 Jim asked Sandy about the above artwork. Sandy: DC Comics published a special deluxe format edition for the 50th issue of The Legend of the Dark Knight, one of their approximate 179 Batman titles of the time. About half the issue (if memory serves me right) was devoted to pin-ups of the character by various artists. The only thing really memorable about the assignment was the fact that the editor- the much beloved Archie Goodwin- gave me a call immediately on receiving it, and showered me with praise. That sort of thing can really make a freelancer's day. Sandy's inked and rough/color guide are included here:    Jim asked Sandy about the above drawing Sandy: Back in the 80's Marvel put out a series of comics called The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe which, collectively, served as something of an encyclopedia to their burgeoning stable of characters. I did a few drawing for the series, including one of a minor character named Jarella who, apparently, was the Hulk's main squeeze at the time. I really wasn't happy with the results (despite a nice inking job by Joe Rubinstein) but so it goes. Years later, though, a French fanzine called Back Up ran an extensive interview with me and tried to build their readership with that issue by offering a premium. They had me do a limited edition print that would be available for free to those who took the opportunity to subscribe. I used this as a chance to redraw that Jarella piece and bring it up to snuff, or at up to my satisfaction, this time adding a Burroughs-esque background to suggest that she was something other than a Marvel character. And that's that. Handbook to the Marvel University's Jarella  Fanzine's Jarella with Burroughs-esque background   Jim asked Sandy about the above drawing
Sandy: A fellow by the name of Rod Nippert gave me a call one day way back when, wanting me to come up with something to use for a new venture he was embarking on: raspberry farming. Seemed like my big chance—an opportunity to break into into the lucrative field of southeastern Ohio produce art. Well, not really. Rod didn't have much money to pay for the work, but for a month or two I was eating more red raspberries than you could imagine. He used the logo on his business cards and eventual had it blown up and put on the side of his pickup.  Jim asked Sandy about the above drawing Sandy: This is one of the rare occasions when I inked someone else's pencils. Fortunately, I was working over a blue line reproduction of the art which meant that I wouldn't be ruining the original drawing if I blew the inks. The pencils were by Linda Medley, well know creator of the award-winning Castle Waiting graphic novels. Turns out that both of us had played around with anthropomorphic elephant characters somewhere along the line, though the results were vastly different. Hers (in my opinion) was full of pathos and mine...not so much. In any case this drawing was the result of our collaboration. Another image from Sandy's archive:  A panel from a comic strip invented for my sketchbooks called "Jungleland." The elephant in question never did receive a name.  Jim asked Sandy about the above comic strip
Sandy: This strip was something of an exploratory mission. Had the notion to try and develop a comic strip for alternative papers. Lots of them around the country. But I realized I was biting off more than I could chew in that the approach I was taking was way too detailed and precise--I'd never be able make this work for me financial since each installment would take much too long to complete. But I couldn't quite leave the story alone. The plot centered around a certain fascination I've always had with pirate radio stations and I ended up incorporating that plot element into another comic strip, Bleeding Hearts, which saw print in the OU Post. And I used yet another piece of that story (young fellow stumbles upon a secret alien invasion) for "The Adventures of Harold Mitty, Pizza Boy", a strip that ran for half a year in the Athens News and elsewhere. |
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