I was a young boy when I first conceived Talon and the world she lives in. I couldn't count the number of times I "slightly" revised her look as well as her supporting cast of heroes and villains. I knew I wanted to mix real history with fiction so I decided to have Talon's tale take place during the Hundred Years War. There was so much source material to work with from the Black Plague to Joan of Arc, the War of the Roses to Vlad the Impaler. As I grew older and matured so did the material. What hadn't changed was my love for the medieval time period. I watched every movie, read every book and researched as much as I possibly could at the local library. Just last night I watched the History Channels Dark Ages. Not being one of those artist's lucky or gifted enough to make it in the professional ranks just after graduating high school I went on to serve in the Army which by the nature of the job I had to put creating comics aside. A lot changed for me during my term and life got complicated as it tends to do. For years after my term I tried to become a professional comic artist but found no success. I hit the cons, worked for very small start up companies and even tried forming a local group of creators in order to produce comics. It was two years ago when a friend told me to enter Talon in the Small Press Idol held by Dimestore Productions. I ended up winning it but lost my job on the same day. From there I lost my grandfather, my dad got cancer, three friends committed suicide and my mom had a heart attack which required a triple by-pass surgery. When my mom had her heart attack I was devastated. All my life I witnessed a woman that let nothing bring her down and then suddenly, she met her Kryptonite and for the first time I saw my hero's mortality. I struggled for some time after just trying to figure out what was important in life
. Slowly as each day passed I regained composure and strength but still, to this day I'm not myself. I looked to my wife and two boys for the encouragement to finish what I started two years ago and was able to finish Talon 0. It was a very long road, filled with many trials and life-altering events that reshaped my life. Unlike many who just flat out don't finish what they start out of pure laziness I simply lacked the drive. My priorities shifted. I knew comics would always be around with or without me, my family and friends on the other hand won't always be. I had to spend time with those I care about during their time of need and if that upset some people then I'm sorry. Not becuase I took time off but because they lack the compassion to understand what's truly important. It's for my family and those that stuck with me through all the hard times that I found the inner strength to finish the book. I owe you guys more than you know. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you enjoy Talon 0 as much as I do. Stick around because I'm just getting warmed up!
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