Superhero Sex

We were always told that Comicbooks are the young boy’s soft porn. That is to say, that since young boys couldn’t buy Playboy,we bought funnybooks so we could ogle the chippies in spandex. Well, that was in the days before Maxim and, well, the Internet.

Still, even with the Comics Code Authority (as tepid as it is these days), Apparently Sex and superheroes isn’t a new Though, as this old article by Sci-Fi author Larry Niven wrote in 1971 in the publication All the Myriad Ways. The article is of course the legendary Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex.

Needless to say, that was probably not the first time that anyone dared speak the unspeakable, it was certainly not the last time, as Gabriel McKee wrote in his piece, Sex and the Single Superhero. And then again by another blogger in this piece on modern day (ne: cinematic heroes).

OK, I’m out again, see you later.

Oh yeah, the Supergirl image at the top of this post is by my good buddy (and artist on my Agent Unknown revival — Springload & Renegade) Chris Torres.

Agent Unknown Returns

I’ve been living with these characters in my head for over 20 years. (Longer, if we include the time that I lived with them before they first hit print in ‘87.) But, yeah, it has been a long time in coming. My original concept was to write a story about a U.S. intelligence agency that was somewhere between the Ian Flemming/James Bond world of MI6, and the Jim Steranko world of Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

What I came up with was The International Law-Enforcement Division (or I-LID). Its shadowy mission to protect American interests, and National Security. Lead by an elite cadre of agents, they would span a 30-year time frame (‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s) with the handsome, and debonair sibling duo of (Jefferson “deuces” David Seven, and his older brother Jefferson “Jacks” Jackson Seven (Codename: Deuces and Jacks) operating ala I Spy’s Kelly and Scott in the swinging ‘60s). The strong-willed, wildcat, Stacey Anne Duncan in the ‘70s, and the (never introduced) Israeli, ex-Mossad agent, Josiphiah ben-David in the ‘80s.

Unfortunately All I was only able to get out in those halcyon Renegade Press days was the first three issues before th B&W implosion occurred, and Deni Loubert (regretfully) had to cancel the book only three issues into its proposed six-issue run. Still, I wasn’t ready to toss in the towel. I wrote a fourth script for Stacey Anne, and (a couple of years later) a new script for a pair of new agents, Jason “Springload” Cowles A young, conservative, neo-redneck with a hair trigger, and Joseph “Renegade” Greyghost, a full-blooded Lakota Sioux American Indian.

These are two very dangerous guys. They are serious-minded, dedicated agents, and — although I conceived of them separately — somewhere along the way, I felt that it would be very cool for me to pair them up. I think that I made the right choice.



The first installment of the brand new stories with the all-new Agent Unknown characters Springload & Renegade appears in April, in CAG #7. I can hardly wait to see this stuff in print. Fortunately, I won’t have to wait much longer, as the art is all done, the pages are lettered, and CAG #7 is due out April. What could be cooler than that?

Upcoming Projects

I wanted to take a minute or two out of my on-going anti Brand-New Day Rants to let you all know about a couple or three of my upcoming projects.

A year or so ago, I had a short story entitled Never Judge a Book, published in an illustrated horror anthology (Psychosis!, published by Guild Works Productions). Well, that story was meant to be a one-off story. That is to say, a fully complete story, with no continuation. Interestingly enough, that didn’t quite happen. It was suggested to me that these characters had more to say. At first I objected, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that that wasn’t going to happen.

As fate would have it, there is more to the story of Hope and Grace. The continuation of that story occurs in Psychosis! #3 with How Deep the Wood. In this story we learn how the girls became the way they became, along with who they were before they became that way. Intrigued? I hope you are, stick around you’ll learn more; that story is slated to come out shortly, again with art from the very talented Matt Ryan.

Another story of mine that is due out soon, is the continuation of a comic series that I began in the mid ‘80s. That series, Agent Unknown (published by Renegade Press) came to a rather abrupt end (canceled in mid stream when the B&W comicbook market collapsed (I still have the first three issues, post that you are interested and we’ll see what we can arrange).

Anyways, the new Agent Unknown story (Springload & Renegade) is slated to appear in CAG #7. While this story is a continuation of the concepts began in Agent Unknown, the characters are new, and the story itself is darker, and far more violent than those earlier stories. Personally, I love the new artist, Chris Torres, I have seen the pages and he has crafted a spectacular story that is moody and powerful. I can hardly wait to see the last two pages.

Another story of mine is being drawn by a fellow named Roy Cutting. I have seen his work posted on Deviant Art, and it is very fine, lovely in fact, and I specifically chose him to illustrate a fun superheroine story of mine that I’m calling Hot Girl and Totally Hot Girl, and yes, it is exactly what it sounds like.

I’ve seen a pin-up of Roy’s as well as page one of the series, and I’m including them both here. I have to say you that I am really looking forward to this year, because these are just three of the stories of mine that are coming out, and I’m very excited.

So, when I have more to tell you good folks, you can most assuredly bet that I’ll do just that.