Comics & characters

Comic art,
from idea to ink.

Original comics and commissioned work: characters, sequential pages, expressive inks, and detailed worlds. Explore the portfolio, then bring your story to the page.

Black-ink portrait of Jeff drawing at a slanted drafting table beneath a single desk lamp.At the desk · portrait illustration

A range of stories

Four approaches · one portfolio
Panels from the Mr Black cartoon strip

Cartoon strip

Small gestures, dark humor, and a punchline told in pictures.

Boxer repairing a stuffed rabbit

Character illustration

A quieter scene built around expression and mood.

Detailed science-fiction sequential page

Graphic novel

Brush-ink action that slows into a quiet final image.

Black-ink architectural study of a brick theater with a rooftop greenhouse

Architecture

Old masonry, working structures, and spaces with a history.

Mr Black · Episode 01

An ongoing series
A six-panel black-and-white comic with green eyes and red blood: Mr Black protects a mouse from the rain using a bird as an umbrella.
The UmbrellaA wordless story about kindness, rain, and terrible judgment. Episode 02 is in development.
Read the first strip · 2026

The Last Flower

A six-panel story
A girl receives a yellow flower from an old man at a cemetery. After he vanishes, she wipes dust from a gravestone and discovers his portrait.
One flower. One goodbye.A wordless story about a gift, a disappearance, and a face hidden under dust.
Comic strip · 2026

Beyond the panels

Independent illustration
A boxer seated in an empty gym carefully stitches the ear of a small stuffed rabbit.
The RepairA quiet character moment after the last round.
Black-and-white illustration · 2026

The Last Bee

Brush-ink sequential study
A five-panel black-ink comic: a courier escapes a drone, enters an empty greenhouse, lets a bee perch on her fingertip, and watches it reach the last flower.
One life across a city.Five panels move from pursuit into an empty greenhouse, then settle on one small, living thing.
Sequential page study · 2026

The Greenhouse Theater

Architecture study
A detailed black-ink study of an old brick theater, its stone entrance, fire escape, and a greenhouse growing above the roof.
A building with another life.Stone, brick, iron, and glass carry the story. The open edge lets the architecture breathe beyond the page.
Environment illustration · 2026

Stories in progress

Independent comics in development
Ongoing · Episode 02 in development

Mr Black

A tiny cat, a big heart, and solutions nobody asked for.

Dark comedy / short strips
In development

Marrow & Petal

A strange, tender world where beautiful things have dangerous roots.

Character-driven fantasy
For hire

One creative lead.
Studio support.

Bring us a character, a script, or a rough idea. We can develop sequential pages, concept art, inking treatments, lettering layouts, and finished presentation pieces with a single point of contact throughout.

Quotes are scoped per project and designed to be competitive with hiring an individual artist. A studio production workflow helps us handle revisions and deadlines while giving each page a careful visual review. Tell us your page count, format, deadline, and intended use for a clear quote.

Sequential pagesCharacter conceptsInking & finishingLettering layouts
Ask about a project

About Jeff Sterling

Jeff Sterling's comics move between dark humor, strange little acts of kindness, and the trouble that follows. Mr Black is the first ongoing series here, with new stories and independent projects taking shape alongside it. For commissions, the focus is clear storytelling, memorable characters, and pages that hold together from first panel to last.

Contact

Have a story to tell?

Send a project inquiry