Mousetronautz Issue #1

One summer while visiting my family in Delaware, I discovered my cousin’s comic book collection. I was around 5 or 6, not really sure, but I’ll never forget that day. He had a huge box of comics, mostly DC, specifically Superboy and Superman. I asked him if I could read some from time to time and he handed me a stack. I took them outside and read every one from cover to cover. When it got dark, I grabbed a flashlight and read them all over again……

I was hooked!

When the Summer ended, a stack of those Superboy books somehow managed to switch places with the clothes in my suitcase. The rest is as they say, history.

I have been creating comic book characters and writing stories on my own ever since. Like most kids, at first I wanted to be a comic book artist. As I got older I discovered that what I really liked was creating the stories and character designs more than doing the actual panel to panel art.

I was going to be a comic writer!

I was going to be the Black Stan Lee!!!

Life happens and dreams get deferred, but never die!

Mousetronautz was an accident…

I was originally writing what I was sure would be my superhero magnum opus. I had been telling a buddy at my local comic shop about it for years. Every Wednesday, I would break it down and fill him in on new developments. By the time I was done, I had created a whole universe with multiple titles. I finally sent him the 1st script, and anxiously awaited his response…..crickets*

When next we spoke, I asked him what he thought. This friend that had been nodding and praising my ideas for years looked me right in the face and basically said….“It was aight”!!!!

WHAT? How dare he tell me that my baby was ugly? Who the hell was he anyway, just some @$$#%!& that worked in a comic shop! Later that night I reread my script and realized the truth, he was right! I was overstuffing this turkey with every idea I had since I was a kid! I was momentarily crushed!

One night while feeling sorry for myself and licking my wounds, I started doodling the mouse that would ultimately become Jackson. It was just a sketch, but once I gave him a name, the story started to take shape. Jackson got his name from a mouse in my childhood apartment in the Bronx. My sister named him Jackson, and the name always stuck with me.

The story idea went from a single issue, to a 4 part mini series, to a 6 issue arc, to a 12 issue fully fleshed out epic!

After deciding that I wanted to do the first issue as a web comic, I began my search for an artist. I looked everywhere… Facebook, DeviantArt, Tumblr and even Twitter to name a few. I put out an open call. Talk about frustrating…..sigh* I got everything from crayon submissions to a guy that wanted no exaggeration, $700.00 per page! I was so distraught, that I contemplated doing the entire thing myself!

After I came to my senses and renewed my search. I finally nailed it down to a handful of artists. I was just about to offer someone the gig, when I stumbled across the work of artist, Vera Kulikov.

I’m not 100% sure where I 1st saw her stuff, but it led me to her very own webcomic, “Wednesday 7”. I dug her Anime influenced style and thought she would be perfect for the project.

We started texting back and forth right away. Within a few hours she had already sketched the 1st character designs for Jackson, based off of my original drawings.

What I liked was how different her version was than mine. Her style matured the look of the story right away. Within days I was looking at the lineart for page 1.

It took a long time before I asked Vera how old she was. When she told me she was 20 I was shocked! Her ability to accurately translate my script into art gave me the perception that she was older. Vera handled all of the art chores on the book. Lineart, lettering and colors. Not only that, but she did so while holding down a double major in Neuroscience and art…..whew*

My background in character design and our free flowing communication, made it easy for us to create this issue mostly through email and texting. I think we only spoke on the phone a handful of times. Which brings me to something interesting.

This project in my opinion is the epitome of what’s dope about technology in general. The “internet of things” made it possible to connect a 20 year old, Ukrainian -1st generation American, female artist and science student to collaborate on a comic book project with a 48 year old Black comic geek and science nerd from the Bronx, living in Los Angeles.

I truly appreciate the countless hours of hard work that Vera put into this book. Without her, this story would only exist in words and character design.

I also want to thank my father (R.I.P) for giving me $50 bucks to attend the New York City Comic Con at the Sheraton hotel when I was a kid. FYI, my siblings all stood around me in a circle and told me I was dumb and would no longer be their brother if I spent that money on comics. Hey it was the 80’s, money was tight!

A special thank you to my mom for her unwavering support of my dreams from start to finish.

And last but not least, thank you Twitter, Facebook, Google and everyone that supported this project.

I’m not sure where Mousetronautz is going from here. Although I have 11 issues written, I’m in the middle of writing a book and Vera’s got her own obligations. We discussed possibly doing the 1st arc in a few months as a kickstarter…Who knows?

For now…. (Video game voice) “Achievement Unlocked”

Thank you all for your time and mind