I first thought about applying for the Xeric after taking an ethics and practices class for graphic artists taught by cartoonist Lloyd Dangle. Already interested in pursuing comics, Lloyd told me about a non-profit foundation that gave grants to comic book artists. I’m indebted to Lloyd for teaching me some of the finer legal points of being a cartoonist in his class and for pointing me in the right direction.

I read up on the Foundation and applied in 2002 with the project I was working on at the time, a sword and sorcery story starring an Amazon named “Zow”. I was turned down, and after feeling a bit dejected, I figured the time wasn’t yet right for my “big break”. I then focused on getting married to my long-time girlfriend and getting on with some kind of mainstream career.

A year later found us 3,000 + miles from our hometown of San Francisco. We had been talking for years about leaving California. The timing seemed right and we headed off to Maine with nothing to lose.

Shortly after moving to the East Coast I was called to Oklahoma for a family emergency. I had never met my Mother’s family before this trip nor had I been to Oklahoma. The landscape struck me immediately. I was shocked by the desolation of the land, the scraggly trees. The people seemed tiny and ant-like under such a huge and oppressive sky.

I needed to express what I was feeling about having just met my grandmother for the first time, and the fact that she passed away just before I got on the plane to return to Maine. I sketched and started coming up with a story out of bits and pieces. “Along the Canadian” is what emerged.

This time the Xeric Foundation went for it. I was shocked and a bit scared. Now I had to work in earnest to get some other episodes done if I wanted to continue with what I felt was more then a “one-shot” issue. I also learned as much as I could about the business side of things, taking classes and workshops at my local SCORE (a national group of retired business professionals).

I was lucky enough to have struck up a friendship with a local retailer, Rick Lowell, and his advice was invaluable. Finding a printer with whom you can work well with is important, too. Also, a personal relationship with the distributor is crucial. Despite not winning the Xeric in ’02, I did talk with a Brand Manager at Diamond who remembered me when I called back in ‘03 for “Along the Canadian”.

Since then I’ve printed 3 books, and am proofing the #4. I’ve learned so much about pre-pressing, printing, marketing, and just finishing a project ON TIME. I’m still green, but this has been a once in a lifetime experience that I will always be thankful for. This has been a great journey for me as a person and an artist.

Joel Rivers
Portland, Maine
July 2004