From MSCA President Kevin L. Williams:
Hi, team,
Tom Graves, author of one of my favorite Robert Johnson books, is ready to create a graphic novel based on the team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. He came to this week’s meeting, and I think this can be a very good opportunity for someone in the MSCA!
I’ve included his novel and contact information below. Please reach out to him for conversation and meeting about the book. I feel certain he is open to ideas as well as work with the ideas he currently has.
Your very own, personal MSCA Prez,
Kev
FromTom:
I read the book Dean and Me by Jerry Lewis and found it very, very compelling. In the past I read Nick Tosches book on Dean Martin (excellent book!) and I was very aware that the Martin & Lewis comedy team was the biggest act in entertainment from the late 40s until their break-up in the late 50s. It tells a great story that I think would be perfect for a graphic novel.
I’m a lifelong writer, author of 8 books and I’ve written for many prominent magazines and newspapers such as Rolling Stone, NY Times, and Washington Post. I think I could take on a graphic novel with the right artist and partner.
I would ultimately want someone who draws in a style far away from the modern Marvel style. I would want someone like Marjane Sartrapi of Persepolis, Art Spiegelman of Maus, Daniel Clowes of Ghost World, etc.
I would like to find someone who already has entre into the world of graphic novels who could navigate the right publishers for such a project.
I know this is a tall order, but my hope is the right person finds a way to me to do it. As I said last night, I’ve done almost every type of writing there is. Also I was a writer and producer for the Emmy winning film Best of Enemies about the 1968 debates between Gore Vidal and William Buckley. In fact, the film was my idea.
Let me know what you can do and come up with. I hope maybe to meet again at one of your meetings.
Best,
Tom Graves
pullers2015(at)gmail(dot)com
We had a great time at the meeting talking with Tom about his writing and about all things Memphis, including our favorite shops and shows we enjoyed as kids, including the legendary local horror host SIVAD!
We also had a lot of fun talking toons, eating food, and picking up some copies of Devin Hodges‘ comic book “The Common Days Of Cade“.
Garibaldi’s Pizza is going to be closed the week of our next scheduled dinner meeting, and since it’s the day after the fourth of July we’re gonna hold off getting together anywhere in July and just wait for our next meeting the first Tuesday of August. Will have more details on the upcoming MSCA display at the Hernando Library, and hope everyone can contribute an item for it- either a sketch, published book, or other item to celebrate our association’s 35th anniversary of drawing funny in the mid-south!
