If At First You Don’t Succeed…
If you read last month’s newsletter, you know my upcoming graphic novel Woodland Hills was dropped by the publisher. The rights have been reverted to me so I’ll be pitching again to new publishers. My agent asked if I wanted to update anything with the pitch and also that I should add an about/why page.
Well that opened up a whole can of worms. Maybe 25% of the original pitch remains with most of it rewritten and a ton of new artwork. Below is an example of a redrawn page. I had updated the designs of half the characters since the initial pitch so I wanted to make sure it reflected what they now look like in the book.
I can’t say if a new publisher will pick it up but I am really happy with how it all turned out. I thought it would be interesting to share with you what I wrote for the Why page because you’re part of it.
Why Kid Comics?
When I was a little kid, I fell in love with comic books. I loved going to the grocery store with my mom so I could peruse the magazine section looking for the latest comics. I would hound my mother to buy me one. Occasionally, she would relent.
When I was a little older, I was able to earn money from mowing the lawn and other household chores. I would bike over to the convenience store to buy obscene amounts of candy and search the spinner rack for the latest and greatest comics. I’d eventually find the perfect issue to bring home, adding it to my growing stash to read and reread. At 75 cents a pop, I was quite the collector.
I grew up in an era where you didn’t have to go to a specialty shop or bookstore to find a comic. You’d run across them pretty regularly when you were dragged along for whatever errands your parents were running. And they didn’t cost much, just a bit of pocket change.
That doesn’t really exist anymore. While I may lament that, my 10-year-old mind would be blown away at comics today. Long form, self-contained graphic novels, digital downloads, whole sections in libraries and bookstores dedicated to them.
While discovering and collecting comics was fun, the true magic was in the stories and the way they made me feel. They filled me with awe and wonder and opened my eyes to the amazing opportunities the future held for me.
I was captivated by fun and adventure, inspired by characters that overcame absurd obstacles, dazzled by spectacular art. I want to convey those same feelings and that sense of hope and limitless possibilities to today’s readers.
We are living in the golden age of kid’s graphic novels. I love seeing today’s amazing selection of books, stories, and creators. We also live in a time where the competition for our attention has never been greater, so when I see kids reading graphic novels, it warms my heart.
I want to inspire kids to read, and not just my books. I write a newsletter that’s all about kids comics. I write about creativity and making comics. Every month I share a new creator interview and graphic novel with my readers. In that way, I can be the spinner rack for parents and teachers looking for the latest and greatest comics to add to their kid’s collection.
(Mr. Naylor, if you’re reading, the above picture on the right I’m 16 maybe 17. So TBT high school era.)
Favorite Thing I Drew This Month
Sophia and I have been collaborating on Boogie Woogie, YouTube videos for little children. I’ve been designing and she’s been animating. They’ve been fun to create together. I am particularly pleased with that bus design. We just released the first 2 videos. If you know anyone with small kids, please share it with them. We’d love for them to see it.
Favorite Thing I Didn’t Draw
This dragon by previous 3 Questions participant Dan Santat. We went to the book release of Built To Last by Minh Le and Santat at the Once Upon A Time bookstore. I answered a trivia question and got the drawing as a prize. So River now has a Santat original hanging in his room.
Family Stuff
May sure was busy for us! We went to Free Comic Book Day at Revenge Of Comic shop/Pinball Arcade in Eagle Rock. It’s a really cool shop. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of actual kid comics available. I suppose I shouldn’t be. The whole initiative was started as a way to get new and young readers interested in comic books. Nice to see it being embraced by traditional book publishers along with the comic book publishers.
Sophia and I saw Ali Wong at The Wiltern. She was fantastic. Such a well-written and performed show. Not a wasted moment. It’s obvious why she is a star. I’m reminded of the phrase “be undeniable”. Be so good at what you do, that you can’t be ignored or overlooked.
And finally, Penny turned one! She was only sort of into the cake smash thing. More than River was at his but nothing crazy. I was looking at pictures of when she was born and it’s crazy how much River has grown in that year. And next year I’ll look back and think the same for both of them.
I’ll close with a quote from Sayadaw U Pandita via Cory Muscara. “The belief that there is some future moment more worth our presence than the one we’re in right now is why we miss our lives.”
I hope you are living your best life right now. Thank you for reading. See you next issue 🙂
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