The February issue of Blueprint Magazine, volume 10, issue 6, focuses on the theme of “Gender”.
I was tempted to return to a character introduced last year in the “Sex” issue (October 2009) of Mr. Graystone / Fox Tail, the sexuality-curious doppleganger (a neutral-sex shapeshifter). It would have been fun, but it also would have defeated the purpose of the Beholder Series, which specifically acts as a window into the World of Hellmouth, focusing on new characters and scenarios each time.
The direction I went in instead was to capture a culture on Hellmouth with aspects fashioned after the Sarmatians–where in Greek lore, were the daughters of Amazons and Sythians. This strip features the Visigraad culture, a mix of Nordic and Visigoth, and a warrior from the Wild Lands which mix Russian and Mongol cultural elements. I liked the idea of taking the “becoming a man” scenario (first kill, first battle, first hunt, etc) to the Visigon daughters. I amused myself with the notion that to “become a woman” they had to spill blood in battle (a very male concept of power and might). For a Visigon, I wanted it to represent a requirement or equality from any they should wed.
I swear, if it weren’t for these Beholder strips, these closer looks at the regional cultures of the World of Hellmouth might take another 5 years to record down! Doing hte research for visuals, lore, concepts, design, and history is always the most fun part about creating any new element for Hellmouth. The north has always been put on the back-burner and I’m glad it had a chance to be explored this month.
Read the “Gender” Issue on the Blueprint Magazine Website
Read other Beholder strips!
The January issue of 
The November issue of 
The October issue of Blueprint Magazine, volume 10, issue 3, focuses on the theme of “Secrets” and as a way to tie it into a more monstery goodness idea for Halloween, the Beholder Series focuses on a Arabian-themed idea of a demon summoner calling forth an ifreet (fire genie) to grant her full knowledge of the secrets of man.
