The Hero Business

Yesterday, I had a favorable write-up in Comic Book Resources’ “Robot 6” blog from Brigid Alverson:

Start reading now: The Hero Business

The Hero Business, by Bill Walko, is a fun take on the superheroes-as-business genre. The Hero Business is a full-service agency providing advising, costume design, and other services to superheroes, told from the point of view of Parker Jameson, the new receptionist. The comic mixes up familiar characters and some fresh jokes, and the clean, easy to follow art style makes it work nicely as a gag strip as well as a continuing story. The first story arc has just wrapped up, so it’s a good time to jump in and start reading.

You can check out the post here!

Thanks, Brigid! Glad you’re enjoying it!

So how did this “Hero Business” thing come about?

Well, I’ve been drawing since I was like 5 years old. Mostly super-heroes. In high school, I created my own comics and characters. In college, I ran my own comic strip for 3 years. Post-college, I took some comic art classes at School of Visual Arts in New York. I created my own comic creation called “Stiletto,” which was a Simpsons-like super-hero parody.

Then the graphic design industry claimed me. Since then, I’ve worked at various agencies in the Connecticut and New York metropolitan area. It’s been great. The past few years, I’ve been freelancing. In my spare time, I’ve developed some of my own ideas and pitches for comics and animation.

So…. what does all this have to do with “The Hero Business”?

It hit me one day: Why not blend my two worlds together? The wheels began to turn…. A workplace comedy series based at an agency… for super-heroes.

The comedy could work on multiple levels. You’ve got the super-hero parody stuff. You’ve got a scathing look at our overly-marketed world. You’ve got a cast of characters that include super-heroes, villains and regular folk. That sounds kinda like an ad agency by itself! And then the name hit me: The Hero Business (I can never resist a good double entendre. I grew up watching Three’s Company!).

There are influences, but maybe not what you would think. I guess the easy “sell” for this would be “The Office” set in a super-hero universe, but I’m not sure if that quite encapsulates the tone. See, I’m a big fan of “workplace sitcoms” in general. There’s something about the idea of a forced family that appeals to me. Cubemates are not associating with each other by choice. They are forced to deal with each other. So, you have a logical reason to have people clashing on a daily basis. Maybe that’s why I love shows like Newsradio, Scrubs, 30 Rock, Mary Tyler Moore, Cheers, and the like.

So I had the premise. I just neeeded to develop the cast…. who would work at The Hero Business?

That’s a story for another post….