I'm going to take a break from posting fiction for awhile. My batteries are running very low and I need to refill. In the meantime here is the beginning of a set of portraits of The Devil's Square. I haven't posted much about them in awhile, but I have been working on them in the background. 
In the mindforge,
The first time I saw Wotan was in Doctor Fate's origin in Secret Origins #24. There was something unsettling about his skin tone that frightened me. I think perhaps I was flashing back to the Wicked Witch of the West. When I saw the Wizard of Oz as a kid, she scared the crap out of me. In the More Fun Comics Doctor Fate stories, Wotan seemed to be a charismatic cult leader as well as master sorcerer. 
I don't remember the exact inspiration for this strange horned goblin. Considering its fluid physiology, perhaps the creature is in mid transformation into some other form. I do remember that its gleeful malice was intentional.
I don't know much about Kent Nelson from the original Doctor Fate stories. I've always been much more interested in Doctor Fate anyway. Much like the sketch of Inza Cramer, the fun in this piece was doing the research into vintage clothing and hairstyles. 
Here we have a sketch from some time ago of a man animal. Initially my thought was of a hyena, but this isn't very hyena like at all. Perhaps he is just a smug werewolf instead? Now that I think about it, this looks a little bit like Scar from The Lion King.
"The Waverly house has been abandoned for well over ten years. Every spring, the property used to be covered with brightly colored flowers, but after the Waverly family disappeared, it grew thick with wild grass and tall weeds. Over the years several real estate companies have tried to sell the property, but as soon as any of them toured the house they changed their minds mighty quick. Eventually, the Waverly house was condemned by the city.
Here we have, Inza Cramer, trusted companion to the original Doctor Fate. Inza eventually marries Kent Nelson, host of the Doctor, and eventually goes on to assume the mantle of Doctor Fate herself. This piece was fun because I had the opportunity to explore the hairstyles and clothing of 1939-1940 from around the time that the Doctor and Inza made their first appearances.
The Skin Crawling Comics
website began earlier this year and regularly posts pages to the individual
stories of the anthology every Tuesday and Thursday. I'll be doing an
update at least once a month with links to the newest pages. Drop by and check out the latest updates!
