I did a piece on writing, so it makes sense I'd make a comment on the current style that I'm using. Like a lot of things, it's evolved over the many years since picking up a pencil and still is. It's probably not for everyone, but I've settled into it pretty well now.

Oh I've had my moments of aping other styles. The early 90s I was over doing my cross hatching with the best of them. I had my John Byrne "homage" style for awhile. If you look at someone like Mr. Byrne he has a comic book realism going. On the surface, you get the realism, but then you look closer and it's not our world. It's the comic world it belongs in. To this day, it still draws me in.

Of course I can't go any further than the legend that Frank Miller is. Like many of my generation, I awed in wonder at Dark Knight Returns. And while I tried to draw like him, I don't think anyone can truly emulate that style of energy and power he brings to his creations. Sometimes you can't participate in something. You have to step back and watch it done right,

Probably the artist that worked his way into my subconscious art style, to the point I didn't really realize, was Matt Wagner. My first experience wasn't MAGE, but the Demon mini-series he did for DC in the mid 80s. From there, I was exposed to Grendel. As I mentioned in the earlier blog, I read it too young, but wow. If you could see my ridiculously read worn copy of DEVIL BY THE DEED, you can see the absolute Wagner guy I am. Watching Mr. Wagner grow as an artist project to project has been one of the best things about being a comics fan. I got to watch him experiment and then grow into the style he currently uses. 

It's deceptively simple at first glance. Then you see the level of storytelling employed. It's the type after reading, you get up and walk to your art table and rip up everything you've done that afternoon.

But I digress.

Long story shot, I work simple.

I've long considered myself a writer than draws. As such telling a story with pictures is a little more important to me than drawing spectacularly composed illustrations. You might have noticed a little difference in how I draw the normal stuff opposed to the more action oriented mask material. The everyday relationship stuff I tend to draw very casual and to the point. Guess that's my exposure to b&w indy books speaking. Goes back to me wanting you to know the characters a little better. I try to add a little adrenaline to the actiony parts. I'm not a heavy composition guy. But I try to make it easy to follow.

The  art is my way of trying to create a feel for the book. Something that makes it mine. A lot of the book is going against a lot of modern takes on these types of books. And at the end of the day, while I do have some "echh" moments, I'm proud of the book. I'm really trying not to compromise for something popular. Letting it flow on it's own without too much thought of would someone like to look at this other than me. By that thinking, I hope I'm making a more genuine read and look. The art may look simple but the heart behind it is great and very proud. As I continue on this journey, I'm going to work harder to become a better artist while still existing as the artist I am today.

Thanks for reading. Posting some issue #3 work soon.

One of the absolutely best parts of publishing and creating this book, is the other interpretations I've gotten from other artists.

The one to the left is from Jeremy King of Page4Yeti Comics. He wanted to do it for me and I was more than glad to receive it. It was my first fan art and he was the first person to draw the character past my son and I.

It was an honor to get and I will reproduce this artwork as long as the book is in publication.

Now below, I asked LOVE AND CAPES & LONG DISTANCE creator Thom Zahler to do a piece with his character and mine. I've been an admirer of his style from his website for awhile and while picking up the entire collections of both his series, asked for the artwork. I asked for a WORLD's FINEST kind of riff and ending up getting something so much better. With the character being somewhat based on my grandfather, who was a coffeeholic, having him having a friendly cup of joe with the Crusader was an unexpected pleasure. Thanks so much Thom!!!  If anyone reading this right now hasn't picked up LOVE AND CAPES yet, please do so.

My story has had many different flows over the years I have slowly worked it out. It started in the middle and worked it's way backward. It's heavily relied on flashbacks. And at one part, it ignored telling the origin at all, jumping right into the main story. Trust me, I've reordered and added so much as I arrived on the finished product.

I was always afraid of a 1,2, 3 type of story. No matter how many times I worked the story out, I felt like it was presenting it too plainly, no twist and turns like a lot of modern audiences seem to like. But it always felt the most right despite my apprehension. The flashback version was heavy in drama and those moments flashback stories are infamous for (WATCHMEN, LOST anyone?) While that version was the closest I came to using, it was my friend Roland, that suggested I should let the story establish the elements I wanted to let the flashbacks rely on. Let the characters tell the story opposed to stopping and doing a flashback. Made me rethink a few things.

