“Full moons make me run shirtless through fields and look for things to stab while sweat smolders off my heaving body, bub.”
Some “fan art” of Marvel Comics’ Wolverine — circa around 1992 by me; the then-18 year old Christopher Galletta Stevens. My Wolverine was inspired by three of my favorite artists of that era – Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee and Art Adams.
At the time, Chris’ Crusher Comics had more or less concluded upon graduation, and I was thinking of trying out for some comic book companies. Back then, I was a bigger fan of Marvel (was a big fan of the Spider-Man, X-Men, Transformers, G.I. Joe books) than DC (though I loved the Batman titles). This was WAY before modern day computer graphics made it possible to make a comic book movie worth a crap (the Christopher Reeve Superman movies scored by John Williams music and Batman movies scored with Danny Elfman music the only notable exceptions in my book).
Regardless, hand this may be hard to believe, but I never tried out for one comic book company. In hindsight, decades later, back then, much like the reason I didn’t ask out very many girls — I was terribly shy and afraid of rejection. Matured a bit since then, happy to say, and I thank my wife for it. She made me a better person all around via mainly getting me to come out of my shell, travel around the world, and one way was helping me put my artwork online.
Although, in 2009, putting my artwork and opinions online got me some trolling, as a local kart track officials attacked me as a failure for not making money with my comics (after kicking me and my brother out for winning too much, us not accepting to race against bigger motors as punishment and publicizing the problems on my karting website). It went as follows:
“go ahead track my fuking i.p. address you f&^ckin nerd you can laugh and say oh this dont hurt me but really chris it p!$$es you off inside… hurts your feelings you annoying lil w!ne @$$ NOBODY LIKES ANY OF YOU A$$HOLES tips of growing up 1.get out of mamas house 2. get a real job 3. stop drawing comics your not getting anywhere d.c. comics dont want your @$$ your hopeless.
(…)
ILL FIND YOU ALONG WITH MY POINTED SHOVEL ALONG YOUR HEAD COME ON PISS ME OFF ILL SHOW UP ON SUNDAYS AND STRAIGHTEN ALL YOUR TEETH OUT FOR YOU GUYS YOU GUYS ARE NEVER HAVE BEENS NEVER WILL BES YOU WONT BE MISSED WHEN YOU DECIDE TO LAY 6 FEET UNDER NOBODY CARES ABOUT ANY OF YOU YOUR ALL LIL HOBBITS… YOU ALL CRAWL OUT OF YOUR HOLES FOR ONE DAY A WEEK TO RACE F*&KING CLOWNS “
I guess if I tried out for a company and got rejected, I’d be more offended. I never did. And in hindsight, seeing what the comic industry has now become… I can’t say I want to be a part of it. And seeing how people want to run a “family go-kart track”, yet mock people’s talents and threaten lives, I can’t say I want to be a part of that either. Oh, well.
