INKtober 2015, Day 15

Leaving The Killing Joke Behind

“Hey,” I thought to myself, “maybe The Killing Joke was never really okay. Maybe a story where a female character is shot, violated, and left for dead, just so a male character could have an emotional reaction was never something we should have celebrated, and we (some of us, anyway) are only now just waking up to how that’s problematic. Iconic though it is, maybe future iterations and stories of Batgirl shouldn’t feel beholden to something so ugly just because it happened over 20 years ago.”

All that occurred to me after a day or so of quietly observing and reflecting on this latest controversy. It wasn’t a conclusion I was expecting to come to. I love The Killing Joke and have enjoyed revisiting it for years. I personally didn’t find the cover offensive. Initially I even disagreed with the argument that as a variant cover it’s tonally wrong for this iteration of Batgirl. I felt it fit this latest theme of variants, and it evoked the story that most defines Batgirl's relationship with the Joker.

But I’m not reading Batgirl, and I realized my initial reaction might have been very different if I were engaged with the series. For those that are--for those that are trying to move beyond a time and place where women and minorities are treated poorly in comics (if they’re reflected at all)—this cover was an unwanted reminder of an ugly event that depicts women as victims, something many progressive fans are trying to move past. My lack of sensitivity to this issue was a probable sign that I was losing touch with what’s current in comics and a failure to see the activism of those who are trying make mainstream comics a more inclusive place.

So I took the time to think about what about this whole debacle bothered me. Because something was bothering me, like something stuck in my teeth.  The cover in question is a great piece of artwork by an artist who I admire. And while I approve and applaud of his decision to have it pulled, I still felt conflicted, and I asked myself, “why is the cover a problem if the story it recalls isn’t?” To which a voice replied, “Maybe the story is a problem.”

That’s where I find myself now: I loved The Killing Joke for all it gave me both as a Batman fan and later as a comic creator, but its content is now a relic of the past, a past we should all be trying to leave behind. I will continue to appreciate the book, but as something antiquated. This iconic story will always be a big part of comic book history, but it shouldn’t determine its future. 

For those who are ahead of the curve about these matters, don’t wait up. Keep moving forward. For people like me who need to catch up, accept that this material bothers people, and instead of becoming entrenched, let's ask ourselves why that is. Never be afraid to revaluate the things you love. Even if it diminishes that which you cherish, you will grow to be better.

This Week In Drawing... 002

It's Friday, which means it's time for my second installment of This Week In Drawing...

DEEP SEA

Last Saturday Stadium Comics hosted the first ever Halloween Comic Fest at Shopper's World, Brampton, which I attended along with many of my comic pals. It was a hoot. As always, I had an excellent time and was sorry I couldn't enjoy the company of pals like Ty Templeton, Shane Heron, Brian Evinou, Phil McClorey, Agnes Garbowska and Vince Sunico for a longer stretch of time. You can check out all the photos here at Stadium's Facebook page.

The very seriously cool thing about Halloween Comic Fest was the debut of Deep Sea, a self-published indie book by two very rad dudes, Ricky Lima (writer) and David Bishop (artist). I've known Ricky a while as a super funny chum but had never read anything he wrote. For shame! What Dave and Ricky serve up in their 8-page tale is seriously eerie and cool. David Bishop's been on my radar for a little while now as a self-made storyteller who is truly practicing the medium for the love of it. From his first issue of Stranger--his own twisted take on a zombie uprising--to the stylistic pages of Deep Sea, he's a promising artist who shows every sign of growth in the craft. The book is not without it's flaws--little things that hamper almost any indie book--but the strong, simple plot and clear storytelling show that both writer and artist have a firm grasp on spinning a yarn. For me, it's exciting to see two cool people make good music together. I'm super happy Rick and Dave's first effort came out so well, and I'm excited for what both these two creators will do in the future.

Be sure to hit up either Ricky or Dave to see how you can get your mitts on a copy!

THE JOKER

While at the event I sketched several things for nice folks, but my goal for the afternoon was to ink my portrait of the Joker in his New 52 incarnation. I boasted earlier on here that it was to be my Halloween card. Boy was it. Have a look at the process...

THE SHINING

This week at Spitballin' Comics we celebrated some of our favourite horror movie icons from the 1980's. I chose The Shining because it still gives me the creeps and I, like many other creators working from home I'm sure, can relate to the state of cabin fever Jack Torrance is eventually driven mad by. Well, the ghosts played a part too, but I as of yet have no experience with the super natural. Anyway, I had two different finals for my Spitballin' piece, but I chose one over the other because I felt the character needed to show strongly. Although I've come to like the second version better...

HALLOWEEN

I didn't dress up this year, but fellow illustrator Becka Kinzie paid me the great compliment of dressing as my pin-up character from Horror In The West. What's more, her make-up job is pretty fucking good...

TEUTON Vol.3

I've been working on the next long chapter of Teuton, starting with page layouts and thumbnails. Here's a smattering of what this week yielded...

DRAWINGS & UPCOMING

Here's a quick look at things to come from me in the coming weeks, including a peek at next week's entry to Spitballin' Comics...

Happy Halloween!

BATMAN #0 @ Stadium Comics

Today I sketched on blank Batman covers from 1 - 9pm at Stadium Comics in Brampton. Quite honestly, it was the busiest I've ever been at such an event.

Big, big thanks to Ricky, Kevin, Eric, Kevin, Rob, Matt, and everyone who came to show support. It was a killer time and I really hope everyone enjoyed me defacing their comics!

I always want to congratulate my buddy Rob from Stadium Comics, on the birth of his son, Clark. Yippee!

Now here's a bunch of photos of stuff I drew...