Before I begin, the Kickstarter for my publisher Birdcage Bottom Books is live! “Flop Sweat” will be serialized periodically by them, so if you like my comics, and want to see me, and a small indie publisher succeed, consider donating to make it happen! Click on this link right here!
Well, putting myself into that comic opened up a flood of possibility. I didn’t exactly use that particular megaphone to tell stories of my past, instead I told stories of my day to day anxieties. One of the first I happened after I scored the job of editorial cartoonist for the South Washington County Bulletin. They hired me on the spot to do cartoons after their old cartoonist left, after I walked in the place and shoved my portfolio in their faces. They were impressed at how far I had come with my history of disability, both mental and physical, so they did a little article about me, complete with picture and everything. They ran it on the front page! I was beaming for a minute, then the embarrassment kicked in. Shit. I opened myself up to public scrutiny and review. I couldn’t hide in the shadows anymore. If I wanted it, I had to put myself out there. A couple of weeks went by, and then this happened…
The Art of Lance Ward 