Firegirl and Company by Sara Duffield (2007)

On our last stroll down Captain Satellite memory lane, we took a look at fanart by my friend Sara that really started the ball rolling with those characters. Today, we shine the spotlight on subsequent pieces that helped shape some characterizations, and even led to some really neat things further along the way.

Here we see Firegirl as interpreted by Sara back in 2007, along with how she pictured her secret identity. This was doubly cool, because not only had there been precious little art of these characters by this point, but the thought of depicting alter egos had not even occurred to me. So Sara's vision of Roxanne Prize (was she even aware of that name at this time?) definitely served as a foundation for the later attempts at the character.

Sara also did similar pics for my childhood heroines Amazing Girl and Muscle Woman, though interestingly, not for Shelly Ericson. Perhaps because Shelly didn't have a secret identity? The one picture that likely had the most impact, however, was this one depicting Firegirl as a bit of a party girl.

Ignore the fact that the versions of Blue Behemoth and Drone Man you see in that picture are now apocryphal; Sara had very little info on them when she drew it. Instead, focus on the Firegirl you see there. I had literally never let my mind go in this direction before, but I had to admit, it had a lot of potential for making her a distinctive character. I really think this sketch played a big role in building Firegirl as she stands in 2010.

Sara did other drawings featuring my characters, including this delightful color picture named "Car Man's Wish". However, there was one additional piece from this period that looms large as a factor in how I wrote my female characters. I can't link you to it, because it was never uploaded to the Internet! Until now, that is.

Friends, what you see here is a sketch of my quartet of super ladies crossing paths with SARA'S OWN CHARACTERS (created in tandem with her brother) Secretman and Secretgirl! You can see that dynamite duo in both B&W and color if you click these links.

Well, I have loved this picture for a long time, and I've always felt a tiny pang of regret that it never made it into her old gallery. I'm thrilled that this blog gives me the chance to share it with all of you! The way it portrays Firegirl as a bit of a flirt and Shelly as quite no-nonsense was assimilated into my brain almost immediately, and gave me proper footing in how I wanted to write those two women in the future.

A few months ago, I decided to pay Sara back a little for all the wonderful things she did for me in 2007, so I concocted my own tribute to the fanart she did of my characters. That is what you see below.

I owe Sara a lot for helping make everything that has come along with the Captain Satellite crew possible. So on this day, why not check out both her blog and her NEW gallery? You will be glad you did!

Secretman & Secretgirl © Derek Denny and Sara Duffield.