Sunday, March 7, 2010

Enter the Mucker...



As many of you Loyal Legionnaires know, I have been invited to be the Artist Guest of Honor at the Burroughs Bibliophiles con this year. It isn't until August but to go along with the honor is the duty of producing a cover for the new edition of Edgar Rice Burroughs - the Mucker.
For those that aren't familiar with the story....it is a pure adventure/romance yarn. Not the usual fantastic genres of Burroughs, like Tarzan or John Carter of Mars.
Anyway in the production of the book cover, which by the way will be also illustrated by many different Burroughs artists inside. I don't know for sure who's illustrations will be in the book until a later date as they are organizing it.
But as a starting place of course I am re-reading the book, which is a combo of both Mucker books. Also I am trying to pin down the look of the two major characters that will be on the cover, also the Brazos pony will be there too - it was requested by the organizer. But first is the Mucker himself - Billy Byrne. A tough guy from Chicago, who frankly is a jack-ass thru most of the story. But he is changed by his meeting with Barbara Harding, a woman from the rich part of town.
So this is the beginning of the process of feeling out the characters, how to visually represent them and their personalities, and then moving to a design.
So in place of updates to the strip for a bit, you Loyal Legionnaires will have to put up with this. After all it is the first time I will be able to take advantage of a real Guest of Honor status. So please bear with me as I want to do a good job on it and be worthy of the invitation.

Also, Legionnaires, please vote on the poll at the right of the page here. I am ready to start on the stand alone comic and have developed several storylines, but I want you to be a part of the selection. So Vote!

2 comments:

  1. Very cool. Been a long time since I read THE MUCKER, but I remember liking it quite a lot. Guess I should crack it open again, too. Obviously, I'm going to need to purchase this new edition; for one thing I want a complete Tom Floyd collection, also my copy of RETURN OF THE MUCKER is falling apart.

    MP

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  2. As usual I am not familiar with the book, but your art is awesome.

    You captured the Mucker's bad streak, I would go out of my way to avoid him! and, Barbara Harding, I can see why his ice would melt.

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