Riley Rossmo
Riley's link also belongs in the "Friends" section of this page, but without him, Proof wouldn't be Proof, so he goes here. My co-creator regularly contributes story ideas and bits of Canadian folklore. Besides, he's a hell of a lot of fun to work with and I thank my lucky stars I met up with him in the first place. I wake up each morning hoping for a new page of Rossmo art in my in-box and am disappointed on the days there isn't one.

Tyler and Hilary Jenkins/Black Sheep Studios
Proof was going to be a black and white book. When we decided to go color, Tyler and Hilary were at the top of a very short list of colorists we wanted to consider. They're terrific artists and great collaborators. Look for some stories drawn by them in upcoming issues of Proof.

I'll be adding worthwhile sites relating to Bigfoot, cryptids, sideshows, endangered species and all the other weirdness that makes up Proof as I go along. There are a lot of crap sites out there and I'd rather not link to just anything. Check out the "News" section of my site for up-to-date sightings of some of the Proof characters.

Writers Whose Work I Admire...

Many of my favorite writers are dead or misanthropic and have no Web sites. Most of them have sites devoted to them, but I have no idea whether a particular site dedicated to, say, Ross MacDonald is better than any other. So I'm only including home pages for authors with a Web presence. But by all means, check out books by Ross MacDonald, John D. MacDonald, Walter Mosley (who does have a Web presence, but whose sites are difficult for me to access for some reason; read The Man in My Basement first, then check out any of his crime series), Jim Thompson, Graham Greene (my son's namesake), F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charles Dickens and, really, anybody else whose work you like. Reading is good.

Michael Chabon
Sure, you've read the terrific Kavalier and Clay, but have you read Wonder Boys or his other incredible novels? His collections of short stories? His comics? Track down whatever you can get your hands on and read it now. He makes me jealous.

Donald Westlake
I hate to single anyone out as the best living crime writer, but I can't think of a single Donald Westlake novel I haven't liked. He's written books and screenplays under several pseudonyms, but his best work (in my opinion) has been published under either his own name or his Richard Stark pseudonym (the Parker books).

Grant Morrison
Hands down the coolest guy in comics. Grant Morrison's work is always a feverish melting pot of ideas. That alone isn't as impressive as the fact that he manages to structure those ideas into muliti-layered wonders. In a literary sort of way, he's able to herd cats. Nobody else can touch him.

Brian K. Vaughan
My other favorite comic book writer. His stories are smooth and cool and brilliantly structured. Read Ex Machina, Y: The Last Man, Pride of Baghdad... Oh, hell, read his grocery list, if he chooses to publish it. Oh, and watch Lost.

Elmore Leonard
Obviously a huge inspiration to me. His dialogue is the best in the business and his stories are always deceptively fun to read and intricately woven. Plus, he writes the same way I do (I thought I was the only one until I read an interview with him that sort of validated my approach for me), with only a rough idea of where he's going as he works his way through a book. There's a spontaneity to his stuff that's unmatched by anyone else. I just wish I knew how he can stand to write everything longhand.

Stephen King
Mr. King certainly doesn't need my endorsement. I went through a phase in high school where I read everything he'd written, then I went through a phase in college when I looked down my nose at his work (probably because his books are so popular and, therefore, must not be good). But he's a damn fine writer with a knack for putting readers in his characters' heads and an admirable dedication to his craft. He's become a constant source of inspiration for me after reading On Writing. Really, if you're gonna write... write. Sit your ass in that chair every damn day and just write. If the most successful author this side of Shakespeare can still take the time to write every day, so can you.

Fonts...

MyFonts.com and Fonts.com
Okay, so these links are both to my own foundry, Elemeno, but after you check out my font designs, scout around. These are the go-to Web sites for anything font-related.

Blambot
One of the two best destinations for comic book lettering fonts. I use their "Jack Armstrong" font a lot and go to this site first when I'm hunting for the perfect sound effect.

Comicraft
Richard Starkings, John Roshell and the other fine folks at Comicraft wrote the book on lettering comics. Literally. I refer to Comic Book Lettering frequently and recommend it to anyone who wants to know what goes into the process of lettering comics. They also, of course, offer some really nice font designs. (And Richard writes, letters and designs the Image comic book series, Elephantmen, which I suggest you take a look at, if you haven't already.)

Nick's Fonts
Nick Curtis is my favorite all-around typeface designer. His work is usually retro, often Deco, and always intriguing.

Friends, Colleagues and Publishers...

Brian Wood
Brian's link could also be categorized under the heading "Writers Whose Work I Admire," but I stuck him here because of all the advice and assistance he's given to Riley and me. Seriously, one of the nicest guys in a business known for its nice guys. Without Brian's encouragement and help, I don't know if Proof would have made it off the ground. Check out DMZ, Demo and scads of other great books by Mr. Wood.

Paul Fricke/Blue Moon Studios
Paul was one of the first people to write to me and request my first mini-comic. I think it cost him two bucks, including postage. Then he wrote again to let me know how much he liked it. Feedback, when you're a struggling cartoonist just starting out, means the world. We began to correspond and quickly became good friends. Eventually, he was a groomsman at my wedding. Paul co-created the Trollords comic book series, inked a ton of DC comics and was a fellow contributor to the original Negative Burn, back when it was published by Caliber. These days, he concentrates his formidable skills on advertising illustration and commercial storyboards.

Batton Lash & Jackie Estrada/Exhibit A Press
Batton and Jackie attended the Kansas City comic book convention when the first issue of Supernatural Law debuted. I showed them my portfolio and was taken under their collective wing. At my first WonderCon, they were the only people I knew and they were incredibly generous with their time, showing me around and introducing me to people. They've been really supportive ever since and I owe them a lot. Thanks to Jackie, I even got to sit at the same table with Will Eisner at his awards ceremony one year. Priceless.

About Comics
Nat Gertler "discovered" me. He gave me my break by inviting me to draw a couple of stories for his Factor comic book series (which debuted, much as Proof did years later, in Negative Burn). After that, he published my story, "Little Remains," in the first 24-Hour Comics book (the one edited by Scott McCloud, the one with stories by Neil Gaiman and Stephen Bissette). I also drew a story for his Licensable Bear comic. By then I already knew that I didn't want to draw comics anymore (not that a lot of people were asking). Writing was always my thing, but I didn't know anybody else who could draw my stories for me, so I had to do it myself. When I ended up drawing other peoples' stories, I was miserable. But that had nothing to do with the quality of those stories, just my growing dissatisfaction with my own artwork. Nat helped me get my work in front of an audience and I'll always be grateful.

AiT/Planet Lar
Larry and Mimi published Seven Sons and got it out in front of folks. They don't just publish, they really hustle, making sure the right people notice their books. It was Larry's suggestion that I write the text piece in the back of the book and it turned out to be the perfect endnote, receiving almost as much comment as the actual story. Thanks, guys!

There are people I'm leaving out and there probably will be, but I'll keep adding to this. Let me know if you feel slighted. Your absence here was entirely unintended. Unless I'm snubbing you.

Home • News • Proof • Seven Sons • About Alexander Grecian • Fonts • Reviews • Contact

All content is © 2007 Alexander Grecian, except artwork, which is © and TM its respective owners.