Freddy and I have always been drawing together since we were kids. We started out by tracing the characters in one comic book and transferring them to our own stories. As we got older, we got better at drawing, and were able to create our own stories from scratch and bound them into books.
Although, we still copied the styles of our favorite artists — Jack Kirby, John Buscema, Steve Ditko, and so on — our own style was beginning to form.
When we became adults, however, we didn’t go into the comic book business.
Freddy and I are first cousins. My mom and his dad are brother and sister. Our family is full of musicians. Our grandfather could play any instrument that had strings: guitar, mandolin, and violin. Freddy’s dad can play the guitar. And, so, Freddy and I also learned to play instruments. I play guitar. Freddy plays drums.
We both ended up in the music industry. However…I ended up in the business side of music. Freddy, however, went on to become an award-winning drummer (two Grammies and several best-drummer awards), performing with many well known artists — best known as the drummer for the Oak Ridge Boys during their big hits years.
Several years later, we started talking about creating comics, again. Obviously, we never gave up the idea. We picked back up an idea that we had started when we were teens.
We started working on it. Then, Freddy met with CG Cooper at a business meeting. CG Cooper was wanting to convert one of his books into a graphic novel. Mr. Cooper didn’t know we were working on a graphic novel of our own. However, a bulb lit up over Freddy’s head.
Anyways, now it’s history. We turned Mr. Cooper’s first book into a graphic novel, and published it. Now, we’re back onto our original project.
What’s great about working with someone like Freddy is that we push each other to the limits. We each have our own talents and specialties. Freddy is more creative, and I’m more technical. Freddy sees the final product, and I see the path that will get us there. But, there are times when we both see the same thing at the same time — a deja vu experience. It’s sometimes scary.
I’ll keep you posted on that big project. But, you have to keep it a secret. Don’t tell anyone, okay.
