"Too Scary for an Actual Title" ("28 Weeks Later")
During the 2002 gallery, I drew a picture for "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course" starring Steve Irwin in which he was being eaten by a crocodile as Erik just tried to ignore it and walk away. The picture was nothing but a friendly wink at Mr. Irwin who took all sorts of insane risks while celebrating the beauty of the animal kingdom. He was crazy, but you couldn't help but really like the guy and his infectious appreciation for nature.
Unfortunately a year later, he lost his life observing a sting ray in the ocean. Although we could have left the picture up, Tony and I decided it was best to remove it from the website and destroy the original illustration. Doing otherwise would be in very poor taste.
I mention this because two years after this illustration debuted, Michael Jackson passed away from an accidental overdose. For all the grief I said, he was arguably one of the greatest musicians of this century. He was also one of the most tragic. In his last few years he dealt with some rather serious accusations about his private life. Now whether any of it was true; it's not my place to judge. All I know is he grew up with an abusive father and due to his popularity as the youngest member of the Jackson 5, he never had any semblance of a normal childhood. I might have ran hot and cold on his music, but I do admire how he did everything in his power to make sure his own children were dearly loved and given every opportunity to experience life.
So perhaps, like the Crocodile Hunter picture, this too should be taken down off the website and destroyed. But I won't because just like Steve Irwin, this illustration started out as a friendly wink at a great entertainer but grew into a tribute. - Jake