Hello Everyone,

My name is John Graham and I work with Shot in the Dark comics as a writer for Raphael, advertising coordinator, and as a member of the board of directors.  Working with Shot has given me the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of working in the comic book industry.

My story is similar to most, I started reading comic books in Junior High School and my hobby grew until I began selling at shows and a local comic shop just after my High School Graduation.  I eventually slowed down my comic collecting after my wife, Stephanie, and I began having kids and felt the pinch of raising a family and juggling a hobby.

My tastes in comic books have grown along with me during my life.  In the beginning, I was hooked on Sgt. Rock and swore I would never collect anything but war comics.  Over time, the mainstream heroes grabbed my attention and I began reading Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, Spiderman, Batman, The New Mutants, and the X-men.  The mid nineties came and I found Spawn, which I collected longer than any other comic.  While most people during that time were fighting for the latest Image comic book, I found Valiant and it’s character driven story lines more enjoyable.  I’m likely the only person to still have every issue from the first two years of Valiant in a longbox, rereading them often.

The new millennium arrived and my two children were older so I had the opportunity to begin exploring the comic world again.  This time I focused on Graphic Novels collecting storylines instead of grabbing individual issues.  With strong suggestions from friends, I began reading Sandman, The Walking Dead, 52, Preacher, Watchmen, and Identity Crisis, along with a ton of others.  I was slowly getting wrapped up in the world of comics again.

This brings us to my introduction to Shot in the Dark Comics.  I had a friend that mentioned these two guys, Gene and Frank, who were starting a comic company and they had a lot of great ideas.  He said I should go meet them at Watchtower comics in Hagerstown to see what they were about.  I was a bit apprehensive, expecting two guys sitting at a card table with a spiral notebook of sketches and big dreams with no plan.  Boy was I wrong.  I got down to the store and met them both, in their matching Shot polos, behind a big table filled with scripts, story ideas, and character designs, with a large banner sporting a great logo.  It only took ten minutes of discussion to realize they were serious and I wanted to be part of their success.  Looking through their scripts, I noticed one based on the angel Raphael and asked if I could write up some ideas to pitch them.  They said yes, and the rest is history.

I currently live in Shippensburg, PA with my wife and three kids.  We enjoy various activities like bike riding, traveling, and visiting large comic book conventions around the East coast. 

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Raphael and also Shot in the Dark as a whole.  2010 will be our year to showcase what we’re all about and hopefully we’ll run into you at a comic convention or two.

Regards.