Nine Square Inches

A new 3"×3" illustration for the ninesquareinches.com collection: "Spear and Fang" from Genndy Tartokovsky's PRIMAL by the wonderful STEPHEN DeSTEFANO!

Stephen DeStefano is a veteran cartoonist, animator, and two-time Emmy Award-winning character designer whose career bridges independent comics and acclaimed animated series.

In the 1990s, he co-created and contributed to Instant Piano, the sharp-witted, cynical Dark Horse Comics anthology featuring quick, irreverent strips alongside talents like Evan Dorkin, Kyle Baker, and Robbie Busch. The series captured a raw, comedic edge in alternative comics.

He later became a key collaborator with Genndy Tartakovsky, providing character designs and inking for projects including Samurai Jack, Primal (earning Emmys for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation), and related works.

DeStefano’s versatile style blends old-school cartooning with dynamic animation design, leaving a distinctive mark across comics and television.

Some images from Goonies/Short Circuit Weekend in Astoria, OR!

A 3"×3" commission of TENACIOUS D by Kyle Starks!

KYLE STARKS is a three-time Eisner Award-nominated American comic book writer and artist known for his irreverent, ultra-violent action-comedy style. He broke out with Kill Them All, Assassin Nation, Rock Candy Mountain, and I Hate This Place.

He wrote the longest Rick and Morty run for Oni Press. Recent works include Peacemaker Tries Hard!, Pine and Merrimac, Karate Prom, Barfly, Those Not Afraid, End of Life, and the new Wrestle Heist series (Image, 2025-2026).

TENACIOUS D is the legendary comedy rock duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass. Formed in 1994, they blend hard rock anthems with hilarious, over-the-top lyrics about destiny, rock gods, and epic quests.

Their breakthrough came with the 2001 self-titled album featuring “Tribute,” followed by the 2006 movie The Pick of Destiny. Known for epic live shows, they’ve released multiple albums including Rize of the Fenix and Post-Apocalypto. Still touring and rocking faces off worldwide.

See more tiny, Post-It-sized art at ninesquareinches.com!

Mail day! :)

A 3"×3" Jack the Ripper illustration by the legendary Rick Geary, for the ninesquareinches.com collection!

---

Rick Geary, raised in Wichita, Kansas, after early years in Kansas City, Missouri, is a distinguished cartoonist and illustrator known for his meticulous graphic novels on historical true crime. With a clean, elegant pen-and-ink style rich in period detail, maps, diagrams, and subtle ironic humor, he prioritizes facts and lingering questions over sensationalism or easy resolutions. “I like questions more than answers,” he has remarked.

Geary earned degrees in communication arts and film from the University of Kansas. Early newspaper work in Wichita sharpened his skills in visual storytelling. In 1975 he moved to San Diego, where he illustrated the long-running “Straight from the Hip” column for the San Diego Reader for 36 years. He contributed to National Lampoon’s “Funny Pages,” Heavy Metal, MAD, Spy, and the New York Times Book Review. His output also includes children’s books and a Gumby series (with Bob Burden) that earned a 2007 Eisner Award.

His landmark achievement is A Treasury of Victorian Murder, launched in 1987 (with broader NBM publication from 1989) and spanning nine volumes plus compendiums. These standalone graphic novels reconstruct notorious 19th-century crimes through exhaustive research from newspapers, court records, and archives. Geary captures the era’s visual richness—gaslit streets, elaborate costumes, horse-drawn carriages, and ornate interiors—while presenting multiple perspectives and leaving moral judgments to the reader.

Standout volumes include Jack the Ripper: A Journal of the Whitechapel Murders 1888–1889 (the cover of which is homaged in this piece), framed as a contemporary diary with maps and theories; The Borden Tragedy (the 1892 Lizzie Borden axe murders), styled as a period memoir; The Fatal Bullet, contrasting the lives of President James A. Garfield and assassin Charles Guiteau; The Beast of Chicago (H.H. Holmes); The Mystery of Mary Rogers; The Saga of the Bloody Benders; and The Case of Madeleine Smith. The series avoids gore, favoring atmospheric, journalistic storytelling that echoes Victorian popular literature.

Success led to the companion A Treasury of 20th Century Murder series. Geary has also created graphic biographies (Trotsky, J. Edgar Hoover) and fictional works like Louise Brooks: Detective. Under his Home Town Press imprint, he self-publishes titles including The True Death of Billy the Kid and Carrizozo: An Illustrated History.
Geary and his wife Deborah live in Carrizozo, New Mexico, where he continues producing work from his historic home in Billy the Kid country. His honors include the Inkpot Award and National Cartoonists Society recognitions.

Rick Geary remains a master of graphic nonfiction, blending precision and artistry to explore humanity’s darkest, most enduring mysteries.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Norris!

SHINY!

The word is out. To keep Firefly flying, we need a home. And for that, we need you. Like this post, comment on this post, repost this post. Tag a friend, tag an enemy, even tag a Reaver. Give us some “quantifiable analytics” that we can use to convince folks that this is something people want. #BringBackFirefly

(Senior) Portrait of a Nerd ^_^

I wish I had been collecting 3"×3" art in the early 90s! ^_^

Greetings, all! This new 3"×3" piece comes from Eisner‑nominated cartoonist, comic book colorist, and animator Jim Campbell, well known for his work on Patrick McHale’s Over the Garden Wall—both the Cartoon Network miniseries and the BOOM! Studios comic books. Campbell has been drawing comics since teaming up with the Meathaüs collective in 2001, and his career spans an impressive range of projects, including MAD Magazine, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, and his creator‑owned graphic novel At the Shore--a weird, funny, slightly eerie adventure that showcases his storytelling at full strength!

As a color artist, he has contributed to Dark Horse, Marvel, SpongeBob Comics, MAD Magazine, and Tony Millionaire’s work, bringing his distinctive sense of mood and texture to a wide variety of books. Outside of comics and animation, he also plays in the Brooklyn band Paper Fleet.

Fans of his can probably tell: this commission is a tiny, lovingly rendered recreation of his cover for Over the Garden Wall #1, featuring Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice surrounded by Campbell’s signature autumn atmosphere and color work. It’s a standout addition to the ninesquareinches.com collection!