Kudos for comic creator

More than six months after Joshua Kemble sent in his submission for the Spring 2006 Xeric Foundation Grant competition he received a reply in the mail. Having already begun tinkering on another graphic novel for which he had garnered a publication deal, the letter more than surprised the Huntington Beach resident.

“By the time I actually received the letter telling me I won the grant, I had pretty much forgotten all about it,” he said.

Kemble received a letter notifying him that one of his graphic novels earned him a $5,000 grant to self-publish. “Numb” is set to be released in comic book stores on Wednesday. The story revolves around a young man who has difficulty discovering a muse for writing and eventually revisits a past romantic relationship to gain inspiration. A great deal of the story comes from Kemble’s own experiences with a few of his old romances, he said.

Kemble initially learned about the availability of the grant through comic creators such as Adrian Tomine. Through his research, Kemble found that at one point most of the comic authors he idolized had received a grant from the Xeric Foundation.

A Cal State Long Beach grad student, Kemble found that Tomine produced his first comic, “Optic Nerve,” with Xeric grant funds in 1993. The book can be found atmost large-name book retailers, both in stores and online. Tomine’s work in the New Yorker magazine and the poster for a band called the Eels caught Kemble’s initial attention.

“I noticed it was the same artist, read his bios and interviews. Tomine would mention he was a Xeric winner, and I thought “what’s a Xeric?” Kemble said.

After extensively searching the Web, Kemble discovered everything he needed — and didn’t need — to know about the grant, including winners for the last 10 years. Founded by Peter A. Laird, co-creator of the famed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the foundation assists comic book creators in the self-publishing of their work.

Grant recipients are chosen twice a year, in March and in September.

According to the foundation’s website, more than $1.75 million has been awarded to creators and nonprofit organizations since September 1992.

“It was kind of cool, because all these artists started off self-published and now they’re like the rock stars of the medium,” Kemble said.

From then on, he had one thing on his mind — the Xeric Grant.

“It’s really about the title now more than the money they give you,” Kemble said. “It’s like having a Sundance title [for the comic industry]…. The people who have gotten this grant have often gone on to get Eisners.”

The coveted Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards honor the finest comic publications and creators during the famous Comic-Con International convention held in San Diego in July.

With that in mind Kemble got to work.

He penned the majority of “Numb” during his Sequential Imagery class at Cal State Long Beach, where students produced an entire book, not necessarily a comic, Prof. Robin Richesson said.

Richesson — who has years of experience as a storyboard artist and has worked on such films as the live-action “Peter Pan”, “Cast Away,” “American Beauty” and “Contact” — was not surprised when Kemble told her his project would be a graphic novella.

“Josh is somebody who is a very big comic junkie,” Richesson said. “There wasn’t any question that he was going to do a comic book.”

Noticing that Kemble needed little help in the actual illustration, Richesson assisted him in keeping the story line cohesive, she said.

“You can help them get better and straighten out their work, but you can’t give them the drive to make the work,” Richesson said. “It’s hard for me to imagine what would ever make him quit, and I don’t think he ever will.”

“Numb” is available for preorder at www.atomicbooks.com. To preview the book, visit www.sidewithus.com.