THE SPINES
The Spines was a 40-page grad project started in 2018 and completed in early 2019 (some of which was after grad for the funsies) about a deathrock band who get stuck in the rural American South in 1987. Much to their displeasure, they discover that the town is in a time loop from the 1900s, haunted by doppelgangers, able to morph into the form of any person, living or dead.
The story centered primarily around Billy McCauley III and Valentine “Val” Reid, the guitarist and the drummer respectively, who are old friends often at odds. The work explored band dynamics, a burgeoning romance, and the fundamental terror of having to beat a monster in your friend’s image to death with a 2x4. Other characters featured keyboardist Bunny (who was later restructured as a gal named Jay), genderless icon and vocalist Eden, bassist Teddy, the town’s preacher, and a small cast of briefly appearing band associates.
It’s spoken of in the past tense because it was sadly lost to time. It sat on a hard drive that died, and the little that remains was buried in Google Drive. Annie has chosen to document it as their first major comix work, regardless. It was completed when they were 19-years-old, and begun at 18, and it was heartbreaking to lose because it came out as a product a hard time in their life where they busted their ass through the pain. Radical acceptance has come about. Thank god.
Below is the last remaining art. It heavily influenced Annie’s practice to come and they’re still pretty impressed at what their baby brain could conceptualize. Editing on the script and panel designs were done on suggestion by students and professors at Vancouver Film School.
CW below: animal and human decomposition, entomophobia (maggots, flies, beetles), blood, gore, evisceration, blasphemy
From an attempted restructure in late 2019, stylistic changes obvious