Comic Book Dad

The Bolt, colored by my daughter in 2022.

The adventure of being a comic book creator and parent

It’s 9pm. I’m sitting at my desk in the RyCave. No, it's not a "man cave" because girls are allowed. I'm inking a new panel for the latest issue of Anomaly. It’s an action-packed issue and I’m nearing the end; I can see the finish line. I’m inking the intricate mask of my new villain, which takes some focus to master. Just as my pen touches down, I hear the voice of a child coming from upstairs.

“Dadddyyyyy…”

It’s my 4-year old daughter. She’s out of bed for the third time. I sent her to bed at 8 and wouldn’t you know it, she just cannot sleep. I climb up two flights of stairs to assure her if she just lays down and closes her eyes, everything will work out. Comforted, she lets me tuck her in. I climb back down two flights of stairs and return to inking. It’s now 9:30 and there’s not much time left in the night before my own head hits the pillow.

Aside from being a comic book creator, I’m also a Daddy to two little kids: a 4-year old girl and a 1-year old boy. It’s the hardest job I’ve ever loved and I love being a Dad. In a lot of ways, I’m also a father to Bolt and Anomaly. For certain, there are parallels: I’m always thinking about both my kids and characters' futures. Always proud when someone says "Your kids are adorable" or "I liked the Bolt's new suit". Trying to think about what’s best for them. What can I do to help them grow as people? Of course, the benefit of comic book characters like the Bolt and Anomaly is they stay idle when I’m not actively working on them. The children are never idle.

I admit, it’s not an easy life. I still work a full-time job and then I race to pick my daughter up from school, race to pick my son up from Grandmom’s and then it’s home for playtime, dinner, and bedtime. The nighttime is my time (as long as the kids stay in bed). Some nights are fairly successful and I can get a few panels completed. Other nights, let’s be honest, most nights I only manage a few lines. And I still have to run a website and make “content” for my socials (which I loathe).

It’s a balancing act. On the one hand, I want to be a present father. I never want the kids to think I spend more time working on my comic books than them. On the other hand, I don’t want them to think I had to give up my dream when I became a father. But it's ok. After all, so many of my heroes like Batman or Spidey have to maintain dual lives. It's all part of being a superhero. I like to think I now have firsthand experience with how difficult it can all be.

It’s not without its benefits. My daughter loves to draw and if you ask her, she’s a better “drawer” than her Dad. She’s also imaginative. She wrote and stapled her own storybook together. It’s not quite a comic but I like to think she got the idea that she could self-publish from me.

Here are a few things I’ve learned that help me maintain my comic book career:

1. Establish creative time: I know the night time is my time, so I do not set up the expectation that I will get anything done during the daylight hours. No expectation means I’m not disappointed.

2. Do what you can to work on the go: I do most of my work on an iPad Pro. It allows me to digitally pencil, ink and color wherever I go. I actually inked some of The Bolt #10 while I was in the hospital room waiting for my daughter to be born. I also work on comics during my lunch break.

3. Accept that you are no longer in control: I expect there to be chaos. Being a parent means you never know what's coming around the corner. I know even if I start drawing, I could be called away at any second. You never know when a toddler is gonna get their head stuck in a railing or your baby is going to wake up crying for "Daddy".

4. Give yourself grace: Artists are always hardest on themselves. We get upset when we don't accomplish as much as we wanted, or the drawing isn't the best it could be. I know some weeks my pencil will be flying and some weeks, I might never get a chance to work on a page. Any progress, even a few lines, is still forward motion. Keep moving forward.

5. Get help: You could always outsource some creative responsibilities. For The Bolt #11, I actually hired a colorist, which saved me a few months of coloring. If I wanted to, I could find a penciler or inker, but I'm not willing to give these roles up. I do enjoy them!

   
   

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And so we fight the good fight, changing diapers and drawing comics. Not easy but definitely fulfilling. It does get easier. In fact, you may find your kids are actually encouraging you in your comic book journey. My daughter was born in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. Comic cons had ceased. When the world reopened in 2023, I was too busy being a new father to worry about returning to the con scene. I haven't done a comic con since 2019.

One night, my daughter was in the RyCave (I told you girls were allowed) and she discovered a pin from the Camden Comic Con.

"Whoa, where did you get this?" she asked.

"Oh, that's from a con I did. I used to do comic cons."

"Ohhh. Do you have anything else from when you were cool?"

From the mouths of babes and whatnot... So you never know, you might spot me manning a table at a comic con very soon accompanied by my cool daughter.

-Ryan