Vanderbilt man’s comic book to be produced
D.J. Coffman had pretty much given up on having a comic book published. He was concentrating on Web-based comics, and making money doing it. Then, in June, he entered a contest called the Comic Book Challenge, submitting a page from “Hero By Night,” an original work.
Coffman found out this week that he won, and Platinum Studios in the state of California will produce his book. Platinum is the studio responsible for movies such as “Men in Black 2”.
“My mind kind of melted when I realized I won,” said Coffman, 30, of Vanderbilt.
The comic book tells the story of Lt. David Day, a World War II soldier who came into possession of a ring with an “H” on it. The ring was forged by an evil Nazi alchemist for Adolph Hitler, but Day decided the “H” would stand for “hero” instead.
Day used the ring, which rendered him invulnerable, to fight crime by night and then one day dropped out of sight.
Enter Jack King, the superintendent of a run down tenement. King found Day’s belongings – including his ring – and realized he had to make a choice. He could make money hawking the belongings online or he could assume Day’s identity.
Coffman said he came up with the concept in 2003, and intended to launch it as an Internet comic. Before that happened, however, he did more humorous strips, and “Hero By Night” went to the sidelines. He currently publishes two strips online at www.yirmumah.net.
Coffman said he modeled the story after “old-school” comics, where heroes stood for something and were more than figures in colorful costumes.
“I wanted to show that superheroes can be done right,” he said.
Day’s ring came because he needed a power source. The comic takes place in Steel City, a Pittsburgh-esque town.
Coffman sketches his material and scans it into the computer. Using a program by Adobe, he colors and shades the cells.
While Coffman doesn’t have the entire comic finished, he said that his mind is rife with plotlines.
He said a friend suggested in jest that he make the “Hero By Night” ring, and Coffman ran with the idea. He bought a ring with a flat surface and molded an “H” out of clay, then spray painted it silver. It took three days in the sun for the ring to dry. Unfortunately, he dropped the ring and part of it cracked. Coffman said he repaired it with glue.
And while the judges didn’t notice the crack, they did notice the effort.
“D.J.’s talent was evident by the strength of his ‘Hero By Night’ concept, live pitch and artwork. His passion and enthusiasm, even the creation of an official … ring, really stood out and Platinum Studios looks forward to working with him to publish his property into a comic book next year and develop it for other mediums,” said Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, chairman of Platinum Studios.
Coffman said he was overwhelmed by the response from fans of his already well-read online comic site.
“My in box went from 30-40 e-mails a day to 600,” he said.
This was the first year for the Comic Book Challenge. A winner was selected from three finalists, and voting was done online.
Coffman gave his pitch to executives on Friday, only days after he found out he was one of the 50 entrants to make it that far. He said thousands entered the contest.
As he readied to leave for San Diego to give his pitch, Coffman said it was his 9-year-old son who helped calm him. The youngster talked with him about World War II, when Day found the ring, tossing out story ideas.
“That made my nerves go away,” Coffman said.
He was the third of 50 from 13 different countries to try and sell his idea to a panel of five judges. Other ideas ranged from good to silly, Coffman said.
Coffman said he was thankful for his wife, Calista, who has been there for him through the years.
“She’s been a real support to me,” he said. “It’s been an adventure.”