GARY SCOTT BEATTY'S Column: True Confession Time

There are many old friends enjoying these postings, but many more who may be wondering who IS this Gary Scott Beatty guy? The first comic I printed was on my high school's ditto machine, after hours, without permission. After six years as a front man with a working punk/new wave band, I settled into working with graphics for ad agencies, newspapers, and printers. This led to editing and designing a full color, monthly magazine with physical, county wide distribution. I feel fortunate to be in the last wave of magazine production before the internet lead to most going away. +++ I Publish Stuff I loved Gary Reed's Caliber graphic novels, some of the absolute best of the black and white explosion in 1989. At those conventions I became friends with many of the Caliber crew: Bill Bryan, Vince Locke, Mark Bloodworth, Guy Davis, and more. In 2008 I published three full color comics, listed in Diamond. I landed a Xeric Foundation grant to publish "Jazz: Cool Birth," with art influenced by '50s album cover design.   Pages from "Jazz: Cool Birth." Bebop language lent a confusing aura of realism to the narrative. Art influenced by '50s album cover design. My comic "Number One," with "Adventures of Aaron" artist Aaron Warner, was one of the best indie comics of 2014, according to Bleeding Cool News. There may be some new info coming up on this story of a comic shop owner soon. I began "Indie Comics Magazine" in 2011, using my editing, production and promotion skills on 10 64-page issues, working with some fantastically talented writers and artists. A new comic in full color, called "Indie Comics," ran for three issues in 2016. Indie Comics Magazine #1, #2 and #3 with cover art from Marcus Boas, Tom Kelly and Susan Van Camp. Gary Reed contacted me to join his relaunched Caliber Comics line in 2015 before his death a year later. Caliber carries three of my graphic novels today. 1. The "Worlds" graphic novel includes "Jazz: Cool Birth," "Adam Among the Gods," and "Seductions," those three self published comics from 2018 with art from me, Bill Bryan and James Lyle. 2. "Jazz: Midnight" features the short stories I wrote and illustrated for my contributions to "Indie Comics Magazine." Jazz piano man Dean Fontessa shares his observations on life and music like in "Jazz: Cool Birth." 3. In "Wounds", "The Walking Dead" meets "The Twilight Zone" in a very strange zombie graphic novel. Here I developed the style I use today for horror/thriller tales.   My Caliber graphic novels. I'm very proud to be a storyteller picked by Gary Reed. In 2018 I started the "Gods of Aazurn" webcomic on Webtoons because I knew a regular schedule would help me improve my inking and illustration skills. (I hear you laughing at "regular schedule." I'm doing the best I can!) I really do love cosmic horror, Lovecraft style. I created a four issue "Welcome to Dunwich" comic series with the aforementioned Mark Bloodworth. I'm not sure where that is going, but I own a dandy splash page for it from Tom Mandrake ("Spectre"). +++ I Help Others Publish Stuff • My coloring and lettering for 3 Boys Productions' "Students of the Unusual" has appeared since the popular indy comic's first issue and my logo design graces each cover. Publisher Terry Cronin's recent "The Healing" graphic novel allowed me to color and letter writer/artist teams of some of the best known talent in comics!   Interior pages, "The Healing," with color by me. • The controversial "Wedding of Popeye and Olive" I colored for Ocean Comics was discussed on Good Morning America, in "The New York Times," "Time" magazine and "Newsweek." • My work with nationally syndicated cartoonist Aaron Warner included coloring "Adventures of Aaron" Sunday strips, producing the "Sparky and Tim" collection cover and typography and coloring for much of Aaron's early advertising studio work. • My cover coloring for Scott Rosema's "August" are now definitive of the character. Oh, yeah. I make a Publishing Comics video blog. Everyone remembers their first Stan Lee. I Have Influences I read my first comic book, a beat up old Tin Tin hardcover, in my little grade school library some time before the '60s Batman craze. Yeah, I'm that kind of fan, who read a graphic novel before superheroes. Don't fret, though, I was soon reading my share of "Hot Stuff" and "Uncle Scrooge," too. The campy '60s Batman TV show pulled me into reading superheroes. I distinctly remember my aunt picking me up "Tales of Suspense" #91 and #92. Jack Kirby on Captain America and Gene Colan on Iron Man. Yeah, I was hooked and the lifelong search began for back issues. As a teen I shopped at head shops for indie comics, called "underground" then. Head shops were these strange, small, dark stores with incense, black light posters, and smoking paraphernalia, the earliest outlet for indie comics. I discovered horror illustrator Richard Corben. "Heavy Metal" magazine was a revelation in 1977, part mainstream adventure stories and part underground strange.   So Kirby and Colan, Herge and Barks, Corben and Moebius. You might say I pull from multiple influences!   Richard Corben cover, left, and Moebius cover, right. +++ What About YOU? With all of my story out there in the ether, what do YOU own? I'd love to see a picture of you holding one of the books, or the webcomic on your phone. This is all about YOU after all, entertaining you, coaxing a smile, and scaring the bejesus out of you. Post a pic and tag me, we'll talk! I'm Gary Scott Beatty here on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/garyscottbeatty/ +++ New year! Grab hold and spin with the carousel. I know, it's just a stupid merry-go-round, but it's loud, and it's colorful, and it's moving. Take a whirl. In glorious service to our Aazurn overlords, Gary Scott Beatty StrangeHorror.com