Earlier this summer our illustrious friend and contributor JP came to me with an idea, one that would be an intense and time consuming endeavour for all involved. In time for Halloween, JP suggested that some of Biff Bam Pop’s writers come up with their own tale of terror to be published in comic format. A fine idea, I thought. So one summer’s night over burgers and beer, Ogmios (hereon in referred to as David Ward), Ian Rogers, Scotty G, JP, and myself agreed to the challenge. Each would contribute their own story, and we would look for some artists to contribute their talents as well as illustrators. I wish I could say that the idea was mine at all, but really, all credit must go to JP coming up with this and for getting the ball rolling. However, I will take the credit (and from my friend’s part, accept the blame) of the one caveat I placed on the endeavour a few days later.
After our initial discussion with all the writers, I was worried that it would be difficult to find artists willing to commit their time and efforts to something that really was supposed to be a labour of love for all involved. I also surmised that deadlines would be hard to adhere to when we’d be paying an artist simply with love. Those two considerations loomed large in my brain as we started ironing out the details of how we could make this work. Could we do this? Could we create what in essence is a mini comic book series? The writers were game, that much was true. But would the artists feel the same way? And that’s when it occurred to me – why did we need artists when the man who came up with the idea in the first place was an artist himself. And quite a good one, at that.
Over a breakfast at the Sunset Grill with JP, I put on my Editor-In-Chief’s hat and laid down the law (as much as one can while eating eggs with one of your closest friends). We would do the comic series, but to have it done in timely fashion I insisted that JP be the one to illustrate all our stories. The weight and much of the reward would be on his head. To his credit, after a momentary gulp, he accepted the challenge. In the subsequent months following our decision, I think it’s safe to say that Biff Bam Pop and our series of stories, now christened Biff Bam Boo!, were never far from JP’s thoughts. As you’ll soon see, his efforts certainly paid off.
Biff Bam Boo! 5 short comic stories, illustrated by JP Fallavollita with graphic layout assistance and lettering by David Ward. It starts below, and will continue over the next week and a half. Hope you enjoy it.
Andy Burns, Editor-In-Chief
