-The Lady Of Rage f/ Snoop Dogg – “Afro Puffs”

Inspired by the incredibly talented guys at ComicTwart, like Evan Shaner, Chris Samnee and Francesco Francavilla, I thought it might be nice to include a sketchblog feature from time to time.  It would give me a chance to flex my artistic muscles and draw something besides the strip.  (I was reluctant to include that link above, because those guys are killing it-just KILLING it-every week, and I didn’t want to look bad in comparison.  For example, Francavilla’s mock Johnny Recon poster from this week…stunning!)

Fellow 2010 Glyph Award nominee, John Aston over at OldeTowneComix.com, is preparing to print a follow-up to his graphic novel, Rachel Rage: Heartland.  The new graphic novel will be comprised of a collection of short stories featuring his Blaxploitation heroine, Rachel Rage and pin-ups submitted by some of his fellow members of “The Next 100,” including Rodney Blackwell, Samax Amen from GhettoManga.com, and myself.  I drew up this illustration based on the Heartland cover, since I owed John a pin-up from last HeroesCon and, besides, it was a great opportunity to inaugurate the sketchblog feature:

These are actually fairly tight pencils for me.  I overlaid the pencils with a sheet of vellum and inked the pencils using a lightbox.  (You will be happy to know that although I did reference the guns, I did not use reference for the butt.)  I was fairly happy with the final inks, except that I lost some of the edginess in her face.  In the penciled version, she’s glaring right through you, but in the inks, that look is softened considerably.  Rachel’s words below are the first ones she utters in the webcomic:

This was also enjoyable, because John created Rachel Rage with such a unique body type, and I tried to stay true to that form with the thick, strong legs and round face.  It’s a very different body type than you usually find in comics, so hat’s off to John for that.  The closest equivalent in comics would be Rosalyn from Larry Stroman’s Tribe, which was published in the early 1990s.  Finally, I was going to conclude with a statement about Rachel bristling with weaponry; her purposeful, challenging gaze; and female empowerment, but it’s late, and at the end of the day it’s still a booty shot.  Enjoy!

- JEP

I’m very humbled and honored to announce that WORLD OF HURT was nominated in six categories for the 2010 Glyph Comic Awards!

The categories include Story Of The Year, Best Writer, Best Artist, Best Male Character, Rising Star, and Best Comic Strip. 

I was further shocked by Rich Watson’s update today, in which he placed the nominations in historical perspective, when he posted, “With a leading six noms this year, including Story, Comic Strip and Rising Star, Jay Potts’ WORLD OF HURT is the biggest debut in [Glyph Comics Awards] history.”   

I know that it’s a cliche to say that it is an honor just to be nominated, but it is definitely true, particularly with the incredible line-up of talent and phenomenal properties that are in contention for Glyph Awards this year.  For example, one of the first professionals I met in the comic book industry was Joshua Dysart, when he and Tone Rodriguez were working on Violent Messiahs for Hurricane Entertainment.  I own an autographed, mint copy of Jeremy Love’s Chocolate Thunder from 2000.  Chocolate Thunder was an early project Jeremy Love did in collaboration with his brothers Robert and Maurice, which they published through their own imprint, Gettosake Entertainment.   Last year, Jeremy Love scored a record-setting five wins at the 2009 Glyph Comic Awards for his webcomic, Bayou, which is published through Zuda Comics.  Looking at the arc of Jeremy Love’s career,  his entrepreneurial spirit and creativity, which was always in evidence, is an inspiring example that one does not have to forsake artistic vision for the sake of commerce, and vice versa.  I wasn’t looking for that copy of Chocolate Thunder, but I stumbled across it in one of my short boxes yesterday.  I don’t believe in signs, but I do believe in hubris, so I won’t say anything more. :)  

Congratulations to all the nominees, but a special congratulations are due to John Aston, a friend of WORLD OF HURT and fellow member of Rodney Blackwell’s “The Next 100″ ™.  John received a 2010 Glyph Awards ‘Rising Star’ nomination for his work on Rachel Rage.  We’re representing South Carolina big this year! 

Thank you very much everyone for your encouragement and for all the work you’ve done to help spread the word about this webcomic.

- JEP

Clocking in at nearly 200 pages, Rachel Rage Vol. 1: Heartland is Blaxploitation-themed graphic novel from the mind and pen of John Aston.  Rachel Rage debuted as a webcomic by John Aston, the self-described head honcho over at OldeTowneComix.com, at which he posts Rachel Rage.  I had the pleasure of meeting John in 2009 at HeroesCon, and he’s a genuinely nice guy, but thankfully, John and I have staked out two separate areas within the Black action genre, otherwise there might very well be blood in the streets as we fight over Blaxploitation webcomic supremacy.  Whereas WORLD OF HURT follows a male hero in the tradition of the characters portrayed by Richard Roundtree, Fred Williamson, and Jim Brown, Rachel Rage works the other side of the Blaxploitation street and centers around a bad-ass, take-no-prisoners female protagonist cut from the same mold as Pam Grier’s Foxy Brown or Tamara Dobson’s Cleopatra Jones.

