January 6, 2010
Went home for lunch and bailed into a study of Arizona Charlie. Here is a photo of this dapper dude:

Charlie was a renowned roper and went head to head with Tom Horn at a steer roping contest in Phoenix in 1888. In fact, it was because of this event, or, actually the fact that Tom Horn couldn't assist Sheriff Glenn Reynolds, that led directly to the Apache Kid's escape. Anyway, here is my first pass at this gangly cowboy (he was six foot four):

I've heard tell that Buffalo Bill offered both Arizona Charlie and Tom Horn a shot at being Wild West Show Trick Ropers, and that Charlie took him up on it, but Tom thought he could make better money shooting people from ambush. It will all make sense in the Mickey Free graphic novel.

Meanwhile, here is a recent sketch of Al Sieber talking to Mickey Free:

And, here's a more simple version of the same scene that Herge, of Tintin fame, might have made of the same Chief of Scouts:

“The dirty little secret about simplicity is that it’s really hard to do.”
—J Mays