1.13.2011
12.28.2010
Perplex and Il Quaetstio
A rough idea to what the cover would look like, the story has been under development for a while. Most of the concept art is nearing completion.
Then there's Il Quaestio de Auctoritas (The Question of Authority). An idea I had for a Spanish Inquisition counterpart to Perplex.
12.27.2010
4.24.2010
XUBO: The Lost Drawing!
This was drawn back when XUBO had a robotic sidekick named ALVA.
A.ll-purpose
L.abor
V.ocation
A.ssistant
It's name was is a tribute to Thomas Edison's middle name, Alva.
4.23.2010
Volog, The Goblin of Russia
A character from another folk tale in the works.
The setting is a Victorian carnival.
The name "Volog" came from the name of a Russian villiage called "Vologda" from a Russian Folk tale called "The Bad Wife".
4.21.2010
The Ballad Of Exodus Tombs
An Original Folk Tale by
Jake Skully Jones
Of all the outlaws that ever lived
Most have gone and laid to rest
But there’s one man who never did
And he continues to haunt the West
A wanted man named Exodus Tombs
Who held up towns at a time
They called him The Reaper of High Noon
And The Man Who Shot Clementine
He’s stolen from carriage, clergy, and train
He walks endless days and nights
Until only his skeleton remained
Now, he’s called The Holstergeist
He’s a sharp six-shooter who’s first to fire
Lived by no ones rules but his own
Never slept and he never retired
He just worked himself to the bone
Word spread of a new sheriff in town
The Holstergeist walked in the saloon
He said, “By the time the sun goes down,
you’ll need a preacher and a gravestone too”
He said, “By my recollection,
there shouldn’t be a sheriff ‘round these parts”
He reached in his vest and showed his collection
Of his victims’ golden stars
Stores closed down for the standoff
Even shadows seemed to hide
A mortal and a ghost who can’t be stopped
Who gladly kills who wish to try
The sheriff came to end the peril
He drew his gun, and then there was a flash
The phantom’s pistols had two smoking barrels
The sheriff died and lost his badge
Always quickest to the draw
This duel was like the rest
Then The Holstergeist looked down and saw
Two bullet holes in his vest
“Who’s the one who shot me from behind?”
He asked the silent town
“You would have to be out of your mind!
But I’ll make it the other way around!”
He turned, and four times he shot
At a marksman perched on a roof
The gunman was safe, or so he thought
The noticed the supports were suddenly loose
The overhang collapsed
The Holstergeist laughed at the pitiful attempt
“Did you really think you would win?” he asked
Off to another town, he went
There were two men dead after the town was warned
With rumors of another sheriff, he made his leave
The Holstergeist is a killer to the manner born
Which is why he will never rest in peace.
The Legend Of Haystack Jack
An Original Folk Tale By
Jake Skully Jones
Once upon a timea village on an English countryside
feared an apparition with orange eyes
with a burlap face, and it’s not a mask
The villagers would warn to stay inside
“Turn back while you can,” they would advise
Every autumn, he comes out at night
The people of Crowswell named him Haystack Jack
Around the time of harvest, silence always fell
His name, they wouldn’t utter, think, or tell
They were wise to pretend that all was well
should they want their lives to remain intact
But fear was rampant throughout the land
After years of terror, a meeting was planned
They declared it was time to take a stand
However, one man merely smiled and sat
If only they knew
the sordid truth
behind their village and the harvest moon
He was present at the meeting; his concern was just an act
You see, it was his particular farm and field
which lay a secret he would never reveal
Was it blessed? Was it evil?
Was it his scarecrow? No, it couldn’t be that
Almost no one asked why his farm was better than most
Those who had an answer, didn’t come close
Indeed, it was the figure in his field on the wooden post
His scarecrow, to be exact
Many times he had contemplated
just how much he’d be hated
if revealed, that he created
the terror made of straw and rags
It wasn’t in bad spirit
That he kept this dark secret
If the truth be told, if anyone were to hear it
It would surely evoke the villagers’ wrath
They never knew what happened that fateful night
Since then, it’s been debated many times
Magic? Spirits? Were the planets aligned?
