Blog

18 Mar 2014

My Memories of Don Ensign

I'm sitting in the Golf Center parking lot of Randolph Park...just listening to Bruce Springsteen and chewing some gum while jotting this down. I'm here to eventually walk over to the duck pond and feed the feathered residents...but it's more than that, I'm here to pass time. You see, I'm waiting for a phone call. The call that's going to inform me that my friend, Don Ensign, is dead.

Since visiting him earlier today at University Medical Center, I'm certain he's going to be gone soon. Don is so weak that he can't even breathe on his own. I, of course, was crying so hard that I could hardly talk to him...which was okay, since he could hardly speak to me. But he let me hold his hand and didn't seem to mind it. I think his oxygen mask was drying out his throat, and so he wasn't able to draw a strong enough breath to hold a conversation. He fought just to keep his eyes on me, and could do little more than blink and give an occasional smile.

Despite our mostly-absent conversation, I was able make out from him how taken aback he was by my love for him. I told him that if I had had the choice of selecting my own Father, it would be him.

I met Don Ensign many years ago, at a meeting of local comic book artists and writers being hosted by Tucson's "Heroes & Villains" comic book shop. I was initially quite excited to be there, yet --as the event droned on-- the discussions got sidetracked to their love for TV shows such as "The Simpsons", "American Dad" and "Family Guy"...shows that I hated! Yes, I'm old-fashioned...and I thought these sarcastic shows insulted everything that was good and right about our traditional American family. Of course, when I tried to interject my opinion into the discussion, the other artists and writers made me feel stupid and not worth their attention. They were "the cool kids", and I wasn't.

The roomful of creative types were now boasting how they wanted to create "the next big thing", go viral, become popular and make lots of money! If you weren't as hungry as they were, well, you needed to move on. So I did. I changed seats.

I took the vacant seat next to this silver-haired gent who seemed quite satisfied with who he was. He had no need to compete with these other wild young men, or even interact with them...but maybe he would interact with me.

I graciously introduced myself. Don Ensign smiled and returned the gesture...and we hit it off. He was so much more mature, polite --and genuinely warm-- than the chattering wild men around us. And he, too, was "old-fashioned." We both preferred when comics were somewhat educational and just plain FUN! We both wanted to tell a good story that didn't involve sexual, horrific or excessively-violent imagery.

By the end of the night --even though Don was a God-loving sort of guy-- he let me explain my supernatural concept of a ghost detective who possesses the bodies of her clients. At the time I had three issues of my Xeroxed "MADAME X Inc." comic for sale. Mind you, Don didn't buy any of them, but --gentleman that he was-- he at least let me describe them at length.

The discussion then continued to other comic books. Don and I both agreed that neither of us would buy the current crop of DC, Marvel of independent titles. Why? Because they had become gruesome and horror oriented! They were practically old EC "Tales of the Crypt" books, and it turned our stomachs. Current industry trends aside, Don and I both had our own, saner and blood-free comics in the works.

Don and I made it our duty to keep showing up at the local comic creators gatherings. One night, to my utter amazement, Don actually bought all 3 issues of my MADAME X Inc.! OH MY GOD! I felt like Lucy from Peanuts, sitting at her Psychiatrist booth --gleefully shaking her tin can once someone put a nickel in it! At the following meeting, Don gave me one of the most professional heart-to-heart discussions I've ever had. Don looked me straight in the eye and cupped his hand on my shoulder to utter these words.

"James...Madame X Inc. is amateurish at best."

My heart skipped a beat and my stomach fell down to my shoes. I just smiled, knowing that he couldn't have said what I thought he'd said. But then Don just smiled back with compassion and gently repeated himself. I felt faint, yet before I keeled over, Don went about discussing the specific elements my work was lacking. And as the blood rushed back to my head, Don assured me that I could do much, much better.

I was waiting for him to ask for a refund on the comics, but he never did.

So I listened to Don's tricks of the trade, and applied them as best I could. The local comic creators group only went on for another two months before imploding. As I suspected, infighting grew and made our groups grow to resent one another. Yet, for whatever reason, Don and I stayed in touch. Don wound up convincing me that I needed to restart my entire Madame X concept --only this time using clearer panel designs and "spotting blacks" (adding solid black shapes and shadows to the line art to accent and differentiate items, and make the art more eye-catching and pleasing) . The idea of "spotting blacks" left me confused until Don had me purchase and study a book of black-and-white Fantastic Four reprints, with art by Jack Kirby --who turned out to be both our favorite comic artist!

Within a month of buying that reprint book, the pages of Madame X's NEW comic were leaving Don almost speechless! No, I wasn't suddenly as good as Jack Kirby...but my previous "coloring book" style of art had gained so much more power and depth! Don was amazed at my progress and complimented me on how far I had advanced! And what did this do for me? OMG! I thought I had finally won the Arizona Lottery of comics!

Now that the rebooted Madame X Inc. has published 5 issues, I'm more convinced than ever that it could never have come about without the hand of Don Ensign --taking me under his wing and encouraging me to hang in there, even if the books weren't selling particularly well. Mr. Ensign challenged me to keep focused and pump out more and more!

As for the comic's sales? Sure, I'd like them to be better... but I got an extra piece of encouragement from the owner of "Heroes & Villains." "Mike" told me that, out of all the local talent that was on their shelves, no one else has been able to do the amount of comics that I had! Mike continued, telling me that he was "proud and honored" to have Madame X in his store! This was such a great boost to my failing ego. At times I was ready to cry out "UNCLE already"--but now, with Mike's well-chosen comments and Don cracking the whip for time to time, my comic continues! We not only have the 6th book almost written, but I've actually laid out concepts for the 7th and 8th books!

So I end with this. Don Ensign will not be forgotten. For those who had the pleasure and honor to know and work with him, we will carry the bits and pieces of his insight and knowledge with us. Don was a genial treasure trove of comic book and comic strip history. He loved the media of illustrated stories, and loved sharing his enthusiasm with us. I was blessed to know him. We all were.

Thank you, Don, for your stuff.

You shall never be lost in the world of comic geniuses