'SEASONS' of success

Mark Wilson/News Tribune
Jefferson City based graphic novelist Nandor Fox Shaffer, who published his first graphic novel, SEASONS (part of a four-part series), shows off the fruits of his labor at Downtown Book & Toy II at the Capital Mall.
Mark Wilson/News Tribune Jefferson City based graphic novelist Nandor Fox Shaffer, who published his first graphic novel, SEASONS (part of a four-part series), shows off the fruits of his labor at Downtown Book & Toy II at the Capital Mall.

Fletcher Hart Iiams is a 20-something living in an average American city. He works at a real estate development office, at least in the same field in which Iiams hopes to one day flourish as an architect.

He's depressed, going through the motions of life and trying to find out who he really is. As spring comes, Iiams gains a set of powers, not knowing why or how it is happening. Through various situations he realizes his abilities, gaining new skills each season.

Jefferson City resident Nandor Fox Shaffer can totally relate. The 20-year-old did not acquire superhero talents, but he did use the powers of encouragement, ambition, hard work and resourcefulness to find out who he truly could be.

He left college after a year, deciding to jump into the world of creative writing instead of getting a degree in it. Shaffer took his fictional story concept - Iiams' journey through four seasons of super power realization and personal growth - and started his own quest to publish his first graphic novel, "SEASONS Vol. 1: Spring."

"I wanted to make him really relatable, young and kind of like myself in a way. I wanted to read a comic that had a character that could be like me right now at this point in my life," Shaffer said. "He's 22 and really doesn't know who he is. Everything he thought would happen in his life and wanted to happen hasn't happened. He doesn't know who he is, so I wanted to figure that out for him."

Iiams' relatable story resonated with more people than just Shaffer. More than 100 backers financially supported Shaffer's $6,500 Kickstarter campaign goal to self-publish "SEASONS Vol. 1: Spring," contributing $6,562 within 40 days last summer. Shaffer and his novel's artist Anthony Gonzales-Clark are seeing its increasing popularity with more than 15,000 website views in the course of a year, comments from comic book industry leaders and book signings and special events lined up for Shaffer to showcase his work, including the next book signing from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb. 10 at Downtown Book & Toy II at Capital Mall.

"A local kid in Jeff City (who is trying) to be an artist and I were talking, and I asked him what were some of his favorite moments in the book. He said this one scene hit him hard, and when that happened he really could relate to that. That meant a lot to me. If I can do that, I'm doing something right."

Power of courage

Shaffer has had a passion for creative writing, long before he decided to choose it as a career. At 13, he delved into writing, particularly blogs for video game websites. In fact, a blog he wrote about a new Assassins Creed release earned him a "best blog of the week" title on GameInformer.com.

"I was like, 'Dang, that is really cool. I don't even know if they know I'm 13,'" he said with a laugh. "That really encouraged me."

Homeschooled in Jefferson City, Shaffer earned his GED and initially had plans to become a journalist. However, a strong desire to tell his own stories urged him to study creative writing at Columbia College. His English teacher also encouraged him to become a writer from the talent she saw from him.

On Dec. 31, 2014, Shaffer reviewed his concept for "SEASONS" and made the decision to jump into the writing industry. That next summer, he put college on the back burner and dove headfirst into a creative writing career.

"I wanted to do something with my life, even at that early age in my life. I didn't want to waste my time doing things that didn't matter in the end. My parents put that into me. Let's try it and see if I can actually do this," he said.

An avid comic reader, Shaffer read scripts for the comics often included at the end of the book and even drew his own comics and characters. He thought he could better harness his creative energy and story concept into a graphic novel.

"I could write a short story, but I really like the idea of working with someone on the art. If I have something that could be visually compelling, it should be a comic rather than a book," he said.

Power of hard work

While writing his script for "SEASONS," Shaffer drafted storyboard pages, figuring out if he wanted one large panel, a six-panel layout, wide screen shots, etc.

"I don't always lay out a page, but it does help me figure out what I am trying to see on the page instead of words in the script," he said.

When he had his story solidified, Shaffer started to search for artists. He had contacted professionals working with Marvel and DC Comics, receiving a few responses but no takers due to scheduling conflicts. Shaffer visited DevianArt.com, a website for independent artists to contract freelance work. In his search, a black and white image caught his eye.

