Below are full comics I wrote and drew back in the 90s. If you actually attempt to read them, I can promise you the stories are probably riddled with numerous problems. That said, I am presenting it here like all of my work to show that growth is possible in any creative form.
SYMBIOTE CARNAGE
This is the complete second team-up I did with Spider-Man and Super “S”. The story involved Spider-Man’s foe, Carnage, hunting down others who had bonded with the Klyntar spawn. He retrieved the symbiotes and merged them with his own to become stronger. Peter Parker had seen a report about Carnage being sighted in San Francisco and decided to go after him. With the Destructors based in LA, they also investigate what has happened, leading “S” to find a sliver of the alien left behind. The symbiote bonds with “S” enhancing his abilities further, but hiding from him its true purpose.
-Stephen White
It was fun to write a story featuring the two of them again. I thought heavily on what characters to use and eventually settled on Venom and Carnage. Plus, since “S” was in New York last time, I felt bringing Spidey to LA was fair trade. This is a story where my lack of dynamic panels hurt the visuals. Much of the action should not have been relegated to simple panels, but that was my style. You’ll clearly noticed the extra effort to make Spider-Man, Venom and Carnage look better than my own. I always felt that no matter how my characters looked, these characters should look as good as they do in other comics.
-Stephen White
DIAMOND UNIVERSE VS. THE HORROR MOVIES
At one point, I had this idea to pit my characters against popular horror icons. The stories would be simple but the fights would be intense. I had matches set for a number of my heroes going up against a fair and equal opponent. Obviously, the heroes would come out on top, but I didn’t want to fights to seem one-sided either. In any case, only three of the proposed 13 (I think?) were ever completed. Being a one man production house isn’t easy.
-Stephen White
GRATHAS VS. PUMPKINHEAD
This was the first one fight that was completed. Since Pumpkinhead didn’t really have much going on other than a badass design, I took a few liberties. Despite that, the fight is short, sweet and bloody! Grathas (who was known as Demolition at this point in time) was out demon hunting and stumbled upon a young girl being chased by Pumpkinhead. The demonic implications were never spelled out in the movies but it seemed obvious. The “blood wings” idea came from the subtitle of the second movie. I don’t think anything like this actually happened in that film.
With any good metamorphosis, the creature has to be distinct from its previous form. I decided to amp up Pumpkinhead’s viciousness and give him powers. The visual of Grathas removing the bone from his back and using them against him was one scene I had in mind from the start. I wish I had stayed consistent with the last page, regarding the direction of the bones. The visual is still gruesome but imagine the other direction!
MIRROR VS. LEATHERFACE
This was the second story in my “Diamond Universe vs. The Horror Movies” idea. Again, I did these not to focus on story but just the brawl itself. I’d love to redraw this one, just to improve on the art but I felt the fight was brutal and intense.
-Stephen White
Mirror just happened to be passing through Texas when he heard rumblings of the Sawyer family. His investigation led him to their homestead. I was trying to replicate scenes from the original flick. I used the design of Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 because I was fond of the design at the time. I think today I would use the butcher design. I added a layer of creepiness to his face to amplify his design. I thought the sword play between the two was a fun idea that hearkened back to TCM2 where Leatherface and Lefty went at it. Of course, Mirror is much more cunning than Lefty.
Nothing is better than that last minute twist in a fight. Just when you think it’s all over, Leatherface runs the saw up Mirror’s back. Again, redrawing this would be ideal. Looking at it now, I can already see a missed opportunity for several panels. In the top left panel, Mirror is supposed to be seen dodging the saw but it’s hard to interpret. Mirror being a fast healer is able to recover from the attack quickly. Don’t know if I would let that stand a second time around. Mirror finishes off Leatherface and walks off. THE END
JACK VS. CHUCKY
In coming up with fair matches, Chucky was a character I wanted to use, but most of my heavy hitters would have obliterated him without a second thought. However, the idea of using Jack allowed me to take the story to a ridiculous place like the movies did. Plus, this was more than a fight with fists but of words!
-Stephen White
Jack has an issue with Halloween, a bit bitter it seems. Chucky seems amused. Chucky’s design was rough but the lunacy of this idea allowed me to be a bit cartoonish with it as well. Chucky maintains his rage and foul-mouthed nature. Jack essentially has the upper hand at all times, even with clever little distractions. However, it seems all it lost for our hero! Nah, he’s just playing! Jack is fine. Stick people don’t die like that. Chucky, however, can. THE END!
Pencil & Paper Productions 