So, I've known  the_gneech forever in internet terms, and for pretty much that entire period, I've never remembered his birthday on time since it's usually right in a bad stretch at work. (Meanwhile, he always remembers mine; yes, he knows it, no, he's not telling).

This year I tried to plan ahead and draw up something for his birthday. Work still interfered on the timing, but at least I was able to show him a solid WIP on time. And here's the finished piece!

Basically he's working on a new comic post-SJ, Arclight Adventures. The project is still under construction, so I hope I'm not mangling the description. Rather than a furry project, it's a steampunk island setting, and there are some experimental furry-type characters aka Moreaus that are mixed in with the cast.
Here's the crew of heroes, l-r: Fagin (a fox Moreau), the brains of the operation; Charlie O'Toole, the gunner; Mrs. Drake, the rogue; Verity Anjo, the youthful gagdeteer; and John Dunn, the cyber-enhanced muscle. Obviously I'm simplifying a bit, but hey, you should check it out if you want to learn more! Some of their designs are still being finalized, so I sort of picked through the development sketches and fortunately Gneech approved And I tried to work some aspect of their role into the background (Fagin's not particularly physical, but he is good driver, with his trusty steam unibike).
I'll note that one thing I've always appreciated about Gneech's comics is his ability to create fully-developed female characters, something I've never been good at. So it was actually good practice working with their different personalities here.

Hope everyone enjoys. You can throw some belated birthday greetings Gneech's way too if you like

All characters © John Robey.