OUT OF TOWN - page 6

Bah! I write these and leave them to settle so I can come back later with a fresh mind and redraft these. But my own cunning plan backfired on me. Who woulda thunk it? But yes, a plan that I laid did not come to fruition. One would consider it a rare and momentous occasion. But later turned late and late turned to bed time. I shut my browser down with barely a thought concerning my blog and now it's the next day.

So let's get on with the retrospective, shall we?

It's no secret that I love working on the HEROES comics. I have such a great relationship with a bunch of the writers that the process is not only fun, but also really invigorating. I like to think that our creative relationship is born of trust, mutual respect and a respect for the HEROES itself. But I think what really drives it, is that it's more fun than a sack of lubed up ferrets down your pants.

But every now and then someone makes a mistake. Usually me. Such is with the case of exhibit A above... can you spot this mistake?


No? Take your time. I'm not going anywhere.

Still no? You probably just wanna know the answer and are probably prepared to beat me like a red headed step child to get it out of me by now. Just warning you... I like it rough. But there's no need to resort to violence, no matter how much either party likes it.

Here it is:

The brain is still there.

For those of you as versed in HEROES lore as I was... Sylar has removed and taken the brain of everyone he killed except for Claire Bennet. Joe Macon, our erstwhile and cranially challenged hero would be no exception. It took the brilliant Chuck Kim, editor of the HEROES comics to point this out.

So while Jim exclaimed I'd drawn the best, most gruesome brain he'd ever seen... I had to embrace Sylar's genetic destiny and using the last two and half seasons of HEROES as my only reference, endeavoured to remove Joe Macon's brain myself. It was an interesting process and I have to say I almost crushed it trying to separate it from the spinal cord. I had to get a little butter knife to scrape the cerebellum and brainstem off the spinal cord. I'm fastidious about these sorts of things. But here, for your viewing pleasure is my mistake in all its mis-continuity glory.

As an aside, ladies and gentlemen, could you please return your trays to their upright position as I'd like you to witness genius in flight. I'd like you to sit back, grab a cup of your favourite beverage and enjoy Annette's masterful control of the horror of this situation. The meticulously blended blood on the papers on the floor. The spatters of gore on the desk. The yawning, wet empty cavity of his brain. It's a brilliantly horrific moment... all captured during the day no less!

NEXT: Hmmm... Well, that's HEROES done for now. I think I should get onto the four issue epic that is ZERO G. I won't be printing it page by page, just excerpts that I think you will find interesting. Consider it a "director's commentary".