Lawton Mann

We were completely blown away by the entries in our first annual Escape From Jesus Island Halloween Art Contest. First and foremost, we want to thank everyone who took the time to bring one of our characters to life with your artwork. Due to the tremendous quality of your work, we’ve decided to include the top three entries in print in our first issue as opposed to just the winner, as previously planned.

Everyone who submitted an entry will receive a PDF copy of our premiere issue and their names will be etched into the Wall of Silence alongside all the ReGen staff who lost their lives at the Malsum Island Research Facility. The Wall of Silence will appear in Issue 1 of EFJI, as well as on our site.

Now to the awards…

FIRST PLACE PRIZE: An original, signed sketch by Mortimer Glum. Contest entry is included in our premiere issue.

WINNER: Lawton Mann

ABOUT THE ENTRY: Lawton’s interpretation of Damien earned three of four first-place votes and was our clear winner in this contest. Sure, the artwork is awesome, but what really put this entry over the edge was how Lawton perfectly captured the vibe and style of our comics. The Church of Latter Day Mutants card is a wonderful touch that feels very Mortimer Glum-esque, and Lawton’s fantastic choice of scripture to include displayed a whole lot of familiarity with how we do things. Fantastic work, Lawton!

SECOND PLACE PRIZE: Be turned into a mutant by Mortimer Glum. Contest entry is included in our premiere issue.

WINNER: Kylea Draper

ABOUT THE ENTRY: When submitting her entry, Kylea mentioned that she didn’t really draw horror stuff, but wanted to take part, so she drew the Antichrist eating ice cream at the beach in the improbably awesome entry entitled, “Yeshua indulges in the sin of ice-cream.” We have been laughing ourselves silly since this entry arrived. It’s so deliciously random and every member of our crew included this as one of their top three picks.

THIRD PLACE PRIZE: Escape From Jesus Island mini-poster. Contest entry is included in our premiere issue.

WINNER: Kenny Harris

ABOUT THE ENTRY: One of my favorites from the start, there’s so much to love about this artwork. It fits the vibe of our comic perfectly, right down to the inclusion of the cross from our logo. Pariah looks badass and I love the various expressions on his faces. Just a fantastic entry.

And yes, I know we said we were only doing three prizes, but two super entries missed third place by the narrowest possible margin, so…

FOURTH PLACE PRIZE: Signed copy of Issue 1 of Escape From Jesus Island.

WINNERS (TIE): Ninna Hellman and Aaron Morgan

ABOUT THE ENTRIES: Ninna’s depiction of Damien may be the single best likeness in the competition. I deeply love the malevolent gleam in Damien’s eyes. And Aaron’s twisted take on Mother Superior is another big favorite. There’s something mesmerizing about this image.

Now let’s take a peek at the rest of the fantastic entries…

One of the crew favorites was the Lollipope entry from Mama Wulf Shado. Jesus licking the empty eye socket of the Pope’s severed head while flashing a peace sign. In terms of sheer WTF-itude, this is our clear winner.

Big Gore from the metal band Coffin Syrup submitted our very first entry with his kickass take on Pariah and Meatwagon.

Wayne Kew rocks it with this take on Meatwagon. I love the claws and the skeleton on this one.

And Julio Mariscal drew up a kickass trio of entries. I love the vibe of these. It’s like Escape From Jesus Island meets Beavis and Butthead. Great work, Julio!
ENORMOUS thanks to everyone who took part and made our first annual Halloween Art Contest such a big success. I can’t wait to see what next year’s competition will yield!