come down off the cross, we can use the wood

Poetry, then, as that which is left unsaid.

“My, what a cool and lovely autumn.”

This was the biggest project I’ve ever worked on for a commission, but this was such a great group to work for and I had such a fun time doing it! I think the final product ended up being like, 100 layers??? Mostly for all of the awesome lighting and keeping all the characters separate, but I made it work. I’ve been wanting to try out even more comic cover style pieces so thank you guys so so so much for picking me to create this cover for you all and I hope you have a great campaign!

front row: Brightsol | Alex, originally the Doomed, now the Nova, energy blasts / energy shaping. Earnest ball of idealistic sunshine very into the idea of being a hero, pushes himself way too hard.

middle left: Sadie | Whisper, stealth powers and telepathy + telekinesis, the Protege. Anxious, neurotic, very hesitant about using her telepathy invasively, introspective but deeply practical.

middle right: Cassie | originally Huntress but renamed herself to Duchess Rose, energy absorption and what her player consistently refers to as "schmovement," the Janus. High-pressure kid who wants so, so badly to be Cool and Edgy and Mysterious. Tried telling a Lois Lane type she was an Actual Vampire For Real once complete with a bunch of fake lore and is still psychologically recovering from the results.

top standing figure: Ergodiel | Morgan (pretty much always Ergodiel, though), an angel who thought that people on earth just needed to be nice to each other so they could just go and explain that! Yeah, that got complicated fast.

And then my personally crafted guys (adult NPCs) in the top, Dr. Thaddeus Blitz and Parser (real name Laura). Blitz was Alex's Doomed-playbook Nemesis; Parser is Sadie's Mentor. Blitz has no powers but his own invention; Parser is an apocalyptic-class telepath/telekinetic and a master detective. They were on a team together as kids (they originated as NPCs for this campaign but would've been the Beacon and the Nova) respectively. Parser (then known as Brightwitch) lost control and destroyed a town, then was subjected to repeated VR torture by a member of totally-not-the-Justice-League to teach her control; Blitz slept in the next room hearing her telepathically broadcast her nightmares. He grew up to go full mad scientist, studying superpowers in the hopes that he could one day remove them from people who didn't want to have them, which turned into giving people superpowers so he could reverse the process, slipping steadily down the road to full-on supervillainy.

Blitz is still in love with her. Parser still, when warning her students about him, still sometimes slips and calls him T.

Capping this off with my wife (Ergodiel's) summary of recent events:

The reading list I'm using lists Robin #120-#125 as the leadup to Steph's turn as Robin.

So, uh, results pending, but..... it sure fucking looks like at the time that Steph was Robin, she was recently bereaved and either currently homeless or very recently so. That is someone incredibly vulnerable in emotional and practical ways.

And War Games is next on the list after that, I haven't confirmed for myself yet, but every summary of it I've read has said that Bruce fired her and she died in a desperate attempt to win back his approval.