Long John

This September marks my thirteenth year making comics.

I started in 2007 with the humor-espionage comic, Eben07, which was co-written with Eben Burgoon. Its six-year run is best summarized as a serialized learning curve. It was a lot of fun but, by the end of its run, both Eben and I were yearning to take what skills we had honed into new projects. If you want to check out a bit of Eben07, I have a free digital collection of the five-issue final storyline of the series, “Operation: 3-Ring Bound,” available for free at the online shop.

Obviously, after Eben07 ended in 2013, I dove into production of Long John while Eben created another action-comedy series called B-Squad. Over the years on this title, he collaborated with a range of artists, bringing them into his world of hyperactive, cultural humor, which garnered a lot of attention, press, and fans.

With that book gaining a home at Starburns Industries Press, Eben began expanding his horizons further with his new book, Tiny Wizards, created with the amazing artist, Dean Beattie.

They ran a successful Kickstarter in March to fund the first issue, a series pitched as: “pint-sized wizards vie for control of fast-food restaurants in a freeway town in California.”

If the preview art indicates anything––and based on knowing Eben for over twenty years at this point––it’s going to be a wild and wacky book.

I did this pinup as a thanks to Eben for pre-ordering Volume 4 (and as an appreciation for his continued support of Long John throughout its lifespan), and was pleased that he got a kick out of it. I have even heard that the drawing will be inked and colored (by another amazing artist, John Cottrell, artist of an exclusive pinup found in Volume 4!) for inclusion in the debut issue of Tiny Wizards!

It’s quite an honor to be included in one of Eben’s new projects, and I’m glad he found the sketch a worthy addition. I can’t wait to check out the book when it’s in hand!