Lo! The White Whale!
I know, I don't post much. It isn't that I don't have much to say, I just don't have time. Or I forget. Or both. I'm old, sue me.
Before I explain my borrowing of Mr. Melville's pigmentationally challenged cetacean, I'll need to give a little history lesson. In March of 2007 we lost a great talent and I lost a friend. Drew Hayes created the Poison Elves comic and drug it kicking and screaming into the half light. While it was never a Batman-league popular title, it went from something he photocopied and shopped around Bellingham WA to being picked up by Sirius Entertainment and on shelves around the country. It was his baby, his art and his words. Because of this it wasn't always the most regular periodical, but it never sucked.
Drew had time for the folks who liked his work, he had time for young artists who wanted to follow in his footsteps, though he never understood why. And he had time to send cyphered e-mails back and forth with me to see if we could stump each other and to trade dating horror stories. He also had a young daughter, no money and medical bills because he wasn't in the best health.
As a fund raiser after a stint in the hospital t-shirts were made that said "Drew Lives!" Mine arrived shortly after I found out he'd passed away. He would have found that hilarious, so I had to laugh as well. He was 37 when we lost him, mostly because he didn't have the money to take care of himself and was a proud idiot.
Being on the other side of the country one of the fun challenges of my life at that time was catching up on issues I missed, especially the first runs of the magazine-sized "I Lusiphur" (PE's original title). My mother even joined me in the adventure at one point, as did friends and a boyfriend or two. When I traveled I looked. I had maps with comic shops in the state marked off. My local shop was thrilled to see a girl come in regularly for her subscription. It was great fun.
When he passed away that ended. I have a box with everything in it. I can't bring myself to sell the stuff, and sometimes I look through it. Somehow I manage to forget how talented he was and lose a few hours being delighted by him again.
But there was one thing I never got my hands on and have been searching for. Like the good captain there have been sightings over the years. Sometimes I am only a few days too late to capture my quarry. It's frustrating.
Today I got an e-mail from Robb Horan who worked with Drew. Sirius and Ape Entertainment have joined to put out a new PE series. I'm sure it will be fine. Robb wouldn't let it be crap. But it won't be Drew's voice and no one else can draw his characters. Others have in the past for spin offs, some are better than others. I've seen the new art and it isn't for me. I was drawn to PE because of the artwork-a friend actually pointed it out to me. I liked the style and then I fell in love with this sarcastic elf with the terrible attitude. So different from the other offerings at the time. So I will not be continuing this journey. The heart is gone for me. For a new generation it will bring them fantastic characters and hopefully great stories. For me, it's like watching a cheap generic remake of Disney's Snow White. The story is the same, but the animation is flat.
But that e-mail reminded me of my whale, so I cast my net again, as I do periodically. And Lo! My net brought forth from the sea my missing piece, quickly snatched up for an inflated price because there are only 1000 in the world and they aren't often seen. What is it? A simple statue of Lusiphur, the main character. Sort of Drew's bad-ass self. Just another monument to how far he came before it all ended. Not too shabby boy.
Before I explain my borrowing of Mr. Melville's pigmentationally challenged cetacean, I'll need to give a little history lesson. In March of 2007 we lost a great talent and I lost a friend. Drew Hayes created the Poison Elves comic and drug it kicking and screaming into the half light. While it was never a Batman-league popular title, it went from something he photocopied and shopped around Bellingham WA to being picked up by Sirius Entertainment and on shelves around the country. It was his baby, his art and his words. Because of this it wasn't always the most regular periodical, but it never sucked.
Drew had time for the folks who liked his work, he had time for young artists who wanted to follow in his footsteps, though he never understood why. And he had time to send cyphered e-mails back and forth with me to see if we could stump each other and to trade dating horror stories. He also had a young daughter, no money and medical bills because he wasn't in the best health.
As a fund raiser after a stint in the hospital t-shirts were made that said "Drew Lives!" Mine arrived shortly after I found out he'd passed away. He would have found that hilarious, so I had to laugh as well. He was 37 when we lost him, mostly because he didn't have the money to take care of himself and was a proud idiot.
Being on the other side of the country one of the fun challenges of my life at that time was catching up on issues I missed, especially the first runs of the magazine-sized "I Lusiphur" (PE's original title). My mother even joined me in the adventure at one point, as did friends and a boyfriend or two. When I traveled I looked. I had maps with comic shops in the state marked off. My local shop was thrilled to see a girl come in regularly for her subscription. It was great fun.
When he passed away that ended. I have a box with everything in it. I can't bring myself to sell the stuff, and sometimes I look through it. Somehow I manage to forget how talented he was and lose a few hours being delighted by him again.
But there was one thing I never got my hands on and have been searching for. Like the good captain there have been sightings over the years. Sometimes I am only a few days too late to capture my quarry. It's frustrating.
Today I got an e-mail from Robb Horan who worked with Drew. Sirius and Ape Entertainment have joined to put out a new PE series. I'm sure it will be fine. Robb wouldn't let it be crap. But it won't be Drew's voice and no one else can draw his characters. Others have in the past for spin offs, some are better than others. I've seen the new art and it isn't for me. I was drawn to PE because of the artwork-a friend actually pointed it out to me. I liked the style and then I fell in love with this sarcastic elf with the terrible attitude. So different from the other offerings at the time. So I will not be continuing this journey. The heart is gone for me. For a new generation it will bring them fantastic characters and hopefully great stories. For me, it's like watching a cheap generic remake of Disney's Snow White. The story is the same, but the animation is flat.
But that e-mail reminded me of my whale, so I cast my net again, as I do periodically. And Lo! My net brought forth from the sea my missing piece, quickly snatched up for an inflated price because there are only 1000 in the world and they aren't often seen. What is it? A simple statue of Lusiphur, the main character. Sort of Drew's bad-ass self. Just another monument to how far he came before it all ended. Not too shabby boy.
posted by Liz @ 12:30 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home