Rocketed to Earth as an infant, crash landing into a Kansas farmland...

Okay not quite.

I was, in fact, born on Earth. The USA, in fact. I've spent quite a few years growing up, and am nearly there...though I still write funny books [for free, no less!], so how grown up am I, really?

My first real success as an artist was when I was published in the Cerebus reprint of #75. Dave Sim, the writer, artist and publisher of Cerebus was taking submissions for single comics pages and paying $150. I whipped a page up and sent it to him and he sent me a check and lots of copies of the book. Whatever else you can say about Dave Sim, he's done a lot to help other comic artists.

A few years after that, I had a relatively larger success when I printed my comic strip Drawing From Life in The Times Leader, one of the local newspapers. Nearly 30,000 people a day were forced to overlook my strip for nearly a year and a half. I wrote 6 strips a week for $20 bucks. I never missed a deadline, and only reran a strip once, because the paper didn't like the one I had done because IT INSULTED LAWYERS TOO MUCH. And I thought they were fair game.

I was able to get a job with The Times Leader, and I slowly began to develop paying skills with computer layout. With the help of a smart man named Bob Patience, I became a advertising layout artist and loved every minute of it.

During my time at The Times Leader, I married the love of my life, Martha. As well as being a fantastic wife, she has been my editor and proofreader for every comic I've ever drawn. In fact, if not for her, Drawing From Life would never have come into being.

We moved to Florida for a while and I created ads for a phone book company. We discovered that Clearwater Florida had a pretty ocean, but was too crowded and too hot, so we moved back home.

I now work for a health products company as a technical illustrator. I average about 1 job every few years and this one has lasted the longest.

But not as long as I've been drawing cartoons. And not for as long as I've been drawing The Gods of Arr-Kelaan.

Steve Rowles

As you may suspect, being a  colorist, my role in the GoA universe is just HUGE. Sure, writing, penciling, inking, lettering (all done by Chuck) and editing (done by Martha) are all “important” in their own little ways, but I think we can all agree that the coloring is the building block on which a comic stands.  

“What color of brown should this dog poop be?” or, “What kind of effect do I need here for this glowing thingy?”, or even, “should I bucket-fill?” are a few of the make-or-break, monumental decisions I make*  on this comic book on a regular basis. I must also stay in the lines CONTINUOUSLY! 
* = Unless, of course, you know... If Chuck decides that I’m wrong.

I know, I know, you are probably thinking to yourself, “Oh, my dear Lord! How could ONE ORDINARY MAN possibly be up to such a task?? How, I ask??? Tell me, you bastard! Tell me!!!!”

The answer, of course, is simple. I am no ordinary man. Rather, I am a beacon of light in the dank, dark world of literature. Really.

*ahem*

Being a colorist is like being the bass player of a band. Seldom do you get acknowledged or kudos sent your way, and you never get the chicks (and by chicks I of course mean baby chickens. Aww. They're sooo key-oot!).

Really, what the hell does a colorist do, anyway? Something you did when you were three years old and someone gave you a crayon. Jesus, even “inkers” got a movie written about them (see Chasing Amy).

Okay, it’s not that pathetic, and lots of colorists are even called “genius”. Well, okay “genius” may be too strong. But I’m sure somebody was called “darn clever” at one time or another (though I really can’t back that up with any of your precious *facts* or anything). A lot of them DO, however, get paid buckets of cash for what they do.  I just don’t happen to be one of them. Yet. ;O)

But I digress. And I was kidding a lot of the time up there with my words and such. I really love helping my brother on his work, “The Gods of Arr-Kelaan”. I started working with Chuck on Issue 11 Of GOING HOME. At the same time, I took over coloring duties for VOLUME ZERO (at page 7). Sometimes he does give me some great challenges. I usually do okay, gradually hit it out of the park. The other times? Well, we usually clean that crap up before you see it, so it’s not even worth talking about. So I won’t.

On top of coloring (or “toning” if b&w), I also do the effects. These effects usually have to do with magic, but others may be as simple as clouds, fire, water, bubbles, etc. Most of this stuff I make by rendering images and colors in Photoshop™, my very best friend. I’ll never leave you Photoshop! Unless, of course, a newer version of you comes out. Or a better program. Oh, now don’t be that way. Oh. This has turned awkward all of the sudden. Hmmm.

Personal stuff:
I'd love to say that this is my only work, but for now it isn't. I work for a Telecom company, a home improvement store and I DJ part-time. I am also an Admin for Drunk-Duck (basically just to help my brother out). But all other time is dedicated to The Gods of Arr-Kelaan. Because, sadly,  I have no life. That, and I want to ride my brother's coat-tails to success. As I always say, "I am the Clint Howard of web-comics"!

I am "politically minded" (pretty much to the liberal side of things), but not really politically active, however (I don't attend marches and so forth). Freedom is not free, but blood for oil should not be condoned, either.