Butterfly began as part of The Daily Grind Iron Man Challenge in 2005. I had agreed to join the contest before even thinking up a concept for a webcomic. About a week before the Grind began, I had an idea about sidekicks. A sidekick’s name and identity are always less threatening than those of his mentor. A robin is a less threatening creature than a bat, but both can fly. So, I started to wonder what kind of identity a sidekick of a sidekick would have. A bat is scarier than a bird, and a bird is scarier than a…butterfly!

 

I never intended for Butterfly to be an ongoing series, but the initial gag of having a “sidekick’s sidekick” just took on a life of its own, and the character struck a chord with the early fans. The original series (available here) ran from February to October in 2005.

During that time, AdHouse Books approached me about contributing a story to the upcoming Project: Superior spinoff, Superior Showcase. In December 2005, Butterfly returned after with a new style and a new site–this one! Superior Showcase #1 hit stores nationally in April 2006, finally revealing the secret story of how Butterfly met Birdie (and a few other super-secrets). My good friend John Campbell co-wrote the tale.

Since then, Butterfly’s met plenty of new heroes and villains, and tried to be a friend to them all. Last summer, I held an contest to design an “alternate universe” version of Butterfly, which received some incredible entries. In February, Mitchell Buchanan became the first person to create his own Butterfly costume! Butterfly also visited MoCCA this year, and made an extensive photo report.

Most recently, I’ve started running the strips in full color, which takes a bit more time, but definitely feels right for the characters. I made a short process demo on how I make the strips here. Anyway, that’s how we got here! Welcome to the show.

Press Links.

02.21.2007 Fanboy Radio Interview Link
12.24.2007 Digital Strips “Review of Butterfly” Link
05.18.2006 Indie Spinner Rack Issue #26Â Link
04.11.2006 Noise to Signal “Alternate Cover Special…” Link
04.08.2006 Pulse “The Superior Showcase Clubhouse” Link
02.17.2006 Newsarama “Dean Trippe on Batgirl…” Link