vampire hunter. And then, after he kills the vampire, out of nowhere, a ghost of a little girl appears and asks him to give her a proper burial.

The mood the author is trying to set in this story is commendable, but the artist, though good with facial expressions, is not a great communicator. The volume I got from backing the KickStarter included scripts of this story in the back, and it’s not entirely the fault of the artist that the story falls flat. The story is just littered with shotgun ideas that don’t connect very well.

The fourth story, “Stinky,” however, brings back the good stuff. It’s about a boy who is teased relentlessly by his classmates because he smells like rotten meat. One day, two of his classmates come over to his house to harass him, but soon discover the secret in the house, and why Stinky is…well, stinky. THIS story creeped me out the most, but in a good way.

The fifth story, “When the Evil Came,” is pure gross/psychological horror. Just…don’t read it if you don’t like bugs.

The sixth story, “Our Own Wars,” is about a soldier in a war against zombies. This was actually featured in another anthology, FUBAR (published by Alterna comics). It’s a good closing story, but not the best one (then again, it’s hard for me to get emotionally invested in a zombie story), since it relies on sentiment. But its circularity in its plot makes me happy.

I would say go and buy a copy, but I had a hard time finding it online outside of its KickStarter (which is over). However, if you find it, leave a link in the comments below!

Overall, I say this anthology is a must-read, even if you don’t read horror comics. This anthology definitely got me interested in horror comics, and if you’re on the fence about getting into the genre, this anthology is a good place to start.

Have any other suggestions for horror comics? Leave those in comments, too. :D

Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you on Monday.

Big News for Johnson & Sir

johnson and sir header image

Strap into your seats, because there’s all kinds of awesome things on the horizon for Johnson & Sir.

First, there’s a new print coming! Here’s a look at what to expect…

t-rex versus shark print johnson and sir
IT’S T-REX VS. SHARK!!

I know I want THAT on my wall!

Second, I’m closer to getting an awesome T-shirt ready. Can you guess what design will be on it?

Oh, I’ll spoil it for you:

T-Rex Sissy Fight
It’s the T-Rex Sissy Fight!

I’m shopping around for T-shirt printers at the moment. Until then, I’ll be getting prints ready soon. Keep an eye on Storenvy.

Third, and this is the most exciting thing for me. I have been working on this goal for over six months now.

Johnson & Sir‘s first book will be going to print!

johnson and sir book cover
Here’s what the book cover will look like.

Pre-orders are going right now for $10.

If you’re interested in pre-ordering a copy, just click the PayPal button below. The price covers the book plus shipping. Be sure to give your shipping address, too!


Books will be available by January 31st, 2015.

Thank you to everybody who reads Johnson & Sir every Tuesday!

Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you tomorrow with a new post.