Introducing John Wilson of Last Ember Press

Brant Fowler, and Lisa Moore are names you may already know from Comic Frontline. We are proud to count them among our number here. Brant also hosts a podcast named Zone 4 and for the fans of that show the name John Wilson is known to you also. On April 7, 2015 the three of them launched an exciting new chapter in their lives LAST EMBER PRESS, their own comic studio for the next few days I am going to spotlight each of them in their own words so you can get to know them before LAST EMBER PRESS makes its debut at Derby City Comic Con Con June 20-21, 2015. Today we put John Wilson under the magnifying glass and get to know the writer of Pneumatic Cases, and the Fireside Tales; EEK! Lil' Monsters, and Char-Mageddon.

"Rocketed as a baby, from the doomed planet…oh wait, that isn’t me.
 My story begins a mere few minutes shy of being born in the back of a police cruiser on a cold East Coast February 4^th morning in 1968. But my real story begins several years later in front of a squeaky red spinner rack, in the middle of the grocery store with a sign that said “Hey, Kids! Comics!” on top.
 Now I could give you my long and often depressing life story here but what you really want to know is “Why Comics?” And again, I could give you the long version. The academic version. The version that talks about how comics are the perfect marriage between words and art, the version that talks about how comic books are one of only five purely American art forms and the version that goes deeply into the history of comics form 1938 forward to today. But you don’t want to hear that either. Suffice it to say, that it has always been about comics.
 Starting with a youth spent reading comics, drawing from them over and over from a very young age, taking portions of panels and visually expanding them on paper in sketchbook after sketchbook, through years of school and a senior year that was completely spent in the art room, drawing comics. I was collecting comics even then. Bags and boards and long boxes. It was all about comics.
 Comics were the reason that I went to college. I spent one whole year sitting next to the future comic book professional artist Tony Moore. The only reason my degree is in graphic design is because my college didn’t have a cartooning degree. In part, at least, I became an art teacher to spread my love of comics (and because I couldn’t get paying comics work thanks to the speculator bust). When medical difficulties overtook me and forced me out of teaching, comics were still there.
 Through a comic store, discovered on the day of my prom, I met writer, inker and Comics Mentor Bill Nichols and through him, Skystorm Studios’ Bob Hickey. On a Free Comic Book Day at Bob’s comic book store, I met Chuck Moore who ran the world’s best comic news site, Comic Related all by himself and I casually offered my help. On the very next day, I was writing my first story. On that day, I met Brant Fowler, who also started on Comic Related. We survived conventions, we survived “We’re Not There” San Diego Comic Con coverage, and we essentially became brothers. Eventually, I met the shy, quiet, and uber-talented Lisa Moore and a mere nine years later, those two crazy kids decided to form a comic book company called Last Ember Press. And it is still about comics.
 And Brant and Lisa took pity on me after nearly twenty years on the edges of comics and asked me to delve into the mountain of comic stories that I had laying around for the first two efforts from our new studio: Pneumatic Cases and two thirds of Fireside Tales. You should check them out at a convention near you or at Last Ember Press. 

I’d prefer my work to speak for me as I enjoy the fact that as I inch toward 50 years on this ball of blue that it is still about the comics."

– John Wilson, Co-Founder

Related Links:

• Last Ember Press
• Last Ember Press Facebook 
• Last Ember Press Twitter 
• Last Ember Press DeviantArt 
• Last Ember Press' YouTube Channel
• Last Ember Press Google +
• From A Single Spark Comes… LAST EMBER PRESS
• Last Ember Press Gears Up For A Derby City Comic Con Debut!
• Last Ember Press Sets Derby City Comic Con Aflame With Its Debut!
• Introducing Brant Fowler of Last Ember Press
• Introducing Lisa Moore of Last Ember Press

About Last Ember Press
Last Ember Press is an independent comic studio founded by Lisa Moore, Brant Fowler, and John Wilson. Our mission is to tell stories in new ways from the unique perspective of seasoned (you know, salt, pepper, paprika) comic creators exploring the essence of the independent palate (sweet, sour, umami?). We strive to turn the old notions and concepts behind comics on their ear (blazing trails and all that – get it, “blazing,” “ember”…) and make books that are both familiar and innovative all at the same time. We hope you’ll join us on this crazy ride and we promise to only crash every other Thursday or when the squirrels come out (squirrel stew, anyone?).
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All images are courtesy of Last Ember Press