On Any Given Sunday

One of the joys of writing, well creating, is the ties that I develop with other creative types. Mike Hartlieb and I worked together as paramedics before we discovered a shared passion for art and fantasy. I am a fantasist writer and he is a comic designer/pen and ink artist. Which explains to the rest of the world our generally dysfunctional approaches to reality, but also the basis for an awesome and enduring relationship as well. Today I was reminded of how brilliantly talented Mik44 (my cell phone nickname for him) really is.

While working a bit of OT, I sent a text message to the artist about getting together for lunch on Saturday or Sunday. It's kind of a bi-weekly ritual we have at a Mexican restaurant halfway between our locales. This restaurant is of course the Mexican Village. He responded that Sunday worked for him, but that he had no illustrations ready for purchase. I flippantly replied "If you don't need the extra cash, I am fine with watching the football game and discussing concepts for 'Glow'" (My upcoming TROTT post-apocalyptic game).

The restaurant ended up being the Old Angle, my beloved haunt, because of meetings with other folks as well. Well, Mik44 shows up with two drawings, began the night before. One wasn't finished, but he promised it'd be finished by the end of the game. So in the middle of a drunken crowd during a local event, the man is pulling out ink pens and finishing an illustration with a focus and attention to detail that made people envious. Mind you, we looked more than a little dorky among many Cleveland Brown jerseys and various gentry of the city's scene. But hey, it's the Angle. They have put up with me and strangeness forever already. And everybody seeing the guy work his magic, while having a couple beers and cheering the home team on, was a show in and of itself.

So Peryton showed up after the game, and indeed the illustration was done. AND it is something of a masterpiece as well. Above is just a little part of the work. You'll see the rest when Kopfy's Swamp of Doom Pt III: "Fish Tails and New Moon" is finished.