Ash

a photo of a stack of books, the bound version of my comic/illustrated short story BOY SKIN a short story for adults about a hookup one night in the autumn of the past. Dan's tentative fun abruptly ends and he's kicked out into the cold of unsettled memories, but soon falls into brotherly lockstep with his new friend Val. Trans, butch, a comic interwoven with illustrated prose. 52 pages, black and white, A5 (5x8)

a small illustration of an eagle heading toward a mountain. a larger illustration of dan sweating with his shirt pulled up. text: at any point did Prometheus, waiting between nightfall and the eagle's return, feel more whole? Was the cavity ever of greater comfort than its filling?

an illustration made to look like a photo of a TV screen, a drawing of prometheus and the eagle (from black figure pottery) DISCLAIMER: if you are offended by homosexual activity, we recommend you do not view this tape closed captions: if this is suffering, he'll bind himself to its rock

hey, physical copies of BOY SKIN are in 🖤 52pgs, A5, for mature readers only
store.superposecomic.com/product/boy-...
thank you everyone who supported the initial digital release! you'll also be able to pick one up at MICE (dec 6-7)

submissions are open until november 10!! spread the word loudly, proudly, far and wide 💚

development art of Nicky in her bomber jacket, one in black and white and one in color

pencil value studies of the NJ beachfront, and Henry lingering on the boardwalk, smoking.

various sketches of Henry, testing out methods for inking fabric texture for her tweed suit.

A pinup sketch of Nicky in an unbuttoned flannel shirt and boxers. She wears a reddish-brown leather harness with gold fixtures, and matching leather boots.

Folks who've followed me for Longshot, hello!! I've been sharing the comic's development over on my patreon & comradery - early pages, character studies, behind the scenes art/writing, and sometimes, butch-centric pinups ;>

patreon.com/obelisk
comradery.co/draculing

when i tell y'all that this comic is constantly on my mind, it is CONSTANTLY on my mind!! 🤩🤩

look at how delicious this traditionally inked art is-- those expressions-- the queerness!! i need this comic

OH and, the full prologue is available too! I haven't shared its ending publicly, so if you want more... it awaits you ✨ www.patreon.com/posts/long-s...

Birdie - a fat, older woman with short-cropped silver hair - yanks Henry forward by her tie until they're nose-to-nose. Both of them are flushed, Henry wide-eyed and startled. She has a heavy bandage over the right side of her face, covering the corner of her slightly parted lips. It's spotted with blood.

Various sketches of Nicky's Oldsmobile, a well cared for deep green 1949 model. She's in coveralls working under the hood while Henry distracts her with chatter.

Various sketches of Dickie, an older, gray-haired beanpole of a guy with buck teeth and a weak chin. His work uniform is a white tuxedo jacket with black pants and a cummerbund, while his casual clothing is a baggy, black sack suit. He has Bugs Bunny energy, a little bit.

A halftone colored doodle of Dickie adjusting Henry's bowtie while she puts up with it grumpily.

Other things I didn't have space for:

Henry's codependent relationship with Liz aka Birdie, her boss and one-time savior

Nicky's cool car that she tunes up herself

Dickie, Birdie's mc, Henry's mentor, and Tumblr's old man favorite

and did i mention they work at a drag revue....

#DVparty

a stark black and white line drawing of Henry against a crosshatch-textured black backdrop. She's a white butch woman with fluffy, short blonde hair and a crooked smile, a scar clipping from her upper lip to her chin on her right side. She wears a checked blazer over a darker button-up shirt, and leans against a countertop with her folded arms. She's smiling at the viewer and saying something in unfilled speech bubbles. What a rascal : )

A vintage halftone styled bust of Henry in full color. She looks off to her left, smiling crookedly. She has blue eyes and vibrant blonde hair, a wool suit jacket and a blue-green polo shirt with matching pocket square.

A younger Henry, at 19. Her hair is dark, cropped much shorter on the sides than we know her to have later. She has an oversized plaid buttonup tucked into wide suit pants, late 30s/early 40s style. One hand is tucked into her pocket, and she seems thoughtful. Notably, she has no scar through her lip.

A teenaged Henry is huddled on the floor clutching her side, seeming injured and suspicious, afraid. Birdie kneels beside her, speaking words of... comfort, or just a statement of the facts. Birdie's a fat, elegant woman in wide-cut women's slacks and flowy blouse. Her hair is longer, all pushed in curls to her left side - she's younger here than we'll know her to be.

Henrietta "Henry" Roth is the mc of LONGSHOT!

Since cutting a deal with mob wife Birdie to save her life, Henry's built a reputation as a go-fer for the mob. It doesn't earn her many friends in the gay bar scene - but who needs them? She's got protection. That's enough, right..?

#DVparty #artsky

an old movie trailer still that reads "THIS is a kind of WOMAN you've Never seen before!"

The "be gay do crime" skeleton

Data from Star Trek: TNG with the subtitle "Are you prepared for the kind of death you've earned, little man?"

