Joana Damsel & Peter Freak! These two characters have been floating in my head for years now. Homeless, half-formed, yet as persistent as a Harlem Nocturne, now they’ve got their own ‘pilot’ webcomic episode.
Originally, they were just a pair of background characters in an unfinished story. They were secret agents, clad in black, gun-packing, and karate-chopping. The story got stuck in development and fell into my filing cabinet. But Damsel & Freak escaped that manila folder and made their way into yet another story. Still background characters, this time in a weird bit of esoterica – alas, stuck again. Back to the filing cabinet.
And yet again, Damsel & Freak escaped their folder. Showing up slightly wrinkled, but more strange and vibrant than ever I gave them a good looking at this time.
At last I saw them clearly, not as some extras from central casting – but instead as strange beatnik detectives. They’d matured, but not too far from their roots. They’ve always been madly in love, always based in my beloved, Manhattan, and often in danger. With this iteration, I feel I’ve finally found their true shapes and voice.
Now, I have a bad habit of letting stories languish in development, but the above ‘pilot‘ episode of Lost Amsterdam Stories is an exception. It came together pretty quickly in the telling. The drawing and coloring were another story altogether.
Still, I hope to be sharing more about Damsel & Freak in the months to come. As hard as the COVID lockdown has been, it’s given me plenty of spare time to devote to making comics.
So be safe, stay healthy and look out for more Damsel & Freak. Let me know what you thought of ‘The Artist‘! How many lives are you living?
See you around!
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