It all started with a piece of paper found in a tin of crab meat.
A globe spanning adventure would follow that tracked opium smugglers to the Moroccan desert, and would involve sea-plane hijackings, kidnappings, oceanic escapes, desert mirages and wine-cellar shootouts.
I was 5 years old, and I had just read my first comic book. It featured a lead character named Tintin, and was titled "The Crab with the Golden Claws" (originally published in French in 1941). I was hooked. For better or for worse, it started a lifelong love affair with comic books.
Comic books occasionally get a bit of a bad rap - sometimes rightfully so. There are a lot of bad and worthless comic books out there that cater to the fantasies of acne stricken men who have never been kissed, never shave, never shower, and never venture outside of their parent's basement (except to the comic book store, of course, although they probably just could order them over the internet and never leave their asses). Despite that, it is an art form that has also produced a lot of great and compelling stories.
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When comics are done successfully, there are three stories going on - one told by reading the words, another by examining what was depicted in the pictures, and a third that is born when both art and words are combined. Check out the page posted above - it's not even written in English, yet the artwork still gives you enough information to tell a story.
As a child, Tintin taught me some pretty big words. Perhaps more importantly, it taught me that you can tell a story with a series of pictures placed one after the other that was usually far more stimulating to the imagination than television. Regular reading books were good too, but they only gave you words to feed on. My senses demanded more!
From a very young age, I knew that I wanted to be involved in this industry. I wanted to draw, write, colour, letter - anything! I dreamed of the day that I'd be able to open up a book and see my name in lights (or ink)! Over the years, I've come to accept that I do not have the artistic speed needed to draw stories for a living. I have however, been blessed to have been given the opportunity over the last few years to be a comic book colourist.
After months of continuing and steady moonlighting in the colouring industry, I've FINALLY given myself some time off (that made my wife happy!). I'd decided I'd take an hour or two out of this morning to go through a stack of books I'd purchased but hadn't yet found the time to read. One of the books that I'd just received was my (free!) copy of The Chronicles of Conan volume 9.
This was on page 3:
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For the first time since I'd started colouring in 1998; for the first time since I'd started dreaming about being involved in this industry... my name. Listed on the same page as such industry giants as Peter Dawes, Wil Glass and Ian Sokoliwski (along with some lesser known players like John Buscema and Roy Thomas).
It made me think to that fateful night a quarter of a century ago, where I'd opened up a masterfully done book whose first page featured a character opening tin of crab meat. That night we'd both opened something that couldn't be closed or ignored that would start us down a path of adventure. While the adventure that led me to getting my first ever credit in a comic book didn't feature any kidnappings, seaplane hijackings, or escapes from opium smugglers, it was hardly less exciting.
Currently playing: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra -
Also Sprach Zarathustra (The theme from 2001: Space Odyssey)Addendum: For some good comics that don't pander to the lowest common acne covered denominator, check out the following:
Maus: A Survivor's TaleThe WatchmenLouis Riel: A Comic-Strip BiographyTintinMouse Guard
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