AARON ALEXOVICH

Collaboration can be a good thing, folks.

Maybe not always. Maybe not even “usually,” but in the case of ELDRITCH! it definitely has been.

Now, most of the time (MOST of the time), I tend to be drawn more to “single artist” types of projects, on the general principle that the closer we get to an artist’s unfiltered personal brainspew, the more unique the experience will be. Collaboration has a tendency to smooth out all those strangely fascinating chunks of ragged mindchunk into shiny (but familiar) little pebbles of sanity.

Sometimes, however, those chunks NEED smoothing. Not everything that tumbles out of your head should necessarily be seen by humans.

Over at his BLOG, ELDRITCH! artist “Diamond” Drew Rausch (Van Halen, 1973-1985) recently posted his original drawings of our SECOND-most important character, Anya’s resentful “occultist” little brother, Owen. Drew’s already written a lot of good stuff about how Owen developed, so I won’t get all repeaty… Let’s just say my original, un-smoothed take on the character was more “smug” than “smoldering…”

. . .

Oh… Oh dear god no. NO. Nooooooooooooooowith the Morrissey flowers and the elevator shoes and the BELT BUCKLE* and that string of, um… of… what the hell is that, a string of PEARLS attached to his waist?

NO. Just… no.

Let’s wash the taste of THAT out of our brains with more old sketches of Anya:

. . .

Ahhhhh…. MUCH better. Let’s all thank the heavens we have Drew around to shape Owen into something a human being can actually look at without injury.

Thanks again to all of you who took the time to vote (and rate and “favorite” and leave a comment for) ELDRITCH! so far. Still hovering at #2 at the moment, but with your help, #1 IS TANTALIZINGLY WITHIN REACH. Please SIGN UP NOW and be a part of unleashing unspeakable horrors upon the earth! We can do this!

* “COWBOY.” I put “COWBOY” on his belt buckle.