Set in the American South during the 1970s, Rachel Rage is a violent, blood-soaked, seedy tale of a young Black woman’s quest to avenge the death of her adoptive father at the hands of the corrupt, local sheriff, James Stewart.  Rachel Rage begins in medias res, with Rachel launching a one-woman assault on the sheriff’s drug supply chain.  Although she racks up a decent body count, Rachel’s initial attack against the sheriff quickly falls apart, and she is captured by Sheriff Stewart’s deputies.  While in his custody, Rachel is psychologically abused by the twisted sheriff, who has a habit of referring to our heroine by the sarcasm-laden, tender endearments like “sweet potato pie”  and “sugar dumpling.”  Coming from his perpetually sneering mouth, the phrases are delivered like wicked, cutting bromides against his captive. 

Despite the body count Rachel has left behind even before the story begins, and the damage she’s done to Sheriff Stewart’s drug running network, the lawless lawman has no intention of physically harming her…yet.  For reasons that I can’t go into without giving away the plot, Stewart merely wants to break Rachel’s spirit and bring her into his organization.  Recognizing that her first plan is now in tatters and  finding herself alternately bound, gagged, and/or hooded and at the mercy of the sheriff, Rachel agrees to go along with the Stewart’s scheme, but she will not be denied her revenge.

Aston creates a complex tale of intrigue, deceit and betrayal with Rachel Rage.  The language in Rachel Rage is absolutely brutal, and Aston does a strong job of capturing a sort of Tarantino-esque cadence for the characters.  (Physically, Sheriff Stewart strongly resembles the late David Carradine, so I found myself reading all his dialogue as the master assassin wrangler, Bill, of Tarantino’s two-part cinematic epic, Kill Bill.)  Aston emphasizes the film parallels by setting the action within panels bordered by a set of weathered curtains, to mirror the effect of sitting in a sticky-floored,  popcorn-strewn theater.  The panels have the muted, but lurid, coloring of an aging film stock, complete with scratches on the film.  However, despite his reverence for the cinematic experience, Aston also recognizes the possibilities inherent in the comic medium.   Aston works large and his big panels are chock-full of interesting details.  Aston’s technique of moving his virtual “camera” around various parts of the same panel to create mood and ratchet up the tension is one of the most effective uses of aspect-to-aspect panel transition that I’ve ever seen.   It establishes mood by lingering on a detail and effectively ratchets up the tension, as when the bound Rachel is slowly revealed to the reader over the course of several panels.  Also, I have to applaud Aston for the way he draws Rachel herself.  Rachel’s not a wasp-waisted waif.  She’s a wide-hipped, big-legged, Afro-puff-wearin’ daughter of the South.   Beneath her round, cherubic face, Rachel Rage is all butt, boobs and curves.  To use today’s vernacular, she’s thick, and ain’t a damn thing wrong with that.

Rachel Rage is filled with some of the seediest, most cruel characters this side of Eduardo Risso’s and Brian Azzarrello’s Vertigo series, 100 Bullets.  Finishing the book is the literary equivalent of staying in a strip club until the lights come on.  You had a good time while you were there, but in the harsh, unrelenting light, you suddenly realize that you don’t want to spend any more time with these people than you have to. ..but if your buddies gave you a call, you’d go back in a heartbeat.

Speaking of which, I might be that buddy who’s inviting you back to the club.  Word has it that John’s planning to release a new, shorter volume of Rachel Rage stories this year, so make sure you stop by the Olde Towne for a visit.

- JEP

By the way, one day I’ve got to get around to writing my review of Rachel Rage: Vol. I, which you can find at the online store John has ingeniously dubbed “The Olde Towne Chamber of Commerce.”   Clever bastard.  

- JEP

Last week I warned you about Maurice Fontenot running Ghost Pimp over on the Act-I-Vate stroll. (WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT CLICKING LINKS?)  Now this dude John Aston is also rising up out of South Carolina with an homage to the Pam Grier oevre called Rachel Rage.  The site’s been active since last year, so it has a pretty deep archive.  (SO HELP ME, IF YOU CLICK THAT LINK…).  I’ve had discussions with both these guys, and we’ve decided to handle this like gentlemen…for now.  However, if any one of y’all even consider going to those sites, leaving comments, or THINK about going here or here (DON’T ! I AIN’T PLAYIN’!) to buy their merchandise, this could explode into some vile gangsta shit, real quick!

- JEP