Sneak Preview: The Year of Loving Dangerously


I thought it would be fun to give you a sneak peak at what I’ve been up to lately: my upcoming graphic novel, “The Year of Loving Dangerously.”

Due out this fall, “Year” marks my return to the autobiographical graphic novel genre I last visited with “My War With Brian” in 1998.. This painful reminiscence focuses on my annus horriblus: 1984. I was expelled from college, fired from my job, arrested, and dumped by a girlfriend I thought I would marry someday (mo-ron!). I wound up homeless and alone on the streets of Manhattan during that long hot summer. What I did to survive is the topic of this graphic novel, and you can probably guess from the title.

The artwork is by Pablo J. Callejo, the brilliant artist behind “The Bluesman” series. I wrote everything, and it’s my story. Bear in mind that these are pre-edited pages and may include typos, mistakes, etc.

Over the next few days, I’ll be previewing a page from the book.

7 Comments.

  • Marion Delgado
    April 6, 2009 1:12 PM

    My War with Brian has very special meaning for me. Surprisingly, red state (formerly blue state, trending purple again) Alaska had absolutely awesome schools, and when my mom and step-dad decided to move to Wisconsin and farm and I had to go to high-school in a crappy MidWestern small-town school, I was horrified.

    This was at the same time as "My War with Brian" is happening, and about 2/3s of the things he writes about I experienced first-hand.

    The main thing I remember was it being a war with BrianS plural. Despite the fact that many of them were decent at fighting, they loved to gang up on people, hit them from behind, trip them coming around a corner then beat them mercilessly, etc.

    If any kid of mine had anything like that happening to them, I'd sue the school, for starters, and no right-wing crocodile tears about a PC or nanny state environment at school are allowed.

    At the time, when I complained, the school responded by suspending me so long that it amounted to expulsion, and my mother had to threaten to sue to lift it so I could at least graduate (but with an artificially low GPA from missing so many classes). I was also detained every day for a year.

    The school in question was a right-wing theocracy similar to John Freshwater's junior high school. They outrageously favored and privileged athletes, especially the Fellowsip of Christian Athletes or whatever the hell it was called, and for the rest of the student body, it was a Darfur situation. Lord of the Flies anarchy. It really taught me the value of laissez-faire. Instead of studying Latin, physics, comparative world religions, and calculus like I'd been doing in Alaska, I took up running – and karate.

    Everyone who wonders about things like school shootings and gangs should read "My War with Brian" and think about it. I actually didn't enjoy reading it, to be honest, Ted. But it was worthwhile.

  • Thomas Daulton
    April 6, 2009 3:17 PM

    You're a smart, sharp guy, Ted, but I never figured you for an actual rocket scientist!!

  • Looks pretty awesome Ted! Can't wait to see some more previews, and for it to be released.

  • I thought "My War With Brian" was your best graphic novel and am very pleased to see more autobiographical material in the works.

    Remember when we were young and were told that bullies were just push-overs and that if you fought back, they'd leave you alone? Read "My War With Brian."

  • Lookin' good. Just one teeny suggestion: I think, in the next-to-last panel, "my fate *would* have been sealed" might make a better fit contextually speaking.

    Other than that, many kudos!

  • John Madziarczyk
    April 9, 2009 7:45 PM

    Yeah, I experienced a cascading series of events that lead me to leave college against my will, although I wasn't homeless. There's nothing like something like that, facing some sort of bureaucracy that doesn't give a damn about you, to deepen your political perspective.

  • I REFUSE to look until the finished product is available for purchase!

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