Brant was a fan of comics as a kid and it stuck with him into adulthood. These days he's also an aspiring comic creator. This column discusses his personal journey from fandom to the annals of the creative society that is the world of comics. Brant's current comic series is The Wannabez and this is his journey. (If it's your first time joining him, you can visit the links at the bottom of the article to start the journey from the beginning.)
BACK AT THE BEGINNING
If you don't know me, read last week's column here. I'll wait...
So, if you don't know, now you know. If you're still with me after that, then God bless you. And now that I have your attention, let's get on with the story, shall we?
It all started 31 years ago when I was nothing but an unplanned little surprise... what? Too far back? Man, I can't do nothing!
Ok, so long story short, I was born in Georgia, and by the age of six I had lived in 4 different states and 5 different cities, including Phoenix, Arizona; Seabrook Island, SC; Warner Robins, GA; Cathleen, GA; and Lexington, KY. And that's where this tale really starts. But to make you understand me and my journey you first have to understand that of my relatives.
I come from a very creative family. My mother, aunt and Papaw were all very good artists. My mother and aunt both actually had an opportunity to work with Charles Schulz, but for various reasons it didn't work out. Singing, drama, dancing and various other artistic abilities are also prevalent in my mother's side of the family, whereas my dad and his side, bless their hearts, don't have a creative bone in their bodies. As you probably surmise, I was raised by my mother and around her side of the family.
After my parents divorced when I was five, we moved back to Kentucky where my mom was born and all her family lived. For a year I didn't say much as I was in a state of shock from the traumatic event. But I was not alone. I had my cousin Jay, who was only a few months older than me, and I would go on to create an entire city of imaginary friends. There was Inky, Blinky, Binky, Stinky, Dinky and so on and so forth, and they lived in Link Vegas.
It's okay, I know you're thinking it--I should have been institutionalized. Believe me, my family wondered the same thing at times. But it turns out that creative imagination of mine was the seed that would birth my creative career. But that wouldn't be for some time.
You see, I was a quiet and shy child, and I didn't have very many friends. So I would entertain myself with my imagination. We couldn't afford a lot, so I made do with boxes, pots, pans and what few toys I did have. My Papaw, at the time, was a drinker and could be pretty mean. When I think about certain occasions in my childhood I think of Harry Potter at the Dursleys in his little cubby. Me, I had the spider infested, cold concrete floored basement in which from time to time, Papaw would lock me in there with the lights off just for laughs.
Needless to say, I had some early trauma. And as I had since I was little when my parents would argue, I would invent my way out of my problems. I would go off on these imaginary journeys to places unknown and encounter strange new worlds, places and things. I would also draw - well, it was more so tracing at that time.I had these school folders with cartoon characters on them like the Smurfs and Garfield, and I would trace them for hours. This was my first inclination towards art, though at that age I really wanted to be a chef or a baker. Hey, I loved food, and it showed!
As I got older I began entertaining my younger cousins with my imagination. There was this game I created simply called "Mark, Brian, Peggy and Lisa". Where I got the names I have no clue, but the three of us - myself, my cousin Jay, and our younger cousin Susan playing both girls' parts- would enact these characters in this sci-fi world where we had to battle The Guard. I was into Star Wars and Buck Rogers, so it was only natural. Most of the time Jay wasn't around, so I played both Mark and Brian, and we'd go around shooting these invisible Guardsmen.
With my few friends from school, Amy and Jason, we would instead reenact Dukes of Hazard and Knight Rider. We had this red porch glideron the back patio that we would pretend was either car, and so I'd be leaping over the arm pretending like I was Luke Duke sliding in the window. Those were the days.
But alas, over the years you grow out of that sort of thing, and that's where art comes back into the picture.
~B
Brant W. Fowler / Writer, Letter, Creator, Reviewer, Columnist and Comic Related PR Coordinator
Brant W. Fowler has been a professional comic book letterer and logo designer for three years, and has been a freelance editor for the past five years. He has also worked with graphic design, writing and many other area of skills for several years honing his talents. You can learn all about what he's up to by visiting Gonzogoose Services. Brant is also a member of the core opperations team at Comic Related.
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