Indy Comics Writer

Even though I love comic books and graphic novels, and even though I’m striving to break into the business of writing for the medium, I still like to read prose novels and short stories. There’s a lot of great writing out there that doesn’t come with pictures, and if you’re ignoring it you’re not helping to develop your own writing skills at all.

For instance, for Christmas I received The Boy Detective Fails, the new novel by Joe Meno. If you’ve never read anything by Meno, you’re missing out. Check out his work and you’ll see: They all have their own distinctive style, and they’re all heartbreaking. But Meno’s not depressing to read. His work can also be heartwarming, and his characters will stick in your mind long after you finish reading one of his stories or novels.

If you ever read the adventures of the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew when you were younger, you’ll enjoy The Boy Detective Fails. The story concerns the exploits of a real-life (well, this is fiction, but you know what I mean) version of everyone’s favorite teen detectives. Mysteries are a bit more complicated in Meno’s world than they are in the works penned by the pseudonymous F.W. Dixon.

Like all the best writers, Meno can teach aspiring pros all about pacing, wit, style and, of course, hooking the reader. Just because he doesn’t write graphic novels and you want to, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check out his work.

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