SKETCH A DAY 300: SHI

You know, I was almost tempted to make a character from 300 my 300th drawing, lol. But I think making it Shi is more fitting. When I started doing this "sketch a day" project, it was mainly to start getting in the habit of drawing again. I didn't care what the sketch ended up looking like or who they were, just that I did them. Somewhere along the way, I got into the history of comics more and more. I've always known a lot about the smaller and lesser known characters, but it wasn't until I started drawing each day that I realized this would also be a great exercise in trying to draw characters that have made an impact or creators who have helped move the industry forward. Which brings me to Shi. Shi was created by Billy Tucci, a fellow New Yorker, and first self-published in 1993. Since then, Billy has been on many top ten lists as both writer and artist, had his character crossover with such characters as Lady Death and Fallen Angel and even had Shi developed as a film. But makes Billy stand out is his attitude. He's probably one of the nicest comic creators out there. He also happens to be interested in what people think of his work and is encouraging to new talent. Not many creators are like that. Believe me, I know. For this reason and others, I think Billy is a great role model for many Indie creators just starting in the biz. He's an example of how you should do it. Currently, Billy complete a Sgt. Rock mini-series at DC Comics. The book was amazingly detailed in both story and art. Billy went to extremes to get the history on the book right and it shows. I highly recommend picking it up.