locust-jones

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LCJ 2.07

An excerpt from “A Horticulturist’s Guide to the Imperial States of America”, by Professor Esau Scott LeBuck:

“Due to their apparent abundance and their natural propensity towards absorbing and storing the ethereal energy that flowed in the Western Wilds, “wishing weeds” became a widely-sought commodity during the early days of the Holy Revolution. However, soon after Emperor Porter rose to power and united the warring territories into the Imperial States, he came across a shocking revelation: while dandelions were effective catalysts for the creation of magical charms, prolonged exposure to them could cause illnesses that eroded and corrupted the human soul. To protect the people of the ISA, Porter made the difficult decision to order the complete eradication of dandelions across the nation, as well as placing strict prohibitions on the unlicensed creation of spellcraft charms.”

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LJC 2.06

⚠️ New Character Alert: LOTTA ⚠️

Introducing Lotta Kivistö, an elderly Finnish shopkeeper living in the frontier town of Starfall! A kind-hearted soul with a fire in her belly, Lotta’s family emigrated to the ISA shortly before the nation closed its borders for good, leaving her with an innate longing for her familial homeland. Lotta is an old friend to Jones, and regularly barters with the six-fingered courier in exchange for goods and services; while not all of her work is strictly “legal”, the Starfall authorities typically turn a blind eye towards her side businesses due to the overall benefit they provide to their town. Despite being a severely nearsighted septuagenarian, Lotta’s also a helluva sharpshooter.

(apologies for the delay! been a lot happening here, but I’m trying to get back on track)

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LJC 2.05

maybe the town’s big into marshmallow-roasting

(Also, this is the first page with my new stylus nib! Still getting used to the feel, so the next few pages might look a bit wonky)

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LJC 2.04

In retrospect, I shoulda named this comic “Horse Smith”

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character profiles for the two protagonists of my science-fantasy western comic, Locust Jones:

Jones: big monster-looking guy with six-fingered hands, glowing eyes and a hat with some kind of antennae sticking out of it. Jones works as a courier for the town of Starfall, delivering and procuring items for the good folk that live there. He’s had some issues with the law in the past (and it doesn’t help that his appearance fits the description of the devil, according to a few popular folk songs in the Once-Wild West), but he’s put that behind him now. The last thing he wants in his life now is trouble.

Ace Marriott: trouble incarnate. Ace is wanted for arson against a major corporate partner of the Imperial States of America; at the start of the story, she’s running for her life from a bounty hunter and only survives thanks to a timely intervention by Jones. Ace carries a lot of baggage with her, only some of which is literal, and is relatively handy in a fight if she’s got a knife or a firearm (she’s sorta crap with guns though)

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LJC 2.03

It ain’t much, but it’s home.

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LJC 2.02

Betcha regretting not getting that autosteed now, huh?

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LJC 2.01 [CHAPTER TWO START]

Don’t you know your history?

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good news: finished scripting and boarding Chapter 2

good news/bad news: currently sitting at 24 pages

bad news: now I gotta draw the dang thing

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“LOCUST JONES: A TALE OF THE ONCE-WILD WEST”

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All about LOCUST JONES!

What is Locust Jones?

Locust Jones is a New Weird western webcomic, set in an alternate-timeline American West filled with mad science and pseudo-magical elements. I’ve been working on this on-and-off for a little over a year now, but I doubled down on development and retooled the story into a webcomic after getting really pissed about current world events and being gifted a drawing tablet for Christmas. It’s surprisingly therapeutic to write a story about big cowboys punching things, so I’m excited.

What’s it about?

The story focuses on the travels of a mysterious six-fingered courier known as Jones, as well as a runaway arsonist named Ace Marriott. The two of them cross paths while Ace is being pursued by a bounty hunter; together, the two of them set out across the Once-Wild West, facing off against bounty hunters with laser pistols, drifter vampires, and the pantheon of government-appointed Saints that rule the West with their godlike powers. There’s also a horse at some point, if that’s your thing.

There’s also a third protagonist, but they’re currently secret because they haven’t been properly introduced yet. Stay tuned.

So this guy’s named Locust Jones?

No.

What’s it really about?

Personal identity. Propaganda. The weaponization of religion. The demonization of the unknown. Colonialism. Conservatism. The choice between being lawful and being good. My inability to consistently draw cowboy hats. Take your pick.

What is this based on?

Generally, you can trace a lot of this to Weird Western Tales, a comic anthology published by DC Comics decades ago. I haven’t read much of that comic though, so instead some of the biggest inspirations are things I just happen to be passionate about: American pioneer history, 1930s Superman comics, the Hellboy series, and a little bit of Star Wars/Firefly.

Is this historically accurate?

Buddy, one of the main characters is basically Franz Kafka’s personal Clint Eastwood. What do you think?

Where can I read this comic?

The comic’s on this tumblr, starting here; I’ve also got it uploaded on NamiComi for easier reading.

Is this comic gonna be woke?

It’s a cowboy story. What do you think?

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btw the next chapter isn't drawn yet:

honestly if someone venmos me $6 so I can buy a pack of nibs from Best Buy I’ll name a character in the next chapter after you. hmu

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LJC 1.15-16 [END OF CHAPTER]

“it’s only a three-hour walk, you’ll be fine”

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LJC 1.14

“It’s short for Joneatheann. You see, I’m from Utah”

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LJC 1.13

Fun fact, that bounty hunter’s name was Leroy Jenkins. That’s right, he had a name. Betcha feel pretty sorry for him now, huh? Huh?

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LJC 1.12

Don’t you know your history?

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LJC 1.11

“There’s three more verses if you wanna hear them, but they’re mostly rattling off viscera”

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