2011: Devil Dynamite

Devil Dynamite - Originally posted February 10, 2011.

2011: The Volcano Monsters

The Volcano Monsters - Originally posted February 1, 2011.

Pete

Pete

I didn't know his name was Pete the entire time we were friends. I only knew him by the username "Bastard-Bird" on DeviantArt. It was an ironic moniker, because BB (as I usually called him) wasn't a bastard to me, or indeed to anyone as far as I could tell.

We crossed paths in 2015 when he did some fan art of one of my characters. This led to our commenting on each other's work, and eventually he asked for my input on a project that stretched into three weeks. Don't get me wrong - I loved every second of it! Pete's art was quirky and wonderful, but what was truly amazing was how he was able to map out multiple universes inside his head. His talent and creativity were both off the charts. It just seemed like he never quite believed it.

Pete Kowal, aka Bastard-Bird, passed away on July 13, 2016. The last words he wrote on his DeviantArt account were:

I'm leaving the page and entries up in case anyone wants to take a crack at it.

I've thought a lot about that statement. And the truth is, I could never continue BB's stories. My mind doesn’t operate the way his did. "Wayward Earth" was so uniquely his that I could not possibly pick up all the strings it entailed. His detours into other stories and universes were equally colored by his own perspective. That perspective is something no one could duplicate.

But what I can do is make sure that BB's legacy lives on through my own means. You will be seeing a tribute piece based on his work in the very near future. There's already a character in my profiles who owes an enormous debt to his design sense. As long as the Owariverse endures, Pete will be a part of its canon.

There's also the art. BB's fan art will be appearing here beginning in 2020. I also plan to present non-Owariverse art that I either helped facilitate or that I just plain want to include here. It's all fluid, because I often am making this up as I go.

In all honesty, I barely knew him. Yet I still think about him and miss him terribly. All I can do now is honor his memory by making sure his work still has an audience and is not forgotten.

Bastard-Bird Gallery at DeviantArt

Obituary for Peter M. Kowal III

If you need to talk for whatever reason, or just need someone to listen, call 1-800-273-8255.

*EDITOR'S NOTE: The image accompanying this entry is a larger version of the image BB used as an avatar on DeviantArt. The present author has no idea why he chose it, or whether it was supposed to resemble BB in any fashion. It had previously represented a strictly non-autobiographical character at any rate. Art © estate of Pete Kowal.

2010: Rex Coronado

Rex Coronado - Originally posted November 4, 2010.

2010: Doppelgirl

Doppelgirl - Originally posted October 22, 2010.

2010: Masked Menace

Masked Menace - Originally posted October 1, 2010.

2010: King Zaur (Apocrypha)

King Zaur - Originally posted September 29, 2010. Apocryphal version of Lord Zaur.

Cat Waltz

“Cat Waltz - ACEO 222014: Cat-Man, 232014: Kitten” by Wandering Kotka (after Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson). February 2014.

Featuring Cat-Man and Kitten.

Like A Prayer

“Like A Prayer - ACEO 122014: The Deacon, 132014: Mickey Matthews” by Wandering Kotka. January-February 2014.

Featuring the Deacon and Mickey Matthews.

Breaker's Ball

"Breaker's Ball" by Wandering Kotka. November 2013.

Featuring Gabrielle Fitzgerald.

See the full (NSFW!) version at Satellite Blue!

2010: The Neptoids

The Neptoids - Originally posted August 28, 2010.

2010: The Astro-Giants

The Astro-Giants - Originally posted August 20, 2010.

Off Topic: Loco of the GoBots

Loco of the GoBots.

Art by SeanRM. September 2016.

Character © Tonka/Hasbro and Bandai.

2010: Gargantua Maximus

Gargantua Maximus - Originally posted July 30, 2010.

2010: Dr. Sandor Varkoff

Dr. Sandor Varkoff - Originally posted July 30, 2010.

2010: Third World Leader

Third World Leader - Originally posted April 25, 2010.

Smash!

"Smash!" by Wandering Kotka. August-September 2013.

Featuring Sultura.

See the full (NSFW!) version at Satellite Blue!

Bad Girls of Major City

“ACEOs 090, 091, 092: Bad Girls of Major City” by Wandering Kotka. May 2013.

Featuring Sultura, Doppelgirl, and Princess Nikatonia.

2010: Zoragaza the Mystic

Zoragaza the Mystic - Originally posted April 25, 2010.

2010: The Psychedelic Man

The Psychedelic Man - Originally posted April 20, 2010.

2010: Titan Khan

Titan Khan - Originally posted April 18, 2010.

2010: Mystery Spaceman

Mystery Spaceman - Originally posted April 18, 2010.

*EDITOR'S NOTE: The image used for the Mystery Spaceman's faceplate was found at Great Images in NASA. It is not protected by copyright.

2010: Sultura

Sultura - Originally posted April 15, 2010.