In hindsight, Scott “Cyclops” Summers is actually the most D. Bethel X-Person for me to draw if only because––like a lot of my character designs over the years––his eyes are hidden. In my previous comic, the main characters’ eyes were hidden by glasses (for one character) and a low-sitting baseball hat (for another). We often find Long John’s eyes hidden during the story because of the wide brim and his general brooding nature.
What I actually like a lot about how X-Men is written is the strength of “superpowers as metaphor” stories that can open up a character’s depth by revealing a complex, believable, and problematic relationship a person would have with their superpowers.
Some slapdash colors.
While Scott’s power is the ability to shoot concussive blasts of energy from his eyes, the corrective lenses he has to wear are equally emblematic of Scott’s myopia in many story lines. In many versions of his visor, he has to physically touch a button or slider on the side in order to unleash and control his blasts, which is interesting because it mechanically ties two senses together––touch and sight. I don’t know what it means (if it means anything), but the narrative opportunity it opens up is fun to ponder.
This sketch is ballpoint pen, drawn without intent or guide––just pen to paper––which is surprising because it’s the first Cyclops I’ve drawn that I’ve been happy with. I feel like I’ve captured the furrowed anxiety that I always see in the character.
I’ve been rather quiet for the last few weeks if only because my day job became really busy as the semester wound to a close (which explains how this became a Sketch Monday). Grading is always pretty intense due to the sheer volume of work that comes in and, with regard to the end of Spring semester, specifically, how fast the turnaround needs to be.
In the middle of the grading crunch, the metaphor that kept coming to mind when I tried to make contact with the outside world was “Hey, it’s Dan. I’m surfacing for a bit just to check in…” It’s an apt metaphor as while I’m grading, I spend all day grading and come home to maybe watch an episode of television before going to bed to start it all again the next day. Though I’m not “unplugged,” it definitely seems that way because I simply lack the time to goof off or get distracted. To that end, it is kind of nice because the world becomes white noise for awhile as I try to keep my focus forward.
Now that grading is completed––I can get to gettingchapter 4 of Long John done. I’m not starting from nothing, however:
Pages for Long John chapter 4 are well underway.
I look forward to getting a fair amount of stuff done this summer––I can’t wait to share it all here. Until then, be sure to follow my on Instagram and to join the Long John Facebook page.
The first Saturday in May has arrived, which means, of course, that another Free Comic Book Day is upon us! FCBD is an event held across the nation that celebrates the comic book industry. Basically, a big “thank you” to fans and shops from comics publishers (and simultaneously a major marketing event for the industry), participating are sent pallets of comics––many made specifically for this event––for absolutely free.
For this event, my local comic book shop, Empire’s Comics Vault, has made it a huge gathering of fans, creators, and entertainment, and this year seems to be their biggest showing so far. As always, I’m honored to be included as a guest again, and––just as the shop goes all out for FCBD––I have tried to make it a unique and special event for Long John as well.
Featured guests include industry professionals Nick Dragotta (left), Ramon Villalobos (middle), and Justin Greenwood (right). Image sources Image Comics (left and right), Marvel Comics (middle).
Starting with the shop and its offerings, I will be among over a dozen local comickers and creatives selling their wares at the shop. This year brings with it industry professionals, too, with Nick Dragotta––artist for the hit Image Comics series, East of West––in attendance, as well as Ramon Villalobos––an artist who has worked for basically every major publisher––and Justin Greenwood––artist for the celebrated Image Comics title, The Last Siege leading the charge. Having major players like these fellows elevates the show even more, though its prestige was high already with the incredible gathering of local talent that comes to the show every year.
The show will also feature live professional wrestling courtesy of Supreme Pro Wrestling, cosplay, a charity raffle, face painting, food trucks, and much more. It will be going all day––doors open at 9am for the general populace––so be sure to come by at some point––it’s completely free!
As for me, I’ll be debuting a bunch of new prints for the show, divided between Long John-focused prints and some of the fanart I’ve been doing for Sketch Fridays over the years.
“The Johns Triptych” (top) and “Unmasked” (bottom) are debuting at this years FCBD.
For the Long John prints, I’ll be debuting the “The Johns Triptych”, and the “Unmasked” Hellrider Jackie print.
Furthermore, I’ve made some prints out of the hands-focused fanart I’ve done over the years. One is an updated version of the Crimson Peak tribute piece, followed by the recent Battle Angel drawing titled, “Beyond the Sky.” Lastly, I’ll be offering the print of the Captain Marvel tribute drawing for FREE while supplies last.
The fan art prints I’ll be bringing to FCBD.
Lastly, I’ll also be debuting a new freebie that has been in the works for awhile and I’m super excited to start bringing to shows (and is the mystery item I alluded to in the video): Long John coasters! They have an original design on the front and a blank back that I’ll reserve for making quick and small doodles for people coming by. I love how they turned out and I think they’re unique enough to get people excited to check out the table and the comic.
Boom. Imagine the backs as blank.
As always, I look forward to Free Comic Book Day as a chance to see some old friends, make some new ones, and––more than anything––celebrate not only comics but creativity and community. I hope to see you there on Saturday at Empire’s Comics Vault.
Reprinted from an 1879 column printed in The Chico Morning Chronicle-Record:
'Famous gunfighter––though currently riding under the guise of a bounty hunter––"Long" John Walker's stoic, monolithic presence draws the attention of every room into which he steps, even in spite of his severe penchant towards laconicism. The apparent contradiction extends to his dress, as his already massive frame is extensively layered beneath strata of wool, leather, and cotton garnished with smaller adornments made of ivory and precious stones. As the ostensible leader of the trio of "bounty hunters" known colloquially as "The Johns" (after the fact that all three members share the name, though the record is unreliable), he commands through nuanced gesture, threatens through twitches of the eye, and famously shoots running targets at rifle-distance with his standard Colt model P (I can personally vouch for this feat and while many of his other popular descriptors are the work of dime novels, this claim is irrevocably true). While his motives are kept close to his dandily clothed chest, there is no doubt that no man alive wants to be on the bad end of his gun's sight-line.'
