The following were provided by Jim Alexander, who also provided the commentary to go with the images. One note: the originals of these images are very large, and I had to scan them in parts, and attempt to paste them together. So, if you see some subtle defects in the images, the fault is mine. The originals are very clean and un-flawed.

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Race and Jonny by Steve Rude 1987

Jim writes: "I used to go to the Chicago Comic Convention every June. I did it for years, but now that it's gotten so large, and so out-of-control-- I rarely go. But for a long while, when it was quite 'manageable' ... there used to be a lot more one-on-one contact with the pros. It wasn't usually too difficult to obtain sketches from artists. The story on this one is-- I had walked in front of Steve Rude's table a handful of times. Sometime during the day, I suddenly noticed this particular JQ drawing pinned up on the cardboard backing behind his table. I think it was about the time 'Rude the Dude' was gearing up for the JQ Comico Comic series. I admired it, and assumed that it was a fan-commissioned piece. As people who've been to comic conventions know-- some artists (in order to make some extra $$$) will take requests for sketches from fans. And usually, when they get backed up (when they can't draw fast enough to keep up with the requests), they will take names and save the sketches until the person who requested it comes back to their table later in the day. Somehow, I assumed the JQ sketch was one of those. It remained, and I'd pass by again and again and look at it longingly. Late in the day, I finally asked about it, and Rude said, 'Why it's for SALE-- I was WONDERING why no one had asked about it!' I guess the 'thank you' on the drawing was because someone 'finally' purchased it from him!"

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Race and Villain by Doug Wildey 1963

Jim writes: "The early "Race" conceptual drawing is one of my prized possessions. I purchased it many years before I bought the JONNY and RACE Steve Rude drawing. I was at the ChicagoCon, searching through a portfolio of stuff that contained some Hanna Barbera material, and came across three or four pieces of JQ stuff. The only other one I remember now (this was more than two decades ago!) was a pencil piece on tissue paper. It was a series of full-body drawings of DR. QUEST, and I think HADJI. But because that tissue paper sketch was something that ANYONE could have duplicated (just lay the tissue over an animation drawing of any of the characters and -- trace), and because it was not authenticated, I did not purchase it. The drawing I went for was of RACE sockin' the bad guy. I liked the fact that it seemed to be an early conceptual sketch, that it was hand-dated, signed, and stamped with the Hanna Barbera name and date-- as well as being drawn on three-hole animation paper. Imagine my surprise when I LATER saw this Doug Wildey drawing begin to turn up in some printed JQ books, knowing that I owned the original. Since then, I have seen (and received) many photocopies of other 'original' JQ Hanna Barbera materials. I guess that's why this drawing has seen print in the last few years-- because it was photocopied many years ago from the HB files-- as many other original pieces apparently were-- before they made it into the hands of collectors."

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Shirtless Race by Steve Rude

Jim writes: "The 'shirtless' RACE is owned by a collector friend of mine named Ted Haycraft. He purchased it from an art dealer who was selling some Steve Rude drawings at a Mid-Ohio Comic Convention a few years ago."

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commissioned Race and Zin, Marc Hempel and Mark Wheatley, 1988

Jim writes: "The last one was another Chicago Convention sketch from 1988-- a few years after Marc Hempel and Mark Wheatley worked as a penciller-inker team on First Comics' MARS series. This was a sketch that I commissioned. I requested the them to draw something with DR. ZIN and RACE within the same frame."