Brock Beauchamp

Don’t try this at home

Brock Beauchamp
February 21, 2012

I’m not sure how well this page works but I gave it a shot. It’s a magazine article (written by Hank Foster, of course) that talks about another story I just wouldn’t have time to deal with properly in the Variables universe. It’s about two Sui Generis teenagers who decide to fight crime and help people in South Korea. They pose, they have their pictures taken, they chat on the internet, but little crime is actually fought and even fewer people are actually saved. Then their big opportunity arrives (you can read the entire article here). I wanted to write... View Article

Drawing superheroes

Brock Beauchamp
February 16, 2012

Oddly enough, Variables is about superhumans but after drawing roughly 50 pages of the comic, I haven’t been given the chance to draw many “superheroes”. Karter is halfway there with his hybrid SWAT/amateur paintballer costume but it’s still not really “costume-y”. A few weeks ago, I realized that convention season isn’t that far away and I haven’t drawn many superhero-types in the past year or more. When it comes to indy publishing in comics, a lot of a creator’s money isn’t made by actually selling copies of his or her books but instead comes through commissioned artwork. Unless your comic... View Article

A little background

Brock Beauchamp
February 14, 2012

This page exists almost solely to give character and world background. You get to see the interior of Karter’s apartment and while he’s flipping through channels, you get to hear some news about the Variables world circa 2002. At this point of the story, things are starting to turn south for the Sui Generis. Groups are protesting their movement and some governments are considering restrictions regarding citizenship, movement, etc. Basically, people are scared and that always opens the door to demagoguery. This is the most complicated page I’ve ever drawn of Variables and I’m pleased with how it turned out.... View Article

Couch Potato

Brock Beauchamp
February 9, 2012

One of the most exciting things about creating Variables is the myriad of stories from every corner of the globe. I’ve written so many summaries that I often lose track of when, where, and how things occur and how they fit into other events happening on the other side of the world. As I get further into the series, there are dozens of subjects that I won’t have the time to touch on in detail but are also too complicated to tell in a short story. For some of these tales, I will try to drop hints or tell snippets... View Article

You should have played football

Brock Beauchamp
February 7, 2012

It’s one of my favorite lines of the issue and it says a lot about the Variables universe. Why wouldn’t Karter go play football? He’d be an unmatched striker or goaltender. He’d make millions and be showered with public adoration. It’s the kind of allure that many of the Sui Generis would have to face and realistically, one that would pull in many people with extraordinary abilities. It beats fighting crime and putting yourself at risk for no pay or starting a highly illogical “life of crime” when as much (or more) money could be made by using those powers... View Article

Dialogue pages are FUN

Brock Beauchamp
February 2, 2012

At least they better be or I’d drive myself insane doing this comic. There are bursts of action in Variables (and this story is probably the most action-ish I’ll do until the grand finale of the comic, if/when that ever comes) but most of the stories revolve around exploring situations that might actually occur if people like this existed. The comic isn’t set up for action-heavy sequences, from neither a story nor a character perspective. In Variables, if two Sui Generis (meta-humans) fight, one of them will probably leave the fight dead or critically injured. Batman has had enough rounds... View Article