By Brahm Gawdan
Sometime in 2013 I sat at home alone, surrounded by papers, notes, and gaming books. I had been drinking. I was still drinking when a stone cold sober Hank Truck walked in the door. Well, now the shoe was on the other foot.
For the previous two years we had been running a superhero roleplaying campaign with our closest friends based on a system that Truck and I had played since we were children. We had spent years building worlds and saving lives and now it was time to make something of it.
“I’ve been thinking, we should make a comic book out of this,” I said.
“Yeah, right,” he smirked. “What I’m hearing is you want to talk about writing a comic and then I spend the next two years drawing it.”
“Yes, exactly,” I replied. “It will be good. The story is practically written already.” He was starting to get the idea.
Once Truck reached the same level of inebriation I was in, he capitulated and agreed to draw it. Formosa Comics was born.
It took us a few years to mold our vision. We treated it like a hobby that we visited once a week, cutting and pasting our narrative until it was polished and ready for the pencil. We knew how to craft a story, and Truck knew how to render it, the only problem was we didn’t know anything about coloring, lettering, or printing. We wanted a real comic book and so we realized that we would need some help.
It was then that we approached Jon Renzella, that artistic force of nature referred to as ‘the old man.’ We pitched our project to him and made him an offer. He accepted, and Formosa comics had its first employee.
There was a catch though. That crafty and sly old man came back at us with a counter offer. He informed us that he was already hard at work on his first digitally produced comic book, entitled ‘Journey’, and that if we would agree to have our comics published by Lei Press, then he would like to print his own book under the Formosa Comics banner. In the space of one casual meeting we now had a publisher, a boss, and more than one title. We were turning into an actual comic book company.
It was at this stage when the real work started and production began. Journey #1 was published in late March, and we completed Formosa Comic Presents #1, an introduction to our universe, which should be on the shelves as you read this.
The prophecy of Hank Truck had come to pass. He would now be spending the next two years of his life drawing the six issue epic superhero adventure, ‘The Renovators’, while Jon worked on ‘Journey’. I was finally going to get the rest I deserved for getting this thing off the ground. Alas, as it is with all prophecies, it was false and not to be.
During a secret meeting between the head of publishing at Lei Press and one of Formosa Comics’ top executives, it was decided that there would be a third title in our line. ‘Formosa Comics Presents’ would become a series, a collection of short stories showcasing guest artists. Taichung, the city of the sirens call for artists from around the world, was too big of a pool not to tap. The board of directors voted me on as the head writer with two ballots cast for, and one absentee.
Now you can be on the lookout for Journey #2, Renovators #1 and Formosa Comics Presents #2, near the end of August, just in time for our first comic book convention appearance. If you are in Singapore on September 10th and 11th, drop by the Formosa Comics Taiwan booth at the Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention. We’d love to say hi! Check out their website for more information at www.singaporetgcc.com.
Also, if you want to be part of the fastest growing comic book company in Taiwan, head over to our Facebook page~Formosa Comics~for updates and teasers and the chance to get your voice heard. We have a dedicated letters column in every issue, and we want to hear what you have to say. You might even get to see your question printed in a future publication. And if you’re an artist that has always wanted to see your work between the pages of a real comic book, then send us some examples. Perhaps we have a story for you.
When we sat in our circles, over four years ago, rolling dice and scribbling, we had no idea how big the world we were creating would become, and we are so excited to see it. We have a saying at the Formosa Comics offices. “Unlike other comic books, our stories actually happened.”
Published in Guan Xi Magazine- Summer 2016 issue
FB: Formosa Comics