It was then, I decided on a person retelling a story told to him and then those parts he lived himself. He would be telling this in some point of a present I would catch up to. It seemed the best way to fill in cracks of the art and points I wanted the humanity and character traits to come out. By the time I introduce the Tommy that is narrating the story, I wanted you to know him pretty well. So that when the story caught up to him you're along the ride with him.

Probably the biggest influences on this manner of narration was the Grendel books I grew up on (read them too young, and yes, I actually did have a white streak in my hair). Matt Wagner wrote them from a novel approach of memoirs or journalling. I thought it was a good way of telling a story in the past while allowing me to speak from a present point of view. Also, took that style example from Kurt Busiek from his multiple uses of it in MARVELS and of course, ASTRO CITY.

I'm no where as good in using the style, but I'm attempting. It's really feels like a good match in the type of story I'm telling. And I'm letting it tell it to me. I'm just as much a part of the ride as you are. A lot of the books on the shelf nowadays are amazing works of fiction. I can't compete with that. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel like a lot of them are attempting to do. My goal is making this group of characters feel real and familiar. I work from character and the plot, while important, comes in secondary. I know where they're going but they might suggest other paths as I go. The Doc character has always been an very important part of the story. But the way I am telling it, he made me throw him into the background. He's not a spotlight type of character. You'll see him, and in fact, you actually have seen him in one panel if you put all the clues together (not a mystery, just trying to throw subliminals out there),

Kinda scary when I think about it. And while, yeah, I am using a type of 1, 2, 3 storytelling, it's an origin. There are surprises along the way (tried really hard on the Colonel bit). And wait till you see who the tall fellow next to the Colonel is on the cover of Issue #3. It's surprising to me when I start to ask my own questions about how these characters would react to certain situations, the story materializes.

Just one of the many unexpected joys of finally getting this story out. Thanks for going along for the ride,

You probably noticed that brand spanking new image on the front page. Long promised and I finally delivered. I kept my black trilogy going. This was a pretty hard one to get done. I wanted to show the pivotal scene in the book. But keep it vague enough not to give away the reasoning or how Tommy got to that spot. Believe me, it doesn't give away the ending, just where I'm headed for the ending of this book.

Issue #3 is not like the other two issues. It moves a little quicker with more dramatic spots. As you can notice, Tommy's grown a bit. But is he any more prepared?

Each issue I've tried to mold my main story into self contained chapters leading with a main story. Issue #1 was a overview of the origin of the mask. It let me fit a golden/silver age feel to the book while introducing the main elements.

Issue #2 was an introduction to the main character and his path. It was intended to be a romp and adventure (meaning plot light) while introducing some of the parts of the story that will continue to echo on throughout issue #3.

Issue #3 is a little more serious and a little more story heavy. This culminates Tommy's initial journey in a way he never saw coming. And those that think the above image telegraphs anything more than what was established at the end of issue #2, might be surprised. Remember this is meant to read as a graphic novel, so anything you might have felt was missing from the earlier two parts, I hope you find it in this.

Working away to finish it. Starting my initial layouts to BOOK TWO. I can't wait to get started on that part.

Sorry this has nothing to do with dragons. I just had to get a Doctor Who reference in here somewhere and thought that was so fresh on my mind, I'd go with it.

Wasn't that series premiere good? In the late 1970s when I got the rare chance to find something on to watch (we had a whole 10 channels then) for myself, I came upon this curly headed smiling man with a ridiculously long scarf. That moment would mark me, unwittingly at the time, as a Whovian. Now I get to watch and share with my son and wife. It's great and despite some ups and downs on some of the scripts, the show has had some amazing moments.

Back with our regularly scheduled program.

I think it's interesting that a few columns ago I was talking about Facebook and Twitter. One other reason I forgot to mention during my reasoning of why I haven't joined either one, was my fear of oversharing like I've seen so many do.  Little did I realize not a couple of days later, I would go on and on about my experience with the Cincinnati Comic Expo and meeting Darwyn Cooke, Lee Weeks & Thom Zahler.

Now don't get me wrong, those feelings were genuine. But I feel I just over related what went on. That's new to me. I've always been a reserved, private person. But with this last year of finally creating a comic, I'm finding out some new things about myself. I won't go so far as claim a regeneration like the Doctor, but I do feel revitalized in a manner of speaking. I think anyone who finds a moment of happiness can see what I'm talking about. You talk different, smile a little more, and just maybe you relate an experience a little more flowery than you used to.

