The above book, Dynamite Entertainment’s Savage Tales of Red Sonja, has left my house twice and arrived twice this month. It’s not a book I usually associate with what my core audience associates with me or my work. In fact, when it comes up in conversation or in my bio, it’s the fifth or sixth book listed, in terms of importance. Mostly because, if we’re to be honest, I tell folks I worked on Superman, Batman, Wolverine, and then my creator owned stuff (FCHS, etc), and then Red Sonja. And I usually do this because…I know folks know who the first three are and it’s impressive. I throw my stuff in there next to make it seem like I’m focused on my own IPs (which I am). Then I go for Sonja, Scooby, etc. I’m not doubting Sonja has a fan base; I just never know who is in it. She’s a tough character to gauge because, on the surface, folks see the bikini. And I hate to put a character into a corner based on appearance (because that’s a crappy way to live), but there you have it.

And yet, I’ve purchased this book and shipped it twice in 30 days.

It’s the second one that really means something to me. On February 20th, I got an email from Roger, an elementary school social worker and reader, who was a big fan of Sonja. He had sent me some cards (I think Dynamite put them out) and asked me to sign them. When I finally got them, I signed them immediately and had them on my desk for a few days. I kept staring at them because I wondered, “Does he have the books? Why did he send me cards?” The cards weren’t even art from my issues (neither interior or cover), so I couldn’t understand what I had to do with them. I certainly didn’t draw them! So, I went into my stash (comps and convention stock), and pulled out the first issue of Savage Tales I did (I ran out of the second issue a while ago). Signed it, and put it in a new, bigger envelope. Then I said, “Wait, how can I send him part one and not part two?” So I grabbed the trade, literally, as I was walking out the door to the post office. I had just received the trade after sending my own copy to someone else. Sent it off to Roger and just hoped he didn’t have either, but secure in the thought that if he did, he’d still appreciate it.

Then I got the following email:

Wow!  Thank you so very much!  I have always thought the Arthur Suydam cover was one of the greatest pieces of comic art EVER so that was a treat to have signed by you…thanks!  I had a very long day at the elementary school and was just loving finding your treats waiting in the mail box, made my day.  Getting ready to reread some of your work before I head to bed.  Thanks again and keep up the great work!

Roger

See that? I did the right thing. Even after second guessing myself a million times.

This isn’t the first fan letter I’ve ever received, nor is it the first autograph request via mail. I’m hoping these aren’t the last, either. Getting these, and emails like this one, really encourages me. I’ve often said that you never know who is out there, reading your stuff, and enjoying it. We get as many (if not more) negative emails, message board posts, etc., as we do positive ones. But if I got one positive for every 100 negative, I’d be more than happy with that.

Here’s hoping that there are more Rogers out there, willing to step out of their comfort zone to reach out to creators just to tell them how appreciated they are. For them, I don’t mind going on Amazon to get my book over and over again. 100% worth it.

1. Yesterday, David and I did the very first bit of press for Prisoner of None. Click the image above to check it out. Interviewed by Tim O’Shea which is always a treat.

2. Although it hasn’t been officially announced, I will be returning to the greatest comic book convention in America, Heroes Con, this JUNE! I’ll mostly be moderating panels, but if you need to find me, I’ll be sure to let everyone know where I am via Twitter.

More News Coming!

I’ve spoken about Monster Massacre before on the site, but until today, I didn’t have finished art to show off.

Read it and weep.

Be sure to pre-order your copy today (orders due on Thursday, so be sure to tell your retailer!). If not for me, get it for the Simon and Kirby story! Or the Dave Dorman story! Or the Andy Kuhn story! Or…jeez, there’s a lot of great talent in this book!

You won’t be disappointed!

Prisoner of None, my weekly free webcomic with artist David Bednarski is now live. Go to PrisonerOfNone.com right now to read the first page!

Wow, it’s gonna be quiet here for a little while! Don’t worry…news is coming (!) and a new feature (?).

