Steel Sterling redux

 Steel Sterling was a super-hero appearing in comics published by what's now known as Archie Comics. I don't know what inspired me to draw this... perhaps it was my recent foray into the Archie hero line-up in the Mighty Crusaders. Further, I don't know why I drew this redux of Steel as a black man. When I rediscovered this sketch, I assumed it's because someone else at the time did the redux... but I can't find any evidence on line. But then, I am a bad Googler.

Mighty Crusaders!

While attending Angouleme, Xavier was telling me of an upcoming story in Scarce Magazine, about Archie Comics' super-hero comics line, featuring the Shield, the Comet, the Fly and Fly-Girl, and the Hood... together, the Mighty Crusaders! I drew this (and I think while I was later stuck at SFO waiting for a flight back to BOS). I might have colored this, and I might have sent it to Xavier, and he might have finally written his piece. I had the short-lived early '60s series in my collection and re-read it once I got home. It's definitely meant for a much younger audience than DC and Marvel were written for at the time.

I'll have to look for the color version.

And there, I found it!

Ha--I've used that explosion effect I made in 1998 in nearly every comics project I've ever done, including Liebestrasse, Saved by the Bell, stuff I did for Marvel, up to my most recent work in Clamantis.

In the same folder, I found a few other drawings I did during the festival, including a Superboy and the Legion (well, just the three founding members, a la S/LSH #250) for Xavier, and an Indie Superman saving a cat from a tree for Pierre.