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The Isotope Communique
Daily news and updates by Proprietor James Sime & the Isotope Staff
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Saturday, March 10, 2007
 Hometown Boy Makes Good
Homeless Channel in Your Future
When we got into this crazy world of comic retailing it was with three missions:
#1 - Invent the most beautiful comic store in the universe.
#2 - Create great memories for people who love comics.
#3 - Help infuse the comic industry with new creative voices.
While parts one and two are something we're proud to say we've been able to accomplish, seeing so many of our extended family breaking into the world of comics is certainly one of the most gratifying things of all.
So today we're going to take the time out to celebrate Matt Silady our latest homegrown hero to join the growing ranks of those folks around these parts "going pro." In five short years there's been quite a few, from our regular visitors Mindy Owens, Andrew Boyd, Jason McNamara, Tony Talbert, Joe Keatinge, and Manny Bello, to staff members Tristan Crane, Ryan Yount, Josh Richardson, and Kirsten Baldock, to our mini-comic award winners Danica Novgorodoff, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, Joshua W. Cotter, and Rob Osborne.
Not even on comic store shelves yet, Matt Silady's Homeless Channel has been garnering some high praise and generating no small about of press. Here's an excerpt from a recent Pop Syndicate interview Mister Silady did that makes us smile:
How were you "discovered?"
It happened around the time that I was inking the second chapter. Before trying my hand at comics, I was an 8th grade teacher. One of the many things I loved about teaching was the constant swirl of human interaction on a day-to-day basis. Making comic books is a very isolated activity. I was complaining about going a little stir crazy all alone in my studio to James Sime, owner of Isotope Comics in San Francisco, and he said, "why don't you ink the second issue in the shop?" So, for the next several weeks I crossed the Bay and made my way downtown and inked. They set me up in the loft area overlooking the store and it was great. I got to talk comics all day with the staff and customers while I was working. All I had to do was dodge a few random objects being thrown in my general direction from time to time.
Now, the AiT/Planet Lar worldwide headquarters are located right next to the loft area above the Isotope. I knew Larry and Josh Richardson were working in there at the same time I was inking. Mostly, I just tried to stay out of their way. But Larry walks up behind me while I'm working one afternoon and says, "hell, I'll publish that." Honestly, I couldn't tell if it was a compliment, an offer, or a wise-ass remark. That night, I tell the story to my girlfriend. She asks me if I asked Larry if he was serious and I said, no, I was too nervous to really respond. Of course, she points at me and tells me I need to go down there, march into his office, and find out if he really meant it. The next day, I knocked on his door and when I asked if he was just joking around or not, he tells me he was totally serious. He'd already seen the first chapter and he said he loved the progress I was making with the new pages of art.
It was pretty surreal. And cool. Very, very cool.
Aw, Matt... you're making us mist up over here!
Check out the full interview & preview pages from our latest homegrown hero right here. You'll be glad you did.Labels: comics, Matt Silady
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