We finally got the books done, and just in time for Wizard World Chicago.

Here's the story going in the newspaper tomorrow (it's kinda long, and notice I made no mention of Biff's financial support):

Shopper staff team up on publishing project  When you mention comic book

dynamic duos, one name automatically begets the other: Batman and Robin;

Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble; Shaggy and Scooby Doo.

 Soon, the same thing may happen when you mention the names of Shopper

News editor James Hitchcock and graphic artist Joe Williams.  The duo 

are debuting two graphic novel-styled publications at The Wizard World

comic book convention in Chicago this weekend. 

The reaction most people had when told of their plans to produce comic 

books was, "Comic books?  Do people still read those?"

 "The comics industry has really gone through a renaissance in recent

years," Williams said.  "Comic artists are getting printed in 'The New

Yorker' and the 'New York Times' and their books are reviewed along works

by the top authors. It's an exciting time as people are finally waking 

up to the fact that it's an art form that can creatively tell a lot of 

different types of stories- not just superheroes."

 And not just for kids, either.  These books are both suggested for mature

readers.

 The first book is an anthology featuring a short story written by Hitchcock

and illustrated by Williams, and a "Cliff's Notes" version of the first 

episode of a mystery/action series the duo created and are shopping around

to publishers.  This book would be appropriate for teen to adult ages.

 "It's basically a 16-page business card," Hitchcock said. "Most comic 

book publishers do not accept unsolicited manuscripts, so we thought we 

might be able to sneak it in under the radar by presenting it as a finished 

book.  At the same time, it's priced at just a buck, so general readers 

should find it a good entertainment value."

 The second book is a journal of illustrated erotic fiction featuring 

stories and artwork by Hitchcock, artwork by Williams, and poetry by an 

author publishing under the pseudonym Darla Dichter-Fuchs (literally "foxy

poet" in German).  Due to its subject matter, this book is not recommended 

for anyone under the age of 18.

 Hitchcock and Williams have both been working at J-Ad Graphics, the

parent company of the Battle Creek Shopper News, for nearly a decade. 

They began working together in 2001, when Hitchcock was promoted to 

editor of the Shopper News.  Williams designs the front cover of the S

hopper News each week, and half of the inside pages.

 A journalist, photojournalist, and editor for 20 years, Hitchcock has 

been working on several plots for novels for years and not getting any-

where. "There was something missing, but I never knew what it was," Hitch-

cock said. "I just knew something didn't feel right about the work."

 While working together Hitchcock and Williams began talking about their 

artistic dreams beyond producing a newspaper.  Williams mentioned that he 

had always wanted to be a comic book artist, but had to leave art school 

before finishing his degree.  Hitchcock talked about his frustration in 

not knowing how to proceed with the plots he had outlined.

 "That's when Joe suggested I look at some modern graphic novels for in-

spiration," Hitchcock said.  "I went into a comic book shop, and asked to

see something 'film noirish.'  The store owner handed me a contemporary 

comic book series.  I opened it, and the proverbial cartoon light bulb 

lit up above me.  This was what I was seeing in my head when I wrote - 

pictures and words together; and that was what was missing when I looked 

at my manuscripts."

 He immediately began trying to get Williams to work with him to create a

graphic novel.  However, while Williams had been keeping his skills honed

by creating political cartoons for the Marshall Chronicle, he was reluct-

ant to take on such a big project.  He  was concentrating on providing 

for his family as a graphic artist, designing newspaper pages.  And, with

a young son, he simply didn't have the time to devote to his art.

 "I kept bugging him; pitching ideas to him," Hitchcock said.

 "Jim had been trying to get me to draw one of his scripts for a while 

but I was always reluctant," Williams said. "The work I'm drawn to would 

probably be described as 'pretentious' for lack of a better word - the 

fine art end of the spectrum.  Jim is fond of hard boiled detective tales 

and other genres like crime and thriller."

 Then, early this year, Williams called Hitchcock to tell him that a small 

comics publisher was sponsoring a talent contest for a five-page short 

story to be published in a crime fiction series.  Hitchcock had just finished

a short story that seemed to fit the bill.

 "When Jim handed me the script, I knew I had to draw it," Williams said.

"It was a perfect blend of what each of us does - a little bit crime noir 

detective story and a little bit magical realism/fantasy short story. "

 The result was "Mr. Smith," the second story in the anthology.  Well, 

it really didn't fit the style of the comic book publisher, and it was 

met by a resounding, "Huh?" by the contest judges.

 "Granted, my story was a bit dark," Hitchcock said. 

 "Like the Elephant Man was slightly unattractive," Williams added.

 But, seeing the finished product made the goal seem more attainable, and

they decided to try their hand at publishing.

 "The experience of doing that 5 page story was so fun that I just got 

hooked and wanted to do more," Williams said. 

They went to work on ideas, and when Williams suggested the plot for a 

mystery action thriller,  Hitchcock immediately began fleshing it out.  

He  finished a rough script in a matter of hours, and Williams immediately

started sketching.  They hashed out more details, revised the script, and

redrew several times.  They have included a synopsis of the first episode

of the kidnapping thriller "Snatched" in the first book.

 "It was a lot of work, coming home after a full time job and spending a 

night at the drawing table or the computer," Williams said. "But, I just 

watched it rolling off the press, and couldn't believe how good it looked 

- so much better than the originals or what I'd been looking at on the 

computer screen when I was adding the text and the gray tones."

 The other book is an anthology of erotic fiction, inspired by an well-

known author's local appearance. "After novelist Eric Jerome Dickey spoke

at Willard Library, my friend librarian Claire Ott kept telling me, 'I 

think you could write like this,'" Hitchcock said.  "I read several of 

Dickey's books, and tried my hand at a couple of 'romance' stories.

 "The problem is, most romance writers have an almost exclusive female 

audience, and I wanted to do something that would also draw male readers,"

Hitchcock said.

 As usual, Williams stepped in with the solution when he pointed out that

some European romance writers use the graphic novel format to create stories

with images, plot, and character development. Something that should appeal 

to both men and women.

 But, the content didn't really fit with the first book, so Hitchcock and

Williams decided as long as they were printing one book, they might as well 

do two.  Thus the second book, Literotica, was born.

 Hitchcock and Williams formed Red Flag Publishing as an umbrella for the

publishing venture.

 "This really started out as a favor to Jim, but ended up rekindling my own

interest in art and now it's full steam ahead," Williams said. "We're 

already discussing what to do next."

 One plan on the drawing board is an anthology of other independent comics

creators.   

Their web site is www.redflagpublishing.com.