Tag: Comic

Comic Eight: Glistening Scar

Posted on July, 2025 by JS

Ciao cowpokes,

To those in the Western Hemisphere: staying cool?

It’s been a swampy last few weeks here in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Lots of heat punctuated by thick droplets of rain. But that does not dissolve our resolve!

Last week we premiered “Glistening Scar” by me, Dan Lauer and Amal Desai. The story follows K.P. Roc, a small town sheriff in Montana Territory, as he deals with the aftermath of strange outsiders who visited the town years earlier.

I love Westerns (duh), but I love Sci-fi even more. A genre that’s even broader than the Western, Science Fiction is a never-ending horizon of wonder and wit. Aliens, technology, time-travel, war and weaponry, society and politics – these are topics that storytelling with a futuristic slant tackle so well. Authors like Wells, Bradbury, Ellison, Applegate, Coville and a billion comic book writers shaped my youth in untold ways. That’s not even jumping into the vast worlds of TV and film, where sci-fi has expands and thrives exponentially.

Chief among those stories is the venerable Star Trek franchise, a mainstay of the genre for 60 years (and still going!). I love Trek, and recently I’ve engaged in (re-)watching the bulk of the series and movies. As is known, creator Gene Roddenberry promoted the The Original Series as a sort of a Western set in space, and the franchise has a special relationship with the Old West, with at a handful episodes ( namely, “Spectre of the Gun”, ” A Fistful of Datas”, “The Magnificent Ferengi” and “Horizon”) that homage those aesthetics.

In many sci-fi worlds where time travel is a possibility, there are certain periods where it feels almost obligatory for the protagonists to wade around in. 70s hippy culture, the medieval era, prehistoric cave-man time…but maybe above all, time-hopping stories love a Western setting. There’s an allure to cowboy hats and saloon fights and horses that keeps the temporal journeymen coming back.

That idea launched “Glistening Scar”. What happens after the strange, new visitors muck things up on the thoroughfare and go back to their adventures elsewhen? What kind of impact would have have on a community?

I enlisted Dan to execute this story, and I’m extremely satisfied with the result. I love his style, sort of edgy and fierce, but with a supple tone that lets him operate in a gritty/friendly mash-up that evokes the marriage of a Sci-fi Western. Dan hit the landing on so many aspects of this story, from the character designs, to the landscapes and nature, and of course some of the weirder elements, like terrifying animal/machine hybrids.

Amal (who also designed the All-True logo!) was just the guy I needed to letter this story. We did some tricky narration things here, and all that is laid out on the page in a concise and satisfying way, thanks to him. Amal’s professionalism, speed and openness to collaboration are all traits to be admired.

This story, a lot like “The Splendid Fleeing”, is one where I could have written sooo much more — like issues upon issues — but I think we did a really great job of laying down the roots of the world and rattling off a cool plot and interesting characters in ten awesome-looking pages.

I hope you enjoy this one, and as always:

 

Westward!

~Jamil

Comic Seven: Death, 2 Ways

Posted on June, 2025 by JS

‘Ello road agents,

Today we debut the third chapter of the Satterwhite & Fosgrove saga. As you may remember, the first story introduced the characters and their mission: two Pinkerton Detective Agency operatives, tasked with hunting down and killing the notorious outlaw Jesse James are accused of stealing a treasure map from a wealthy Confederate family.

At the conclusion of that story the detective duo split up, which is why we find Fosgrove chasing a man through the forest in Chapter 2. This story shows us what Satterwhite has been up during the same timeframe: attempting to find the truth behind an apparent pair of suicides in Kansas City!

What you may notice upon reading the first page of “Death, 2 Ways” is that Satterwhite is in completely different attire from the last time we’ve seen them. They’re dressed in typical feminine garb, and are referred to as a female by other characters. We laid some of the breadcrumbs of this in the first comic but didn’t want to hit the reader over the head with it while setting up other story elements – Satterwhite is trans masculine.

Satterwhite & Fosgrove concept art

Of course, the term “trans masc” or the more in-depth idea of queerness didn’t really exist in 1879, so you will not see the character referred to as such within the work itself. Still, it’s undoubtedly true that LGBTQ+ folks have existed all throughout history, in every culture and every land, even if they’re contributions to society-at-large are not reflected in history books, or works of historical fiction. In the case of the Old West, an open frontier with room to roam was an extremely enticing place for cultural outcasts to live. Only a few such people, like Harry Allen and Joseph Lobdell are recorded in history, but it does not take much to assume many more were woven into the fabric of the American West.

Writing a queer lead is admittedly a heavy task, but frankly it’s no different than writing someone dissimilar to me in age, mentality, disposition, culture and so on. Research takes me part of the way, and empathy bridges the gap. Satterwhite is a character close to my heart, and it has little to do with their gender identity. Still, I want to do right by him, and intend to expound on the issue of “identity” in future stories.

I also need to use this space to once again shout out my collaborator Mauro Bueno. His skill in character and costume design, as well as portraying the many modes of human emotion has enabled and enhanced all aspects of the character. Mauro’s approach and ability has added a sublime simplicity to every nuance of the script. It’s been a dream.

All that and I didn’t even get into the story at hand – a neat, snappy murder mystery which begins to unfurl some of the spookier subplots of the overall S&F narrative. I’m confident you readers will like what we’re serving on this project, and we hope you can spread the word on your favorite cowboy detective story.

