Archive

A Mad Tea-Party

A Mad Tea-Party began as an attempt to write my own version of a Japanese sci-fi manga. Japanese sci-fi, traditionally, has been quite different from its equivalent in the English-speaking world. It seems imbued with a deep trauma left over from the Second World War. Rather than the triumph of science or ethical certainty found in the West, we find morally questionable wars, a loss of identity, and razed cities.

What I’ve ended up with, though, is just a small story about two young girls on a journey through a traumatized society. It is a world familiar to our own, but one with nagging doubts about recent wars and their consequences.

Also there is tea. Because everybody likes tea.

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The News Men

Writing comics in strip form doesn’t come naturally for me, but I’ve had a lot of fun making this occasional comic. I like the idea of a news organization run by children. It reminds me of something, I dunno.

The News Men: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5

Other Side of the World

A short comic written for the Cloudscape anthology “22 Journeys.” Drawing this comic made me so nostalgic for my own trip to the other side of the world.

Other Side of the World: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7

Secret Identities

This twenty-four hour comic was my chance to pack all my ideas about superheroes into one comic. Believe it or not I actually quite like superheroes. I just don’t like what’s done with them most of the time.

Secret Identities: 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – 14 – 15 – 16 – 17 – 18 – 19 – 20 – 21 – 22 – 23 – 24

The Invaders

This comic was Kevin Forbes and my contribution to the video game inspired anthology Life Meter 3.

The Invaders: 1 – 2

Lil’ Ulysses in Chicago

You’ve all read Little Nemo in Slumberland, right? Little Nemo is awesome. Bit rascist, though. This comic was my contribution to the Funday Sunnies anthology from Cloudscape.

Natural Evolution

Natural Evolution was my first successful 24-hour comic. This is a story I’ve had banging around in my head for quite a while… only… it’s a little too dependant on Star Trek lore to stand on its own.

Natural Evolution: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – 14 – 15 – 16 – 17 – 18 – 19 – 20 – 21 – 22 – 23 – 24

The Secret Origin of Chop Suey

The fascinating tale of where chop suey originated. Hint: it wasn’t China.

Ridgeview Talent Show

Ridgeview Talent Show was inspired almost entirely by real-life events I’ve seen as a substitute teacher. Anthough heavily fictionalized, of course. Being a kid can be traumatic. It’s an emotional roller-coaster. Especially if your teacher suddenly decides that public speaking and sharing one’s creative efforts are important life skills.

Ridgeview Talent Show: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

Yellow Scarves

Near the end of the Han Dynasty, The Yellow Scarves were an extremist sect of Daoism that believed the end of the world was just around the corner. Then when the opportunity arose they did their darndest to bring it about. This story was drawn for the Cloudscape anthology Historyonics.

Yellow Scarves: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

Lords of Death and Life

Imagine a world with powerful empires, huge cities built on trade, and three thousand years of remembered history, but where even the wheel doesn’t exist. A world where heroes step in and out of legend and magicians transform themselves at will. Mol Kupul lives in this world. He is a man plagued with visions of his own destruction, torn between death and life.

Lords of Death and Life: 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – 14 – 15 – 16 – 17 – 18 – 19 – 20 – 21 – 22 – 23 – 24 – 25 – 26 – 27 – 28 – 29 – 30 – 31 – 32 – 33 – 34 – 35 – 36 – 37 – 38 – 39 – 40 – 41 – 42 – 43 – 44 – 45 – 46 – 47 – 48 – 49 – 50 – 51 – 52

Vancouver 2050

This story was created for the first Cloudscape anthology, Robots, Pine Trees, & Broken Hearts. It’s a tiny snapsot of what Vancouver may be like in the future. But probably not.

Vancouver 2050: 1 – 2

The Cloud-Leapers of Blue Pine Mountain

High in the mountains on the island of Aolai lives the Blue Pine Tribe. Remote as they are, they are still inexorably connected to the outside world. Inspired by Chinese legend and the aboriginal cultures of Taiwan and Japan, this story was my first professionally published comic. It was drawn for the 2008 Fablewood anthology.

The Cloud-Leapers of Blue Pine Mountain: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – 14

Kelechi, Queen of the World

Kelechi, Queen of the World was written for The Girly Comic, an indie anthology in England. It’s a strange amalgam of a number of story fragments I’ve slowly been piecing together over the years. Mostly, though, it’s just another example of my ongoing obsession with East London.

Kelechi, Queen of the World: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5

Mmmaida

A one page revisit of the characters from my short Maida Kilwa comic.

The Frog Prince

What would you do if you came across a frog prince?

Land of Two Tigers

What if all those old Chinese legends about magical islands; the Flower-Fruit Mountain, the dark-skinned immortals, the “gentlemen with two tigers,” were true? How would China’s recent history be different if the world around it was drastically altered? Land of Two Tigers took some of the ideas I started with in Tianxia: All Land Under Heaven and ran with them in a new direction entirely.

Land of Two Tigers: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8

Maida Kilwa

This is a short character-study of a girl named Maida Kilwa who moves from Mars to Earth and has trouble fitting in. Eventually I have plans to expand it into something much more, but that will have to wait.

Maida Kilwa: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7

Foundation: The Psychohistorians

This, my first ever webcomic, was an adaptation of the first chapter of Foundation by Isaac Asimov. With my version of his story I wanted to expand on the hints he gives us about future Galactic culture, binging in elements from the Victorian era, imperial China, and old science fiction. As the Foundation progressed I had big plans for how the material culture would evolve through styles based on sci-fi from the fifties, sixties, and on to the present.

Foundation – The Psychohistorians: 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – 14 – 15 – 16 – 17 – 18 – 19 – 20 – 21 – 22 – 23 – 24 – 25 – 26 – 27 – 28 – 29 – 30 – 31 – 32 – 33 – 34 – 35 – 36 – 37 – 38 – 39 – 40

Tianxia: All Land Under Heaven

A comic set in a mythical pseudo-Taiwan.

Tianxia: All Land Under Heaven: 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – 14 – 15 – 16 – 17 – 18 – 19 – 20 – 21

Guest Comics

Comics of other people’s comics!

Guest Comics: 9th Elsewhere – Casual Notice – Flaky Pastry – Much the Miller’s Son – Wasted Talent 1 – 2