Shoot to 1994-1999. I did some comics through my graphic design class and a local amateur group on the college campus. After becoming disenfranchised with sueprhero comics, I wanted to go another route. I had characters and I wanted to do a new slice of life style comic built around my friends and using main characters inspired by myself. However, I wanted an emotional center to the book. I just didn't have anything to SAY. As fate would have it, I got that wish.
2000-2001. My mother dies of cancer. That event changed my life in so many ways. I lost my job, my relationship, my apartment, my family relationship was strained, I was starting to fail college. I just checked out for a while. I wasn't there. But finally, something in me woke up and realized that I could channel all this stuff into something. I went right back to comics. I put my lead character I had for the slice of life book (based on me anyway) through what I was going through. His mother was dying. She dies in the 2nd issue. He deals with it. His friends provide the tough and the comic relief. It was very therapeutic for me to do that.
2002. The first issue printed and run from Grim Printing in Shepherd, Mi. I remember driving through a bad snow storm the 20 miles to get there. I paid my bill, got my box of 400 comics and took them to the car. I opened the box and held the first issue in my hands. Instantly, I wept. Hard. I clutched it to my chest. It seemed like finally after all this time, everything I had gone through the last year, I was finally free. I was proud of it. I hadn't fell into drugs or alcoholism to solve or ignore my problems. I dealt with it publicly. And here was the result. I am very proud of that moment. (Even though minutes later I started digging through the book noticing all the mistakes I made and improvements I needed to build on!)
All throughout 2002-2003 I did 7 "ashcan editions" of Pleasant Life:
Finally in 2004 I decided that I wanted a nicer looking product. So I grabbed issues 1-7 and what would have been 8-9 and collected them into a tradebook called "THE DIRECTORS CUT." Each year that followed I did another graphic novel in the series. "Geeks Gone Wild," and "The Mirror Universe Saga." Here they are below:
These books are long since sold out. And I have no immediate desire to reprint them in their current state. Why? Well, when you grow as an artist, its hard to back and look at your past mistakes. Your "growing pains," if you like. Plus I was maturing as a person and wanted to move on. However I wanted to give it one more go. I wanted to do a stand alone story that NEW people could read and OLD fans could enjoy equally. That is this book:
And that book still is in print and you can read and enjoy it by ordering it right HERE. So in 2007, I wrapped up the series for good and moved on down the trail. I am very proud of the series and it is indeed the most personal thing I have ever done to this point. While I am proud of the recent accomplishments I have done and I'd say my work on Anna is far superior, Pleasant Life still will always hold a special place for me.
SO--I wanna celebrate the 10th Anniversary of me crying in my car holding the first issue. But I wanna celebrate with all of you. So I announce the following:
Go to THIS LINK RIGHT HERE and you can download the second and Third Pleasant Life tradebooks for FREE. The books are called "Geeks Gone Wild" and "The Mirror Universe Saga," and they are yours free to download and read as my gift to you. Just click on the link, download, unzip the file and read it your computer, or with any PDF reader on any tablet device. My gift. This one is on me. However, I do urge you to understand that the art in those stores are very old and its what I was doing back then. I hope you can see my evolution from that point till now. But the fact remains that I am very proud of those stories! So download away. Pass it around. Bootleg it. I don't care. Go for it. And hey, if you feel guilty about it, you can always order another book from me through my online store.
There is another announcement as well. But you guys are gonna have to go fish for the details. Go to ITUNES, or TALKSHOE.COM and download the latest episode of the IDIOTHEAD.com podcast. There I announce that I am working on another PLEASANT LIFE tradebook of a brand new story. I drop hints and details and a possible date. I'll let you download and listen to it. (also you can hear my toddler play ANGRY BIRDS in the background. Always fun.)
So thats it. Thanks everyone. Download away and thanks for 10 years of great memories. And as it seems now, it is only the beginning! HOLY BACON BITS! Pleasant Life is coming back! Its been said that you can never go home. I'm gonna prove that wrong. 2012. Pleasant Life returns. ;)
--ADAM T.
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