I was told I had a natural talent for drawing too.
I used to freehand draw artwork from Mad Magazine and my favourite artist was Don Martin.
The first superhero comic I bought for myself with my own money was a Spider-man comic. I don’t know the particular title or issue number. I was 15 at the time and have been reading and collecting ever since and I’m 52 now.
I’ve also had people tell me that my writing was good enough for me to be a published author and to never give up. Personally I think they were just trying to humour me, but maybe that’s just imposter syndrome.
While I love reading fiction, I prefer writing non fiction or reality based stuff.
That’s what I have always posted in blogs and I have used them to ask people the deep and meaning full questions of life.
Don’t get me wrong, fiction is really cool and it has allowed me to get some cool ideas across, but it’s something that I sometimes struggle with.
It’s not something I particularly like to dwell on and this meant to be a personal redemption story with a positive ending.
I promise to keep this as short as possible.
When I started reading comics, there were two major comic shops.
One was managed by an rude, racist, sexist, Italian man who would call his customers, including myself “Captain Wank-a-lot”.
The other was managed by a very tall, solid guy with a deep voice and a gruff demeaner. If you were in his store longer than 30 seconds, he’d think you were going to shoplift. And would ask “How can I help you?” in a menacing tone.
One day this store had new employee with decent customer service, genuine comic book knowledge and someone who I eventually became friends with.
He expanded my mind to new authors and artists. He was working there with the goal of eventually setting up his on comic shop, which he did.
Once that was established he arranged to have a local comic book meet up at a local pub on the first Saturday of the month. There were reduced price drinks and a tray of sandwiches created by the Deli a few doors down from the pub.
A few of the people that came to this meeting set up their own publications where people could submit their own comic pages, sometimes these things would have themes.
I would create artwork in order to be published in those publications, and there were art auctions at the pub too.
This was when things turned dark.
The people running those publications started working at the comic store.
They would also gatekeep who was allowed to contribute artwork to their publications and more often than not, my work was ridiculed as being not good enough, and if it did make it through I was told it was because they were desperate.
Demoralising stuff. That was the beginning of why I stopped drawing.
Meanwhile my friend who owned the store became more and more alcoholic, which lead to a divorce with his first wife, getting married again and eventually divorced again.
The new staff of the store got sick of my friend’s alcoholism and apparently verbal abuse and plotted to set up a new comic store. This store has since moved to smaller building and is always empty on the rare occasion I am forced to go past it.
My friend stopped paying the comic book suppliers and then his rent and he eventually lost the store. He became paranoid and turned against me, thinking I was spying on him for his second ex wife. I wasn’t. I was concerned for his mental health.
The owners of the pub turned against him too, giving the comic meetings to the owner of the new comic store, leading those of us who knew what was going on to set up our own comic meetings.
Tragically, my friend ended his own life with an overdose of pills and alcohol. He had two young children at the time who now live with his first wife.
It’s enough to put anyone off of doing something they love.
Last year, I attended the Papercuts Comics Festival, and was inspired by George Rex to create my own comics for next year’s festival when I had bought some of her stuff.
I also met Nicola Scott who autographed a Gatchaman comic that she had done the cover and interior artwork for. She didn’t even have her own copy yet!
She, along with a lot of other artists, also encouraged me to create comics.
David Hodson had told me to forget about the art so much and focus more on getting the story right, which is partly why I am writing this. To get the ideas out in front of me.
Other inspirations include Lynda Barry’s “Making Comics”, Edward Ross’s “Graphic Novel Builder”, and Tamara Micheal’s “A Drawing A Day, ”Stan Lee’s How To Write Comics” and ”How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way”.
Making Comics, Graphic Novel Builder, A Drawing a Day
Artists guillotine
But while inspirations are good, it’s up to me to actually do the work, and that’s what cones next!
Thank you for reading, and enjoy your weekend.
Shaidon
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