We jumped right into things in Van Jensen’s new new newsletter edition No. 1 a couple of weeks ago, talking about how a tea kettle made me a better writer (and, no, it wasn’t because I started drinking tea). But I realized that I jumped right over introducing myself. And since there are quite a few new subscribers (glad you’re here!) after I was featured on Why Is This Interesting last week, it feels like a good moment to offer a quick background on myself and my writing.
What do I do?
I am, by profession, an author. I’ve written eight (this sounds glib, but I lose count) graphic novels and several hundred issues of monthly comic books. For those unfamiliar, a graphic novel is an original book-length comic. Comic book is a single issue, usually coming out monthly at about 20-24 pages per issue. I’ve written a novel that will come out in 2022 or 2023.
I also do lots of other stuff, probably to my own detriment. I have written and directed short films and music videos, developed TV shows, re-branded large institutions and companies, created public art installations and, most recently, started up a landscape design and install company. That last one is not a joke, hand to God.
I’ll probably talk more about all of that stuff in future editions, but for now, let’s leave it at this: I’m an author.
Why am I an author?
It’s the only thing that ever made much sense to me. I grew up in a family of storytellers in western Nebraska (1,000 people in the whole county!), among people who were this incredible and unlikely blend of artistic and blue collar. Artists and teachers, musicians and farmers, painters and home builders.
I was reading at 4, and I started drawing and writing my own comic strips at the same age. A famous family story is that I drew a political cartoon about John Sununu (yes, Reagan’s chief of staff) when I was 5. I had an older cousin who started sharing comic books with me around that time, and I was hooked. Green Lantern, X-Men, Spider-Man, G.I. Joe. I devoured them, read each issue till it crumbled. Then recreated it as best I could.
We lived a couple of miles outside of a town of 300 people, and there was no cable or satellite, no internet. But we had dozens of acres with a creek and a woods, and some rusted farm equipment, and I tell you what, that land became a million different places. All we did was go outside and play and imagine, creating stories, creating worlds. And then when it got too dark, we’d come inside and read or watch movies.
I saw the world in stories, and so I told stories of my own. (As it turns out, research points toward story structure being the way in which our minds process reality.) There is, to be clear, no logical argument for attempting to become an author. But I’m convinced that stories are the best (only?) way to connect to, and change, the way other people see the world. I do this work because, as crazy as it sounds, I think the stuff inside my head can help influence things for the better.
Why comics?
I’m a visual thinker. I have near-perfect recall, and when I imagine stories, I see them. I love prose, but there’s something magical about comic books, which engage your visual sense but also have some space for your imagination to fill in sounds and movement and the time that ellipses between panels.
All I ever wanted as a kid was to make comics. But I never knew anyone who did that, and it didn’t feel like a real career. Instead, I went into journalism. Through that, I learned how to think and research and work and to hit deadlines and to take notes without being an ass (usually). I had some success at it in newspapers and magazines, and I had probably a few million words published. Lots of bad writing I pushed through, getting a bit better every day.
Then an artist friend suggested we make a comic book together. And we did! (My “breaking in” story will be good for another newsletter.) And then DC Comics hired me. And then everything else. And here I am, still going. Still trying to get a little better every day.
What’s this newsletter going to be about?
My hope is that this can be a space to talk about, and learn about, storytelling, writing and comic books. Most editions will probably be a mix of me telling a story and using that story to share something I’ve learned about writing. I also could dig into some specific information about what comic books are, the components of them, and how to make them.
But I would also love for this to be a newsletter that is specifically useful to you. And so if you have a question, suggestion, etc., please leave it in the comments below. You can also get in touch on Twitter.
All right. That’s enough for now. Nice to meet all of you.