1985 – I’m in line, griping about the cost I’m about to pay, but it’s worth it, as I was stepping into history. I’d read about the San Francisco and New York comic conventions, but never had there been one in Canada, and in my hometown of Toronto. I HAD to be there. Had to see what it was all about.

I don’t remember much from that convention, it was quite small by today’s standards, and I don’t think they had attracted any really ‘name’ talent to come. So it was mostly rows of comic vendor’s selling comics.

One thing did stand out, at one booth a guy was peddling his still fledgling indie comic, a black and white affair, pretty much unheard of at the time when all comics were color (except magazine-style Conan and the like). I picked up a copy and flipped through it. The art was decent and lots of action, but I’ll always remember thinking, ‘Teenage… Ninja… Mutant… Turtles…? Phffft! This will never sell.’ I put it down and continued on my way.

Of course, if I had the benefit of foresight, I’d have bought every single issue he’d bought with him (or at least every issue I could afford). It’d be a goldmine now! The Ninja Turtles need no introduction, being household names, having starred in a variety of comic series, TV cartoons, motion pictures, video games and I could go on and on.
Did Eastman (or maybe it was Laird) care I didn’t buy their comic? Sure it’d been nice, but no, not really. They believed in what they were doing. My purchase didn’t really matter to them. But it mattered to me. I missed out! I could have been there from the (almost) beginning!

Who you calling, ‘Cute?’

This is how Owen and I feel about our comic, Brute. About the angriest (and strongest) “teddy-bear” in the galaxy, his human companion, Rose, and a bunch of misfit would-be bounty hunters trying to ‘make it’ in a hostile universe. Brute is fun, at times funny, action packed, sometimes heart-warming, sometimes heart-wrenching, silly, yet serious space saga that acts as a reflection on how we treat each others, and how we treat ourselves. About overcoming our own natures and about finding faith in something greater than ourselves – or not – and where that leads us in life.
I truly believe that this series, once word gets out, could become something HUGE. Don’t make my mistake. Get involved now, help shape it. Become part of the magic.
Get the first ‘ashcan’ comic free – right now at brutecomic.com