When I was a squirrel
In 2016, I drew a cover for Squirrel Girl. That's right, Marvel Comics, home of Woodgod and Spitfire & The Troubleshooters, let me, Johnny A, draw a cover for a comic. Should they have? History will decide.
In the process of drawing this cover, I learned (from its filename) that the Squirrel Girl logo was designed by Mike Allred. There you are, the Marvel facts you come to this Patreon for (exclusively).
For a while (almost two years) I was talking to Marvel about working on a series. Various flags were raised to 3/4 mast before dropping again. I came to the conclusion at the time that it wasn't really what I wanted to do when I had my own things (that I owned myself) to work on.
I have just remembered that one of the series I enquired about "renovating" was Spitfire & The Troubleshooters. I think the central plank of my pitch (it was three lines) was that "she's like Iron Man, but a scientist, not a warmongering arms dealer".
FIG 1: the kind of militaristic confrontation that would have been frowned upon during my prospective Spitfire run.
One of the other characters I suggested "upcycling" was so obscure that the editor (believe me, no slouch) hadn't even heard of them.
Face facts, true believers, I was never going to be the new Jim Shooter. Jim Shite-r, more like. New Universe? NO Universe etc etc etc
Comments (23)
I remember Neil Gaiman saying that when he started talking to DC about working for them, they asked what character he might be interested in writing, and he said "Black Orchid", and the editor he was talking too looked puzzled and said "Blackhawk... Kid?" So John isn't the only writer to know the canon better than the staff.
Hrm, while I appreciate all the work you've done on your own little Desmond Fishman Cinematic Universe, there'll always be a part of me that would have liked to have seen you doing work for Marvel. Ah, well, maybe someday you can recycle some of your ideas into the DFCU or something. ("Mildred Haversham and Definitely Not The Troubleshooters"?)
I was somewhat surprised, after a quick internet search, that this isn't one of your usual tongue-in-cheek posts. I'm now left wondering what other unusual animal-human super heroes appeared in Marvel comics after I stopped reading them.
Don't you have a writing credit in one of the anthology bundles from around that time period? I think I've seen it pop up on Comixology.
Yes, an 8-pager in Civil War 2, where I got to work with Finnish artist Rosi Kämpe (on what I think was her first Marvel job). Rosi is great!
Although the prospect of Johnny A being let loose on the Marvel universe is tantalizing, if that would have cost us Wicked Things and/or Steeple, I'll take the timeline we're on.
I reckon you'd do better at DC anyway, take Squirrel Girl with you and team her up with Booster Gold, Blue Beetle and Animal Man, then set them loose catching zoo animals given weird powers by Mr. Mxyzptlk.
Do I have to draw the animals myself? Because that's going to cost extra.
Ha, the world wasn't ready for the JA take on stodgy "canon" comics. Us readers are better off for that. Do have one question though, what is the duplicate Squirrel Girl doing amongst the defeated foes? Wannabe?
Perhaps referencing the alternate Squirrel Girl defeated in Ryan North's "Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe" stand alone graphic novel.
Oh, Jim Shooter. I stopped reading comics for a decade after Secret Wars 2. Seriously, the scene where Spider-Man explains to the Beyonder (an omnipotent and possibly omniscient being who now looked like Hasselhoff) how to use the toilet. It wasn’t until Neil Gaiman’s Sandman that I got drawn back in. I might have to be grateful, having explored the early-to-mid-90s comics they were pretty dire and ugly.
dont worry, i'll be jim. you can be my david lapham
Nothing STRAY about these BULLETS (falls over)
Johnny, you're no Jim Shooter, a fact for which I am enternally grateful.
Wossa. I would have loved to read that. I want to do a Justice comic where he questions what his powers actually are. He can see evil? Does it depend on his definition, or theirs? Or D.P.7, the lawsuit. Abused patients sue government.
I assume this spectacular cover can't be monetised by you to the general public for the obvious reasons
Yes, it was monetised to its contractual limit when I was paid to draw it.
How about a reboot of Mean Cuisine and the Lunch Legion? Things go wrong at the High Wycombe Farmers Market...
You may be psychic, Wayne, as the comic I drew today (for March 14th) features the word "Wycombe".
So what was this other super obsurce character?
I'm keeping that powder dry
I'd loved to have seen a marvel series (or even just a one shot) done by you. That would be awesome
I just didn't care enough, Calum. And there are so many writers who do and would kill for the opportunity.