"Operation Obscura: The Green Turtle" by Darryl banks & Bob Almond: Commission

My latest inking commission, on 8.5"x11" 2-ply board, was for prolific client Damon Owens, his 134th, and it's for his gallery "Operation Obscura", this time for the public domain Golden-age character the Green Turtle. The character is a Chinese hero and the first Asian-American comic book hero from Blazing Comics #1-5 in 1944 by publisher Rural Home Publications. He was not published for decades and later wound up in the public domain. I actually got to work on the character for Thrilling Nostalgia Comics' Liberty Brigade for Michael Finn with art partner Mike Lilly a few years ago. Otherwise, it's my first commission with the character. It was pencilled by Darryl Banks, my 19th commission inking over him. Unlike some recent pencil pieces, the best thing about inking Banks is that his pencils don't fade after working over them, making it harder to make out lines, and that I can erase the pencils with very little fading from the ink lines. This was also my return to using a Raphael Kolinsky 8404 size 2 brush, along with the usual markers, for the first time in 9 years, and it was like riding a bike. I finished this piece on December 11, 2025.