Longtime readers know this story by now. Back when I did weekly new comic reviews on Sunday I was running out of interesting ways to introduce the segment. While drawing, I tested a new art style based partly on The Simpsons and partly on some webcomics I was reading at the time. The first image came out near perfect…and I couldn’t get close to it once after that. Getting annoyed, I stopped for the night and tried again the next day. It actually came out good, so I gave him a friend. I called them Jake and Leroy, but when I went to show it off, I wrote Jake and Leon, which turned out to be a better idea. (I ended up using Leroy for a different character.)
When I moved the comic reviews to once a day so my Sunday wasn’t just reading comics and no chores on one of the two days I had to do chores around the house, the segment was a series of links to other articles I found during the week, still hosted by the comics. When I dropped that, Jake & Leon took over as the focus, with an update for plans for the upcoming week or any other reports I had to make. It’s still the longest I’ve spent on a comic project, even when I missed weeks for work or personal reasons, or I just couldn’t come up with an idea.
Saturday is the end of year 15 and the start of year 16, so today I’m going to go through a year’s worth of the comic to see which comics I’m most proud of. Maybe I liked the gag, or maybe I did something on the art side for the first time or did better than I did before, thus showing advancement. At any rate, here’s the best of past year of Jake & Leon.
The sad part is that isn’t even Saturn.
I don’t shade often enough in the “host” parts of the comic, so I tried to get some in here. I have an idea for Shralk’s design in mind, (yes, still a reference to the Star Trek episode “A Piece Of The Action”) but I wasn’t sure what I could do with the character that wasn’t a return to what Fizzbin used to do in the comic, and sometimes still can. Maybe I could explore Francian culture (referencing the Conehead from Saturday Night Live), but for the most part I’m still trying to figure something for him. We did get to meet Jake’s family, Leon’s an orphan, Max’s family has never been explored, and the last three characters ARE a family.
A fire shouldn’t be THAT open.
I don’t get to explore Leon’s history enough. Granted, I’ve never been an orphan and can only guess what it’s like thanks to stories by others. For this Christmas I wanted to build off of the Thanksgiving comic, where Leon discussed why he didn’t care about Thanksgiving. It’s not much of a holiday for me either, but for different reasons. Meanwhile, we both love Christmas and this told us why. The next comic we learned the orphanage burned down after he left, and I do not have plans for the “Chestnut Incident” to be like anything from Milo Murphy’s Law because even I don’t know what that was about. Then this touching moment happened, though I don’t know if it would affect anyone but me, having been with these guys for 15 years.
I couldn’t have a Christmas arc without a happy ending.
This may be a parody/commentary strip, but that doesn’t mean I can’t so something good with the characters beyond that after all this time. Fleshing them out a bit is a good thing.
There are no heroes in any version of Suicide Squad, just not as bad as the other guys…and even that’s debatable.
Still can’t think of a time she was the hero. Maybe the first Super Hero Girls, but her personality was so far removed from the real Amanda Waller she was practically a new character. A more likable character. Can we make Principal Waller canon and send the regular one to Apokolips?
I don’t care what your opinion is on non-binary Morph in X-Men ’97, this is a stupid defense.
I don’t get to do enough in the commentary portion of the studio. Or the news set, really.
Behold my first attempt at chibi. Look upon this work and despair!
I didn’t have to try to do it wrong. It’s not my art style, so I ran with my actual inabilities instead of faking it. Kind of based the outfit on Superclown from the Little Clowns Of Happytown figurine line I have. Neat set of figures. Just ignore the cartoon because there’s no connection besides the name. And the show isn’t very good.
Imagine if it had been 12 FEET!
Something else I don’t get to do enough in this style is try new poses. If you don’t think a 12 inch egg is big enough, remember it’s solid chocolate and still shaped like an egg. Or was. Sucker didn’t last a week.
I want to call what they used on Thawne a “speed trap”.
Hey, Barry! We’re bringing you back from the dead. With Wally’s personality. And replacing your place in the afterlife with your mom so you can have a grimdark origin. Keep you dead, you say? I also really like how during this year I’ve been playing with some of the filters and other tools in Clip Studio Paint. One of the benefits of computer coloring is that you can pull off cool effects. I blame Filmation and all the cool things they did that came out of live-action playbooks with portals and energy blasts and stuff. I’ve tried to duplicate that stuff for years, and while some of these were possible in Paint Shop Pro, I wasn’t as informed about them as I was with Clip Studio, and it’s in the same program I use for making comics so they’re easier to tap into.
Now explain the lack of colors, the sunlight only when the director THINKS it’s dramatic. everything I’ve heard about the terrible story…
Only the second time I’ve done the “trace over screenshots and do your own coloring” routine for the effect. It kind of works and kind of doesn’t, depending on your preferences. The bread mock-up I found online, and then created a label for it.
Turns out the extended edition showed it wasn’t the grain they were after, but I didn’t know it at the time and it somehow made the story dumber. I wouldn’t have thought that possible. Used the screaming girl everyone makes fun of as the mascot because it felt right, even though you can’t see it in the comic itself. That’s why I showed it off.
If you know who the android woman on the right is, your geek card is secure.
I’m not wrong.
He might of been joking, but I doubt it.
That’s why he’s an actor and not a writer.
Also the villains were taken out, so no face turns in this Elseworld.
This was an interesting year to be Amanda Waller. Suicide Squad: Kill Your Actual Heroes used the slender New 52 version and had her finally get to kill superheroes legitimately, while the comics gave us regular Amanda Waller trying to frame all superheroes because of her paranoia…and yet make a deal with Darkseid that I didn’t hear about until after this comic. Wouldn’t change the ending. Unfortunately this wasn’t it, with the heroes revealed to be alive and saving the world.
They could also use some more room decoration. That means I’d have to draw it each time.
Hey, I put a character somewhat behind another one. I also just realized I numbered the posting article wrong. Have to go fix that.
I always worry as I get closer to the end I’m biased because it’s relatively new, but that’s my favorites for this year as we start possibly another year of Jake, Leon, Max, Fizzbin, Bill, Meredith, and Beth discussing the craziness of storytelling, the failings of the current storytellers, celebrating the odd success, or whatever crap I come up with that week. It may not be one of the best comics out there, but I enjoy making, it keeps me creating (when I come up with an idea), and I do get better over time. Curious to see what will happen between now and October, 2025.
BW Media Spotlight 