King of the Apes! Lord of the Jungle!

He Tarzan!
You didn't think I'd forgotten the fella who (arguably) started it all, didja? A person can't draw a week's worth of men in loin-cloths without drawing the Ape Man himself, ol' man Greystoke (a.k.a. Tarzan). In the comments sections a few of us have been discussing the many and favorite actors who've portrayed Tarzan over the years. I personally quite enjoy watching Miles O'Keefe in all his finely honed glory, lusted over by the voluptuous Bo Derek (I am a fan of the Cheesecake as well as the Beef). I also like the clips I've seen of Mike Henry and Ron Ely, though I haven't been able to find a copy of any of their movies/tv series on DVD. Naturally I'm fond of the old black and whites with Weissmuller or Gordon Scott.

As a kid I saw the Christopher Lambert movie but found it too drab to really enjoy it. It might be worth watching again because I have a feeling it was quite close to the actual story from the novel.

My own sinewy take on the character owes a lot to the Disney animated Tarzan. I've watched the movie many times just to admire Glen Keane's muscley Tarzan...and also because I think that Minnie Driver was so perfect as the voice of Jane that I wish she'd won an Oscar for it.

So, there's the week plus one of loin-cloths. I hope you all enjoyed it, and that it was worth the wait!

your pal,
j.

The Cover of FAB!!

Two posts today because I just have to tell you about the current issue of Fab and I didn't want to interrupt the flow of the Week of Loin-cloths! For those of you in or near Toronto, my art is on the cover of Fab magazine. Editor Matt Thomas interviewed me for the feature article on gays in comics and very kindly asked me to draw the cover. How could I say no? I've been reading Fab ever since I moved to Toronto for school, where I would nervously sneak copies into my portfolio and hope that none of my friends saw me standing near or picking up the latest issue. I've still got some of those early editions. I'm absolutely thrilled to be one of two artists to actually draw a cover (Glen Hanson is the other). It's pretty sweet to be out on Church st. and see my artwork sitting in store windows and all over the Fab news-boxes!

Matt also interviewed the delightful and good looking Phil Jimenez as well as Perry Moore (author of Hero). You can read the article at the Fab website.

If you're near a comic shop, check out the newest issue of Super Friends. I drew the interiors as well as the cover for #18. It's a Bizarro Super Friends story and I LOVE how it all turned out. The colorist did a terrific job and the writer, Sholly Fisch, wrote some of the funniest dialogue for the Heroes from the square planet!

Also, if you haven't seen District 9 and you're a fan of Sci-Fi, go check it out. There's a lot of political kerfuffle about the movie, charges of racism etc...and while certain stereotypes bothered me I still found it to be such an incredible movie. My favourite kind of Sci-Fi...the kind that makes us look at our own world and how we treat the Earth and each other.

And finally... I really appreciate all the comments during this week of Loin-cloth! I've got a bunch of movies to hunt down and a few requests for more cloth wearing characters. Check in on Monday for the Lord of the Loin-Cloths himself! I'll give you a hint - his name rhymes with 'Shmar-zan'

Have a great weekend!
j.

A Loin In Winter!

When I was a kid I had a set of He-Man knock-offs that included Hercules, some dude in tiger print kimono, and Warlord (sporting a stylish plastic loin-cloth). I didn't know about the Warlord comic book and so just assumed he was made up for this particular toy line. He fit into my He-Man universe as a substitute for King Randor. A wise father figure to my other scantily clad, over-muscled, harness wearing action figures.

Is it any surprise I grew up with more affinity for the Bear culture than to the Dance/Twink scene? :)

And that wraps up the Week of Loin-cloths.

But...wait a sec...I did a weeks worth of men in loin cloths and yet something isn't quite right. Someone is missing. A character who lived most of his life clad only in a washcloth sized patch of animal skin. A man, no, a Lord who made famous the leather bikini and caused a curious stirring in the loins of many an unsuspecting young man (and woman, I'm sure) when he appeared on screen or in print. But, it's Friday. The last day of the Week of Loin. I've no days left. I can't update on the weekend! I guess...I guess we'll just have to wait until Monday for you to see who I'm talking about (no spoiling in the comment section).

