POPGUN

The cover for Image Comics' anthology POPGUN vol. 2. They told me, "You can do what you want with it, so long as there's a hot girl in there wearing headphones."

The headphones are based on an actual vintage set which I've inherited from my girlfriend's dad, who was into The Eagles and Hank Williams Sr. and Hendrix and wore them back in the day to listen to his LPs.

BRACES

Tablecloth drawings with my nephew, waiting on spagetti. "Do a cartoon animal we haven't seen before," he says.

"Like what?"

He thinks a minute. "Bugs Bunny as a squirrel teenager who comes from the world of Fat Albert."

"With braces?" I ask.

"With braces."

OPTIMISTS

THE THING

You know, that one where Doctor Doom takes the Invisible Woman hostage and then tricks the rest of The Fantastic Four into going back in time to steal Blackbeard's treasure...and it turns out The Thing was actually Blackbeard and wanted to stay back there and remain king of the pirates because there he had respect but in modern times he was just a freak? That one.

MANITA

Picasso measures hands with the great gypsy guitarist Manita de Plata (Silver Hands) and finds they are the same size. Photo by Lucien Clergue, 1968.