something I am grateful for today

[johncomic]

I posted another issue of Dishman online today, which gave me another opportunity to look at my old work. As is pretty much par for the course, I'm not inordinately pleased with it. In fact, to me it looks like unprofessional work [with the occasional moment -- but “occasional moments” are not enough to make you a pro].

Today I am grateful that there are some professionals out there who disagree with me. In particular today, I'm thinking of Jim Salicrup, who was an editor at Topps Comics in 1993 and invited me to produce an original Dishman short story as a back-up feature for an issue of one of his books. This allowed me my most professional comics experience ever! He provided me with free top-of-the-line art supplies (which I was unable to find or afford for myself in those days), he assigned a pro colorist to my work, I was in a book that was being distributed to all the comics shops at the height of the boom so that meant exposure... and the title that my back-up appeared in was a series that had been created by Jack Kirby, so my name appeared along with Jack's in the credits. 

I never felt so much like a pro as I did during that short assignment. And Jim must've thought my work was good enough to be treated that way, cuz it was all his idea, he came to me and asked me to do it. A nice memory!

Comments

[alisonebruce.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see that short story.

[johncomic.livejournal.com]

You will, eventually. It fits in the continuity of the main series, so I will post it online when we get to the right place...

[ginsu.livejournal.com]

Your analysis is sound. I find the apparent conclusion, that you have a long history of doing professional-quality work and yet also strive continually to improve, irrefutable.

[johncomic.livejournal.com]

It's true, I am still working on things and trying to do better. Sometimes I manage to achieve it, as well -- there are things I'm doing better now than I was a year ago.