By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor
We first met Pennsauken comic artist Ryan Brady 13 years ago at Wizard World Philadelphia. The founder of Camden Comics, Brady had created both The Bolt and Anomaly, two heroic figures designed to appeal to anyone who loved reading comic books. Fast forward to today: “The Bolt” and “Anomaly” titles are now joined by the fun, kid-friendly book, “Skull Boy;” and this weekend, Brady has a table at San Diego Comic Con, the most famous and well attended comic book/pop culture convention on the planet.
“I’ve been at this for a while and toiling on this. Everyone is happy for me,” said Brady, who is in the small press section at the convention. “I don’t know if San Diego is helping me or giving me more street cred, but I’m starting to get more of a following. It’s a huge opportunity, so maybe something will happen out there for me and then I can take it even further.”
Ryan’s wife, Brenda, encouraged him to apply for San Diego Comic Con, going so far as calling the organizers and getting an application.
“A lot of cons, if you go on their website, there’s an application right there. And it’s not like that for San Diego,” explained Ryan. “And she’s like ‘I found their phone number and I called them.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean? You can’t call San Diego Comic-Con!’ They emailed an application and I didn’t hear anything. Then one day I was at work and I got the email.”
Starting out, Ryan pushed back against early criticism, publishing his original work for the sake of creating art. But with being accepted by the iconic San Diego Comic Con, Brady feels that this is a watershed moment for his dream.
“I sort of feel like I’ve won at life. It’s such a cool feeling, because I’ve always wanted to be a comic book creator,” explained Brady. “Now, I’m going to San Diego. I have three titles. I have over 300 pages that I’ve done,” explained Brady.
He also encourages budding creators to follow their dreams.
“Anybody can do what I’m doing, as long as you follow your passion,” said Brady. “Anytime that you can do something for yourself that makes you happy and doesn’t hurt anybody, then you should do it.”
You’ll find Ryan Brady at the San Diego Comic Con, held at the San Diego Convention Center, from July 23-26. For on his titles, visit CamdensComics.com.