Until next time,

 

Westward!

 

~Jamil

Comic Six: The Splendid Fleeing of Joe Iowa From the Elm County Authorities

Posted on May, 2025 by JS

Salutations scoundrels, 

“Western” is the word we apply to a wide genre of film and literature. For some, it’s cowboys and vistas, for others it’s shootouts and big hats. Some view it as a historical drama set in a specific time and place, others view it as adventure fiction across a swath of media. 

I’ve operated within the Old West genre for a handful of years now and my opinion on it shifts seemingly monthly. It’s an odd mix of reality and fantasy, something that brushes against magical realism at times. The places and people often strive for authenticity, but the actions around them strain common belief. I’ve written before in my Project 100 reviews: while I see Westerns as a huge umbrella of story-types, there’s a hazy – though apparent – distinction between the stories taking place under the sun at high noon and those that simulate the themes, locales and people of a particular place and time. 

“The Splendid Fleeing of Joe Iowa From the Elm County Authorities” is something cooked up with the latter in mind. As the title indicates, our hero is Joe, a common criminal and deviant, and the concern is getting away from the five-oh scot-free. This is a quick, snappy comic that’s bullish on the drama and intensity. Set in the recent era, the goal was to keep the focus on the “outlaw” but to update the context and setting. I’m very happy with how this story came out, it really scratched an itch. 

My collaborator on the project is the talented Matías De Vincenzo. I absolutely love his approach to the page, a fierce style that’s not afraid to push the limits of stature and anatomy while still executing a script with cinematic clarity. There’s a tension to his line work that’s kinetic and heckin’ interesting, an animated grit that blends extremely well. Matias was a pleasure to work with, and fast too! (Always a welcomed skill in the world of comicking.)

Frankly, I could have penned another twenty pages of this story. As I was scripting, It felt like a feature film at times, a criminal and his speedy horse dramatically evading capture, but alas, here at All-True Outlaw we try our best to adhere to satisfying bursts of quality fiction. 

Per usual, I’ll remind you that you can find us over on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook. Thanks, always, for the follows, likes and comments.

 

Westward!

~Jamil

Comic Five: Trees to Gold

Posted on April, 2025 by JS

My dear dastardlies,

When I started to build the idea of All-True Outlaw a prime goal was to adhere to the short form.

As a writer, especially one looking to breakthrough in the comics game, it is crucially important to finish the project one starts. To give the reader something digestible and complete. Anyone familiar with the medium of comics, or even the trade of storytelling, knows a novice can get mired in the allure of the epic tale. Worldbuilding is a fascinating and cathartic experience, and nearly every writer wants to create a place that a reader can get lost inside of. However, the likelihood of completing a grandiose, lengthy epic in comics is pretty unlikely. So, it’s vital to make sure what you’re doing, and what you’re trying to say, is coherently digestible. In so many ways, short comics are the way to go.

So naturally, upon completing the script for “Satterwhite & Fosgrove”, I pretty much immediately plotted the next handful of stories about these characters and where they would go next. I’m smart!

As you may remember from the first story, two Pinkerton agents were discovered by another bounty hunter in the uncultivated lands of rural Missouri. After some exposition drops detailing the duos’ chase for the notorious outlaw Jesse James, the three private detectives engage in a violent altercation, resulting in the death of the bounty hunter, which allows Kip Satterwhite and Robert Fosgrove to escape with a “map” stolen from a wealthy Confederate family.

This next comic, “Trees to Gold” follows Fosgrove as he chases a suspected criminal into the Kansan forest. It’s based, partly, on “Billy and the Bear”, a story my grandmother Josephine used to tell me as a child. Mauro Bueno once again draws this comic, and damn, he absolutely kills it at every turn. This is a dark story, from look to mood to actions, and Mauro executes the detective noir elements with adept skill and brains. Whether it be hushed stalking, or loud battles with beasts, every page is a brilliant example of the capabilities of comics and the collaboration process.

We also welcome back Nikki Powers on this story, and I can’t say enough about her efforts in lettering this piece. I have a tendency to go easy on dialogue in some portions of a story, and then backlog those precious words and sentences in another place. While that’s effective for the tension of plot and pacing, it can be burdensome on a letterer to make the talky parts work as they should. Nikki takes care of it, though, ensuring the ideas get across when I get too verbose in the word balloon area.

Editor Claire Napier continues to help mold the overarching Satterwhite & Fosgrove story, as well. From script clarity to the punching up of themes, her contributions are hidden but true. Risks are taken in “Trees to Gold” — something sinister is revealed at the end of this tale, and Claire has helped guide my vision and make sure Mauro and Nikki know exactly what should go on the page and where. I appreciate her astute eye and ear.

I am very eager for you all to read this story, which I consider one of the best things I’ve ever written. While we crafted it to be consumable and poignant in its current form, the plotlines, character moments and themes presented here will extend into more Satterwhite & Fosgrove stories, hopefully culminating in a satisfying longform piece.

If you enjoy what we’re doing here please be sure to follow us on the socials (Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook) and please forward the comics to anyone you think may be interested. Every share, like, comment and emoji extends reach and will spurn more art and more story.

Nice talking at you again! Be well.

Westward!

~Jamil