Old West #1

One of my bigger projects has been researching and scouring the world of the Old West. Outlaws, brothels, Civil War soldiers, gold prospectors... everything. I've become fascinated with this history, and it's an intention of mine to write a graphic novel set in the Old West, particularly Montana.

Thus far, I've found some outrageously fantastic people. Not necessarily good people in some cases, but overall....

Today's individual is Jim Miller (a.k.a. Killer Jim, Killer Miller, Deacon Jim). He was a bad seed from a young age, and ended up being a hired killer. He earned the nickname Deacon Jim after becoming a devout Methodist, and was quite liked in his community. He never smoked, never drank, never swore, and was very well-mannered. Despite this, he asked $100 per murder, and wore a black frock coat which he never removed. The frock coat happened to disguise steel plates, which saved his life from bullet shots on more than one occasion. This man was... very interesting. And... as one source puts it... A wolf in sheep's clothing.

I wrote a mock up comic about his early childhood. A bit morbid, but it did happen. Essentially, when Miller was quite young, his parents died and he was sent to live with his grandparents. His grandparents were found murdered in their home. 8-year-old Miller was arrested but never tried or convicted. Many believe that he was in fact responsible. The scene below roughly depicts that, along with a transition into his later life.  The drawings make Miller look a bit older than 8, and they're not that continuous. It is only a rough sketch after all, which is why there also isn't any text.