And so ends our introduction to the (primary) cast of Prisoner of None. After Chapter One is finished, expect to meet more members of the cast. But let’s talk about the Blue Giant here…

I think, initially, the idea was to make the Allied characters closer in tone to Marvel’s Invaders, kind of how Moore and Haun did in their excellent book, Battle Hymn. In essence, BG is our Namor, but the powers kind of eluded us for a bit. He was originally called the Aqua Specter, but that would have meant two characters with the same power set (Fantomudoragon), so we kiboshed that. David introduced the idea of an Australian, and I threw Captain Dingo out at him…ugh. Thankfully, David didn’t even dignify that with a remark and just said:

Blue Giant - underwater –type, gigantic, Australian sailor, counterpoint to Japanese Kazan

And we kind of just let it sit there. He was really the toughest character out of all of them (and there’s more coming) for me to get a handle on. I just…I couldn’t find my way into his body/brain/spirit. Then something happened. In trying to come up with an alter ego, I pulled out my Character Naming Sourcebook and I fell across the name of “Irwin Maddox.” Everyone has a name that plays into who they are or what they do or what their personality is. Irwin means “sea friend” in Olde English and “sea lover” in Anglo-Saxon. Maddox just seemed like a good name to go with it (if it has a meaning, I’m unaware of it). And then thinking about Australia, I realized I was going about it all wrong; the Great Barrier Reef had to be part of his origin. I’m…call it 80% sure that there was a battle around the Reef around this time in the War, but I can’t quite remember where I got that idea. Pretty much what you see here was made up on the spot. The idea of an avatar for the sea, the mystical barnacles (which I think was David’s idea at one point) and the fact that he’s a pacifist just kind of fell together. I’m not sure how readers will react to him (I’ve had a few folks ask about him already), but I can tell you truthfully…this guy was a bit of a pain to figure out. They can’t all be perfect babies, I guess.

One more time, this comic is not even close to possible without David Bednarski. I could have brought this concept to another artist, but it wouldn’t exist the way you see it now. He’s a true talent and I will keep on saying it…and encourage you to visit him on his sites:

http://artofdbed.blogspot.com/

http://dbed.deviantart.com/

https://twitter.com/dmbednarski

That’s it! You now know who everyone is. Starting TUESDAY, you get to see the fruits of our labor(s). We can’t wait to get started. Don’t forget, point your browsers to the new Prisoner of None site. Thank you all for your support. If you know anyone who would dig the comic, please recommend it to them. Please share the links on Facebook and Twitter (or Pinterest or Tumblr…whatever strikes your fancy). Please help us increase the audience! We’ll keep doing this as long as A) we know someone is reading and B) we still have fun doing it.

Prisoner of None is © and ™ 2013 Delsante and Bednarski. All rights reserved.

HISTORY

Originally slated for Superman Confidential #9, “Memorial Day” was a story about Superman’s first meeting with the Golden Age Green Lantern and Solomon Grundy.

Ok, first off, it wasn’t originally called “Memorial Day.” It was called “168 Hours to Go,” (before that, it was called, “Best and Brightest”) and was really about a week in the life of Superman, early in his career. Also, the original guest star was to be Jay Garrick (the Golden Age Flash), but in plotting it out with my editor (the great Mike Siglain), once we came up with Grundy as the villain, it had to be GL.

Second, it was supposed to be in Superman Confidential #7 (the issue after the Darwyn Cooke/Tim Sale arc). I forget why it moved to #9, but soon after it was solicited, it was pulled, resolicited to issue #12, pulled completely from the schedule and replaced. Soon after, the book was canceled. There are a number of reasons why it was pulled from the schedule, which for the sake of decorum and tact, I won’t go into, but I will say this: none of them had anything to do with the story.

Another little tidbit? This wasn’t supposed to be my story. Originally, I had pitched (and had approved) a three-issue story where I showed Superman versus a new pumped up Sportsmaster. The catch of the story is we learn how Superman learned how to fight and from who (it’s not who you think). The artist attached was Dean Haspiel. Why didn’t this story come out? Scheduling, for one. It was hard to find a spot for a three-issue story. Also, they were really keen to sign an artist for an exclusive contract so they wanted to get him a script ASAP. One issue…could I do it?

