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La Salle University graduate David Ryan of Bensalem is one
of four winners nationwide of Prophecy Magazine’s First
Annual Student Graphic Novel Contest. After submitting an
8 to 10 page sample of his work,
Ryan will now have the opportunity to complete the graphic
novel – a more detailed comic book -- and have it published
by the magazine (http://www.prophecymagazine.com/contest_announce.php
).
Ryan, who was graduated from La Salle last May with a degree
in Digital Arts, will try to have a 100-page manuscript ready
for publication in six months.
He had originally planned to major in art, “but most
art programs required a portfolio, which I didn’t have
due to all the classes I was required to take in high school.
I didn’t have time for art classes then. Dart (Digital
Art) didn’t have any portfolio requirements. It was
also working with computers, which was something I could do
and was also interested in at the time.” He said he
chose La Salle because of its “great Dart courses.”
The characters in his graphic novel were not new. “I’ve
been playing around with these particular characters for years
now and I’ve actually used them in a couple projects
already,” said Ryan.
Those characters, Ralph and Corky, an unwitting thief and
his canine sidekick, stumble upon a weapon of mass destruction,
wanted by the world's most powerful crime syndicate. Says
Ryan, “Unsure of how to destroy such a dangerous item,
the boys head off to consult the Wiseman. On their journey
they are thwarted by robot assassins, bounty hunters and other
assorted nasties. An astounding revelation exposes the true
nature of the weapon causing confusion, chaos and yes, the
ultimate battle.”
There’s also a large supporting cast, ranging from a
guy who likes to drink a lot of milk and watch television
to a 14-year-old girl who grew up in the wild and works as
a bounty hunter. Other characters include “robots, ninjas,
vampires, zombies, bounty hunters, and pretty much anything
else that an 8-year-old boy thinks is cool,” he said.
He says his inspiration comes from the many cartoons he watches,
both American and Japanese. An avid video game player, Ryan
used to dream of becoming a video game designer, but now he
enjoys telling stories through drawings.
“I guess right now working in comics is my dream job,”
says Ryan, who is currently as a freelance web designer.
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