It’s not unusual for a Mystic mailman to have an alter ego, is it? Brett Swanson of Mystic, 16-year veteran of the Mystic Post Office by day, is a life-long artist by night. He released his first published comic, Power Kid, last year, introducing superhero Little Johnny Brooks, who gained incredible superpowers on a school field trip.
By popular demand, Swanson created a follow-up comic to Power Kid and plans to write more in the future to add to the series. With the new comic book, Swanson said he had two large tents this year set up at the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival and was flooded by kids.
“[Kids are] kind of bored at the festival…But as they go by the tent, they’re like ‘Comic books!’ They’re really impressed that it’s all me. I don’t do anything on computer, it’s just me,” Swanson said. “The first tent was mostly Power Kid,” Swanson continued.
The second was filled with his acrylic fusion paintings, a type of painting Swanson describes as experimenting in color, mood, and design. A 1991 graduate of Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in Dover, N.J., Swanson’s art is influenced by Jack Kirby, Curt Swan, and Sal Buscema,
Though both Swanson’s tents sold well, it was Power Kid that was the big draw.
“The kids were just mobbing the booth,” he said, laughing. “Villain” the robot, a character in the new comic book, was also a hit.
“[The kids] also like Spider-Girl because she’s back [in the new book],” he said, thumbing through the bright comic. “I actually had a kid say, ‘Oh wow! She’s back!’ and I said, ‘Oh yeah, she’s back.’”
The new comic contains three stories—one of which features Power Kid dealing with villains Dr. Broccoli and Sprout.
“It’s just to get kids to eat it,” he said. “[Dr. Broccoli and Sprout] are the bad guys, and the only way to beat them is that you just have to eat them.”
“I must!” Power Kid says in the comic book when he is attacked by Dr. Broccoli and Sprout. “I’ve got to stop Dr. Broccoli! Miss Milhomens [his teacher] says that all I have to do is eat broccoli and other veggies to get strong and healthy! So here is goes!...CHHOOOOMMMMMPPPPP!!!!”
Swanson said, “I’m just trying to see what kids like and they thought it was great…I actually have a couple more ideas for this character,” he added. “Originally, I’m planning five books total, but if there’s a demand, I will definitely do more.”
Calling the first Power Kid comic an “experiment” and a “fluke,” Swanson said the follow-up comic had more thought put into it.
“I actually thought about this one and plotted it out,” he said. “I think this one is better because it actually has a story.”
He admitted that he remembers promising a new comic based on The Sentinel, “America’s Military Man of Might,” for this spring but he had to postpone the new character’s series.
“It was supposed to be out this spring, but I sort of got stuck with this one,” Swanson said, pointing to Power Kid, “and I didn’t have time to do it. I had a couple people ask, and I told them it’s going to be a little bit more time so I’m probably looking at next spring.
“I still have the job in the post office—I don’t have time!” he added, laughing. “But I am going to do it.”
Swanson also decided to create a black-and-white version of a collection of works he’s compiled since 1993.
“They’re a bunch of shorts,” he explained, as he flipped through the book, which is geared toward mature readers.
“Each story is about five or six pages. They’re brief tales,” Swanson said. “I’m always trying to do things that are crazy and different...I have something for adults and kids so there’s something for everyone.”
Swanson believes comic-book readership has increased.
“There’s a comic for all kinds of tastes,” he explained. “You can have the good and the bad, the scary stuff…I think it’s really gone up.”
With his new books all produced, Swanson is finally taking a vacation.
“I love to do it,” Swanson responded when asked what makes him push through the work of making comics. “It has been a dream for years. I always wanted to make my own books and I just want to do it all...I’m excited now. This has been a lot of fun, and I really like to see the kids because they’re just awesome.”
For more information, visit sickpuppystudios.com or www.powerkid.net.