Of course I could!

Wrote the issue over a weekend, and for a couple of years, you had me to thank for the beautiful art of Julian Lopez.

STORY

As I said, there were a few differences with what I originally pitched and what eventually came out. There was a bit about a WW2 museum that got thrown out. I forget the actual reasons, but it just seemed a little too heavy handed to have that connection just to have a JSA-er in there to guest star. Also, I think it put too much emphasis on that guest star (Flash and then GL) instead of Superman. So, I pulled it out and centered it in Metropolis proper.

The timeline here is REALLY loose. Superman is really new and the characterization (at least in attempt) was based on Mark Waid/Leinil Yu’s Superman in Birthright. I set the story a week, maybe a month, after that story (which is fantastic, and if you haven’t read it, shame on you). But if you notice the ending, you’ll not that Lex Luthor is, well, chubby circa John Byrne’s Man of Steel. Some reader actually gave a proper issue of MoS that the story would take place before/after, fitting it within the original mini (I’m forgetting which one). So, right away, you can tell it’s kinda in continuity. The problem is, with Infinite Crisis happening around the same time (or soon thereafter), there was no…this sounds odd, but…there was no clear cut Superman origin. Looking back, this is probably what prompted DC to do Flashpoint and enter the New 52 (not my issue, but this dilemma). That was fine. As Alan Moore once said, “They’re all imaginary stories.”

Why is it called “Memorial Day?” This is probably the most hamfisted thing about the comic. The fact that it takes place during Memorial Day. The reason for this…and a lot of this is public information, so I don’t believe I’m stepping on toes or talking out of school…

Remember, my story was solicited as Superman Confidential #9, then #7, then #12, then pulled.

Meanwhile, in the Superman offices…

Superman 676 was solicited with a Keith Champagne story (I think Rick Leonardi was on art). The story was ”Superman embarks on a journey with a dying man who has been in the background of the Man Of Steel’s life from the very beginning. As they search for answers to the strange riddle of the man’s life, they also find themselves ambushed by The Parasite!”

DC lost a lawsuit right as this issue was going to press. Basically it said that DC could not reprint anything that had to do with Action Comics #1. Keith and Rick’s story was about a guy from the cover; DC, post lawsuit, couldn’t even reference AC #1 (again, referencing the New 52, this is why in the new Action Comics, Supes has a new origin…at least, that’s my theory). More here: http://www.vocaloidotaku.net/index.php?/topic/19200-dc-comics-lose-lawsuit-over-rights-of-superman/

So, now you have an issue of Superman, sandwiched between the end of Kurt Busiek’s run and before James Robinson’s, that…well…sort of doesn’t exist. The editor of Superman (I think it was and still is Matt Idelson) needed an issue, any issue, just to use as a fill-in. The thing about comics, especially, at that time, Superman, Action Comics, Batman and Detective Comics, is…they can’t be late. Those four, especially considering their publication history at the time, could not miss a month or an issue. They could have printed anything there. Mike Siglain, again one of the best editors in comics, did right by me (and Julian) and put my book up. Superman didn’t miss an issue.  So, in a way, Mike, Julian and I saved Superman.

So, when that happened, I was asked to retouch the script. There wasn’t much to do there, but since the book was now coming out in May, I thought (in hindsight, wrongly), “Why don’t we center it around Veteran’s Day?”

Yes, I’m the jerk that confuses Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day.

Once that was corrected, I went in and added a few captions to set the time frame. Again, so hamfisted. So shoehorned. I wasn’t even forced to do it; I just thought it would add a dimension to the story that would enhance it somehow.

This is why reading it now gives me the heebie jeebies.

REVIEW

Excuse me while I open the book…

There are more than a few Easter eggs to the original Superman movie in here. Superman’s first line is a paraphrasing of when he first met Lois. On Page Seven, the article Lois wrote in the movie about her first meeting with Superman is framed on Perry’s office wall. The Daily Planet…well, actually, that interior design is based on Superman Returns.

