It was suggested in the comments section that perhaps it would be fun to see a more action oriented sketch when presenting these “revisitings” of the old characters I created as a kid. I thought it was a good idea, so this post reflects that addition to the fun. In an attempt to prove that not ALL my old characters were based on birds (although it seems as though most of them were based on ANIMALS, if NOT birds….)– I present a battle scene in which one of my characters called THE SILVER FOX is rumbling with a couple of bad guys known as THE BULL and THE RAM. The SILVER FOX character also had an incarnation/alternate version that was known as THE ARCTIC FOX, because I thought it would be fun and easy to draw adventures set in the ice an snow. I soon realized that not many folks (good guys OR bad guys) live in the Arctic area, and so I dropped the idea quickly.

Although, like most of the vast number of characters I created all those years ago, I never did any real comics stories with the SILVER FOX character. I DID, however, use the BULL and RAM baddies in an UNCANNY OWL story. Like most kids, my attention was fragmented, and so it was difficult to maintain a sustained enthusiasm for all the new characters that were pouring out of my brain. SILVER FOX was a victim of that lack of attention span. So it’s fun to give him a little due now…..

For those folks who might not frequent NEWSARAMA.COM as I do every day, you might have missed a story they did on various artists from the American comics market beginning to do work for the French publisher SOLIEL. I think this is a wonderful thing. I’ve got a great affinity for the comics produced in France (as I made clear in a previous post) because of the wonderful diversity in genre and subject matter that are prevalent in France (and Europe as a whole). It’s something that’s just not the case here. The American comic market it mired in a single subject matter: superheroes. And several of the artists listed in the article are personal favorites of mine– and yet they’ve gotten short shrift from the fans here in the States. I frequent many message boards on comics news sites, creator sites and general fan sites, and I’ve seen some of these guys get blasted simply for having a “cartoony” style. Frankly, in an American market that seems increasingly to gravitate toward artists who trace photographs and call them comics, it’s very frustrating and angering to me to see artists with unique vision and a strong personal style get shunted aside. So, I’m so thrilled to see some of these folks find a wonderful home in a market that really appreciates comics– of every kind, and in every style.

Mike