From The Vault - Big Jim OCD Cover 2005

Geez, you know it's been a long work week when you finally look up from the drawing board and realize it's already Friday. And here I meant to post a few more blogs this week but time just got away from me. Luckily there is always "From the Vault Fridays" that forces me to find something to write about.

Today's piece is a cover I did for one of the many OilCan Drive comic book incarnations. And look, it isn't a new "number one" issue! It's actually issue four! But, how can this be, you ask? How can a man who's done multiple issue ones of the Wastelands favorite rock band and a bunch of unfinished issue twos get to issue four of a book?

Well, while working on this incarnation of OilCan Drive I had the first book done and was working on issue two of a continuing story (how many times have I done this now?) Anyway, while working on the second issue an old college buddy of mine who was having trouble starting his own comic book proposed an idea. He said if I did a horror story that he'd also do a horror story. He figured if we were both working on something similar it would give him incentive to work on his own book. So, wanting to help him out with his motivation, I said sure.

Thinking that the third issue of this OilCan Drive volume would wrap up the story I was already working on I thought issue four could start a new story and introduce Big Jim, a villain in the OilCan Drive world who has two werewolves as bodyguards. I figured the werewolves was enough to satisfy the "horror" aspect of the story outline I had agreed to while keeping it all within the OilCan Drive universe.

The story dealt with Big Jim, a corporate big wig, who was looking for the next big thing in music. He auditioned various bands, being disgusted by them, until one of the bands, feeling they were being treated unjustly, gave him a bit too much lip. Jim gave the word, his bodyguards wolfed out, attacked the band, and had an early lunch. Jim then got on the phone and said to keep the auditions open.

Like I said, it satisfied the horror aspect of the story and started the next OilCan Drive adventure all in one fell swoop. I penciled, inked, and lettered this entire story. I even did the cover.

Five years on and I have yet to see even one thumbnail, penciled page, or even character design from my college buddy.

The other sad part to this tale, other than I never went ahead and finished issue two or three of this series, is that my computer crashed and I lost all the work I had done on this cover. All I am left with is the original art I inked by hand and a few of these small-res JPGs. But, at least I still have these and it taught me a valuable lesson in backing up my files as I work on them.

Here is the original inked piece as well as the colored cover without the logos. I'm glad I still have them.














OK, back to work. Have a great holiday weekend!