Happiness is a warm gun

This cover I did for Seattle Weekly is out today. The story is about a Seattle-based attorney that is currently fighting for the freedom of an Ugandan man, imprisoned for his role as a commander in the Lord's Resistance Army. The LRA, headed by Joseph Kony of "Kony 2012" fame, is notorious for its use of children as soldiers and sex slaves. The reason that the attorney has taken up this fight is because his client (now a grown man) happened to be one of those children, kidnapped on his way home from school.

One thing I hate about my work being viewed primarily online is that you folks out there (that can't pick up a copy in Seattle) aren't able to really see much. So here's a close up:

When I first turned in my sketches, one composition was originally approved, but then quickly dropped in favor of the above solution. I had some time after the final was turned in, and decided to take the original sketch to final too, in the chance that it might end up working out after all. The art director liked it, but the editors felt it might not be a clear enough concept (which I don't disagree with) and isn't quite as strong of an image. Here's the alternative version that wasn't published:

Despite its depressing content, this story is exactly the kind of assignment I enjoy working on.
Thank you to AD Jane Sherman. It was a pleasure!