By Jenny Watson
As kids we dream of being astronauts travelling to space, scoring the winning goal for our favourite team or writing a comic book.
Very rarely we get to follow our dreams into adulthood.
But David Cranna from Alexandria, has kept his childhood dreams alive, penning a graphic novel about a detective in the notorious and gritty world of Glasscity.
David explained how his love of comic books, started at a young age. “My dad used to get the Sunday Post and I’d read the funnies in that, Oor Wullie and The Broons.
“Then I got a Judge Dread annual for Christmas and that was me right into it.”
Although a teenage encounter did pause his comic book passion.
“After meeting a couple of girls I knew in the local newsagents, I never picked up a comic book again until my mid-twenties.
“Looking back, I was raging at myself for being that embarrassed, but I think that’s part of the teenage awkwardness everyone has.”
Changing Paths
Adult life took him into hospitality.
One day, during a quiet spell, David started writing a story idea on an order pad.
Reading it back he realised he had the makings of a great tale.
So he joined a few groups online to research how to get an artist, but had no money to fund his plan.
Eventually he met Costa Rican Roman Gubskii and the pair agreed to work on the 28 pages in their spare time.
Birdseye view of Glasscity
David’s next challenge was finding a letterer, this also happened online.
“I put up a post saying, ‘Who wants to join my band?’ I got a bit of a slagging for it, which was expected, then Ryan Bielak in California pops up saying, ‘I’ll join your band,’ and that was us.
“Between the three of us we put the comic book together in about three years.”
With advice from members of the Scottish Cartoon Society, David set up a Kickstarter to fund his dream.
It launched in June 2020 and has already raised 172% of his original target, covering the first volume costs and beginnings of Volume Two.
When the pandemic hit, David was furloughed and took advantage of the time to finish Volume One.
Pandemic Pressures
The time helped in other ways.
“Creatively I felt a little hindered as I had so much to do but I definitely took more time for myself and my family.
“Now when it comes to work, I worry less.
I used to get so stressed out, but the pandemic has really reminded me to find value in the people around me, not to focus on the negative.”
David hopes he can continue to build Glasscity and share it with the world.
As the first page of his limited-edition copy says: “Don’t leave your dreams in your head.”
To buy a copy join Glasscity Facebook Glasscity Comics Facebook page or visit Comic Haus or Buy Small Press