Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Saturday, February 19, 2022
John Haynes: At Death's Door Principal Story Art is DONE!
I couldn't have gotten this far without the support of all you patrons. Thanks for all the donations that helped make this comic happen!
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Saturday, February 12, 2022
Isis: Legacy Cover By Bill Walko
Just got the concept sketch from Bill Walko for Isis: Legacy. And I love it!
Bill tells a great story in this image. I love how this sketch shows how Isis has been a part of Black history for the last century. Bill did a fantastic job show how Isis was a sophisticated sista during the 1940s. The portrait of Andrea Thomas Robinson reminds me of all the photos of the beautiful Black women I saw in old magazines like Ebony and Jet. I love how dignified and elegant Andrea Thomas Robinson looks! In some ways her painting reminds me of the iconic Curt flood portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.!
And I love how modern Isis and Colleen looking at the photo contrasts the portrait. Both Isis and Colleen show how much the world has changed for Black women and how there’s a lot more diversity to black culture today with Colleen the Black Goth Girl on the left and Isis in her more contemporary street clothes on the right. I wanted this cover to pay homage to Black women of the past and show how sistas today appreciated the sacrifices they made to get us to today.
Isis: Legacy is the conclusion of The Thetas story arc. The Thetas was the novel that introduced Isis to the SJS DIRECT Universe. Isis came into the modern SJS DIRECT Universe when Colleen saw the picture of Andrea Thomas Robinson on Doc’s nightstand and the portrait in the vestibule of the Theta House. I further explored Isis’ backstory in The Thetas in Isis: Imitation of Life and Isis: Death of A Theta. In Isis: Imitation of Life readers saw how Isis was a hero during the dark days of Jim Crow by teaching young Black girls to love themselves, and in Isis: Death of a Theta readers saw her pass on the leadership of The Thetas to Doc Flowers, Colleen’s mentor in The Thetas. With Isis: Legacy I wanted to bring things full circle by having Isis finally meet Colleen. This was a story thread that had been building from Isis: Wrath of the Cybergoddess. Something would just get in the way of Doc introducing Isis to Colleen. With Colleen Anderson being a major character in the SJS DIRECT universe, I wanted the meeting of Isis and Colleen to be an event.
Isis: Legacy is the conclusion of the second story arc that started with Isis: Wrath of The Cybergoddess. What role will Colleen play in the third story arc? Will she be following along as Isis goes where she’s needed? Will she replace Doc? Will there be a culture clash as Goth Girl gets to know the Goddess next door? Could the Goth N’Lovely Spinsterella make an appearance in a future story? I’m still working out the details for the third story arc of the Isis Series. And those could be possibilities for future storylines.