Category: Doodles

24 Hour Comic Book Day 2015

Another 24 Hour Comic Book Day has come and gone. This year I made a Tom Stoppard – inspired comic about Star Trek TOS from the perspective of the Redshirts. I didn’t like that I didn’t create my own original world for this one, but I did like telling the Redshirts’ story.

Another 24 Comic Book Day has come and gone.
“Ensigns Massey and O’Hara are Dead”

And, similarly to how Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead works so well precisely because everybody knows Hamlet and is familiar with all the tropes, I didn’t have to establish the Star Trek tropes because it is assumed that everybody already knows them.

I also liked drawing the Redshirts as super huge beefy guys, because they do work the security detail after all!

Whatever are “Runes”?

Jump to an article in my Norse Backstory series:
1) Where did trolls come from?
2) Whatever are “Runes”?
3) Who were the valkyries?

Runes are a family of linguistically-related lettering systems, which were used by Germanic peoples. There are several rune “alphabets,” changing over time and geography. The particular set of runes that I want to talk to you about, however, is the Elder Futhark.  Similar to how the “alphabet” is so called for its first two letters: “alpha,” “beta,”; the futhark is so-named for its first six letters: “F,” “U,” “Th,” “A,” “R,” “K.” The futhark runic systems were the ones primarily used in the Scandinavian areas. Runes were used for writing things down, but also for magic. Each rune has a magic of its own.

Lokasonarnir: the Hound and the Wyrm. A runestone about the hound crying out, and the wyrm answering those cries. On either side of the runic inscription are bindrunes.

It is said that the runes were either first invented or discovered by Odin of the Aesir. In prehistoric times, Odin set out on a quest to learn as much about the universe as he could. He gave one of his eyes to the Jotun known as Mimir the Wise, in exchange for Continue reading “Whatever are “Runes”?”

Where did trolls come from?

This series is an attempt to provide some backstory for my 2013 24-Hour Comic.

Jump to an article in my Norse Backstory series:
1) Where did trolls come from?
2) Whatever are “Runes”?
3) Who were the valkyries?

Where did trolls come from?
Where did trolls come from?

That is a very good question, and I am very glad you asked it!

One day, while Thor and Loki were hiking through the wilderness, they came upon the remains of a fire. In the center of the char, was a cooked heart. Loki, who was very hungry, picked the heart out of the ashes.

“Hey, check it out! It’s still good!” He exclaimed, looking it over and brushing it off.

“Aw, gross, man. Don’t eat that.” Thor pleaded weakly, knowing that Loki will eat everything in sight if given the opportunity, and therefore any of his protests about how gross something is are usually futile. Continue reading “Where did trolls come from?”