Mad Cave's Ferocious #1 (The Feral Chasing Boy Variant Remix Cover by TrUzApalOOza)

In a forest ablaze with fire and smoke, a young farm boy strides forward, glowing blue eyes locked ahead and a curved blade clenched in his hand. His stance is taut with tension, yet unwavering; he is done running. Behind him, The Feral emerges from the inferno: a towering, horned figure with burning red eyes, obsidian skin, and a massive battle axe gripped at his side, closing the distance with relentless intent.

[Workflow: I took pieces from the interior artwork of Mad Cave's November 2025 #1 issue of Ferocious and then turned them into my own remix variant cover.  Original art panels by Emanuele Eroclani & Paolo Raiteri were pulled into Affinity Photo, and then I extended out the missing pieces and layered everything into a new layout.   A bunch of custom brushwork, facial work (tears + mouth) of the boy updated, give the boy a weapon (sickle), masking & layering magic, and some logo re-work to get the front cover design I wanted.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

ComicBase Splash Loader Screen: The Four-Color Rift

Beneath the water-stained plaster of a Midwestern ceiling, a quiet transformation begins. As the boy cracks the spine of U.F.O. & Outer Space, the room’s dull tungsten glow is shattered. A radiant spiral of cosmic energy erupts from the pulp pages—rainbow lightning laced with stardust and memory.
The swirl ascends, turning the ceiling fan into a spinning vortex. On the walls, silent guardians—Zorro, Conan, Tron—begin to shimmer, their eyes flickering with sudden awareness. The floorboards hum. The globe spins on an invisible axis. The boy is no longer just reading; he is summoning. In the static charge of the air, the line between paper and reality dissolves.

I created another variant splash loading page for the new ComicBase 2026 that features a focused few from my previous The Four-Color Rift post, plus another alternate zoomed view to be used as a mobile phone wallpaper.

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

The Four-Color Rift

Beneath the water-stained plaster of a Midwestern ceiling, a quiet transformation begins. As the boy cracks the spine of U.F.O. & Outer Space, the room’s dull tungsten glow is shattered. A radiant spiral of cosmic energy erupts from the pulp pages—rainbow lightning laced with stardust and memory.

The swirl ascends, turning the ceiling fan into a spinning vortex. On the walls, silent guardians—Zorro, Conan, Tron—begin to shimmer, their eyes flickering with sudden awareness. The floorboards hum. The globe spins on an invisible axis. The boy is no longer just reading; he is summoning. In the static charge of the air, the line between paper and reality dissolves.

[workflow: a bunch of nanobanana prompts to create various components. Image searches to retrieve magazine and poster images. I took my 20+ items into Affinity Photo for composition, including multiple layers and mask work. A bunch of pixel brush experiments to get the magic swirl.]

• UFO & Outer Space no.19 from 1978 (USA) artwork by Luis Dominguez
• Conan der Barbar no.8 from 1982 (Germany) artwork by Bob Larkin
• Alien Worlds no.8 from 1984 (USA) artwork by John Pound
• [Zorro] Four Color no.425 from 1952 (USA)
• Ripley's Believe It or Not! True Ghost Stories no.11401-2 from 1979 (USA)
• Schoolhouse Rock! poster from 1975
• The Explorers movie poster from 1985 (USA)
• Tron movie poster from 1982 (USA)
• The Karate Kid from 1984 (USA)

Hi-rez image link [3840px tall]

Crossover no.1 (The Four-Color Rift Variant Cover by TrUzApalOOza)

My variant cover version of Crossover #1 (Image Comics 2020), story by Geoff Shaw & Donny Cates.

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

ComicBase Splash Loader Screen: Christmas Book Store

I created another variant splash loading page for the new ComicBase 2026 that features two teenage boys reading a comic book outside the B.Dalton bookstore located downtown next to Ace Hardware and Hot Topic.

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

The Terminator no.1 (1930s Cartoon Style Variant Cover by TrUzApalOOza)

My version of The Terminator #1 (Dynamite Comics 2024), story by Declan Shalvey & Luke Sparrow, was done in a retro-1930s style cartoon art.

[Workflow: I used Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana) to create my draft work items, and then progressed to the final image with further prompts. A lot of clean-ups, layered Fx, font work, hand edits with custom brushes, and even tested out the new Glitch-layer in the new Canva Affinity version 3.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

Brrrroccoli

I took Cilia's original broccoli image and played around to make things look a bit colder with some ice fog appearing and condensation in the air.

[Workflow: Affinity layers for fog, condensation, and some brush work to add more icicles after stretching the Brrrroccoli vertically a bit so I had more room to play.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

Fallback for Daylight Savings Time

Quick creation for falling back to Daylight Savings Time, or as I see it the end of warmer weather and the start of nasty coldness.

[Workflow: Prompt experimentation using Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana) to create the basic illustrations, then merged left/right together inside Affinity Photo. Added lighting Fx, some texture overlays, and then hand-crafted the fonts and wording.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

That's an un-BRIE-lievable amount (1.4 billion pounds) of cheese!

Snapple Real Facts Illustrated #2088 - The statement about 1.4 billion pounds of government cheese being stored in caves in Missouri is an outdated claim; while a large surplus of cheese did exist in the past and was stored in underground facilities like those in Springfield, the government has since distributed this cheese. The idea of a 1.4 billion-pound stockpile has become an urban myth that is no longer accurate, though the caves are still used for commercial cold storage.

