Long John

To be honest, I never really considered what the substance actually is. It has appeared before when Long John “goes dark,” but it could be easily considered smoke or oil or maybe even blood? Mostly I thought of it as gobs of ink I dripped down the page to get the eerie effect. It was a choice I made off the cuff back in Chapter 2, not really considering what it might mean for the future or how it would be used. Mainly, it was an expression of his regression into the person he used to be, and how that might align with the goals and values of Hellrider Jackie.

So, I considered it lucky that in this final “showdown” I had that imagery available to me to use. When I landed this idea, of the stuff pouring out of the gigantic skull and flooding the ground and a Hellrider emerging from it, I couldn’t wait to draw it (and it was like I had planned it all along). That’s a big part of art, making impulsive choices and then forcing yourself to contend with it.

The thumbnail drawing for this page. Click for larger version.