Welcome, Troy Palmer-Hughes; First Edition of ’94 Toons

For quite some time, since the blog’s inception, I have been wanting to test the limits of editorial expression.  My initial vision of a basketball publication included, as one of its major elements, a regular cartoon feature as seen in other genres.  The problem though was feasibility, and up to this point, I was just never able to find an artist.

That’s why I’m so excited to introduce my newest feature, ’94 Toons, and our newest contributor, Troy Palmer-Hughes.  ’94 Toons will be a bi-monthly cartoon, drawn by Troy, with commentary by me.

Troy also illustrated the images on the sidebar of the two men representing the Houston Rockets’ past and present – Yao Ming and Hakeem Olajuwon.

A little bit about Troy:

“Long, long ago, in a small, dusty shop in a quaint village by the western sea, Troy Palmer-Hughes was one of the first girls to test-play a little game called ‘Dungeons and Dragons’.  That led to a life of drawing knights, dragons and unicorns, and assorted other beasties, and a career in the entertainment industry.  These days, she produces independent film, themed entertainment projects, and draws for a wide variety of interesting clients.  She and her husband, horses, and dog reside on a 10-acre ranch in a rustic canyon on the outskirts of Los Angeles.”

Our inaugural edition depicts the elephant in the room: Yao Ming’s health in the face of renewed expectations.  Pundits abound predicting greater successes after a summer of breaking the bank.  Still, all will again be for naught if the Rockets’ center’s track record stays to form.  Apart from the day’s optimism, what reason do we really have to believe that this time, for Yao, anything will be different?