The day is finally here… the first real page of content for Variables 1992. I’m happy with the results and saw a marked improvement on how quickly coloring went for this page, which only took me 5-6 hours to complete.

I think this is the point where I tell a bit about Variables: the comic begins in 1992 when, for the sake of the story, two people are suddenly aware of two strange abilities they now possess and how the people around them, the government, and the powered beings themselves react to these changes. It’s a kind of origin story but not in the conventional sense because these characters are not the main characters in Variables, for there are no “main characters”, per se. You will see recurring characters that play prominent roles in the universe but the story arcs deal with the universe, not one protagonist and/or antagonist. In this regard, it’s similar to Frank Miller’s Sin City series with a touch of conventional “superheroes”, though superheroes are few and far between in the universe. To put it simply, someone donning a cape and fighting crime wouldn’t last very long in the real world.

I’ve always loved superhero books but have turned sour on the genre over the past decade in favor of reading books like Preacher, Sin City, The Walking Dead, and other non-traditional books that sprung up in the wake of the early 90s comic book boom. Variables is my attempt to tell a story within the confines of a world forced to deal with powered beings and how society would react to this drastic shift in its everyday life. I look around the webcomicking world and see very few comics that deal with powers in an interesting and/or realistic manner. You won’t find spandex or brightly covered outfits in Variables. You won’t see any characters who can lift a building or use laser vision to destroy entire city blocks. What you will see are people who struggle to survive within this world, often hiding their powers away in an attempt to return to normalcy. You’ll see misguided people who want to better their lives through any means. You’ll see prejudice, government legislation, and hatred of these people. You’ll see a world evolve around this new phenomena.

Basically, the book is 20 years of me reading superhero comics, picking out the bits I like, and eliminating as many of the things I dislike as possible. I hope you enjoy it.

Follow the image below to the first issue of Variables 1992!

Page 1

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