Another creature of myth and fantasy is the Faun– or Satyr. These woodland folk have played a big part in such wonderful fantasies as LEGEND and the classic CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. Although most associated with flute playing and wine swilling– and the embodiment of lust and debauchery–they represent something else for me: the mix of magic and nature in the realm of myth and fantasy. I’ve always been fascinated by anthropomorphic and animalistic characters and their connection to nature. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to include anthropomorphic characters in the world of TELLOS. I think that tigers are some of the most beautiful animals this world has to offer– and it’s a tragic shame that they are on the verge of extinction. That’s where the inspiration for the visuals for KOJ came. In the real world, mankind has a penchant for the destruction or perversion of nature. The elements of fantasy that deal with man living in harmony– and in some cases being bonded with –nature are very appealing to me.

That’s it for another week…. have a great weekend, all.

This is Entry 267.

Mike

Another popular inhabitant of many fantasy tales is the Faerie. From PETER PAN to LEGEND to Todd’s and my own TELLOS comic, faeries play pivotal roles in many stories of magic and fantasy. In TELLOS, we had a faerie named Dani– a character that was based on Todd’s then girlfriend who was also named (duh) Dani. In TELLOS, the faerie community specialized in message/mail delivery– and that service they provided ended up being a major factor in the final conflict that took place at the end of that first series.

OK… I’ve got a ton of work to do, so just a quick in-and-out today.

This is Entry 266.

Mike

The thing I like so much about fantasy and mythology is that those myriad worlds of the imagination and lore are so filled with fun and interesting creatures that just don’t exist in our own grounded, mundane and ordered world. I think that’s why gaming systems like WORLD OF WARCRAFT and DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS are so very popular. There are many people who wish that our world was filled with these creatures– they long to see unicorns frolicking in a meadow, or faeries flitting through the sunlight streaming between the leaves and branches of the forest, or dragons soaring overhead on their way to somewhere we can only imagine. It’s the kind of desire for something beyond our own existence that fuels the belief that the LOCH NESS MONSTER or BIGFOOT/YETI or the CHUPACABRA exist.

Personally, I prefer to keep these creatures in the realm of imagination. Who needs dragons scorching your roof as they buzz by….? These creatures, as enchanting and mesmerizing as they may be, would be pretty frightening (and menacing, in some cases) if they really existed. Fun to think about, though…..

This is Entry 265.

Mike

I wanted to draw more of the cast from HARRY POTTER… Hagrid and Professors Dumbledore and Snape would be fun…. but I’ve got a lot to do today, so I thought I’d take Xav’s suggestion and whip up a quick sketch of a younger Harry engaged in that most exciting of wizardly sports, QUIDDICH. So this will wind up the improptu POTTER WEEK here on the blog. John Higashi’s exhortation for me to get obsessed with TELLOS instead of other subjects hit home….. so I’ll probably be doing more sketches of Todd’s and my own cast of colorful characters. I don’t want to turn this into a strictly TELLOS related blog…. but John, your point is well taken.

OK, folks– have a great weekend.

This is Entry 264.

Mike

I don’t know if this will end up being ‘POTTER WEEK’ here on the blog or not…. we’ll see. I thought it might be fun to do another sketch that added Harry’s two best friends Hermione and Ronald. Like all wonderfully crafted fantasy, there’s such a wealth of subject matter and inspirational material embedded in the HARRY POTTER novels (and movies) that I could spend ALL my time sketching POTTER-related stuff here. I tend to get caught up in little obsessions for this space– anyone who remembers the gorilla-hero phase I went through can attest to that.

Anyhoo– that’s it for today.

This is Entry 263.

Mike