Johnny and Jakeem Thunder- JSA Legacies Project Day 8 #JSApril

In celebration of JSApril, I am creating art of JSA members and their legacies characters whether it’s their successor, former sidekick, or even their kids. Today we are taking a look at two characters I don’t have much experience with but I find quite interesting with Johnny and Jakeem Thunder.

Johnny and Jakeem Thunder

I will be upfront and tell you all, I don’t really have a particular attachment to the Thunders. I do think they are an interesting concept and central to the JSA. I mean, the original JSA gathering in All-Star Comics #3 was at the behest of Johnny Thunder. Both Johnny and Jakeem are born on July 7th, 7 AM. They both are partnered with the all powerful djinn Yz, and both are often some of the youngest members of their respective eras of the Justice Society. There have been other attempts at making legacy characters for Johnny Thunder be it in Primal Force or Jonni Thunder, but neither has had the staying power like Jakeem.

Johnny Thunder

Johnny Thunder primarily serves as the reader avatar and comedic relief character in early JSA stories. He is a wish-fulfillment character that doesn’t think of wishes all that well. That said he has a charm about him that someone like Snapper Carl or Rick Jones just doesn’t have.

The Process

This one was tricky only because of the dang pose for Johhny. First, I had to draw a bowtie. Which just looks awkward for me. Second, I wanted to draw Johnny pinching the tie as he was adjusting it, smugly. Hands are the bane of most artist, and I am no different. Getting believable hands is almost impossible but I am satisfied with the final product for what it is.

As for Yz, the Thunderbolt? That was a bit of a challenge. If only because it was a nightmare in trying to figure out how his head bolts are intended to work. The bold magenta outlines was done with supersaturated brushstroke. I think that really helped make this image pop a bit more.

Jakeem Thunder

I believe Jakeem makes the first non-related whatsoever Legacy character I have covered in this project. Jakeem isn’t a former sidekick, child, or even godchild. He is just a kid that received the Thunderbolt Pen from Jay Garrick by pure accident in an issue of Flash in the 90’s. That is what makes him interesting to me especially in a universe that feels so damn insular from years of writers like Roy Thomas trying to find all these tenuous connections between characters. There’s merit to that, at times, but I vastly prefer it when people are heroes (or villains) not by relation but circumstance and actions.

The Process

The process for Jakeem had some hang ups on getting that hand and arm just right. I wanted to have Jakeem clicking the pen and saying his magic phrase “Too Cool.” This took numerous sketches and studies to get what I felt was passable. In the end, it was okay. I also wanted to make sure I got the tone for Jakeem’s skin right. It’s easy to overshoot tone in watercolor and I did not want to go to light. I think I found a solid middle ground.

As for this version of Yz, the Thunderbolt, I wanted to created a larger looking rendition of the character. Most artist version have Yz looking more muscular in the Modern Age compared to the more mischievous look of the Golden Age. The angle of the head and the head bolts gave me fits. I could never get what I exactly wanted, but settled for a similar image. End result is fine and I am happy with it.

Final Thoughts

Originally, I was set to post about Wonder Woman. However, the gum paste tore the paper to shred during removal and ruined the art. I will attempt to do a Wonder Woman piece at some point before the month is over, but I fear I may not have the time. We shall see. Before I began posted I had drawn and inked all of the pieces and I have been painting as I go. Doing a new piece from scratch takes a few hours (See: Superman) and I just don’t have that much time, I fear.

As for Johnny and Jakeem Thunder? I loved how well these turned out. I was worried how well the Thunderbolt would appear and that I couldn’t get the right shade of magenta, but I was able to get pretty close.

Join me tomorrow as we take a look at the finest superhero doctors with Dr. Mid-Nite.

What is JSApril?

The Justice Society of America made their debut in All-Star Comics #3 in 85 years ago. In celebration, the folks over at Fire and Water Podcasting Network have assembled bloggers, podcasters, and many more creators to honor the world’s first superhero team. Find the full list of participants and more over at Fire and Water Network’s webpage and I truly encourage you all to check out some of the amazing things people have been creating.

Social Media

You can follow along with JSApril all of the other creators on social media with #JSApril. You can always find me here or over on Bluesky and I contribute weekly to The Beat. If you are new here be sure to check out out the archives. Personally, I’m quiet proud of my History of Heroes Reborn posts. You can see my other JSApril posts here.

Subscribe

Keep up with my posts by subscribing to the Newsletter. I hear that’s what the cool kids do.