Old School Comics At The Mystic Outdoor Art Festival

Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night will keep comic book artist and mailman, Brett Swanson of Mystic from debuting his newest edition of his Power Kid comic series at the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival this weekend.

Swanson, who prefers to work in the “old school” genre of hand drawing all his cartoon and comic book artwork, instead of graphically creating it on the computer, is a graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Art.

His inspiration to be a comic book artist was awakened at the tender age of eight when he bought his first comic for the hefty price of $0.30. Things have changed a bit since then, but Swanson’s lifelong passion for comics and art has remained unwavering.

“I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t drawing,” said Swanson who also works as a full-time mailman. “I have just always done it. It’s like I need to do it. It’s just who I am.”

When he is not out delivering mail on his postal route, he is home with his dogs, who inspired the name of his studio, Sick Puppy, and his wife, who is his number one fan. He always makes time though to draw constantly and think up new ideas for his next originally composed comic book.

“I put out one to two books per year, and I have a great time doing it,” Swanson said. “I wanted to do the Power Kid series for kids, because I noticed there was not a lot of art at these shows for them and this was something they could get excited about.”

Swanson’s fans have been faithfully following the diabolic schemes and plans for global domination that Power Kid’s nemesis have been plotting for the past five books in the series. This year fans will get to meet a host of new characters who are infiltrating the town of Happyville, were Power Kid, a.k.a. fifth grader Johnny Brook, resides. These newbie bad guys include Negativity Nancy and Repulso, to name a few.

Swanson admits that many of his characters are based on the personalities of his friends and animals.

He started getting his artwork out to the public in 2004 and has been self publishing his books ever since.

“The hardest part of doing this is the finances,” Swanson said. “This is not cheap and I just about break even, but I love doing it and it makes the kids happy, so it’s worth it in other ways.”

Power Kid sells for $5 a copy, with 24 pages in each issue. It is available online or at regional art shows that Swanson attends regularly in the area. He also puts out another comic called The Sentinel, which is geared towards a slightly older crowd. The Sentinel, is about, “an American Military Man of Might,” who also helps good prevail.

Swanson’s goal for the future of his art is simple, “ To make a living doing what I love.”

He advises others who are seeking to follow a career in art of any kind to just, “… never give up and always follow your passion. It might not make you rich, but it will make you happy.”

Check out Swanson, his comics and his unique acrylic paintings at booth #276 on Homes near the site of the flagpole at the . For more information, go to sickpuppystudios.com.