You can say it is a close cousin of the Phoenix.
Around it’s head it always has a halo and the feathers are radiant and the colours make them look like flames!
As it flies it spreads glitter and light.
It appears in the darkest moments guiding you and giving hope, motivation, light heartiness and joy.
It is a sparkling bird which does not have a name yet….but soon it will have a choice which will bond it with someone for the rest of its life.
From 1997 to 1999, I tried to make my own comic book — one serious project and one small press comic drawn during quiet hours at a Greek coffee shop. Neither got published. Here are the rough sketches and the story behind them.
I’m uploading something that few people have seen.
From 1997 to 1999, I was trying to make a comic book. I knew someone back then, and we were both trying to create our own comic. He liked to write, and I liked to draw. He wanted to do something on a professional level, while I clearly wanted to do a small‑press, self‑published comic. I wasn’t confident enough in my drawing skills to make a comic and seek a publisher. I wanted to start small and develop my skills along the way.
So, daily, I focused most of my time on drawing my “serious” comic book pages. And during the quiet hours — when I was working in a traditional Greek coffee shop — I drew my small‑press comic pages.
The following seven pages were the first issue. These are rough sketches, which I preferred to do as a plotline instead of writing it out.
The images after that are the first three pages from the second issue.
Unfortunately, neither of my attempts ended up being published.
Please be kind. I know these pages are not the best to look at — or the easiest to read if you don’t know Greek.
Hopefully, I will use these characters again at some point in the future.
Thank you for looking.
In the late 1990s, I created a superhero team called the Freaks — five heroes inspired by felines, canines, fish, insects, and goats. Drawing from Ancient Greek mythology helped me avoid American superhero stereotypes. Here’s the final character design and the story behind them.
The following sketches show the final character design of five heroes I developed in the late 1990s. They are members of a team called the Freaks.
Inspired by the superhero comics I read, I started to draw my own heroes. By using and assimilating elements from Ancient Greek mythology, I tried to avoid — as much as possible — similarities to American superhero stereotypes. I just hope I was successful.
The heroes I designed represent:
I am thinking of adding two more characters that will represent reptiles and birds.
One of my characters is called Cerberus, named after the beast that guarded the gates of the Underworld in Greek myth. He is the one who looks like a werewolf.
I initially placed Cerberus on another team. You can see part of his origin in several pages in my next post.
Hopefully, I will use all these heroes in a present project someday.
Stay tuned!
Years ago, I published my first comic as an amateur artist — a three‑page story called Nightcrawlers, set in the late‑90s dance music scene. It appeared in a Greek fanzine. Here’s the story behind it, and why the collaboration ended after just one issue.
I’m posting my first published work as an amateur artist. I’m certain that some of you have already seen it — either online or as a sample from my physical portfolio.
This three‑page story was published in a fanzine. The theme of that issue was music from the late‑90s dance scene: jazz, techno, house, progressive trance, and so on. The fanzine was in Greek.
My aim was to show the evening adventures of these characters while they were out at a party or a nightclub — hence the title Nightcrawlers.
The story follows two young men, both around 21 years old, who are roommates.
Manos asks Giannis if he wants to go clubbing. Giannis refuses rudely — but when Manos mentions that Tonia (a mutual friend that Giannis likes) will be there, Giannis changes his mind.
All three go out, and they end up in a funny situation that escalates into a brawl. In the end, Giannis regrets ever going out.
Unfortunately, the collaboration did not go beyond that first issue. The guy who self‑published the fanzine had to do his military service, and I didn’t try to publish the rest of my ideas on my own.
I hope I make the time in the future to turn those ideas into comic book pages that I can post here. Maybe I will change the title and not focus so much on late‑night adventures in nightclubs. I’ll see.
Costas on Comics 