Medical Mayhem

Here's a new illustration for the Village Voice's Fall 2012 Education Supplement in this past week's issue. The article, which you can read here, is about a deal between the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) and the offshore medical school St. George's which places students from its scholarship program in positions at NYC hospitals. This deal is angering NYC medical schools, which feel as though they're being passed over for a second-rate school.
AD Jesus Diaz called me with the idea of an all-out, chaotic brawl between the medical students from NYC schools and St. George's. In sketching the idea out, I played around with the number of people involved in the fights, all the way from twelve down to just two.

Sketch 1 ended up being chosen and adjusted into a square composition with thirteen people fighting. Jesus suggested amping up the use of the doctor's tools as weapons and even throwing in some blood (Frank Miller style) to stand out with all of the students' white coats.
I got to penciling and inking right away, with some great reference from photos of gang fights, riots, and boxing matches as well as some truly ridiculous reference photos of myself.

I had an absolute blast figuring out the action happening between each pair of students fighting, from a headlock to a shot to the jaw with a clipboard to a nose-breaking jab to the big haymaker in the front.

Thanks to PJ McQuade for sending me a few copies!
I'm very pleased with how the final turned out and to be included in an issue with great illustrations by Kelsey Dake and Laura Bifano. Thanks again to Jesus for a tremendously fun assignment!

--CKL--