Jac-jac Prewrite

Jackson fiddled with the character on his page. He’d been working on this particular hero for a long time. His face just isn’t right. He thought. Again, the boy erased the current expression and tried again. In this current comic, the Captain was angry and had been betrayed by his fellows. Jackson could feel that Captain’s anger, his regret for having trusted his men, the sorrow of his fate, and the small hope that it was all a big joke. He could feel it but he couldn’t draw it. Maybe I need to reread this chapter. Jackson looked around his classroom. All the other students were still busy working on the test. Frustrated heads and faces content to only stare at the quantum equations assigned by Mr. Nelky. Jackson then glanced at his physics instructor. The wiry young man had his nose inside his big black book, as usual. Jackson took one last furtive glance around the room before digging out more of his things. 1

The Serendipitous Adventures of Captain Kouis was a manuscript that Jackson had been perfecting for some time. Unlike most artist who started in the middle, he began from the beginning. Many sagas had preceded Captain Kouis. Jackson like Kouis better though cause he felt like he had a bit more control over Kouis’s fate that he did with the sagas. A saga come before the main action and is already set in stone. Jackson hated some of his own stories just because he had wanted to change the ending. It didn’t make since for Princess to kill her family in hopes of marrying the dark prince nor did he understand why the Mattas and Antemattas exchanged peace children, only for the Clemens to be destroyed. Jackson didn’t get it, but his readers did. As a young published artist, Jackson enjoyed that his readers felt his angst. They had their favorite heroes and villains, even gave tips on outcomes. But Jackson ignored those. What ever happened, happened. Even Captain Kouis had a mind of his own. 2

But Jackson believed that was because Kouis was his better half personified. Jackson lived vicariously through Kouis. When Jackson felt lonely, he would write another chapter about Kouis. Whether Kouis was beating down goblins or racing to deliver a princess to another place, Jackson felt he had accomplished it, or at least had front row tickets to the show.3

His current chapter hit really close to home. Jackson skimmed. Even though he wrote it, there was always something he forgot or needed to remember. “…The Captain handed the bundle to the cabin boy and made an oath securing them…made it to the deck…fellows gather over a large fire...mutiny…better pay…‘You chose the wrong side, my friend’…Kouis is thrown over board…” Jackson zeroed in on that last part. It was the end of the volume. After a few more minutes of erasing, the perfect face appeared to him, right outside the classroom window.4

Dark hair and bright eyes, with tanned skin. Jackson blink. The man’s face was perfect. Even the vague look of misunderstanding was perfect. Jackson absently imitated the man’s face before adding detail.No, his nose was a little more to the left...and his yes were less livid... Jackson looked up to see that the man was gone. Not that he expected his muse to remain there forever, but at least long enough for him to finish his drawing. He sighed and gazed at his character’s expression again. “Not my best but it’ll have to do.”5

“What will do, Mr. Himes?” Mr. Nelky had the class’s full attention and was directing it at Jackson’s desk. Jack looked down at his work and could feel the heat rising on the back of his neck. 6

“Um, nothing. Just talking to myself sir.” Snickers sounded in the background.7

“Did you enjoy the conversation, pipsky?”8

“Quiet Nelson! Jackson if I find you off task and disrupting once again I’ll be forced to issue a detention.” Mr. Nelky turned around and began t write several formulas on the board. Jackson hung his head and slowly began to put away his work. He didn’t need anyone finding out his love for comics. Although the number of graphic novel lovers was wide, the was an even larger population at his school who though books with pictures were childish and even more aren’t to be read of written by boys. Who came up with superman? was what Jackson often thought. Not that he was comparing himself to any of the great Marvel writers of the past, but you had to wonder where the line for the double standard was drawn.9