I love this opening splash (at the time, every DC comic had to start with a splash page). It’s iconic and damn if Julian doesn’t nail it. Again, at the time, this was Julian’s first work for DC (an issue of Wonder Woman would be published first, but this is the first thing he worked on), and I wanted to kind of usher him in with something breathtaking. Right away those captions just pull you out of it.

The robot…it was important to me to have Superman, literally, punching something so we establish right away that he can’t just punch his problems away (which is really underscored when he fights Grundy later on). That robot…at the time I was working at Jim Hanley’s Universe and if you’ve ever used the basement bathroom, you’ll find a bookshelf in there that has a sticker from the Bruce Timm Superman animated series. Those cartoons really helped me get into Superman’s head, so when you read the comic, if you hear Tim Daly or George Newbern’s voice (the voices of Superman in TAS and Justice League, respectively), that’s why.

Page Four shifts to Gotham City, and we can see the difference in atmosphere right away. We go from a bridge to a tunnel. From light to dark. I think I handled this transition pretty well. Julian definitely did. By the way, the “Morlock” team gets their name from both HG Welles and the X-men.

Page Five…someone reviewed this issue and said that their favorite scenes took place in the Daily Planet (or they said I nailed the dynamic). I could have done an entire issue just in the newsroom. I would have, if I could. I love those characters and they are infinitely more interesting to me than a lot of the villains. I mistakenly had Lois saying, “…dumping of CDC’s…” in Panel Three originally. CDC and CFCs are not the same thing. I caught that right before the book went to press.

Page Six is the stuff of nightmares when I look back at it now. Lois calls Clark, “Smallville,” a total of four times…in four straight panels. This was pointed out in another review and if I could go back in time and edit this, I’d start right here. I hate that this got out like that. So amateurish.

You’ll note that I not only had a Simpson’s reference on this page (Panel One), but that I throw out a lot of Metropolis locations. I have this little book to thank. And yes, I also own the Gotham City one.

I love my characterizations of Jimmy and Perry, especially the way they bounce off each other. Lois’ overuse of the nickname aside, I also like the way I play them off of each other. Lois is so dismissive of…everyone (but Perry, who she’d rather lock horns with). I could literally write these characters all day, in my sleep, if given the chance. So much fun.

Page Eight…I love Clark’s strut. My idea here was to show him being bold enough to start changing in plain view because…no one is paying attention. Everyone is running for their lives. If you can’t tell that Clark and Superman are the same guy just looking at his face, then there’s a good chance you’d ignore this happening.

Page Nine is actually a mistake that was fixed in post production. I hate putting Julian on blast here, but he and I both learned something in this issue: Alan Scott is the only Green Lantern in history to wear his power ring…on his left hand. Still, this is another beautiful money shot by Julian. What a way to introduce this character. I’m a little upset at myself that we…or rather, I…put another splash page in the book, and this one I have no excuse for. I should have had Clark fixing his tie in an inset panel at the bottom, looking out of the window. There’s two things I’d correct if I could (other than the captions).

I wish we could have kept Lex a secret in the last panel on Page Ten, and there’s a chance, if you were reading this at the time, that maybe, because Lex wasn’t portrayed as portly in the comics of the time, that you might not know who that was…but not likely. Another tip of the continuity hat…when we first see the Morlock team, they mention that they haven’t found “Gold” yet. Solomon Grundy’s real name is Cyrus Gold.

I wanted to extend the conversation between Clark and GL another page and let some of their dialogue breathe with some pauses and beats, but…this is really a matter of how I write comics…I always like transitions to happen with a page turn. So when you get to Page Twelve, and Alan says, “Kent?” in that last panel, I wanted you to  wonder where Clark was, just like GL. I love their interaction. I think I entertained the notion of just having Clark interview Alan at length in the Planet offices…with no action or Grundy. Just these two guys talking. There’s a bit from that hypothetical interview that pops up later on in the story.

When I described Page Thirteen in the script to Julian, I described it as, “the page I want to own.” Unlettered, this is quintessential Superman, distilled into four panels. I love this page more than any other in this book. Again, Julian nails it.