Have a great weekend, everyone.
xo j.

The Loin Before Time!

I've always intended to draw a Beefcake version of Raquel Welch's famous fur-bikini pose from the movie One Million Years BC. The Week of Loin-cloths gave me that opportunity. I'd like to eventually throw a stop-motion looking dinosaur in behind him because those were some cool looking, highly innacurate (and yet, very well done) dinos in that movie.

j.

Purr-Loin!

I confess...this one is a completely made up character, drawn just so I could use the pun "Purr-Loin". That's the sole reason for his existence.

Second confession...I do have a fondness for Anthropomorphic characters. I know where that places me in the Nerd Hierarchy but dammit all I liked the Thundercats. Robin Hood is one of my favourite Disney movies. And Blacksad is one of my favorite European comics to come out in quite some time! Label me as you will ;)

beastly yours,
j.

B'Wana Loin a New Trick?

B'WANA BEAST! Introduced to me by the same friend who reminded me about Red-Wolf (see previous Loin Post), I kinda fell in love with B'Wana Beast myself. He's one of my buddy's favorites. Considering the fact that he's not wearing much of a costume he shows up in some unlikely places. Like in the Justice League Animated comic book, the Justice League tv show (and action figure line) as well as the new Batman: Brave and the Bold. I've drawn him for my blog, even!

Apparently he's had a name change in these more politically nervous times. But I looked up B'Wana, assuming it had some horribly negative meaning, and found that it's a form of respectful address in parts of Africa. His new name is 'Freedom Beast' which is an incredibly stupid name. How about 'Sir Beast' or 'Gentleman Beast' if you have to change the poor guy's name.

This is hardly the place to get political. I'm going to continue calling B'Wana Beast by his original name. And I'm going to continue drawing him because he sure is a heckuva lot of fun to draw!

beastly yours,
j.

The Loin Age of Marvel Comics!

Many years ago there came to Marvel comics a hero...a man wearing the head and pelt of a red-wolf! And he called himself - RED WOLF! His first appearance in Avengers #80 was drawn by the incredible John Buscema (who, in the issue previous, had introduced a villain wearing the head and pelt of a Gorilla. Did John have a thing for wearing taxidermy?)

I first saw this character in the form of the very cool Randy Bowen mini-bust (which I confess I now wish to own). I'd forgotten about him but when I was telling a friend, who has a vast knowledge of all Marvel characters especially the obscure, that I was finally doing a weeks worth of loin-cloth themed drawings he suggested drawing Red-Wolf. I changed his costume slightly, making the 'pants' something more like chaps, or hip waders. A change I'm sure most of you won't fault me for making, I'm sure.

Enjoy,
j.

The Pajama Game!

Another image of Hot Toddy...from his second act on the third night of the Toronto Burlesque Festival. He started in pajamas, hat and cigar with the boys alternating pillow coverage as he danced and removed pjs. A little flash of bum, and he was hidden again. The final bit had the boys holding up all four pillows as the pajama bottoms were kicked off, then Todd pushed back the two top pillows and cheekily tossed out a smile and chomped on his cigar! It was fantastic!!

What's this, you ask? Why it's an announcement of sorts. Five little boxes. Five days in a work-week. Whatever could it mean?

Check in on Monday for the answer and then each day thereafter for an update EVERY DAY! Zounds!

best,
j.

Catching Up!

Oof! I can't believe I forgot to post this final piece after initially teasing with a cropped shot of Jett's head. The lump of bearded flesh hanging onto Jett is me. This was drawn to accompany an interview conducted by a friend of mine and appeared in Toronto's Pink Pages magazine.

Hope everyone's having a great summer (or winter if you're on the other side of the world)!
best,
j.