I only just learned that James Hardiman (  skunkworks ), the legendary creator of Skunkworks, has passed away. I knew that he had been fighting a harsh battle with diabetes for years, and I guess it finally won. The furry fandom has lost one of its stars.

I can still remember the first time I saw Jim's artwork. It was in the late 90's, in my at-the-time favorite comic shops. A clerk I knew pretty well had a whole stack of comics on the counter and was complaining to a friend that the guy who'd ordered them was taking forever to pick them up. Curious, I asked if I could take a look, and he was irritated enough to let me. Lo and behold, the first comic I found myself holding was a copy of Genus, and when I flipped it open it showed an adult story featuring three by-now-fairly-famous lady skunks. Up until then I didn't know that the adult part of the furry spectrum existed in real-life print. It was an eye-opener.

I continued to be a fan of Jim's work afterwards, first tracking down the copies of Genus that had his work in it, then the collected paperbacks. I even managed to snag a few of the portfolios. Heck, I was a member of his fan club in Yahoo! Groups back in the day. Aaah, good times.

I am truly saddened to hear of his passing. I know he will be deeply missed by his friends and family, and I'm sad that I never go the chance to meet him in person.

Rest in Peace. James Hardiman, May 8th, 1972 - August 29th, 2014