12 Years...

School Sucked. Don't get me wrong, there were good moments, sure. Little victories. But, for the most part school was isolation, humiliation, disappointment, torment, betrayal, and other crap. The Key to my Survival was quite simple: I was going to make comics. Graduate from High School, go to College, become a more well rounded individual/artist, start dating, graduate college, and make comics (and since this was the mid-90s, I still had a hope of becoming Rich & Famous through comics as well. Oh, the innocent days of my youth).

There was just one problem. College Sucked. The humiliation, torment, and betrayal were gone, only to be replaced by More Isolation (largely my own fault, by this point I was a full scale introvert), accompanied by tons of boredom and lots and lots of bills I couldn't afford. The only thing I liked about College were the Art Classes. In retrospect, maybe I shoulda just went directly to some Art School, instead of wasting my time at University. Who knows? Regardless, when the first year wrapped up, I was done.

So, off I go to work at the Sawmill. Now, I had worked at the Mill for years before then, but I had never worked at the Mill for a full year, let alone during the Winter. Wow. It was a whole new level of Suck, let me tell you. I got my ass kicked, AND we were building Mom and Dad's new house (usually in the evenings). And I was going nowhere. Because I had no plan. I mean, how DO you Make Comics, anyway? I screwed around, doodled, made up new characters, and just kinda...wasted my life. I needed to escape the Mill, just for a little while.

Enter Community College. CC gave me the opportunity to work at the Mill part time, the classes were easy (I paid ZERO attention and passed everything. Even Aced a few classes), and I got to take some Art and Creative Writing Classes. Not Bad. I went for a year, and after it wrapped up... well, I was right back where I started. What was I supposed to do? I worked at the Mill, doodled, and devoted too much time to Final Fantasy VII. My buddies started up a Backyard Wrestling Organization (the much lamented New Wave Wrestling Alliance), and I joined in. But I was still going nowhere.

In October 1999, I was in a comic shop in Effingham (it was a nice little shop, even if it only lasted a couple of years), shopping around when I saw it. "The Create Your Own Comic Kit". There it was. All those years of having no idea what to do, and here was a big fat box full of supplies and information.

The joke is, I hesitated. I just stared at the box for awhile, not sure whether I really wanted to make this leap. Life had beaten me to a pulp by this point. I wasn't special. I wasn't interesting. I wasn't anything. I was a blue collar sawmill hand who still lived with my Parents. I sucked. I couldn't make comics. Why even bother?

And why not? Sure, I was a loser. But how big a loser would I have been if I would have not even tried, right? From the Age of Nine I had been wanting to make comics. Now was my chance. Screw it. So, I bought the box, and I decided that I would make One Comic Book, so I could at least say that I had fulfilled my dream before consigning myself to a lifetime of Loserdom and Mediocrity.

So I made a comic. Drove to Kinkos in Carbondale and got a bunch of copies made. Gave em away to friends and family. Loved it. Made another. And another. I just kept making comics, because it was the only thing in my life that made sense. I tried sending out a submission to a few Companies. Got rejected. Kept making comics anyway. Got better. Bought and renovated a house (that slowed me down a little). Moved into my house. Said, screw it, it was time to do this for real. Created SDF. Took it to a real printer. Went to my first Convention. Actually Sold Comics to People that weren't related to me. Had a buddy make me a Website. Made more comics. Went to more Conventions. Sold more Comics. Experimented with stuff. Switched printers. Took over my website (eventually) and started a new Webcomic. Just kept doing what I do.

My name is Joseph Morris, and I am the owner and operator of TORC Press, the Bestest Damn Comix Publisher that No One's Ever Heard of or Cares About. I've been slugging away making comix for 12 Years now, and I get a little better each year. Comix are my life, and I love it. I don't plan on stopping any time soon. In fact, I've got a great plan for next year.

Personally, I can't wait.