Heatwave...

Still chipping away at Claude McKay this week... my 15 page comics bio of the Harlem Renaissance poet is slowly reaching completion. I've also been regularly submitting cover ideas to Francoise Mouly and Nadja Spiegelman's Blown Covers website... it's a lot of fun seeing the terrific designs by various talented cartoonists who rise to the challenge each week for the love of it. Plus I'm developing a piece for a comics anthology here in Spain, where a variety of artists will each be bringing to life a particular mythological figure. I've long been a Medusa fan... above, you'll note my take on the scary, sexy monstress, below, a recent sketch and an earlier interpretation from twenty (gasp) years ago!

A week ago sunday was Mother's Day in Spain and yesterday was Mother's Day in the States. To all you mothers out there, starting with my own, I wish you all the best... the sketch below is for you!

And back to Claude McKay again, to compliment the Jamaican village drawing I posted last week, here's one inspired by his controversial novel "Home From Harlem" and the author's warts-and-all portrayal of the vibrant New York neighborhood.

It's looking like a hot summer ahead of us... stay cool, my friends! Lance Tooks (P.S. African-American Classics is still available for purchase... you can even get a digital version now... you won't regret it!