I got my start in comics through the small press. That’s right, my comics career began with the same kind of photocopied-and-hand-stapled comics you still see at conventions like the Small Press Expo and MoCCA (though not in as great numbers as there used to be).

See, back in 1988 I stumbled across a magazine called Small Press Feedback, written and published by Tim Corrigan, who was known as the “godfather” of the small press. He was the Stan Lee of minicomics, preaching the gospel of homemade creativity because, darn it, you didn’t have to work for Marvel or DC to produce comics, you could make your own! Flipping through the magazine, I was amazed by how many people were out there doing just that. I had to get in on this!

In 1989, I released Lorelei #1, which introduced my redheaded succubus character (who’s now the star of the SWC graphic novel, Lorelei: Sects and the City). Influenced by Vampirella, Marvel’s own succubus, Satana, and their superhero duo Cloak & Dagger, and the TV show The Equalizer (!) it showed Lori in action against a street gang mugging a couple out on a date. As lame as the dialogue was, as sad-looking as the art appeared (in retrospect), I was incredibly proud of my efforts—I’d written, drawn, and published my first comic!

Over the years since, I’ve dabbled with making other small-press comics, but I’m much too slow an artist to keep any sort of schedule (I got novels to write, y’know!). And, unfortunately, the small press isn’t what it used to be—you just don’t see a lot of artists hawking their minicomics and digests at comic conventions like they did back in the days of Small Press Feedback. Expensive table prices have a lot to do with that; the advent of webcomics is another reason—why pay for printing when you can just upload it to the Web, right? And some of the prices charged by those who do continue making digests and minicomics are just outright ridiculous ($5.00 for a 24-page, b&w digest? Really?). Still, it’s always great to come across new small-press creators.

Like Amanda Sprecher, writer/artist of the kid-friendly minicomic series The Adventures of Jade and Butch. I met Amanda and her mother at Wizard’s Big Apple Con and, after I did my pitch for the Pandora Zwieback series, we got into a discussion about all the comic creators there were at the show. Amanda then presented me with copies of the first two issues of Jade and Butch. The lead characters are a girl and boy who are the world’s only defense against a recurring alien invasion—with the three-eyed aliens sort’a like, “And we would’ve gotten away with our invasion, too, if it hadn’t been for those meddling kids!”

Smartly written and nicely drawn, Jade and Butch is an all-ages comic that reminded me of author Bruce Coville’s science fiction book series, My Teacher Is an Alien. Check out Amanda’s web site (link above) for more information.

On the other, adult end of the spectrum, there’s Australian cartoonist and musician Troy Mingramm, lead singer of the punk band Bull Fight in Mexico. I had the pleasure of meeting Troy at Boston Comic Con. He was stunned by the convention turnout, and said they don’t have any comic cons this large in Australia.

“You should see San Diego Comic Con, man,” I told him. “Over a hundred thousand people last year. That thing would blow your mind!”

“My mind’s blown right now!” he said. And that was even before I told him about Pandora Zwieback!  😉

Troy gave me a copy of Bull Fight’s self-titled CD (good, hard-edged music, with a strong political message) and a bunch of his midmagazine-size comics: Anting the Killer Ant & Sunburner (a superhero team-up), Romanticide #1, and the autobiographical Troy’s Tales #2–4. They contain some hard-core language and situations and are not for the kiddies, but Troy definitely knows how to tell a story!

Like I said, it’s good to see that small-press creators are still out there, putting their unique visions on paper—even as far away as Australia! The DIY small press may not be as prevalent as it once was, but as long as there are cartoonists like Amanda and Troy keeping the flame alive, it’ll never truly fade away.