Long John

This is a case where the comic will do most of the talking this week.

For the sake of clarification, Lady May belongs to (as does Johnny Mono, one-third of Long John’s pre-comic posse) what is classified as a member of the Northern Paiute tribe who inhabit the Mono Basin in the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range. More specifically, all of the indigenous people in this comic are Kucadikadi––people who live near Mono Lake itself. Since Mono Lake is largely an off-page presence in this comic––aside from the opening, which set the tone––the Kucadikadi are almost anthropomorphized aspects of that lake’s and region’s existence during this point in time, all while being independent characters, too. That’s quite a burden to carry. What it mostly informs is their attitude; the Kucadikadi people in this comic are staunch individuals with diverse interests and goals, but are always confidence in the face of doubt and intimidation––something which I feels summarizes Lady May quite well.

In the interest of quirky details, I found that one of the most well-known Kucadikadi is a woman basket-weaver by the name of Carrie Bethel. Though she and I hold no relation to each other, it was a startling fact to find while walking through the quaint museum in Lee Vining (I don’t come across many Bethels in my searches, much less in a place I’m researching for a comic book).

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In a bit of improvised and reactionary art exchange, Long John got its first bit of fan-art from Kyrun Silva who is the comicker behind Shaman’s Destiny, an incredibly fun action-adventure story about a young man who is given powers from an iteration of the soul of Earth itself to help combat an onslaught of demonkind. If you like things like Supernatural, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there is a lot for you to love in Shaman’s Destiny.

I met Kyrun at this year’s Free Comic Book Day festivities held at my local comic book shop, Empire’s Comics Vault, as we were seated next to each other in the mini-con going on inside the shop. He’s a great, funny guy who is one of the most passionate creators I’ve ever met. His dedication is infectious. Last week, while sitting on the couch watching television, I drew the main character from Shaman’s Destiny, Malik, and posted it on Facebook. Within 24 hours, Kyrun posted his response––Long John astride a horse. It’s great to see other artists’ interpretations of original characters and I’m honored to have the first one be from an up and coming local talent. Thanks again, Kyrun!

Kyrun Silva’s Long John