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Comic books: A higher calling

Second Take
Last Updated 29 October 2011, 12:28 IST
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He had been battling cancer and was only 41 when he died. Dylan was the publisher of Sparkplug Comic Books, an influential and admired independent publishing house. Dylan had spent several years in India, and felt a special attachment to South India.

A week ago, I wrote to his colleague and friend at Sparkplug, Virginia Paine, asking for a few words on Dylan that I could publish, and she wrote: “Dylan was kind, enthusiastic, generous and humble to a fault. He had a huge influence on the indie comics scene, from encouraging fledgling artists to supporting other indie publishers.

Sparkplug exemplifies what Dylan valued: it is a small publisher that intentionally stays small, and gives unconventional artists an opportunity to reach a wider audience. As a teacher, Dylan was pretty hands-off; he believed in letting students find their own ways and offering gentle advice when asked. He is greatly missed as a friend and as a passionate supporter of all comics.”

A few years ago I was desperately looking for a copy of Jason Shiga’s Bookhunter, which is the only satisfactorily full-fledged bibliomystery graphic novel I know. You could never find it in bookstores, but there were a few scattered copies online that were expensive and usually above the list price. And then, quite by chance, I found copies selling for the list price at Sparkplug Comics. Sparkplug, it turned out, had published Bookhunter when no else would. The very talented, unassuming and shy Jason Shiga had taken his bookish graphic novel to several major publishers and they had rejected it. Dylan Williams had set up Sparkplug just to give artists like Shiga a chance at getting their work published and getting them the readers they deserved.  
I ordered a copy from Sparkplug and also wrote to its website, asking when I could expect the book. A day later I had an email from Dylan Williams saying he had just shipped it. I was surprised that the publisher himself had corresponded. I was used to hearing from (if at all I did hear back) some publicist or assistant, but here was the owner of Sparkplug writing to a customer.

I realised not long after that this was how independents worked: you didn’t have a large team of employees buzzing around – you worked with a few dedicated individuals and did almost everything yourself. When Bookhunter arrived, I discovered that Dylan had generously, as a bonus, thrown in a few more goodies from Sparkplug. 

I wrote back thanking him and asked if I could interview him and write about Sparkplug. When he wrote back, I was excited to discover that he had an India connection and that he was also (hurray!) a vegan. (I had just become one). Dylan wrote: “I’m kind of weighted down with getting ready for the San Diego Comic Con, but I’d like to answer you after it, in a couple weeks if possible. Can you email me again after the 28th to spark my memory (San Diego tends to drain everything).

Also, I’m really happy to hear about your India connection. I actually grew up for about five years in India, my mom teaches history of Indian art at UC Berkeley so I have a special love for the country, especially South India (I’m a vegan). So, please write to me again, and I’ll have lots to say”.      
I thought I would wait a little longer before I did the interview; at least wait until I heard back from Jason Shiga whom I had written to with some questions. Shiga very kindly took time out and answered my questions briefly. And one of the things he emphasised was this: “I’m very happy with the way the book turned out. My publisher, Dylan Williams, did a wonderful job with the production, trying to make it look like a beat up old paperback from the 70’s itself.”

Unfortunately, and to my deep regret now, I didn’t get around to interviewing Dylan. I failed to email him around the dates he suggested, and when I wrote to him several months later asking if we could do the interview, I had once again caught him at a busy time.

I didn’t persist later, though it was always at the back of my mind every time I got an update from their mailing list about what Sparkplug was publishing now. And perhaps even more unfortunately, I now discover, pulling up all our correspondence, that there had been an email from Dylan in January this year that I had missed seeing. On January 31st Dylan had written: “I’m now teaching a class in world comics and will of course be talking about Indian comics. I’m writing for two reasons, one to see if you could tell me anything about what is going on with comics now in India? And then secondly, if you would like to correspond with students from our class about comics in India/the US? Just ideas, but I thought it might be interesting.”
 
The Comics Reporter has an excellent obituary-essay on Dylan, with links to several websites that feature Dylan’s own work (Orchid anthology, Horse) as comic book artist, and sites designed by Dylan as tributes to cartoonists (Mort Meskin) he admired.

Apart from Bookhunter, it lists other notable Sparkplug books that put this small press on the map: “John Hankiewicz’s Asthma, Chris Cilla’s The Heavy Hand, Chris Wright’s Inkweed, David King’s Lemon Styles, Trevor Alixopulos’ The Hot Breath Of War, Rina Ayuyang’s Whirlwind Wonderland and the best alternative comics series of the last decade — Jeff Levine’s Watching Days Become Years and Elijah Brubaker’s Reich.”

It quotes the associate publisher of Fantagraphics on the kind of example Sparkplug had set for all those publishing alternative comics: “I admire how many cartoonists he encouraged and nurtured. He really befriended his artists; I sense he really cared about them as much as their work. I can’t think of a guy off the top of my head who gave more of himself to comics and cartoonists. I loved Austin English’s anecdote about Dylan telling him that ‘selling comics was god’s work.’ I’m sure he said it with tongue-in-cheek, but on the other hand, he had clearly found his own higher calling.” 

I had already discovered for myself that Dylan was amazing, thoughtful and passionate but as obituaries and tributes pour in from family, friends, colleagues and those in the independent comic books industry, I can also see what a defining, inspiring figure he was as both publisher and artist in the world of independent comics; what a loss it was for this community to lose him; how beloved he was, and how much he will be missed.
 

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(Published 29 October 2011, 12:28 IST)

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