The issue falls off the rails right around here. Mostly because…I hope this doesn’t sound like an excuse…there would need to be a lot of expository dialogue to really do it right. If I had a second issue? No sweat. I’d get to do that interview I mentioned and so much more. But I had a tight deadline and one issue. Again, this isn’t an excuse, but I know what I could have done if given the space. I still would have missed those Smallvilles on Page Four, though.

It’s somewhat fitting that James Robinson’s run started in the next issue. Grundy here is based on one of the Grundy personas in his Starman run. But keep in mind…had no idea that this issue would be placed before his first issue. That’s just happy coincidence. I love his Starman run.

I can’t remember, but I think, originally, Julian based his Grundy on Boris Karloff. At least in the face. There are moments where you can see it (specifically on Page Seventeen/Panel Three), but I think for the most part, he switched it up.

Why does Grundy go from calling Superman “Little Red Cape Man” to “Red-S?” Because I’m an idiot that didn’t think it would matter. It bugs the hell out of me now.

Those last two panels on Page Sixteen…I came up with that very early on. I think even before the script was written. Those were thought up in Mike Siglain’s office around the same time that we came up with Grundy as the villain. I can’t remember why I thought of it; I think I just wanted Superman to kind of be over his head, literally and figuratively, and resort to methods that he wouldn’t usually resort to. Worked out well when you consider that of all the images in the comic, Alex Ross chose this to represent on the cover.

Last panel on Page Seventeen…this is funny…I originally had Grundy holding a tree and GL breaking it with a chainsaw construct. Until I was reminded that Alan’s particular weakness of wood would make this an exercise in futility. Which is why it makes no sense that Grundy would “RRRIIPPP” a rock out of the ground. I handled this well with Alan fighting Grundy (since he’s kind of plant based), but…now there’s three things I would change.

Page Eighteen…again, what methods would Superman resort to if everything he attempted up until now fell flat? Especially early in his career? He’d recharge his strength with a direct solar energy hit and then come back and hit Grundy like a meteor. The only problem with this is…I’m unsure if Clark knew about his solar battery-like powers at this point in his career. Because this was established in Man of Steel, I think I was ok, but I’m a timeline slave. If it happened in the MoS series and not the initial post-Crisis mini, I’m a fool.

Page Nineteen is where we see just how green Superman is at this point. Again, Superman just assumes he can punch his problems away, but when he does (and goes for a knock out punch against a stronger foe), there has to be consequences. Something that might be bugging you in the back of your head; Grundy is essentially a zombie, but does that make him “magic based” in power set? All we know is that his corpse is reanimated in Slaughter Swamp and that he’s imbued with an elemental energy, so it’s a judgment call. But he has been shown in the past beating on Superman, so it’s believable.

This page also has a Wildcat reference. Right before I wrote this script, I had just come off of writing a JSA Classified story that featured Wildcat and Batman. Never published. Shame really. It’s REALLY good.

Staying on Page Nineteen, I really like how Superman reacts. Immediately trying to revive Grundy (I assert that he doesn’t know he’s a reanimated corpse…which is kind of foolish because his super senses should have told him that), and generally being worried about Grundy. I think it’s a balancing act; I like the characterization, but I’m not sure it’s appropriate with the other mistake I made about the character(s).

We almost called the story, “The Never Ending Battle,” too. I’m really not sure what Alan is saying here, or why he’s saying it the way he’s saying it. It seems so…I don’t know…does it seems like he’s advocating killing villains just because they always come back? That said, those last two panels…priceless. Another Robinson/Starman reference. And I’ll always love the fact that Pa Kent’s favorite member of the JSA was GL. It makes total sense. GL is the Golden Age Superman (in terms of the DC Universe, not reality). If Pa Kent was a kid during that time, GL would be his favorite. If I taught anyone anything in this book, it’s that. THAT is one thing I would never change if I could go back and fix this book.

The last two pages…not bad. Could be more effective without the captions. And I love the fact that I’m creating Bizarro, at least, in people’s minds, with Grundy’s DNA.

OVERALL

Wow that’s long.

