This page is a hybrid of traditional and digital techniques. I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the gorgeous inking of the figures is the work of Stephen Prescott with a few tones added by me. One would think that the splash page (a single large illustration) would have been a simple affair. I assure you it was not! I would also be remiss if I didn’t tell you that the Needles character was quite a bit different before Josh re-imagined his origin. The name, of course, comes from the “Back to the Future” movies of which I am a huge fan. I originally pictured him as a “punk” character with small “needles” coming out of his fingertips not unlike Lady Deathstrike in the Wolverine comics. Josh looked at him and thought more along the lines of Scarecrow in the Arkham Asylum video games, with each needle dispensing a different psychotropic drug. I thought this was infinitely more interesting than another “slasher” type character of which there are dozens. So long story short, Needles, as he appears here, is very much Josh’s creation in terms of character with my visual design. A big thanks to all who follow this story and my creative team. Eight more pages to issue 3! Will it happen? Who knows?