I was really nervous to give my comic to Darwyn and Thom, just as I would anyone who does this for a living. It was just a bit more because I admire their work. And in Darwyn's case, the inspirations comes not only from the work he does, but due to the fact he entered comics a little later in life after a successful career in graphic design. Something that I'm attempting to do. There's no comparison past that, but I see him as someone who kept up with his dream of comics. That helps me so much. So giving those books was an accomplishment in this journey of working on this book. And I was proud of that. Every bit of that will help me grow as an artist and as a spokesperson for my book.

That's a good thing right?

This is kind of an addendum to the previous blog about the Cincinnati Comic Expo. But this has to do with the creators I got to meet.

I am a comics fanboy. I see creators as both celebrities and inspiration for those of us who try to create our own comics. Since embarking on this journey, I wear my inspirations on my sleeve (and in my books). It has long been my goal to give a copy of my book to those on my list if I ever get the chance. My driving options are limited (mostly the time factor because of my business). So I have to wait till a comic creator gets within my sphere of travel. While browsing upcoming cons a few months ago, I found one. DARWYN COOKE. He was being hosted by the Cincinnati Comic Expo. And despite my reservation of the type of con I knew the Expo was, I was willing to face that crowd and meet Mr. Cooke.

Darwyn is an amazing creator. Started seeing his stuff in the early 2000s. Found out he did the opening of BATMAN BEYOND. He went on to create the excellent NEW FRONTIER both in comics and then later animation. The last few years he's been doing the Donald Westlake/Richard Stark PARKER adaptations for IDW. Which, if you haven't read them, stop what you're doing and get to a store that has them now!

Fast forward to this weekend. Here I was in line, surrounded by people who would probably just laugh at me for trying to give my book to Darwyn. I was sweating, heart pounding. Then it was my turn. I barely got a "Mr. Cooke how are you doing?" out of my mouth. I had brought comics for him to sign, mainly because they meant a lot to me, and I wanted to make sure he realized that. But I brought too many for the line that was behind me. So I started paring them back. Finally on the last one, he was about to say thanks and move on to the next person. I was about to lose my chance.

But I didn't. I actually said "Mr. Cooke do you take other people's comics? One created by myself and my son and you being such a inspiration, can I give you one?"

There wasn't even a moment of awkward silence. He said he'd take it. Said he liked looking at other work. He stared at the front of the book (gave him the SPECIAL EDITION from the Ashland con), and...

He said he liked my cover.

Took me a few minutes to get what he just said. He flipped through the book. And then he thanked me for giving it to him. I then asked to take a photo with him. He was concerned for the line, but took it anyway and it was extremely appreciated.

As stressed out as I was about it, and I almost chickened out, I felt relief. I followed through on a promise I made to myself. I gave my book to Darwyn Cooke and he was cool about it. Will never forget that. My hope is that one day he might give it a read. And judging by his reaction I think he will.

One of the creators I approached as kind of practice for Darwyn, was Lee Weeks. I have seen Lee's work for years. Have a few books by him. But he's one of those artists that kind of passed by me. Not because I didn't like his work, but I wasn't collecting the books he was working on at the time. But since he's drawing the new Superman book starring an older before the new 52 Clark and Lois (y'know the good one) I wanted to tell him how much I appreciated some preview art I saw about the book. Told him one of the panels almost made me shed a tear. He appreciated that. We stood there and talked for awhile. He was even going to try to fit me a sketch into his busy schedule. While he eventually would not have the time to do it, I appreciated the effort so much and can't wait for that book to come out.

Other than Darwyn, I wanted to buy the complete LOVE AND CAPES collection from Thom Zahler. Been wanting to buy them for years but put it off for one reason or another. Then when I learned he did conventions, planned to buy them directly from him. Even asked him to do a drawing with his lead character, Mark (y'know the Crusader) with my MAN IN THE MASK. I just wanted to see another artist interpretation (Jeremy King was the first other than myself and my son to draw the character and he stoked my interest in seeing other interpretations.)

Thom was super nice. And when I offered him a copy of my book I think he thought it was just for reference. I had to tell him it was for him to take for himself. Might have thought it was odd, but as much as I have to sell what I print, I do like to share them with others if I can. I'm proud of my odd little book. And I do think while I'm not in the direct same category as his sitcom rom/com superhero book, we're in the same grouping as far as approach. The people behind the mask so to speak.

