alexwoolfson

Sneak Peek Sundays #3

Added 2015-02-01 23:23:17 +0000 UTC

This image of Spooky was actually the first image that came to my mind when I thought of creating the Romance Card Art as calendar pin-up type pics: Spooky in his boxers, pulling the classic rabbit from a hat. This is the note I sent to Adam: SAFE - Standing, in regular boxers (with little hearts on them). I was thinking he'd be working in a playful way with a top hat, a magician's magic wand and a rabbit. He could be smiling at us knowingly, holding the top hat pointing his wand at it with the rabbit peeking out. Or he could be removing the hat from his head, revealing the rabbit sitting there. Just something fun with "magic". (I started this with the word "SAFE" because, as one of the adult characters of The Young Protectors, Spooky also gets a NSFW, "Full Monty" version of his Romance Card Art. This was my note for the Safe For Work version.) As you can see, there wasn't much change between the final, approved thumbnail, and the final, approved pencils. Things are polished and rendered more between the two, some cool curtains were added as a backdrop, but the pose, expression, even the magic is pretty much the same. Seems Spooky just makes everything easy; he's that kind of guy. :) Also, for those of you who haven't seen him fully nude in the Height Chart for the Guys (one of the NSFW Kickstarter rewards), you might also notice he doesn't have six-pack abs. In fact, like two-thirds of everyone in the U.S., he's carrying a little weight. Just like I include folks from different backgrounds as heroes in my comic, I also like to show people with different body types as "romantic lead" types. And that's in fact what Spooky is. In my world, he's widely considered to be one of the sexiest guys around. Not to everyone's taste, of course (who is?), but he regularly makes it on the 10 Sexiest Men Alive lists for the various glossies. That's not something we get to see a lot in mainstream genre stories (very rare with guys, and almost never with women) -- that is, someone with more than 15% body fat who is widely considered very sexy. Not just funny or lovable, but smoking hot. But in my world, lots of people think of Spooky that way. (And let's not even get into the question of height and guys—Spooky is not tall.) But to just *say* that as the writer, to just announce that the mainstream thinks of him as a sexy guy, to just declare as Word of God that opinion as a given in my world: well, that might show I have a noble agenda as a writer, but that's all it would feel like. If not political correctness, then at least wishful thinking. So, it's been very gratifying that Spooky has actually become a bit of a sex symbol for the readers of this comic as well. Not for everyone, of course, and sometimes with disclaimers like "I never thought I'd like someone with baby cheeks", but a lot of readers have publicly stated time and time again that they wouldn't mind a little private Spooky time. Because, as a character, he really is a sexy guy. And that's how I think it is in the real world. There is a physical ideal that the Western mainstream media tries to sell us for how sexy men and women *should* look (white, thin, young, etc.). And everyone else who doesn't fit that mold is supposed to be some kind of compromise. But in the real world, people find lots of different types attractive, and ultimately the sexiest thing about a person is how they act, what their attitude is, and how they treat you. At least that's been my experience, and one I didn't figure out until later in life. That's a lesson I'd love to pass on to younger folks looking for romance—don't buy into the mainstream story about what's sexy, and especially, don't let it convince you that somehow you aren't sexy enough. Focus on being confident, on treating people well and with respect, on having fun and being fun. Bottom line: treat people well and think of yourself as sexy and really good things can happen. I don't know if The Young Protectors or any of my comics will do a good job in spreading that particular message. But I do find it gratifying that lots of folks find Spooky Jones a sexy guy. And I hope y'all enjoy seeing him in his boxers. ;)