[2][3][4] Columbia declined to address the subject publicly for several years, writing in a 1998 letter to The Comics Journal that "I could easily launch into a tirade about the extensive horror of my Tundra experience, but I much prefer the very entertaining and conflicting accounts already in circulation.
In later stories such as "Amnesia" (1997) and "Alfred the Great" (1999) Columbia combined these stylized character drawings with minutely detailed chiaroscuro backgrounds created using mixed media (including watercolor, acrylic paint, ink, and charcoal)[12] and digital tools.
In addition to his own creations, Columbia did color separations for the publications of other cartoonists including Chris Ware (Acme Novelty Library),[16][17] Archer Prewitt (Sof' Boy and Friends),[18] and Catherine Doherty (Can of Worms).
[19] Although Columbia gave occasional interviews during this period,[20][21][22] the small quantity of his published output and the cancellation of several titles and anthology contributions, compounded with lingering questions about the fate of Big Numbers, made him an object of much speculation.
[23][24] Columbia's career was punctuated by several prominent appearances in non-comics media, including set designs for David Cross's 1999 comedy special The Pride is Back,[25] a post-9/11 illustration for the New York Times Letters page,[26] and, in 2003, artwork for The Postal Service's platinum-selling album Give Up.
It eventually emerged in 2006 as a Flash-based site hosting a shifting assortment of ephemeral content including artwork, photographs, music, and videos,[29] along with numerous teasers for works that would remain unreleased, unfinished, or possibly nonexistent.
In 2009 Fantagraphics released Columbia's most expansive work to date: Pim & Francie: The Golden Bear Days, a 240-page assemblage of fragmentary comics and illustrations drawn over a period of more than ten years.
[41] In 2020 Hollow Press published a hardcover collection of The Biologic Show, reproducing both issues of the out-of-print comic along with a pair of related early works, in English and Italian language editions.
[51] Gerard Way, author of The Umbrella Academy and lead singer of the band My Chemical Romance, described his exposure to Columbia's work as "a turning point" in the development of his own sensibility.
[52][53] Other artists and musicians who have cited Columbia as an inspiration include Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio,[54] Camille Rose Garcia,[55] Dwid Hellion of Integrity,[56] Frances Bean Cobain,[57] and Esao Andrews.
[58] In a 2009 interview with Juxtapoz magazine's Evan Pricco, illustrator Aaron Horkey asserted that "countless successful artists continue to pillage [Columbia's] back catalog, propping up their half-baked careers on the well-worn spines of second hand copies of Biologic Show.