Rex Morgan week two -- and a few comments

My second week of Rex Morgan strips began today -- and for just one more week, I'll do daily posts comparing the color and B&W versions of the strip. After this week runs its course, I'll just post the full week's worth of the B&W version, as one post, after they've all run in the papers -- on Saturday or Sunday. For those wanting to read the strip regularly, I still recommend the official King Features Comics Kingdom website. Though I suggest skipping over the comments -- they're mostly quite unpleasant, and I, for one, hope they don't reflect the real readership of the strip. 

That said, a few of the complainers found their way here and posted derogatory comments regarding my artwork on the strip. I deleted those complaints. King Features allows negative comments on their website -- but this is my personal blog, and I simply won't have it. My house -- my rules. I don't come to your house and sling mud -- so please don't sling mud in mine.

I take my work on Rex very seriously, and am giving it everything I have -- even while fighting a vicious case of bronchitis, as I have been for over a week now (yes, I've seen a doctor, I'm on meds, etc.) Any new artist coming on to the strip would have an adjustment period in which the character designs will shift -- some more than others. That happened to me on The Phantom as well -- it just took a little while for "my" Phantom to emerge.  The same natural process is happening with Rex -- and just as it took readers a while to accept the change in style from Tony DiPreta's work when Graham Nolan came on board, it's going to take a while for some folks to accept me. I'm okay with that. 

Some have suggested that I should have taken more time to practice drawing the characters before taking over the art. That's a lovely idea, in theory  -- but in reality, I was hired to draw the strip -- and then -- had to start drawing the strip. There was no great block of time beforehand for me to "warm up." It's the nature of newspaper strips that they have to be done and delivered no matter how tight the deadline. And I had to hit the ground running here to keep things on schedule. 

Again, I'm giving Rex all I can give, and am working very hard to make it the best strip it can be. With thirty years of comic book work under my belt and a lifelong dream to draw a daily strip finally a reality-- this is no joke to me. If you simply don't like my drawing style -- I can't help that  -- but I assure you I am sincere about the work.

That said, here is Monday's strip.

For those wondering what's happened to The Phantom -- well, of course I'm still drawing the strip -- I'm just not posting all the Sundays here anymore. Now that the Comics Kingdom site is showing the complete "half page format" strip -- as I draw it -- you may as well go directly there.  The latest strip begins a flashback to a tale of the 5th Phantom -- lots of swashbuckling pirate action in this one!