Men of religion and science remain aghast
That night, something was born by ways of a curse
when his straw-filled man was placed on unholy earth
The scarecrow or the spirit? Which came first?
Are they one and the same or just a perfect match?
All theories aside
a scarecrow came to life
in the harvest moonlight
When sun meets horizon, he turns back
The farmer didn’t choose to live this lie
So many times that he had tried
to prevent what went on during harvest nights
He’s tried all manners of restraints and straps
He couldn’t destroy the menace, he would never win
It’s not the body, he knew, it’s the spirit within
He knew that it would go after him
He knew better than to make his scarecrow mad
The meeting began
One woman raised her hand
“I say we need to stop this man,
this so-called ‘Haystack Jack’”
“He is no man,” another cried
“Every harvest, my crops, they die
Those nights I see those orange eyes
when the moon is out and the sky is black”
“He’s a demon!” “He has no face!”
“He’s the devil himself!” “Is no one safe?”
“Last year, my cattle vanished without a trace
and every fencepost was broken in half”
“We’re all going to die,” one man exclaimed
“Last harvest, he left a message in my field of grain
He vowed that he’d be back again
As of tonight, one year has passed”
All of a sudden
A stranger came in running
He collapsed and looked behind him, alas, there was nothing
The villagers erupted in whispers and gasps
As people rushed to his side
Clutching his chest, the man was petrified
Screaming over and over, “Those orange eyes!”
The man was scared to death, they knew who was back
The villagers began to conspire
Torches were lit afire
fueled by anger and desire
They wanted the head of Haystack Jack
They demanded revenge
Some had families to defend
Up in arms, prepared to fight and then-
They heard something laugh
They looked in awe
Pitchforks in withdraw
Who do you think they saw?
Confronted with their terror at last
Illuminated by their torches light
The living scarecrow that haunted the night
They had him cornered, but something wasn’t right
Despite the angered mob, he appeared relaxed
He began to speak
He said, “Yes, I am he,
the one who visits annually,
My, these years have gone by so very fast”
“You’ve heard all the stories
You come for vengeance and glory
Yet, you stand still before me?
Are you men or is it courage you lack?”
“Now everyone knows
It’s my job to scare crows
But they just wouldn’t go
I started talking to them,” said Haystack Jack
“I said, ‘you’re called omens, monsters, and a precursor to plagues
The villagers tell you to ‘shoo’ and ‘go away’
In order to survive, you endure this day after day
A life of interrupted meals and scraps’

“I said ‘Let’s make a deal,
For you shouldn’t have to steal
I promise you a feast, not a meal
I’m a scarecrow of my word, and that’s a fact’”
You see, the crows’ eyes were transfixed, they were listening to me
They could comprehend my rhetorical treaty
They nodded in a black ocean of feathers and beaks
They obliged that night and we made our pact
“We had come to understand
we would both get revenge on man
The crows shall receive their feast under my command”
As he smiled, he said, “Attack”
The villagers looked in the sky
and saw that darkness could fly
A mass of crows, perhaps miles high
The harvest moon was clouded black
The villagers looked upon his feathered forces
Their eyes were black and remorseless
They were waiting for the command and the sight of torches
The villagers realized that it was all a trap
The morning after, the air was still
Haystack Jack’s promise had been fulfilled
Despite the many that were killed,
one fortunate farmer was without a scratch
At the break of dawn
Haystack Jack was gone
Awakening villagers looked upon
the burnt-out torches, the only remnants of the failed clash
It was a good harvest that year
What transpired the night before wasn’t quite clear
Those who attended the meeting had disappeared
Their crops were untouched, yet the crows were fat
Some still reside in Crowswell to this very day
despite the others unfortunate fate
They never come out in the light of day
For it’s the harvest moon and Haystack Jack
3.18.2010
Cryptoglyphs
An alphabet of my own design.