An old movie trailer still of a uniformed man's face with red text on top of it that just says "WHY?"

#DVparty actual day 4: a meme or gif that represents your story

here is my cryptic selection for Longshot : )

A black and white lineart drawing - Henry (a slightly shorter butch with fluffy, short dyed blonde hair) and Nicky (taller, also butch, with a now-mussed dark pompadour)snuggle on top of a patchwork quilt in their underwear. Nicky has her right arm around Henry's back; the knuckles of her right hand are conspicuously bandaged, as is the bridge of her nose. She's drooling in her sleep, though, so it can't be all bad. Henry's curled up on her side in the crook of Nicky's shoulder, sleeping soundly.

catching a snooze💤

(Henry and Nicky are from my comic, A Long Shot Out of the Birdcage! patreon/com/obelisk / comradery.co/draculing )

development art of Nicky in her bomber jacket, one in black and white and one in color

pencil value studies of the NJ beachfront, and Henry lingering on the boardwalk, smoking.

various sketches of Henry, testing out methods for inking fabric texture for her tweed suit.

A pinup sketch of Nicky in an unbuttoned flannel shirt and boxers. She wears a reddish-brown leather harness with gold fixtures, and matching leather boots.

Folks who've followed me for Longshot, hello!! I've been sharing the comic's development over on my patreon & comradery - early pages, character studies, behind the scenes art/writing, and sometimes, butch-centric pinups ;>

patreon.com/obelisk
comradery.co/draculing

Thank you!!

Jessi!!! You're gonna make me cry, thank you 😭💕

A stark black and white comic page. Across the top, an elegant queen in a black dress stands in a spotlight, arms extended out to her audience. [Birdie's nightclub, 1940.] She bows, diffused light and stage curtains swirling around her in a dreamlike state. In close up, Henry - a scruffy teenage butch with bruises on her face - watches from a window far above. Her fingers barely touch the glass, momentarily distracted from her own dangerous predicament. "Are you nuts??" someone behind her snaps, too loud, and Henry flinches away from the view. Back to reality.

The same room Henry's in, but from the opposite side. She's so small, against the enormous windows. Two men argue on the other side of the room - a larger man in a suit, and Dickie, a thin, weak-chinned guy in a tuxedo, missing his jacket. "Bringing this here?!" he's saying, "I don't care whose vig they made off with- this isn't how we *do* things!" His arms are spread wide in furious gesturing. His companion scrubs his face in his hands - "You think I don't know that?" He gestures wide, and his shadow is thrown huge and intimidating against the wall. "What I didn't know, right," he snaps, "was they had a *girl* runnin' their whole operation!" "Even if it is some kinda pervert-" Henry averts her eyes. Her cheek is bruised. "Wha- hey, how's that *my* problem?" The thin man stammers, holding his hands in front of him as if to fend the whole thing off. "I mean, look at *you*, pal, blood on your shirt- and here anybody coulda seen you!"

Henry's head snaps to attention as the muscle pulls his companion aside, conspiratorial. "Look, Dickie, I don't wanna spend my whole night buryin' this kid." The man has a wide hand over the back of Dickie's neck. Henry's skin prickles at the memory, disgust curling in her gut. The hand squeezes. "I'll throw my back out again," the man is saying, distantly. "Can't we figure something out?" Henry stumbles forward, clutching at the front of her shirt with its broken buttons. Trying to find her voice. Speak up in her own defense. Anything. "H- hey-" An older woman leans against the window sill at Henry's elbow, looking down at the same stage that Henry had been just moments ago. Henry starts at the sound of her voice. "What's your name?"

The woman who addresses her is much older. Elegant, with a coiffure of long graying hair pulled to one side of her face . She watches Henry patiently, but expectantly. Like they have all the time in the world for her to answer. "It's... Henrietta." she manages, stumbling like a school kid over her full name. Torn between flustered and afraid. She looks away, biting it all down with her arms folding in front of her. "Just call me Henry." "Henry..." the woman muses. "Well, Henry. If you work for me, you'll need to work hard." She gestures down below them, to the crowd at the club's tables. "Pull your own weight and then some." Below, a butch woman in a waiter's white tuxedo serves drinks. Birdie continues- "This isnt a charity service." Henry knows opportunity when she sees it. Defensively, she huffs - "I'm no moocher. I can work." Head bent to her cigar, Birdie smiles. She heard, of course, what the men said before. A girl, running the whole operation. Right under their noses. "I'm sure you can."

Henry is mob wife Birdie's right hand, paying off an old debt for protection from cops & the hardship of queer life in the 50s.

When Birdie’s husband returns to town, Henry must decide how much of her soul she can sell - and if she would drag her partner Nicky down with her.

