Winter 2002 Manga Art Exchange (MAX) is this site that opened in late December 2001 as a go-between for artists to draw each others' characters. As a charter member of MAX, here's a display of what I've given and gotten out of it. Rounds run every half month, and sign up is open to anyone. Visit their site for details. December 2002 B Outgoing To: Matt Huff Genjitsu Manga (Reality Cartoon) Matt Huff from Genjitsu Manga, which is, as the name suggests, a cartoon about the artists' real life. Well, in spirit at least. I believe this is the first time that the character I'm drawing is actually the artist of the comic. While the "about the artist" section was stingy with the information, the comic title suggests that the factoids in the cast page are, well, reality. Also provided was a wish list of computer equipment. Computers + Japanese stuff = good combination. Some of the buildings in the background are from Tokyo. The make of the CPU is generic. Incoming From: Yukari Hoshiodori Blaze Armada Tsao Mi from Celestial Empire This drawing's words are based on a scene from the comic strip. December 2002 A Outgoing To: Jynx Colisto Quasimia Treas from Colisto, a fantasy comic about good and evil. One of the most interesting characters I've ever come across in terms of color preference- everything about Quasimia is light blue or some variation of it. Kind of makes you think she fell into a vat at the paint factory. But anyway, to commemorate MAX's first anniversary, here's a picture of Quasimia drawing Maxine. Incoming From: Apis Teicher (Uneide) Blatah Melon and Egg from Stupid Melon Dumb Egg Another dual character picture, this time in a more realistic style with a night sky as the backdrop. November 2002 B Outgoing To: Apis Teicher (Uneide) Blatah The Land of Blatah from Blatah!, a beautifully drawn fantasy comic. Uneide's comic page gave a lengthy description of the geography of the comic, and mentioned "(yes a map will come. at some point... feel free to draw one ^_^)". So I did. Incoming From: L. Buff Legends of Rovana Chang Kang from May We Live in Interesting Times L. B. draws this character in the classic "talk to the hand" pose. Undoubtedly the biggest hand drawn on MAX ever. November 2002 A Outgoing To: Jen Wong (Rillystar) Triana's World of Stuff Zephyrus Glacialis from Rillystar's Emporium of Chaos, a collection of interlinked stories. Jen supplied no image for this character, and encouraged the use of "your own imagination". A lengthy description was supplied, as follows. a slender man. About 5' 10", slim in stature with long legs and lithe body, much like an elf's. his skin is pale over his sharp facial features, intense icy blue eyes usually under half open lids, his hair, pale blond locks tinted blue flow freely about his face in all manner of lengths. His clothes aren't extravagant, but look neat and well made: dark grey cloak rimmed with fur, matching grey vest, an almost white shirt, hinting at blue, and then dark navy pants laced snugly against his body and grey boots. So I went ahead and drew Zephyrus. But that's kind of boring, so I went through the same description, reversed all the parameters, and drew what is essentially the visual antithesis of Zephyrus. No, I did not take the inverse of 5'10". I think you should be able to tell which is which. Incoming From: Hinode In Due Time Mega Mole and Mr. Gerbil from Mega Mole and Melon and Egg from Stupid Melon Dumb Egg I requested something silly, and well, it can't get much better than this. Two comics collide as giant rodents make the city from SMDE its stomping ground. October 2002 B Outgoing To: Capsule Girl Capsule Girl's Space Dimension Kie Red Scar from Dragon's Son, a very beautifully drawn fantasy comic. A half-cat half-human, Kie is said to like, among other things, beer. At the same time, it's Halloween, and no, college students don't go trick o treatin'- they go for a (or multiple) beer(s). So here it is, Kie and the Jack-O-Keg! Incoming From: Cassidy Valentine (Xlade) The Art of Insanity Hsiao Lin from Tomorrow's Tales Hsiao Lin was a conceptual character from Tomorrows Tales, a conceptual comic which never made it past the planning stage. However, much of the character and setting development was recycled into other comics such as Work City, May We Live in Interesting Times, and Stupid Melon Dumb Egg. Sadly the mango juice joke was lost in the process, but I just might bring it back now. I am actually a fan of mango juice myself, if nothing else. October 2002 A Outgoing To: Yukari The Blaze Armada Owari Yamashita from The Blaze Armada, a story of some teenage superheroes. Yukari gave the birthday of the character Owari Yamashita as October 4. So, seeing that was a date covered by this round, here's a Happy Birthday to her! Incoming From: Jen Wong (Rillystar) Triana's World of Stuff Dumb Egg from Stupid Melon Dumb Egg With the election campaign season at its height, Rillystar draws this election-themed picture. The "issues" in the background are quite humorous, and the drawing is excellent as well.