These are the basic 26.
Of course they're not in any order on the page.
What fun would that be?
I hope to have letters that represent 'th' an 'st' to make it more cryptic.
If you notice, one of the letters is the same symbol that is on XUBO's Jumpsuit
More to come.
They Came From Mars!
I tried to stay true to the description in H.G. Wells' The War of The Worlds.
I combined the features of an owl, a flea, and an octopus.
More Philosophy
Perpetual Imperfection
Humanity and the Immortal Thought
By Jake Jones
If there is a greater good, is it already gone?
If there is a better place, where are we now?
Is there an answer to these questions? Is there a definite answer to any question? Humanity is driven to wonder why and the fortunate souls have found answers and have told very few. Do we accuse them of secrecy or blame ourselves for not listening? Do those who take the path less beaten, do so because there's less people or to be followed? Is it the goal of man to explore the unknown, or to exploit the unknown? Whether you believe that God created Man, or that Man created God, whether your scripture is in The Book of Genesis or The Origin of Species, it is inconsequential. Where we started does not matter, what truly matters is where we are going. If history repeats itself, are we going in circles? Is progress merely the upward motion of a spiraling perpetual cycle?
We as a human race are perpetuated by imperfection. It is imperfection which gives us inspiration to advance but never succeed. Success is in the eye of the beholder, not for the ones who once beheld. The vision fades through the ages as it is seen through different eyes.The practice of medicine has always been at odds with death. The one thing that is always certain about the human race is our mortality. One does not die of natural causes, death is the natural cause; a force beyond our control. It is the only promise that life can keep.
Ideas cannot die. Thought itself is an electromagnetic frequency that can travel beyond the mind. Thoughts are not kept under lock and key, they are free. They are written, and they are told, as they are studied and they are heard. Thoughts can also be augmented, twisted, dismissed and denied; but never destroyed. For those who deny the power of thought, consider the following: Matter cannot be created nor destroyed. If the thought matters, then the thought cannot be destroyed. We have very little time to figure out what our purpose is and even less time to fulfill it. Then, there are those who have passed along their intention to another generation. Whether it is noble or right is trivial, the reality is that in many events throughout our history, misconception is hereditary.
Servants of legacy. A lineage with a single mind and a circular direction of a distorted ideal, a broken wheel whose function is lost, forgotten or intends to turn utility to futility and distort the human mechanism. When does tradition turn in to useless repetition? Can right and wrong be defined if there is a greater good that only one man can see?
We as humans are never content. We have the ability to not only want or need, but to desire. This world has never been perfect, and it never will be. It is imbalance that creates progress. Balance is not the goal, balance is an illusion. Time is an illusion. Identity is an illusion.Who are you? Is it the name your parents gave you? Is it the number that you were assigned? These are merely labels that make organization easier.
Is it balance that we aim to achieve? Two aimless counteractive spirals that create a symbiotic, double-helix trail with no beginning or end. Life imitating life; Derived from the Never-ending Answer.
Our purpose is to ask questions, to wonder, to explore what is not yet known. If you find yourself in Misery's company, ask yourself why. Ask yourself why Misery loves company. Ask how Misery is able to love. However, if you explore and search for the Answer to The Great Question, look where you're going. If you're not careful, you could be going in circles.
Questions lead to Answers. Answers Lead to Questions. Questions lead to Answers. Answers Lead to Questions. Questions lead to Madness.
There is no End.
If there is a greater good, is it already gone?
If there is a better place, where are we now?
Is there an answer to these questions? Is there a definite answer to any question? Humanity is driven to wonder why and the fortunate souls have found answers and have told very few. Do we accuse them of secrecy or blame ourselves for not listening? Do those who take the path less beaten, do so because there's less people or to be followed? Is it the goal of man to explore the unknown, or to exploit the unknown? Whether you believe that God created Man, or that Man created God, whether your scripture is in The Book of Genesis or The Origin of Species, it is inconsequential. Where we started does not matter, what truly matters is where we are going. If history repeats itself, are we going in circles? Is progress merely the upward motion of a spiraling perpetual cycle?
