Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) was one of the greatest science-fiction and fantasy writers ever. As most of you are aware, he died last week aged 91. I won’t even attempt to explain his contribution to the world of fiction because I’ve only read a few of his short-stories – I haven’t even read Fahrenheit 451. What I will explain is how much I loved reading his non-fiction book/memoir, Zen in the Art of Writing. Collecting essays over a span of 30 years, Bradbury explains how he began writing, why he writes, how he gets ideas and other musings about his creative life. What came through the most is the pure joy he had from writing. Bradbury’s zest of life and his profession is inspiring, but the book is also full of practical advice. For instance, his most important tip on discipline and practice: WRITE EVERY DAY. He wrote at least 1000 words everyday since the age of twelve! He uses a great quote from a famous piano player: “If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days, the critics notice it. If I miss three days, the audience notices it.” I got a lot out of the book because writing and cartooning have a lot in common – it’s someone sitting alone in a room for extended periods of time relying on their imagination to create something. In fact, forget cartooning, I recommend the book to anyone who makes art.

– The original quote from an interview Bradbury gave is: “We’d never have a friendship. We’d never go in business because we’d be cynical.” I omitted the business line so I could focus the story on love and friendship.

– This is my first sci-fi comic I think. It was fun!