NATURE BOY (complete)

This story is part of a larger work I've been working on for years, but since it's self-contained enough I've including it in a comics anthology called Cellar Door: Ancient that will be out later this year. I've always wanted to do a comic in the EC style, so this was a good way to do it.

It's based on the 6th century Arabic Infancy Gospel, an apocryphal infancy gospel of Jesus written to describe Jesus' miracles before he was twelve. The Arabic Infancy Gospel was itself based on the 2nd century Infancy Gospel of Thomas and the Protevangelion of James. (The more famous Gospel of Thomas discovered at Nag Hammadi in 1945 is a completely different work.)

Barbastella and all other art and story here is Copyright 2012 Scorpio Steele.

BARBASTELLA

Barbastella is my homage to the 1960s and 70s characters Vampirella, Barbarella and Satana. Her origins are also steeped in the myth of Perseus and Medusa. Barbastella is Latin for "starbeard" and is a type of bat that has faint starlike whiskers on its lower lip. Right now I'm just finishing the writing stage and this is only the first of many costume designs. It's posted here in case some joker comes up with the idea that he thought of her first!