While the crowd aspect and the tone of the show was not quite my cup of tea, meeting those great creators was the high point. I felt energized by meeting them and appreciated their time. I got to see a number of talented creators the last few weeks that have inspired me to continue on with my story plans and art. I'll try to keep up with the blogs but I want to work on finishing issue #3 and start BOOK TWO.

Stay tuned this week. Issue #3 cover is on it's way.

About 4 months ago, I decided that I was going to attend the Cincinnati Comic Expo. For mostly one reason, Darwyn Cooke. The second being able to buy LOVE AND CAPES from Thom Zahler. That was it. Sure, they announced a few more talented creators to be there, but the Expo is not just a comic con. It's a media event. The very opposite of the con that preceded it by a week and one I attended myself, the CincyCon. The amount of difference in these two cons was very apparent.

I don't know exactly what I was expecting. It had been awhile since I had went to a con that was more focused on the celebrity factor. They're ok. But I'm there for the comic people. The CincyCon had a nice steady trail of people and traffic. For the most part, they were polite and made way for you. Can't say that for the Expo. The people were in droves and it was hard to make it through the aisles, let alone stop at a table and look. It was crazy. It was like a river. You just kind of moved along or got trampled. I felt bad for the those there with little ones.

Now before I go further, anyone who knows anything about these two cons is that you find yourself in one camp or the other. I'm no different. The CincyCon was more my type of con. The celebrities there were the comic people. They were approachable and generous with both their time and would sign books if you brought them. At the Expo, it was a little bit different story.

I hesitate to start commentary on this. I can sort of see both sides of the argument I'm about to talk about. Comic creators charging for their signatures on comics brought to the con (not bought from their table).

Despite my age, I am relatively new to comic conventions. It was always my assumption that creators were more than glad to sign books you bought as appreciation for supporting their work. And for the couple of years I have been going to them, I have brought books with me. I am, out of courtesy, always prepared to purchase something new from their table (except Mark Waid, whom after I got star struck completely forgot to buy the script he was offering and I STILL feel bad for that). I thought that was fair. But at the Expo more than one creator was charging for signatures, two very well known to those of my generation. And this was even if you bought other things on their table.

I understand to a point, I do. You're surrounded by celebrities (some of which can barely make that claim) charging way too much for their autograph and photo. In addition, fans are coming to your table, asking for you to sign your book and then they run to get it authenticated and graded for more money. You're not making anything off that and you're the reason it's valuable. So what do you do to maybe equal things for yourself? But one artist was charging $30 for a signature (just one) and the same to have a picture taken with him (your camera). The other was charging $5 per book, which while better, if you have a lot of books that can get expensive. Not all creators there were charging for their signatures (thank you Darwyn Cooke and Lee Weeks!!!), but how long will it be till everyone says "Me too?"

Now it's all elective. You can choose to pay for it or not. But is this really where the comic convention scene is going? The Expo wasn't cheap. Especially for the three tickets I bought. Nothing in there was free, you have to buy more to bring anything out. That's expected. But now,  am I going to have to elect to no longer take my treasured comics to the cons to meet my favorite creators in fear of either offending them for not wanting to pay for the sigs, or offending me for charging too much?

Room for further thought I believe.

If there's one thing I can never be accused of, it's being social. Oh, it's not like I don't like talking to people, I do. But I am one of those awkward people that has trouble starting a conversation. Therefore, I tend not to start one. Always feel like I'm gibbering or mumbling, so I get self conscious. It's not that I'm being rude, I'm just shy I guess. That is, until you get me talking then you can't shut me up. Especially, if it's about comics.

This blog has been helpful for me to get the word out about the production and workings of this project. I love to share inspirations and backgrounds on this book. It means so much to me, even if you think it's an alright effort, that you've read the book and visit this site to watch me ramble.

One aspect of this whole process is the back and forth I continue to have about how social I need to be for this book, meaning, social media like Facebook and Twitter.

I'm in my early 40s and being a shy guy to begin with, social media is a very weird thing for me. I don't use it personally or for my graphic design business. I still talk and meet with clients personally. It just works for me. I see what a commitment social media can be and with my current schedule, just can't fit it in. Is that a crazy mentality in 2015?

Don't get me wrong, I go to company and artist Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. I know how they work. I get how they work. It makes sense like any form of advertising does. For myself though, I just don't know.