[Workflow: Prompt experimentation using Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana) to create the basic illustration.  Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer were used last month to create the magazine layout, adjusted every time I make a new illustrated fact.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

Mercury and Venus Have No Moons (and Here Is Why)

Snapple Real Facts Illustrated #1260 - Mercury and Venus are the only planets in our solar system that have no moons. This is because their proximity to the Sun makes it difficult to hold onto a moon, as the Sun's strong gravitational pull could either capture a moon from them or pull it away from their orbits. 

[Workflow: Prompt experimentation using Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana) to create the basic illustration.  Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer actions to finalize the magazine layout I previously had created (logo, date/issue masthead Fx, designed beaker wallpaper, the future is fruity emblem, etc.)  Fixed up some image errors by AI, then added in additional text elements.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

Brainless Jellyfish

Snapple Real Facts Illustrated #1248 - Incredible but true! Jellyfish are Earth’s amazing creatures capable of swimming and hunting without a centralized brain! Instead, they possess a “diffuse nerve net” that controls their actions. 

[Workflow: Prompt experimentation using Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana) to create the basic illustration.  Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer actions to finalize the magazine layout I previously had created (logo, date/issue masthead Fx, designed beaker wallpaper, the future is fruity emblem, etc.)  Created a NO-brain image to fit into the left corner.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

The Crafty Side of Halloween: Building a Ghoulish Graveyard

My new image, inspired by a Mike Hoffman sketch, is of a small Halloween diorama, meticulously crafted and set against the backdrop of an artist's studio. The diorama is a playful scene with Frankenstein's monster shambling behind a group of terrified trick-or-treaters set in a graveyard setting. In front of the monster, we see a costumed kid in a Dracula outfit nearby holding a pumpkin pail, as a frog-masked boy lies comically on the ground nearby. Two other children, one wearing a skeleton mask and the other in a ghost costume, appear to be running away in horror. The special effects, with a full moon, creeping graveyard fog, and blackened bats against the sky in the diorama, contrast with the golden, sunny light illuminating from the real-world workshop.  Tools of the trade: paintbrushes, paints, and a sketchbook are scattered around, implying this intricate scene is a work in progress.

[Workflow: I used Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana) to generate a lot of bits and pieces to be collaged together, found a ton of creative license images to merge in the background, desk, brushes, gravestone etching, etc.  A bunch of Affinity Photo work: creating the fog within the diorama, importing the book pages, creating the lighting from a lamp, fixing shadows on the figures, Frankie's glowing eyes, updating the headstones, among many others.  A lot of heavy masking layers, and Serif Fx with dynamic filters.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

layout sketch ideas

final image v33, zoom in to see all kinds of hidden details

lots of layers + masks

 

Hoffman's source of inspiration

merging in the various figures

2+ fog layers merged, then texture warped

adding gravestone etchings

texture mapping Frankie into the book

adding another kid, a ghost this time

removing lower layers so you can see pieces

the workshop background

every tree needs a raven/crown

Conflict in the Hall of Justice

I took the original DC Comics Kevin Maguire/Terry Austin artwork from 1987's Justice League no.5 comic book art and extended it out into a larger scene.

[Workflow: I used Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana) to create my draft work items, and then progressed to the final image with further prompts.  Final clean-ups and alterations within Affinity Photo.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

Guy Gardner ready to attack Batman!

source image by Maguire/Austin

layout drafting

testing colors

more refined colors

Batman Cola - Vintage Photo from Kane's Diner (1966)

Cott Batman Sparkling Cola was a short-lived soda produced by the Cott Beverage Corporation in 1966. It was part of a marketing campaign that used the popular Batman theme of the time and was sold in bottles and cans. It is now a rare item for collectors and is no longer in production.

[Workflow: A little prompt help from Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana) to create some items, otherwise I found reference photos online and then merged them in, and created a slightly distressed photo from 1966 showing some Bat-cola sitting on a countertop.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

Boo-tiful Chaos: The Night of Tricks and Treats

A spooky Halloween 3D diorama featuring six ghosts bursting out of a house, getting ready to scare 4 kids who are dressed up for trick or treat, and there are also a couple of zombies crawling out of the graveyard.  My image was inspired by a Mike Hoffman sketch.

[Workflow: Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana) to create several base elements, moon, tree, castle, zombies pulled from online art repos, and then combined within Affinity Photo.  Lots of details added with moon glow, cloud brushes, layers for glowing ghosts, lamps, and all kinds of minor tweaks and fixes.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

Boo-tiful Chaos: The Night of Tricks and Treats

inspiration sketch by Hoffman

Swamp Thing Aquatic Diorama (Jesús Saiz extended into 3D)

I took the Jesús Saíz cover art from DC Comics' Swamp Thing #25 and converted it into a diorama.

[Workflow: Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana) prompts for base 3d conversion, then used Affinity Photo to collage in the other diorama pieces. layers for other animals, bugs, water bubbles, etc.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall] 

Jesús Saiz source art

ComicBase Splash Loader: Young Witch's Summoning Circle

Another variant splash loading page for the new ComicBase 2026 that features a young witch with her bubbling cauldron and a group of summoned creatures.   Image was inspired by a Mike Hoffman sketch.

[Workflow: Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana) to create the base look. Affinity Photo to finish the moon, forest, magic wand+hat, fog, add moon, etc. Topaz Gigapixel to upscale some flow as needed.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

inspiration sketch by Hoffman