Haku (Spirited Away) by A.J. Welch

A.J., one of several American comic artists I volunteered to help during a visit to Japan, spent the early part of his trip working as an assistant to Sean Galloway (they had to finish up a project for a digital-only Superman comic) Later, while attending the Second Annual International Comic Festival in Tokyo, as a fine artist in his own right, he did a great number of finely rendered sketches for Japanese fans of American comic books. Later, at a party, A.J. showed his appreciation for my humble efforts by adding a very nice addition to my Tokyo sketchbook. To mix things up a bit after drawing a number of American characters for Japanese fans,, we decided he would draw Haku, a water spirit who helps an ordinary girl trapped in the spirit world in Hayao Miyazaki's classic animated feature, Spirited Away.