We as a human race are perpetuated by imperfection. It is imperfection which gives us inspiration to advance but never succeed. Success is in the eye of the beholder, not for the ones who once beheld. The vision fades through the ages as it is seen through different eyes.The practice of medicine has always been at odds with death. The one thing that is always certain about the human race is our mortality. One does not die of natural causes, death is the natural cause; a force beyond our control. It is the only promise that life can keep.
Ideas cannot die. Thought itself is an electromagnetic frequency that can travel beyond the mind. Thoughts are not kept under lock and key, they are free. They are written, and they are told, as they are studied and they are heard. Thoughts can also be augmented, twisted, dismissed and denied; but never destroyed. For those who deny the power of thought, consider the following: Matter cannot be created nor destroyed. If the thought matters, then the thought cannot be destroyed. We have very little time to figure out what our purpose is and even less time to fulfill it. Then, there are those who have passed along their intention to another generation. Whether it is noble or right is trivial, the reality is that in many events throughout our history, misconception is hereditary.
Servants of legacy. A lineage with a single mind and a circular direction of a distorted ideal, a broken wheel whose function is lost, forgotten or intends to turn utility to futility and distort the human mechanism. When does tradition turn in to useless repetition? Can right and wrong be defined if there is a greater good that only one man can see?
We as humans are never content. We have the ability to not only want or need, but to desire. This world has never been perfect, and it never will be. It is imbalance that creates progress. Balance is not the goal, balance is an illusion. Time is an illusion. Identity is an illusion.Who are you? Is it the name your parents gave you? Is it the number that you were assigned? These are merely labels that make organization easier.
Is it balance that we aim to achieve? Two aimless counteractive spirals that create a symbiotic, double-helix trail with no beginning or end. Life imitating life; Derived from the Never-ending Answer.
Our purpose is to ask questions, to wonder, to explore what is not yet known. If you find yourself in Misery's company, ask yourself why. Ask yourself why Misery loves company. Ask how Misery is able to love. However, if you explore and search for the Answer to The Great Question, look where you're going. If you're not careful, you could be going in circles.
Questions lead to Answers. Answers Lead to Questions. Questions lead to Answers. Answers Lead to Questions. Questions lead to Madness.
There is no End.
2.19.2010
2.17.2010
Heroes: Perplex and The Red Glare
Perplex was an old idea but I kinda revamped him.
His costume needs more thought to it.
I have some ideas though...
Then there's The Red Glare.
There hasn't been a good patriotic superhero since Captain America.
I had The Star Spangled Banner stuck in my head and then this happened:
The Golemech
I don't know what it is about the word "Golem" but here's another idea that I got on paper
and scanned for your viewing pleasure.
The concept was a mechanical being whose details and construction matched ancient cultures.
A "Cutural Alchemy" of sorts.
With all the elements on these two pages, I coud make more than one.
But I need a formula that works.
Here's a work-in-progress.
XUBO: More concept art
Very pleased with the way the side-by-side turned out. Look at him!
I thought it would be impossible to make him stand on those legs while still looking balanced.
XUBO (as I have imagined so far) is a Gargolem Rex.
I'd like him to be an exterminator if this idea goes anywhere.
And these are just random creatures that could and/or possibly/might be
in a comic with XUBO... if such were ever to be made.
The Wind-up Man
I've had this one for a while. I'd like to think this is the final version
but I'm pretty sure another redesign is in store.
2.16.2010
Namesake
The mechanical man of the same name.
This design took a while and a lot of concept art was put into it.
I was trying to maintain a certain speck of humanity.
This design took a while and a lot of concept art was put into it.
I was trying to maintain a certain speck of humanity.
I'll have a better drawing up later this week.
12.16.2009
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