Cursed Pirate Girl Annual 1 (2015) page 6

Bastian's combination of irrepressible whimsy and immaculate detail is producing a work of art for the ages. This page gives both a full figure and close-up of the titular heroine, surrounded by bees and flowers rendered with loving attention. How loving? Bastian pointed out to me that if you look carefully at the large barrel, you'll notice that it is imprinted with a beehive surrounded by flowers and bees, matching the theme of this pirate ship.

Most amazing of all is that he drew this page at print size (6x9.215 inches) rather than reducing it from a larger size for publication. Who does that with work like this? Jeremy Bastian, that's who.

This piece was shown and discussed in my interview with Bill Cox for Comic Arts LIVE on August 14, 2023.