If there's been one major sticking point, and it exists to this very moment, is the feeling of "WHO AM I?" By that comment, I mean I'm a nobody creating a masked character book. Why would anyone outside of myself, care? At cons, when readers come up and actually want to buy a book, it floors me. When they want the book signed, even moreso.

I go up to someone like Chris Samnee or Mark Waid for their signatures because there are reasons for that. Years and years of amazing work and effort has demanded I show them respect. But behind the table now myself, I can't equate myself. Both cons I was selling at, I thought about doing sketches for a certain dollar amount. I didn't because I thought to myself, "who wants to see my Superman enough to pay for it?"

Call it an inferiority complex if you will. But with that mentality, I don't think I'm important enough to Facebook my book or Tweet what's coming up. For those of you that have bought the book and are visiting because there was something about it you liked and want to see more, THANK YOU!!! That's why I really write this blog. This is a very personal project for me. Not just the familial parts of it. I'm creating a comic book I've wanted to do for so long, and inferiority always kept me from doing it. I had to get to a point in my life that the thought of never doing it was scarier than the thought I wasn't good enough to do it.

If there's an aspect of being social I never will pass up, is the shared love of comics obviously we all have. For now, until I can decide about the social media thing, please continue to visit. And please feel to share it with someone else. I'm posting the cover to # 3 next week. I'm proud of #3 in a way that's as different as I was from #2 from #1 (for you Special Edition readers, color from b&w). At the end of the day, what I'm building to is accomplishing a goal I first set in front of myself at 12. If I impart half the fun I'm having to some other reader, or inspire them to do their own story, that is a very unexpected side effect I will take any day. That's how to really be social.

While I didn't exhibit at the wonderful Cincy Comicon (in Covington, KY actually), for the second year in a row, I did visit. It's a great, what I call, PURE con. Meaning, there are no celebrities from movies or tv shows to be seen. Nope. Nothing but real comics celebrities. Last year, we got to have a great conversation with Chris Samnee. This year I got to share my appreciation with a number of great comic creators, as well as, see other self publishing guys.

I got to meet Kevin Maguire and have him sign my JUSTICE LEAGUE books. Quiet, but nice guy. Also, asked Chris Sprouse for some book signings. And went down a few tables to watch Chris Burnham do  five minute sketches for fans. Got to watch him draw Robin Damien, Spider Man and Batman. He was very nice and signed our BATMAN INC books. Had to wait for after a panel and lunch to get Jeff Parker sign my FLASH GORDONs and tell him how truly appreciative I was for the great job CONVERGENCE: SHAZAM.

Walked down further to meet Cameron Stewart and ask how scripts from Chuck Palahniuk were. He gave me an interesting answer I'll keep between the two of us. Asked him to sign those FIGHT CLUB 2 books and some other Batman books he had worked on. Extremely nice guy I'm glad to support by continuing to buy books he produces. I wish I could have bought something new from each of them for taking the time to sign my books, but my funds were limited.

I think it's extremely important now that I have access to nice conventions to go to creators I like and respect and tell them so. Will my one voice matter? Maybe. But if everyone who goes up to them mentions how much their hard work is appreciated I think it means a lot. It does to me. And I'm sure they never get tired of hearing so. They sign autographs for no fee when they know fans are running and having them graded for more money. They are for the most part, extremely generous and share tips on their craft. As comic fans (and despite creating my own, I am a fan first), it's our responsibility to make these creators know that we appreciate them. We shouldn't take them for granted. They work long solitary hours so we can grab, read and in some instance critique their time.

Tony Moore is one of the organizers of this show and being a creator himself, you can tell he works hard to make sure the Cincy Con is one of the best cons around. Not just for fans but the creators that choose to attend. He'll never read this, but thank you Tony. Keep the con that cool and my family and I will attend as long as we can.

It was 1996. Indy comics were getting a spotlight they hadn't received before. Self publishing was all the rage. BONE, STRANGERS IN PARADISE, A DISTANT SOIL, HEPCATS, as well as CEREBUS still going strong, were buzzwords of excitement. These books were being crafted by a single creator who was bucking the trends of the day to tell their story. Largely black and white books, these books attracted me and gave me my want to go it all on my own. As such, I had to investigate how I needed to proceed.

These were the days before Print on Demand. You couldn't walk into a print shop and get a comic printed the way you wanted. No. You had to go through a professional printer. Which meant, at a minimum you had to order 1,000 copies of anything you wanted printed. Now one such as I at the time could not afford a color run. So b&w was my only choice in the matter.