That wasn’t as embarrassing as I thought. I’d give it a C+…maybe a B- on story alone. Julian, Bit and Marta made me look like a genius though, so the art is A+. Alex Ross cover? A+.

I’d love to go back and fix the things I don’t like. I’d love to have another shot at the character. And I’d really love to write a Daily Planet series. I think I have a handle on the character(s) that could be…if not unique, definitely fun.

I’m lucky and honored to have had a chance to add something to the Superman mythos. Even if it was wiped away with the New 52, I contributed to the mythology. My name gets added to a list of creators I have not only loved and respected, but also enjoyed. Despite what bad taste the book may have left in my mouth, I’d do it all over again…even without the changes. Why? Because there are millions that would kill to have their name on the cover of a Superman comic. I was one of them. I didn’t have to kill anyone, sure, but I surely don’t regret it.

Happy birthday, Clark. Happy birthday, Kal.

Happy birthday, Superman.

It’s very weird and coincidental that Tex here has two ominous numbers (6 and 13). Take that for what you will, but…

I love revealing how David and I work(ed) together to make this book, so let’s look at Tex for a second. Remember that initial sketch of Fantomudoragon and Homerun Hercules? On it, David wrote the note, “cowboy,” right at the top for other possible characters. With that, I came up with the name, Six-Gun Tex. Then he came back with:

“Six-Gun Tex – cowboy à multiple arms (spider totem from a Native American shaman?), black man? (Ranged Attack; NOT Spider-Man); talkative during battle with lots of commentary?”

From there we made him a Native American, originally named Daniel Dichali (Dichali means “talkative” in one of the native tongues). And then we stopped and took a step back. I asked him if he thought a Native American Indian would really dress like a cowboy, considering the history of how they’ve been treated in this country. David suggesting making him a Caucasian, which fit the motif better, but I threw in a twist that you’ll have to wait for. Seriously, it’s pretty amazing and led to one of the best scenes I’ve written in a long time. Really proud of how that came out.

A couple of little Easter eggs on this page. Tex here played for Texas A&M. In Panel One, they are playing against TCU. Those uniforms are fairly accurate for the time period, except for the fact that the stars on the Horned Frogs’ uniform happened in the 50′s. I just liked the look of them, so we fudged it. Oh, and how about that poster in Panel Four?

Pay attention to Panel Four. That will make sense later.

Ok, let’s get out of here. First, let’s all visit and bookmark everything David Bednarski:

http://artofdbed.blogspot.com/

http://dbed.deviantart.com/

https://twitter.com/dmbednarski

Speaking of bookmarks, don’t forget to bookmark the new Prisoner of None site. Everything will be moved there, even these origins (which I will begin reposting next Friday with never before seen art). The comic will begin ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! You will be reading Page One in seven days! We can’t wait to show you!

Friday, our last character intro, the final member of Liberty’s 7: the Blue Giant!

Prisoner of None is © and ™ 2013 Delsante and Bednarski. All rights reserved.

Royal Victory today. Brit. Pilot. Golden Age Iron Man type. At least on the surface. As seen on the first model sheet, David made a note on the bottom right that says, “…soldier type.” I came back to him with:

“soldier type/comic book type…how about Royal Victory? From the UK (just to have a little diversity). This name came from your generator, lol. If you’d rather go American here, we can have Sgt. Agent. That just sounds bad ass to me.”

So, yeah, David’s Random Character Generator came in extremely handy here. You’ll see it pop up a few times in the course of the behind the scenes creation of Prisoner of None. So, we had our character name, but the concept was still up in the air. I think, just by looking at the name (and knowing how I think), I was leaning more towards a Union Jack type (note to everyone: Union Jack is probably my third favorite Marvel character after Daredevil and Captain America). We went back and forth a couple of times, and David gave me:

“Royal Victory – the flying knight (suit of armor, sword, sheild + Spitfire fighter [flying+maching guns]); British (Aerial Combat/Iron Man)”

Boom, headshot.

One final piece added, his alter ego. I came up with Garrett Caliburn. Odd name, right? Garrett means “rules by the spear” and Caliburn is another name for Excalibur.

