This November holiday means a lot to my family and I. My twin brother, Andrew, served in the US Army right after high school. This was at the height of Operation Iraqi Freedom and he was needed right away overseas on the battlefield. As you might imagine, my family and I had plenty to talk about at the dinner table each night while Andrew was away from us. Each year since Andrew was discharged, this day brings me back to a time when a lot was going on.
Cacophony of Combat
During my college days, I would often find a minute or two to draw between lectures or assignments, including the one pictured above – Cacophony #2. I completed a few of these mash-up style drawings as a way to journal and brainstorm. This 2005 illustration encapsulates the dread my family and I felt concerning my brother. We were lucky to get occasional phone calls from him while he was stationed in Iraq – sometimes needing to cut the chat short in order to get ready for a mission or respond to a threat.
Now many years later, Andrew and I have teamed up to create Burden as a reflection of his experiences in the military. We’re pleased that we are able to present a short but impactful narrative in comic book form that speaks to PTSD and the morality behind it all.
Page 1 below showcases the style we went for – a semi-realistic setting with a cartoony look for the characters.
Carry On
As of the writing of this blog post, Burden is nearly ready for a wide release starting with Amazon. We’ll have it available as both a printed paperback volume as well as a Kindle Edition/eBook. Our goal is to make a challenging military experience accessible to audiences of all backgrounds.
Thanks for all of the support so far and stick around for all of the niche tales brought to life in black and white.
Keep telling stories,
Jeremy