When do you grow up? I’ve often asked myself that question. Is it 18 that I became an adult? I don’t know but I don’t think so. Sure, I’d like to believe that over the years, I’ve become more “responsible”, but apart from that, is there much difference from me then, as a kid, to me now, as an adult “kid”?
When I was a kid, I loved comics. The reason I loved them is that they took me to another place, like perhaps novels do for those who read them. For me, I equally loved the pictures, the art – so it was a natural fit. And, what started as a hobby quickly became a bit of an obsession I must admit. All the $20 a week working seven mornings I’d make being a paperboy, I spent on comics. I remember I’d place my orders with Minotaur Books in Melbourne city, and mum would collect my stash during her hurried lunch break. I’d rush to greet her when she got home. My eyes would grow wide and gleaming as she took out that familiar brown paper bag out of her larger shopping bag. And I’d stare at that book in awe. Sometimes reading it, other times fanatically placing it straight into a transparent plastic bag, storing it in mint condition, as every true collector would appreciate.
I progressed to making my own comics at school. I still remember being in primary school and selling a few to a friend. Man, to be paid for producing something I loved doing – that felt really nice. But it was hard work, and it took a lot of time to produce a comic. Now, being a junior publisher myself, gave me an increasing respect for the comics I read.
Moving along, I can’t remember exactly when, but I had a peak experience as a child. In my heyday as a comic enthusiast, I remember reading a particular comic, I believe it to be Spawn, by Todd McFarlane and I loved that art in particular so much that I flipped to the back of the comic, looked up where it was produced in America and penned a letter to the artist, stating exactly that. That I was from Australia and just how much I loved his work. Heart beating, I placed the letter in the post box. Over six months passed and nothing happened, except school. And then one day, something did happen – I got a letter from America, it was from Todd McFarlane. He thanked me, and within his package, he sent me some bits of acetate containing rough sketches of his work – indeed, his comic in progress. As simple as it was, this was one of the most affirming moments of my life.
Fast forward to today, we have a medical company and we’re launching a comic. Why? Well simply, because it merges these passions, indeed it gives me the impetus to write this article at 3:40am – so there must be something to it. Comic characters can be influential. People love a good hero. Realising this, I reflected on medical marketing to date, which I have largely found to be either boring or scary or a combination of the two in variable measure. So, a couple of years ago, I mused upon making posters for kids in the waiting room with a character – Dr Atticus. It was a mission to believe that kids might be so entertained by the content that they would look up at the poster and actually ask questions about the comic panel, with sufficient curiosity that they would remember the message. And that that message would help them make healthier choices in their life. One of my favourite villains still in gestation was “Colossal Roly Poly”, the bad cholesterol. I guess you could say, Dratticus creamed him!
Over the years, we’ve continued to expand on that thought and water it, and it has grown to reach this point. Dr Atticus, has become Dratticus and Dratticus is about to be set free onto the real world. Dratticus is a digital comic, printed comic and indeed real-life doctor superhero that you may actually find walking the streets of Melbourne. And somewhere there, is a positive health message. One of hope.
I’d like to thank all the people who have been involved in allowing me to bring this retained childhood passion to the real adult world as it is. There are many, including my dear wife Nathalie who somehow puts up with living with six kids!
As part of our mission here, we have created a little shop called Dratticus Labs in Melbourne, where we’ll be stocking independent comics, producing Diamond Kind – our video/podcast series focusing on kindness under pressure and selling our healthy energy drink, e15 (that’s another story for another day!). Dratticus Labs then is a realm for the fusion of art, medicine and technology. It’s good to be able to support independent artists since, once again, it really does take great effort, commitment and time to produce a unique comic on a small scale and it can be considerably lonely on that path as life heckles you, sometimes daily, to relinquish creative risk.
And if it so happens then, that the whole affair – Dratticus – inspires a “kid” or two along the way, no matter their age, gives them reason to “have a go”, to dream, the permission to be themselves and the inspiration to be healthy, well then, it’s worth it.
