Lo, behold, a sign appeared in the heavens, mysteriously hovering above the gallery in Second Life last night. Crowds gathered to witness the event… well, me and my neighbors anyway.. some believing it to be part of a pre-digital transporter known as a “Pink Cadillac.” The curious characters engraved on its surface were so compelling I decided to do a bit of research and, miraculously, it proved to be the symbol for the element Chromium; the parallels being so fantastical I decided to leave it up there for a while.

“Chrome Underwood is, to me, visual punk rock. ….his work – and his very persona, which is so much a part of his work – evoke a thoughtful yet irreverent attitude (whether in the controlled chaos of his canvases, or the philosophical pop of his comics) that smacks of intellectual anarchy.” – Rowan Derryth, Art Historian and Avatar Extraordinaire; from her interview with Chrome in a recent issue of Prim Perfect magazine.

Chrome’s webcomic, mojozone, provides a humorous – and challenging – glimpse into his adventures in the virtual wonderland called Second Life. Follow him as he wanders the metaverse in search of beauty, truth, humor and wild, wild women – not necessarily in that order, and none of them being mutually exclusive. Read the latest installments at http://www.mojozone.mikimojo.com

Of French and Tunisian descent, Vanilla is highly cultured, sophisticated, and a genius in the ways of seduction; unattached at the moment, but avatars hover like bees to honey. Cut her teeth on Kafka, Sartre and Camus, but now prefers to read comic books. Drives a red pickup with a big old box full of Japanese tools in the back; she is a master of traditional woodblock printing. She can rock and mock at the same time, so watch out, boys…

A graphic novel-in-progress about love among the avatars. Combining elements of Greek mythology and Shakespeare’s classic tragedy of the doomed lovers Romeo and Juliette, it probes many of the troubling and compelling issues of the postdigital world: the complexities of human love and identity that arise when filtered through digital technology, and the individual response (and responsibility) to the new, almost godlike powers that technology places in the hands of a race that is still evolving.