#DVpit #DVart #GN #A

A crop of a black and white comic page from "A Long Shot Out of the Birdcage", my graphic novel. Henry, a 19 year old baby butch with scruffy short hair and a bruised face, stands at an oversized observation window with Birdie - an older, elegant fat woman who's smoking a cigar. They're watching the floor of Birdie's nightclub, which is bustling with patrons and the crossdressing staff. "Henry..." Birdie muses, having just learned her companion's name. "Well, Henry. If you work for me, you'll need to work hard. Pull your weight, and then some. This isn't a charity service." Henry scoffs at the idea. "I'm no moocher," she snaps. "I can work." Birdie only smiles knowingly as she turns away. "I'm sure you can."

if you'd like to read my comic about dykes navigating transphobic capitalist hell by aligning themselves with the criminal underworld - I'll be sharing the full first scene next week ✨ patreon.com/obelisk

A marker and colored pencil drawing of Nicky Flores from "A Long Shot Out of the Birdcage". Nicky is a tan-skinned butch with a dark brown pompadour and very faint little mustache. She leans on a boardwalk railing, overlooking the beach and hazy ocean in the distance, the night sky a deep blue behind her. She wears a warm brown leather bomber jacket and tan trousers - the jacket has a peacock-green plaid panel across the shoulder blades. Nicky looks over her shoulder at the viewer, smiling warmly. There's a lit cigarette in her left hand, casting faint yellow light from the pinprick of its ember. Faint smoke filters behind her into the distance.

I reworked Nicky's bomber jacket and I must yell about it!!
www.patreon.com/posts/septem...

You shoulda seen the other guy 😉

As it should 🔥

Not the baby leashes!! 😂

a group of people are walking down a street with the words let 's go lesbians Alt: a group of people are running down the street shouting "Let's go, lesbians! Let's go!"

Exactly!

an old movie trailer still that reads "THIS is a kind of WOMAN you've Never seen before!"

The "be gay do crime" skeleton

Data from Star Trek: TNG with the subtitle "Are you prepared for the kind of death you've earned, little man?"

An old movie trailer still of a uniformed man's face with red text on top of it that just says "WHY?"

#DVparty actual day 4: a meme or gif that represents your story

here is my cryptic selection for Longshot : )

if we can't do a mortal kombat fatality with the comics, then what are we even DOING

My OC Maria 🍷 she's an evil lesbian vampire and i'm in love with her

Wow now I'm also in love with her 😍

It really does!! It feels like they didn't have enough to say but had to fill the space anyhow... We can be more creative and deliberate than this!

Everyone should have to make at least a few traditional-style comic pages to learn how gutters work before doing a webtoon-style comic. The use of space in a lot of vertical scroll comics Sucks Absolute Ass and does nothing to control time or pacing!!! Stop!!!

I'm glad I'm not the only one! 😅

oop day 3! but it is the 4th... 🤷 you get me

A stark black and white comic page. Across the top, an elegant queen in a black dress stands in a spotlight, arms extended out to her audience. [Birdie's nightclub, 1940.] She bows, diffused light and stage curtains swirling around her in a dreamlike state. In close up, Henry - a scruffy teenage butch with bruises on her face - watches from a window far above. Her fingers barely touch the glass, momentarily distracted from her own dangerous predicament. "Are you nuts??" someone behind her snaps, too loud, and Henry flinches away from the view. Back to reality.

The same room Henry's in, but from the opposite side. She's so small, against the enormous windows. Two men argue on the other side of the room - a larger man in a suit, and Dickie, a thin, weak-chinned guy in a tuxedo, missing his jacket. "Bringing this here?!" he's saying, "I don't care whose vig they made off with- this isn't how we *do* things!" His arms are spread wide in furious gesturing. His companion scrubs his face in his hands - "You think I don't know that?" He gestures wide, and his shadow is thrown huge and intimidating against the wall. "What I didn't know, right," he snaps, "was they had a *girl* runnin' their whole operation!" "Even if it is some kinda pervert-" Henry averts her eyes. Her cheek is bruised. "Wha- hey, how's that *my* problem?" The thin man stammers, holding his hands in front of him as if to fend the whole thing off. "I mean, look at *you*, pal, blood on your shirt- and here anybody coulda seen you!"

Henry's head snaps to attention as the muscle pulls his companion aside, conspiratorial. "Look, Dickie, I don't wanna spend my whole night buryin' this kid." The man has a wide hand over the back of Dickie's neck. Henry's skin prickles at the memory, disgust curling in her gut. The hand squeezes. "I'll throw my back out again," the man is saying, distantly. "Can't we figure something out?" Henry stumbles forward, clutching at the front of her shirt with its broken buttons. Trying to find her voice. Speak up in her own defense. Anything. "H- hey-" An older woman leans against the window sill at Henry's elbow, looking down at the same stage that Henry had been just moments ago. Henry starts at the sound of her voice. "What's your name?"

#DVparty day 4 is for opening lines... how about opening pages? 😉

When Henry is caught stealing from the mob, she thinks her life's as good as over - but after being dragged into the showy, queer world of mob wife Birdie's nightclub, she'll do just about anything to survive. To stay.

yessss it's so cool! The documentary PS Burn This Letter Please and the podcast Mob Queens are both really interesting & informative looks into the subject!