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JB: There's not really anything they CAN do. In the end, it comes down to a matter of trust -- they've lost mine. I cannot imagine anything they could do to win it back.

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Some time ago, I've often wondered what can the big two do to lure you back on a project or even a series of covers. But as you've often had the carpet pulled from under you, I'm glad you're with IDW. I can also "hear" that you're happy there.

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And the main reason is, they too often TRY to make 'em like that.

As I have said many time, Chris and I had no idea we were building an "epic", a story that would "change the face of comics forever". We just wanted to tell an exciting tale.

Of course, "exciting" is a word a lot of writers and editors seem to have forgotten these days, too!

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Wanting to make as much use of the grey tones as I could, in terms of defining textures and forms, I laid out the piece in light pencil, then basically did the "finished pencils" with the gray tones. When they were done, I went in with the black pen.

This is why I made a reference, upthread, to doing a piece with gray tones being a whole lot like drawing it twice.

One of the things I want to push with the tones, if any more such requests come along, is to diminish the use of black holding lines as much as possible. Wally Wood did some amazing work in MAD, using Craftint boards (a way of laying gray tones into the work) in which much of the form of many objects was held entirely with gray, no black line at all.

Here's an example:

This is only half a wide panel, but I wanted to post it as large as possible, so you could see what's happening with the tones. (That's also why it's sideways.) To fully appreciate his brilliance, note that there are only TWO gray tones in this, along with black and white.

Personal Note: I fell in love with Wood's "futuristic" drawings right from the start, especially his architecture (this piece is circa 1958). Today, I'm happy to report I actually live in a house not unlike the ones he used to draw, such as here. Alas, the rest of what he "predicted", like flying cars, did not come to be!

That Wally really knew what he was doing, didn't he?

I'd really love to see you getting more into this type stuff, JB.

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No kidding! Altho Wood's figures occasionally tended to be stiff (in his non-cartoony, non-exaggerated work, at least), he more than made up for this in his sheer brilliance at, well, pretty much everything else!

For another example, from the panel above, take a look at the shadows cast by his characters. I know of no other artist who took such care to make sure the shadows he drew matched the figure. I'm not even entirely sure how he did it!!