As I say at the beginning of a lot of talks that I'm asked to do, it would be naive of me to think that you don't know who I am, but it would be even more naive of me to think that you do. So I'm going to make this first blog post a semi-introduction to who I am, what I do, and why I just love doing what I do.
That may sound like I am trying to sell to you, and I completely understand if you don't like that. But at the end of the day I'm in a fortunate position where I'm doing what I love, and for me to keep doing what I love, I need to sell what I do. Bu tI promise that I will keep it to a minimum even though I will mostly be talking about my work.
So let's get started, shall we?
We've already established that my name is Fwah. This always seems to be a good way of starting a conversation because my name is rather unique, even if I do say so myself. But what seems to keep the conversation going is when I'm asked about my line of work.
In all reality there is the quick answer that I tend to give because it's short, direct, and easy to understand. That answer is: I'm a Comic Book Writer/Artist....This answer keeps people happy, and they always want to know more even if they don't like Comic Books. And to be fair, it's an honest answer.
However, I feel that there is more to it than that. I'm a creative person. I like to make something from nothing (or sometimes less than nothing) and evolve a thought into an idea, and then evolve the idea into something that I am extremely passionate about. 9 times out of ten it's Comic Books.
But I also have a passion for music, and I have many years experience in music under my belt. I adore film (especially Film Noir, Animation & Horror) and I've done work in that field also.
I guess what I'm saying is that I'm a writer first and foremost. I've written poetry, short stories, film, animation, Comic Books, graphic novels, music and so on. I wouldn't call myself an artist in the sense of painting and drawing, but I would say it in the fact that all forms of creativity are art forms to me.
Yes, I draw a lot of my own stories when it comes to Comics, but even then I do tend to say 'I'm not really an artist. I write the books, and then I attempt to draw them to the best of my ability because I want to see them come to life. Which was the case with my first Comic Book 'Jericho'
Jericho was a passionate project that I needed and wanted to do. It was a very personal book to write & draw, and so far Jericho has been nominated for awards, got film offers & has gained a good fanbase that is growing.
As I said in the Introduction to 'Jericho: Downfall': She's not a character. She's my daughter. But that's how I feel about every single one of my characters. So it was important to me that they came to life for people to experience. However, it's not always easy to get an artist to come on board and feel as passionate as you do about your characters. Especially when you're working in the independent Comic Book scene.
So I did what I think a lot of people should do. I jumped in there, and took on the task myself. As some will say; No risk means no reward!
Since then I have come a fair way. That's not me blowing my own trumpet, it's just a fact that I noticed not so long ago.
Within two years I have traveled to many conventions (the most recent of which was in Germany, and soon I shall be traveling to Chicago in the US) and given talks, signed books and drawn pictures for people who wanted them. Jericho is being turned into an animated movie, and has two spin off Motion Comics on the way. One of which (The 11th Hour) I voice the lead character. I've written a Novella, with another in the pipeline, worked with some of the greatest movie actors, Won an award for my work and so on.
This may sound like I'm earning a small fortune, so let me nip this one in the bud...I'm not. And I'm okay with that. I never wanted everything, I just wanted enough. I'm still a little way from getting enough, but if I only had one reader and was struggling to pay rent and living off of stale bread, then I would still be doing what I do.
But even with each success there is still the occasional battle to fight. I've been slammed for having swearing in my comics (which for some reason makes me evil and immoral, but it's okay that one of my characters was clearly molested as a child by their father) and I've even received a lot of 'hate' because I tackle the subject of Religion in my book 'The Fallen: Between Angels & Insects' but not in a conventional way.
Now I'm not a person who likes conflict, and I sure as hell don't like to antagonize anyone. But I will stand up and fight for my stories and characters until the bitter end. They truly are everything to me, and with out them I would only be half a man.
But the good thing is that I do have them in my life, and there are always new characters and stories being added to the long list that I have created. So all in all, I'm a very happy guy, and I'm proud of the stories I have written, and the characters I have created.
However, there is always going to be someone who doesn't like your work. Some of whom will stay quiet and do their best to ignore what you do, and that's fine. You will get some who are very vocal about how much they hate your work, your stories, and even you. But this is fine as well. 'Cause on the flipside of it all you will get support from people who enjoy your work regardless of whether they are a friend or family member, or if they are someone who you have never connected with personally. And when you find them, you will go above and beyond for them.
You'll even find that a lot of them are aspiring to be writers or artists themselves, and they will ask for your help. This can be tricky sometimes because we all have our own lives to lead, and time is ticking. So even though you can't help them all (as much as a sad truth that may be, it is still the truth) you can encourage them.
Encouraging an artist costs you nothing. Plain and simple. Sometimes it's all they need to move forward and create what could potentially be the next book that makes you smile when you're feeling low, or for them to make that song that changes your life for the better.
So I make sure to do my best to encourage the artists that approach me.
It doesn't hurt to do such a thing, and you'll be amazed at how just the simple words of 'Do it' will encourage people enough to make something incredible!
I love being the writer that I am today, and I'm proud of what I have accomplished. I hope to accomplish more, and in my possession are a lot scripts for Comic Books & Graphic Novels that I have written that with a bit of hard work will see the light of day.
If you want to check out any of the books that I have written, then why not go to www.reloadcomics.co.uk and take a look for yourself. I don't expect everyone to like what I do, but you won't know if it's your thing or not until you try it!
Thank you for reading, and I hope you stick around to read my future posts. They will consist of many things, mostly my work, but other subjects too. I'm aiming to make it a monthly thing as my work schedule is jam packed at the moment. Hopefully I'll be doing the same thing with video's and maybe even podcasts. So keep your eyes open.
