Crazy Kid...

aka Is the World Ever Going to Be Ready for Zilch Man?

I have been making comics in some form or fashion since I was able to hold a pencil. Some of my earliest stuff still survives, like this five-page parody I came across today in an old storage bin. It’s called “Zilch Man.” “Zilch Man” was a concept I came up with in conjunction with some of my college pals. The concept is simple: a guy from another planet comes to earth but, sadly, has no super-powers. After establishing all of that in his origin story, the strip would continue with Hercules Jones (Zilch Man) horning in on every origin story he could, trying to gain super-powers but always falling short to the predestined recipient of the super-powers he was after. It took me three or four years (1984/5-1988) to finish this five-pager (hey, I was a young man starting a family, a career, etc. Plus, I kinda forgot about it half-way through). Anyway, I’m thinking it was a pretty good concept, and my kids and grandkids think it’s funny, so I thought I’d share it with my friends here in Substack Land.

At least, now you can see why I stuck with writing instead of writing AND drawing.