The Federated Eagle: A Misguided Superhero Mascot Pitch

Here is a cartoon superhero character I created for a pitch to Federated Investors. I forget the circumstances, but in retrospect I can hardly fathom how such a button-down company would have gone for such a loopy idea, or what market or segment of the market it was supposed to reach. Cartoon characters and superhero characters have been quite successful in advertising and public relations, but not in the investment sector.

More Internet Superheroes!

Here's another freelance job that made the argument that faster internet connections were akin to superpowers. This one is for bright.net, an Ohio-based internet service provider, c. 1998.

Also included is a parody of the famous Charles Atlas advertisement that has adorned comic books since the dawn of time. My pals at Dark Horse Comics, who had a licensing agreement with Charles Atlas, alerted them to my parody, causing me a bit of legal grief until the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund magnanimously agreed to intervene on my behalf. Thanks, Dark Horse!

Gym Heroes: Cincinnati Magazine

Here is a job I did for some kind of healthy lifestyles article for Cincinnati Magazine in 2001 (I don't recall ever seeing a print version, so I don't know how they were used):

Progressive Insurance: Road Warriors!

This is one of many freelance assignments I did in the late 20th century on the theme of the coming wireless revolution that was supposed to turn everyone (particularly clients) into science-fiction superheroes. The script was lousy, but I still like the art. It was issued as a black and white promotional comic book with a color cover. (Obviously, Progressive has had much more success with the Flo campaign than with the Road Warriors.) Enjoy!

(Note: On the cover, the client made one alteration. They removed the butt crack on red-costumed brunette's figure. This is the original version, with butt crack intact.)