Today we’d like to introduce you to David Johnson.
David, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Well, as far as comics go, I made my first few in 5th grade! I did a Digimon rip-off, a Matrix rip-off, and a Final Fantasy Rip-off that I called “Breath of Life.” I think that one even spanned over 3 or 4 books. But, I always liked making comics and drawing, being creative, and using my imagination. It was awesome to me.
Which makes you wonder why I ever stopped in the first place. Flash forward to 2016, when I was 26 and I had just realized that I wasn’t good at anything. Couldn’t paint, play a guitar, sing, dance, none of it. So I did the first thing that I could think of (and the easiest to start at the time) drawing. I started drawing every single day.
Whether it be 5 minutes or 5 hours, I would make it a point to draw something. It wasn’t too much later that I decided I wanted to start making comics again as well. So I started work on designing “Expeditions of Parynthia”. It was originally going to be a small Youtube series, starring me and my buddies, but that didn’t pan out. Fast forward again a couple of years, and EOP is now printed and worming its way out there into the world. I dunno, if you would have told 10-year-old me that all of the times I got in trouble for stealing printer paper would turn into this, I think I would have thrown up out of sheer excitement.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, not at all. I had a great job when I decided to start this journey, and lost it along the way. I had to come home and tell my pregnant wife that I just got fired, then try to convince her that this art thing was going to pay off in some way. Every year, things DO get better, but it’s going to be a long time before we get back to where we were financial.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a freelance illustrator, but I specialize in comic books and character art.
I like to think that people know me for my flagship series “Expeditions of Parynthia” but I’m sure that no one knows me. I think that the achievement that I lean on the most, is that I never got a comic book out at all. I cannot tell you how many people I’ve met since starting this journey that has come up to my table at a convention and told me that they started a comic and don’t think that they’ll ever finish it.
I think what would set me apart from many of the other comic creators out there would be how I learned to do comics in the first place. See, most comic guys got their start from literally copying, learning, and recreating their favorite comics growing up. But I didn’t grow up with comics, sure, I had a box of them that were given to me.
But the only thing I read out of there was “Heavy Metal.”
Superheroes never really did it for me. I grew up with Final Fantasy, Legend of Dragoon, all of the shows on Toonami, then all of the shows on Adult Swim. I didn’t get into comics until I was an adult and discovered the world of indie titles.
What’s next?
I’m not vain enough to think that I’ll be able to change the world of entertainment, and comics, with the power of my little series alone. But damn if I’m not gonna try. I want to grow Expeditions of Parynthia into something huge, and I want to show others that they can do the same with their own original creations.
I’m looking forward to the day that EOP is in stores everywhere, and people are making 20 min videos on Youtube talking about how I don’t understand perspective or anatomy and I shouldn’t be popular or something like that. I’m also just excited to grow the series and let people read my vision.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ineedabiggersword.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ineedabiggersword/