"It was from Anthony (Gonzales-Clark). I clicked on his other work and I thought, 'This is really good. I love this,'" he said, noting he wanted to create a black and white graphic novel at first. "I emailed him instantly, and then emailed some other people. I was really hoping Anthony got back with me. He emailed me that same night and we started negotiating prices."

Living thousands of miles away in California, Anthony discussed his artwork to match Shaffer's script through Skype. They talked about pages, bounced ideas off each other and went through the 120-page graphic novel page by page until it was complete.

"We were working on one page (where Iiams is knocked down) and I thought it would be awesome to show that spiral down in the panels. You can see it in the artwork like he is falling. Anthony is just incredible," Shaffer said.

Shaffer then pitched the novel to publishers like Image Comics and BOOM! Studios, not hearing back. He turned to self-publishing, using Coffee Table Comics founder Jason Brubaker's crowdfunding campaign efforts and ambitious drive as a model.

During his time in Hollywood, Brubaker worked for a storyboard agency contributing to films like "Blade," "Van Helsing" and "Pitch Black," and as a Dreamworks animator for several years. He left showbiz to self publish his own comics, creating Coffee Table Comics and raising more than $175,000 in pre-order sales through Kickstarter for his award-winning graphic novel, "reMIND."

"He is incredible in what he was able to do. He left Hollywood and Dreamworks to make his comics. If he can do that, I can try this, too," Shaffer said.

Shaffer also utilized Brubaker's model in publishing his first comic for free online, piece by piece. It worked for Shaffer, seeing more than 600 views in the first day to read the first five pages of "SEASONS: Vol. 1 Spring" at seasonsthecomicbook.com. He then researched Kickstarter and decided to launch the campaign in June, more than reaching his $6,500 goal within 40 days. The money raised was used to publish 500 copies of the first installment through Print Ninja.

"Using Kickstarter was cool. In the back of 'SEASONS,' there is a group of people listed who helped support it, as well as certain backers who Anthony drew in the book. It is very much a community thing. If you are excited about this, you can be a part of it, too."

Power of ambition

The enthusiasm surrounding "SEASONS" continues to humble Shaffer. His proud papa not only issued him a "good job son" when advance copies of the book arrived, but also tried to sell copies to the UPS driver who delivered them.

Shaffer was elated to hear from Marvel Comics writer and artist Brian Michael Bendis, who emailed Shaffer back to say, "I am really glad you sent ('SEASONS') my way. It looks really cool, and I can't wait to see it unfold. VERY strong start."

"Everybody who is in the comic world knows who he is. He is almost a catch phrase. I had contacted anybody I could about the book, and I emailed him. I figured I wouldn't hear anything back from him. He emailed me back," he said with a smile.

Brubaker also helped promote "SEASONS," writing the forward after Shaffer shared how much of an inspiration he was to him and offering the comment, "In my opinion, these guys are the new generation of talent."

Shaffer has kept busy with two book signings in January at Antiquarium Books & Collectibles and Slackers at Capital Mall, vendor spots at comic conventions in St. Louis and Kansas City this winter, and the upcoming book signing at Downtown Book & Toy II.

"I am really happy to help him get a little bit of a start in the graphic novel world. It is pretty exciting to see it from the beginning," said Beth Elliott, manager of Downtown Book & Toy II. "There are some incredibly well written graphic novels. It is another way to get people reading."

Shaffer, who works at clothing store Ross, is currently saving up money for the next book, "Summer," in the "SEASONS" series, having written scripts for "Fall" and "Winter" as well. He does have other concepts for completely different stories, including a script for a single graphic novel, and he would like to try writing screenplays in the future. Even though he would like to publish "Summer" this year, he is wanting to see where "Spring" takes him first.

So far, it has successfully taken Shaffer into the creative writing industry, allowing him to accomplish his goal of publishing his first book with it now up for sale at Amazon. As Iiams shows readers how to pursue their dreams and realize their capabilities, Shaffer is certainly doing the same.

"There have been some people that have told me the story has really affected them and meant something to them. That was my main purpose of the book. I wanted to inspire people to create but also to affect people, get them involved and think about what they want to do in their life," Shaffer said. "I dedicated the book to these people. It reads: 'For all those who feel as though they'll never amount to anything. Don't ever give up on yourself.'"

For more information and to read "SEASONS Vol. 1: Spring" for free, visit seasonsthecomicbook.com. Also visit facebook.com/seasonsthecomicbook, twitter.com/SEASONSthecomic and instagram.com/nandorfshaffer/.