This is one of my favorite things about working with David because after that, he came up with the design:

This is how we work. Keep one-upping each other. After this, we chose the design on the right, since it most resembled a British Spitfire. When the comic starts, you should read it looking for “Vic,” Jetto and Planetarian Easter Eggs.

After all that, you must, MUST, follow David at all his sites:

http://artofdbed.blogspot.com/

http://dbed.deviantart.com/

https://twitter.com/dmbednarski

Today marks a big announcement…good and bad news. Bad news? Next week’s two PoN origin installments will be the last Prisoner of None content on this site. Why?

Because PRISONER OF NONE.COM IS LIVE! Please redirect your RSS Feeds over there, or bookmark, or however you follow the comic. We really appreciate it. We really want to give the site ALL the attention it deserves. This is a new thing for me…I’ve never devoted a site to one comic specifically, so I would personally appreciate all the support you give us.

David does too, but I don’t want to speak for him, haha!

Again, please stick around for next week’s last two members of Liberty’s 7, and then, beginning Tuesday, April 23rd at 10:00 AM EST, Prisoner of None will officially begin.

Prisoner of None is © and ™ 2013 Delsante and Bednarski. All rights reserved.

Ah, Homerun Hercules. This one is interesting. Herc is the second character to be created for Prisoner of None, right after Fantomudoragon. Here, for the first time anywhere, is the very first piece of artwork created for PoN. You can also see some notes David made for some of the other characters:

From one of David’s early emails to me:

“I’m glad you like Homerun Hercules.  I envisioned him as a follower and not a leader, he’s a designated hitter and not a pitcher (weird sports analogy from a generally non-sporty person).”

Interesting tidbit from one of our early emails: Fantomudoragon was almost called “Kyūkyoku no heishi” (which means Ultimate Soldier).

A lot of this comic is based on David’s vision. I approached him with the initial concept and he ran with it. As you can see with the above design. It’s pretty amazing, when you think about it. From a writer’s POV…and this is really a story about story crafting…you can have an idea in your head, but until you see the artwork, it’s not fully realized. I sometimes wonder what this would look like under a different pencil, but at the same time, I can’t imagine anyone but David doing it, you know?

Speaking of David, why don’t you seek him out and follow him?

http://artofdbed.blogspot.com/

http://dbed.deviantart.com/

https://twitter.com/dmbednarski

Back on Friday with our FIFTH member of Liberty’s 7, which means…two weeks from the debut of the comic!

Prisoner of None is © and ™ 2013 Delsante and Bednarski. All rights reserved.

Honest to God, my favorite character to write.

I have to admit that I’m not overly fond of writing female characters. Mostly because I find it hard to relate to them, but also because I don’t want to “get them wrong.” I’ve been pushing myself to really step out of that comfort zone and really beat that elephant with a bat (it’s a metaphor, PETA). The best way to do that, I suppose, is to create a character that you’d like to be…better than what’s out there. There are a few in Prisoner of None. All of them will probably popular in cosplay arenas (and that’s by no means meant to insult; I would LOVE if I went to a con and saw someone dressed as one of my characters!).

My wife, Michelle, actually gave me her name (Abigail Cooper) and looking it up in my naming book, I found that Abigail means, “gives joy.” And that’s appropriate in Va Va’s case. She is the highlight of the team. She’s the one that really keeps them together because most of them probably hate each other. She’s the glue. I kind of saw her as our Sally Jupiter (NOTE: I think she was originally going to be called Va Va Voom, but David thought adding that extra “R” made it absurd enough to be fun. I think; don’t want to put words in his mouth).

It’s Friday! Follow me at any (or all) of the social media sites at the top left. David can be found at:

http://artofdbed.blogspot.com/

http://dbed.deviantart.com/

https://twitter.com/dmbednarski

Back next week with two more members of Liberty’s 7! Oh, and you might not realize it, but you’re 5 posts away from the official start of Prisoner of None!

Prisoner of None is © and ™ 2013 Delsante and Bednarski. All rights reserved.