Comics are part of my DNA. I learned to read with Charles Schulz's classic strip Peanuts. I read any comic I could get my hands on: humor, war, super-heroes, horror, romance. The language of cartooning spoke to me in a way paintings and prose did not, emphasizing a narrative while using gesture, body language, and facial expressions in a way that preceded written language. As I grew older, I discovered that comics weren't simply being used to tell stories for children. The underground and alternative eras of comics in the US, along with strong traditions in Japan and France, demonstrated that comics could do anything and be for anyone.
When I realized that I wanted to be a writer, comics criticism became an outlet for the point of view I had developed over a lifetime. Writing criticism about self-published, small-press, and otherwise marginalized comics genres was a niche field within another niche field. It also gave me opportunities to write for a wide variety of publications, moderate panels at festivals, doing portfolio reviews, and even curate selections at one show for the Library of Congress. My greatest thrill as a critic was seeing young cartoonists develop over time, encouraging and pushing them with my writing.
Hustling for gigs and putting yourself out there can lead to some amazing things. In my case, I got a job teaching at the Sequential Artists Workshop (SAW), a comics art school. I started Rent-A-Critic, my freelance editing service for cartoonists to help them with everything from line editing to story structure to advice on writing pitches. I became the Programming Director for the Small Press Expo (SPX), the most important small press comics show in America. Most importantly, I was asked by a critic friend of mine to join him in forming our own non-profit company. Along with chief editor Daniel Elkin, publisher Alex Hoffman, and fellow critic Ryan Carey, we formed Fieldmouse Press.
