Check Out Joshua Myers’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Myers

Joshua, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I remember I started considering myself an artist in second grade after drawing Kid Goku using his Power Pole. I was encouraged to draw it again on a bigger sheet of paper and that led me down a path in art. I would create my own Dragon Ball characters and make comics out of them using copy paper, a stapler, and sometimes a sketchbook. I eventually did the same thing with Naruto and after I finished those, I began to create my own characters who were established in their own worlds. I have tons of old sketchbooks full of the characters I created since then. While making these comics, I started using YouTube to learn more about what I wanted to draw. I remember specifically watching creators like Whyt Manga, Mark Crilley, Alphonso Dunn, and Proko. I would also get my dad to take me to Half-Priced Books to get different “how to draw” books that mainly consisted of manga-related material.

I continued to make comics in middle school but stopped by the time I got into High School (Eastmoor Academy). Academics and Sports took most of my time outside of the few sketches I would make here and there. I would always love it when assignments allowed me to be creative and I took the opportunity every chance I got. By the time I was a senior, I was taking college classes and decided to start getting back into art. I forget the exact names of the classes but one involved graphic design and the other was some type of intro to drawing class. This was the first time I drew predominantly from real life and it showed me how much better I could get due to the knowledge I was gaining from the observations I made from the real world.

I remember applying for colleges and Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD) was the first place I applied to. They happened to be the only school I would be able to go to without going into debt while also learning what I needed to learn about the industry. I was still unsure of how I would make my passion a career so I experimented with the classes I took. I started as a Animation major and loved storyboarding but I ended up switching to an Illustration major because I wanted to refine my technical skills. I specifically wanted to get better with perspective, lighting, color, anatomy, and clothing. This led me to take classes like perspective, color theory, fashion illustration, and figure drawing. I got as much out of my professors as I could and I would like to thank all of them for being there to help me.

During my Junior year at CCAD, I began an Internship with a comic book company called Freestyle Komics. It was the only internship that I could find that involved illustration and comics since we were oversaturated with graphic design internships at my school. I learned how to manage my social media, start a Kickstarter, letter comics, and run events like Fskon. Freestyle Komics allowed me to travel and help them at conventions like Dreamcon and Animate! Columbus after I finished the internship and each experience was a good one. I was starting to realize I wanted to do conventions more than I wanted to work for an industry job so I started preparing myself to do that.

During my Senior year, I created and self-published the first chapter of my comic called Asmodeus. It’s about a recently appointed Grim Reaper who has to balance the spirit and living realm as one tries to destroy the other. He finds an elf who has been astral projecting named Xola and he has to find her and bring her back to her body before someone else can take it. I would like to thank Joe Kovach and Victoria Douglas for all their help when it came to the layouts of my pages, how clear the story is being told, and for giving me the advice I needed to navigate my art journey after graduating. They were always open to talking about their experiences as professional artists while also giving me the resources I needed to find other artists who draw in ways that could enhance my art.

After I graduated, I took a break and then started posting on social media, specifically my Instagram @mobankiki. I finished writing the second chapter of Asmodeus and started laying out the pages. I was recently given the opportunity to table at the Middletown Comic Expo. This was the first convention I’ve ever sold my art at and I learned a lot from it. I would like to thank Mike and Tony a lot for this experience. I have one more convention planned this year and it is Galaxycon Columbus on December 6-8.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Honestly, I think an art career is one of the most challenging careers due to the rejections and competition. As an artist, I just want to draw but I also have to market myself and find where my art would fit. I have applied to tons of different companies related to illustration and graphic design since I graduated in May 2024 but haven’t gotten the chance to secure a job yet. I expected this due to the stories I’d hear from well-known creators like Todd Mcfarlane and a few artists who came to my college to talk about their careers. This is partially why I would like to do conventions to get my name out there, that way I won’t have to rely on companies to make a living. There have been tons of layoffs lately in the art industry and AI is also becoming a problem so growing my own business is more necessary than ever.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a Comic Book Artist and Illustrator who primarily works in black and white. My style resembles Manga more than it does Western Comics. I would say it’s currently a mix of three manga: Dragon Ball, Naruto, and Soul Eater. My work involves dark fantasy, action, and adventure. My artwork has very clean linework and is easy to recognize due to the shapes I use for the characters and the environments. I am most proud of Asmodeus Chapter 1 and I am currently working on the second chapter. My desire to learn, make clean art, and create recognizable characters sets me apart from others.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
I have two and they both involve California. My first favorite childhood memory is when I went to California for the first time with my cousin Jaden. We went to the Bay Area with my grandpa for a full week. I knew there were more people like me because of him since we shared a lot of interests. We went fishing, visited an art school, and explored San Francisco during our time there.
My second favorite childhood memory is when we went to California again with more of our cousins. Jaden, our cousin Manny, and I went hiking for 5 plus hours in the mountains and got lost by the time we got to the city. We had to get my uncle to pick us up due to how far we were from my grandpa’s house. We planned the whole trip outside of getting lost and being out for so long. We learned a lot about each other that day and it’ll always be a time I wish I could relive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/mobankiki
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mobankiki/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.myers.355744/
• Twitter: https://x.com/mobankiki
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mobankiki