Hello fellow earthlings,
This is my entry for Jazzas Competition of the Mont with the theme “Superhero Selfie”

Kickass,the one superhero who’s not only a wisearse but fails–hard!
That’s why I chose to use his costume for this picture.He wants to be a hero but gets beaten down on the first day out.It would have been easy for him to back off & yes,he did think about that,but he didn’t.

I chose to depict Stéphane Charbonnier & once again,it’s not just about him but he represents all the good people who had to die so needlessly on the 7thof January in Paris.
He was one of twelve sons & daughters,brothers & sisters,fathers & mothers,one of twelve fellow human beings who have been taken away from their families & friends for no other reason but their refusal to shut up.
I understand it’s easy for me to say that what they did wasn’t in any way wrong,I am open about being an atheist & therefore can’t comprehend how a cartoon could hurt your feelings,even less how it could anger some almighty being.
But that’s not the point.If one feels offended by what another person has to say,there are many ways to go about it.One could argue,discuss,boycott,draw or simply walk away.
To even think that the feeling of being offended justifies hurting & even killing another human being is,& I’m not going to sugarcoat it,despicable.It’s beyond what I could ever be willing to respect or accept.
To those who claim that what happened was clearly wrong but that it’s also wrong to publicise the satirical magazine although it hurts the religious feelings of people:
I’m sorry to shatter your dreams but having to deal with other opinions,& yes,even loud-mouthed bastards from time to time is part of being a grown up.All of us have to accept that there will be people who aren’t on our side & even hold a strong opposition to what is dear to us.
But there’s & upside to all this:We too have the freedom to express our thoughts &,for the most part,can be sure that while others might not agree,aren’t going to harm us for it.
What happened on the 7thof January didn’t just tear a whole in twelve families,it was once again a reminder that not everyone is willing & strong enough to understand,that we’re all living on the same planet,that we all have the right to be free,to love, to argue,to laugh & be offended.
There comes a point where we have be open with our thoughts about this. & here are mine:
If it was up to me, “I am offended” is not, never was & hopefully never will be a valid argument. It’s nothing more than the end of a conversation that never started in the first place & therefor the end of our capability to learn from each other.
Stéphane Charbonnier wasn’t a hero,none of us are,yet he & his fellow illustrators & cartoonist didn’t let that stop them.They dared to say what was on their mind,the dared to ridicule & criticise.They did not demand that you agree with them nor did they force anyone to join in the laughter or even look at the humour.They just dared not to shut up–Neither should we.
If there is one good thing about all this,if there is light to be found in terror,it’s that so many of us realised once again that there is a dialogue needed.& most of us,the sane ones at least,want to lead it towards a peaceful coexistence no matter which opinions we hold,we want to live our short time here on earth without violence & hatred,we want to love & laugh even if we’re not loving the same & can’t laugh about the same things.

Reference/tool mentions
- 2 reference photos for the first chara sketch
- A photo ref to get the basic street layout of Paris right.
- Everything was done without pressure sensitivity,mainly with an angled brush with a bit of texture
- I created two custom brushed for the city texture & the lights (if you are interested in those, just let me know)
- Ancient Bamboo Tablet

Thank you so much for enduring my ramblings & understanding my wish to express my thoughts.
Best wishes to you & have a wonderful & fascinating day
Rahel