Latest GCJ Page - Decisions Pg 7



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Hello everyone

My name is Adam. I was born in Rome, the New York version. I'm taking classes as an English major at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. I had a comic strip in my high school newspaper until my adviser berated me publicly and I quit...for a beginner's art class. That was fun because, as a second semester senior (and younger sibling to previous art competition winner - Sara Holwerda...AND son of semi-famous surrealist painter Bruce Holwerda) I could do pretty much whatever I wanted. Wanted to make a sculpture? I did it. Paint a picture of a man with a toe for a head? Did it. It was the best morning class I ever had.

After High School, I became more interested in literary things - but more the creation of it than the reading of it. I wrote about a hundred stories (four or five of which found a satisfying finish), two novels (both of which fairly sucked - but I'm getting better), and attended Orson Scott Card's Literary Boot Camp Buena Vista, Virginia during the summer of 2006. I currently have two pieces of writing submitted to the Offbeat, MSU's literary journal (pretty pathetic, but you gotta start somewhere) and I hope to be on your shelf (in some form or another) within five years.

Before I get too far, let me just say five words about Global Comic Jam. GO THERE RIGHT FREAKING NOW. Okay, now on to the rest.

I always ached to write and draw a graphic novel, and even now I'm thinking of turning some of my stories into comics - as they might never otherwise see the printed page. Dream a Little Dream is my attempt at making a satisfying horror comic with a beginning, middle and end. There most likely won't be anything there for a long time...as it's just too hard for me to maintain a style that is so realistic.

JGotSpys is just something I do in my spare time, and it stands for "Just Guys Off The Street Packing Your Sh**," which is a joke between those of us who work at the UPS Store in my hometown - because everyone always brings crazy things in for us to pack, saying they didn't want to do it because "you're the experts, right?" But maybe they'd be less inclined to bring in a three-hundred year old chair if they knew the people "packing it with care" were just guys off the street...getting paid minimum wage (or even less, in one case - see comic #2).

I'm also acquaintances with Jared Hindman and Ryan Estrada(who is officiating the 2007 Webcartoonists' Choice Awards {for which I'm drawing the presentation comic for Outstanding Single Panel Comic. YIPPEE!!}) Not to name-drop or anything.

You can buy JGotSpys (and soon, other) merchandise at my CafePress store...here(although I don't expect you to) - I would have gotten three dollars from whatever shirt you end up not purchasing.

I hope you like my art and enjoy my stay here at ComicSpace...and until I make a proper comics page from my website(adamholwerda.com)this is where they'll be.