Iye

From the Vaults: An eyeball that jumps around and does weird stuff

Tuesday, April 29th, 2014

Two years ago I improvised a story called Run Backwards at Pittsburgh's Art All Night event. It featured an eyeball character that I later named Iye (a moniker I thoughtlessly lifted from one of Justique's short stories).

The original version was an experimental black and white tale about lost memories. When the opportunity came to be a part of Jeremy Baum's Memory comics anthology in early 2013, I remixed and remastered Run Backwards into this:





It was a fun chance for me to try out a different coloring technique, laying sloppy blocks of color underneath my loose lines.

After my Run Backwards remix, I was psyched to draw Iye again. Josh Blair's call for submissions turned out to be just the thing. He planned to release a final PDF issue of his Candy or Medicine zine and I wanted in on the grand finale.

I envisioned a story that paid tribute to Candy or Medicine's legacy in an obtuse way. In my mind, I pictured a tale that could be read both forwards and backwards. That's how I came up with Postremo:



Does it work seamlessly in both directions? HELL NO! But if you read the captions backwards ("This is where it actually begins? But will people understand... Obviously there's something odd going on here.") it sorta works. Sorta.

Overall, I feel like it's a perpetual work-in-progress, never realizing its potential but hinting at something interesting.

Anyway, the Candy or Medicine PDF finale never happened. And since it's been a year now that I worked on either of these tales, I figured it was about time for Run Backwards and Postremo to be unearthed... FROM THE VAULTS!!!

Heat Seeker shirt

Friday, July 5th, 2013

A t-shirt design featuring Iye as seen in my 2012 24-Hour Comic, Heat Seeker. Available at my Spreadshirt store for $15.

Iye candy

Friday, April 26th, 2013

An out-of-context doodle from my submission to the Candy or Medicine comics anthology. When the final issue is released in June, I'll post a cool write up about the meaning of my three-page contribution.