I was just in the early threads of what would be MAN IN THE MASK at the time. Whenever I'm faced with some limitations, I typically choose to go with it. So MAN IN THE MASK was developed to be a b&w book.

I've seen books that were intended for color but had to go b&w. They looked horrible at the time (little better today). I didn't want a photocopy look. But I also didn't want just lineart. My artwork just wasn't strong enough for that. I knew I could go halftones with the printing technology at the time. Grayscale could give me some texture of tone to my artwork.

In designing the world and the characters, I went with the basics. I wanted them all to look like they lived in a black and white world. I didn't want it to look like I was settling. Hence, my lead characters wearing black and white clothes with a touch of gray to give them more feeling of being real.

I really did come to love the look of the book that way. It was very noirish and had a feeling about it. In the years (decades) that followed that was always my main priority to keep the book, if I were ever able to do it, b&w.

When I resumed being active on the book in 2014 that hadn't changed. The entire time I was drawing and inking, b&w was on my mind. After publishing the PRELUDE, I felt even more justified in the way it looked.

However, as I was working on the next segment of the book, something interesting started to happen. My son gave an opinion. In getting the PRELUDE out, he was helping me tone the gray into the pages. He had never used Photoshop or done anything like that before. I gave him a very quick lesson and off he went. As I was working on the other sections, he continued to explore Photoshop on his own. So much so, he started asking why we didn't just color the book. I, of course, scoffed at the idea. This book was long in the planning and I was sticking to my plans.

He kept at me though.

He'd color some stuff here and there to give me an example of what it could look like. I smiled and just went on. I was happy he was learning something like coloring, but this was my book and it was going to look like I had long envisioned it.

When I decided to break up the graphic novel into comics, I had enough material for a second issue. It was literally two and a half weeks before a con I was going to sell the book at. I figured it might have taken a day or so to tone the whole issue. No problem.

Then, I got thrown something I couldn't ignore. I was grayscaling the second page really liking how it was turning out. Then my son asked me if he could show me something he was working on. Of course, I said. It was the same page I was working on, but in color. I told him it looked good (which it did) but told him I was still sticking with the b&w. I went back to work but something happened while I was doing so. The grayscale stopped working for me. No it didn't turn off. I just lost the liking I had with what I was doing.

Freaked me out.

So I stepped back and decided to give it overnight just to see if it was just wear on my part.

Next day, I still couldn't get my enthusiasm back for what I was doing. Aiden was at school so I turned his computer on and opened that page. The color worked so much better for that page. That whole second part of the story is a homage to 80s comics I grew up on. And color just worked so much better for what I was going for.

Two weeks before a con and less than that before it needed to go to the printed, I made the decision to color 26 pages. For an experienced colorist, I'm sure that's nothing. But I'm not a colorist. I like pencil and ink drawings. I was horrible with color theory. But when I get my mind on something, I can't get it out of my head. After school, I informed Aiden on my plans. I could tell he thought both "HA! Told you so." and "You're crazy" at the same time. But I was serious.

So for the next week and a half that's all we did. When he came home from school, he flatted out the pages and we both toned it. That's why we went with the two tone look for the book. It was something we both could do and not look too bad. Now I can't imagine the rest of the book looking any different.

Now we didn't have time to do much else. But he did ask me if I wanted him to color the first section of the book for later printings. I decided against it for a couple of reasons. I liked the way it looked first and foremost. Secondly, it's a story telling thing. As the book is now, the b&w section is a nice way of showing life before Tommy (II) is born. The entire sequence is how he saw the story of his grandfather's masked origin in his imagination. When I was a child in the 80s I still watched a number of b&w shows and even had a b&w tv. To a point, that's how I thought things looked like before I was around (even though I did know better). That made sense to incorporate that logic into a book about a grandson imagining what he was told. Then, the book switches to color as he recounts things he actually saw for himself.

Makes sense to me. I hope you like the color. Aiden has really worked grown in his coloring since that first page. I am proud beyond belief what he can do. If there's anything good about all the years I wasted not producing this book, it's that now I'm able to share and work on  it with my son. Who through no fault of my own, has become just as big of a comics guy.

Only problem is we fight over who gets to read something first. But since I'm old and can ground him from video games, I always win.

Just kidding.