Comics - First & Foremost

Everyone needs a hobby.

Mine happens to be collecting comic books. I don't only collect them, though, I also read them (because why would someone collect something like a comic book, designed to be read, and NOT read it! Preposterous!). My collection currently numbers around 12,000 books. I'm quite proud of my collection and what I've accomplished but I've got a way to go. My wife has said that if there were a fire in the house I'd save my comics first, her and the kids second. I'm not sure I agree with that. It would depend on the severity and location of the fire. ;-)

I was introduced to comics by a friend of mine, Steve Irby (and Steve, if you're reading this, thanks, Man), who originally intended just to show me the interior of a space ship he thought looked cool. After I pummeled him with questions on where he got the comics, I was soon journeying with him to the newsstand in the center of town on a bi-weekly basis. I was hooked. Now I know how drug addicts feel when they need their 'fix'.

Why comics? Comic books flex the imagination muscle of the brain. The only limitation in a comic book is that of the Writer and Artist's imagination. There is no Special Effects budget in a comic book. The story could go anywhere and do anything.

People back in the late '70's, and even a lot of people today, think of Archie, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the '60's Batman TV show when you mention comic books. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most comics in the '80's and pretty much all comics today are made by adults for adults. Like the Bugs Bunny cartoons of the '40's, they were originally made for adults and shown in theaters with the serials and newsreels. Later, they were edited and 'dumbed down' and shown to kids on TV in the '60's and '70's. They still make comics for kids, sure, but the bulk of books are for their target audience, Men. Women watch their Soaps, Men read their comics. Same thing. Each issue of a title is a serialized chapter in the life of the Hero and the Supporting Characters. In other words, a soap opera for men.

Now, comics have become a gold mine for Hollywood. 30 Days of Night? Based on a comic. Johnny Depp's From Hell? Based on a comic. Hellboy? Based on a comic. V for Vendetta? Yep, based on a comic. It's gotten to the point now that Creator's in small companies are developing properties in hope that it'll get a movie option. That's "fenced in" Creators in developing properties that only look good on screen. How about just developing an engaging story with good characters? Let Hollywood worry about developing the property for the screen.

My favorite character? Spider-Man. Hands down. Cool costume. Cool powers.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I have been published. I've written many a script that has not been published. I've written scripts and been paid and they haven't been published. I'd rather get published and not make a cent, to be honest.

I've also self-published. Let me tell you, I have newfound respect for self-publishers after doing that. It is a ton of work. In the end, though, it was worth every droplet of sweat. A labor of love and all that. The book is called The Elvis Files and it was originally going to be 3 issues. After some debating (some people call me a Master Debater :-)), I decided to combine the issues and turn it into a graphic novel. It has great Art by Peter Deluca and I lettered the first chapter before a looming personal deadline made me farm out the lettering on the next two chapters. I guess you can say that the book is patterned as if it were an episode of the X-Files TV show that featured Elvis as the FBI Agent. It did garner some favorable reviews but didn't sell much. I have plenty of copies so if you're interested then shoot me an e-mail and I'll send you a copy.

Above is the cover by Gil Sanchez. It was my idea but Gil drew it perfectly.