Tons of people need to be thanked for the whole monster that became "Bizarre," but certain people need to get special recognition. Without these folks, the book never could've been possible.

Tone Rodriguez - Every step of the way Tone has been there to help guide me through the strange process of making a comic. Incredible talent, total pro, he can never be thanked enough by me.

Lex Halaby - His contribution inspired the whole damn thing. "Bizarre" was nothing more than loose ideas until he came along. Talented visionary, Lex didn't give me the story, he helped me find it myself. I'll never forget his early help with the book.

 

 

Then there are those peeps that make the book better than it deserves to be.

Christopher Provencher - His work speaks for itself. Talented guy, sharp wit, he's been a lot of fun to collaborate with. When I put up an ad for an artist, his website alone sold me. Keep an eye on this boy.

Wes Dzioba - I lovingly call Wes "The Professional." One of the most consistently professional people I've ever worked with, in any industry. He gives the book a depth and style that I never even thought possible. Can't say enough good things about him.

 

 

These helpful people made huge contributions to the book, each in their own unique way.

Blair Marnell - The very first guy I contacted when I decided to turn my stray thoughts into a comic. He led me back to my bud Tone, and has been a constant source of support and guidance.

William Wilson - After I got production moving on the book, Tone introduced me to Will from Arch Enemy Entertainment. They introduced me to the guys at Ape, and the rest is history. Will has been a great guy to have in my corner throughout the making of this sucker. Shrewd and clever, Will knows his stuff, and speaks his mind. He's been an unsung hero and supporter for "Bizarre," and my thanks go out to him.

Rene Zamora - The poor guy was stuck working with me for an entire year. Day in and day out I kept yammering on about my silly book, and the guy not only took the abuse, but actually was an amazing source of objective opinions. Talented television colorist, unofficial / never paid / against his will / part time comic book editor for "Bizarre," and all around nice guy, Rene helped me polish the ideas that made the book what it is. If you don't like the book, I say blame him.

Sandy Chukhadarian - If memory serves, she was THE first person to ever hear of my 'flying guy' ideas way back in 1999 when we worked together as telecine assistants. We ended up working with each other again all these years later at Universal Studios, and history repeated itself when she recommended for the second time that I pursue the story. A great person, and talented in her own right, Sandy is pure gold. She's also the visual and personality inspiration for the "Sandy" character in the book.

Steve Helmace - Where would I be without this guy? One thing is for sure, my life is so much more rewarding because of him. My best friend, the one person on planet Earth who suffers through all my crackpot ideas, and just the best guy I know period. Steve Helmace is the man, but don't tell him I said so, he'll just get a big head about it. My unofficial third brother (he claims he's my mom's favorite son because he was the cheapest to raise), Steve not only supports every damn thing I do, but knows how to lie when I need it most. He's plays "Security Guard Steve" in the book, and he's even on the very first page. He was supposed to make his debut on page 2, but insisted on being inserted into page 1. Did I also mention he's modest? By the way, Chris patiently donated a whole 3 seconds of time fulfilling that page 1 wish. Now the bastard wants more royalties because of it.

Brent Erwin & David Hedgecock - The boys at Ape Entertainment who not only put the damn book on the shelves, but both have been monumentally helpful in all things comics. They've been nursing me through my first book woes, and have always been there to answer a stupid question when I need it.

Anita Hoehenleiter - The actual character of Sandy in the book is also partially based on my brother's wife Anita. If Paul is my guess at what I might do if I could fly, Sandy is the book's version of Anita. If she could really defy gravity, she knows exactly how she would react. She knew the moment I told her about the book. and never doubted or second guessed herself. Anita has a very strong point of view when it comes to flying, and the character of Sandy reflects that.

Patricia "Mudda" Martin, Scotty Martin, Randy Martin, Sean Martin, Cindy Martin, Jesse Apodaca, Amarna Mizelle, Zoe Einbinder, Karen Holly, Sara Cave, Andre Rivas, Jon Shell, Joe Ralston, Megan Fish - The great listeners. These are the poor souls who suffered through the long diatribes about my kick butt flying dude yarn. Tons of great input and advice, everyone had something to say, but more importantly they all listened. I appreciate every single moment they gave to the book by simply being there when I needed them.

 

 

Obviously a book about a flying guy is stretching the laws of physics, or putting in another way, blissfully ignoring them. But even though the 'science' of the book is certainly not worth any real scrutiny (seriously, don't bother), I wanted the book to have a realistic flavor. What Paul can do is ridiculous, but that doesn't mean I'm giving him a complete free pass on all things physically possible. In fact he's very limited, and also just as fragile as any normal human being. I don't know beans about how the world works, fortunately there are smart people who do. Here are a few of them who helped me stay even remotely honest.

Leslie Seiders - When I needed real scientific theories on how a human being could actually fly, I turned to the one person I knew who actually launches rockets for part time fun. Leslie was enormously helpful with great mind bending theories, questions, and comments about all things airborne. Thanks for the guidance!

Paul Moller - When I was pondering the story of a flying man, I was looking for unique points of view to help me navigate the complexities he might actually face. Who better to ask for flying advice than the guy who invented the real flying car! No joke, no science fiction, the guy actually made the impossible a reality. I thought it couldn't hurt to ask his opinion, and to my surprise he generously gave me a phone interview. Dr. Moller was extremely kind to talk to some fool about his 'flying guy' funny book, and he had great insights and advice. The guy was pure class.

Andre Rivas, Dan Dilonardo, Larry Linthicum, Barry Park, Dean Winger, Bob Blanks, Walter Shui, and Steve Serra - For a short stretch of time, I was on the hunt for flying theories, the loonier the better. All of these smart lads took the time to ponder the existence of a real flying guy, and some amazing ideas came out of those very funny conversations.

Keith Edey & Maria Langer - Both wonderful helicopter pilots, these two took me up where Paul was going to be soaring, and along the way they both had great insights on all things aerial. Head on over to my links page and take a ride with these two, you won't be disappointed.

 

 

Finally my glorious cast. Thanks to every single one of you for lending your likeness to my little opus. The pay sucked (free), but the bragging rights for being in a comic book...priceless!

Dawn Ballard, Heather Bartling, J.R. Benson, Dan Bernadino, Bob Blanks, Rene Burgueno, Catarino Cantu, Tony Chiu, Sandy Chukhadarian, Daniel Cook, Paul Corswell, George Cvjetnicanin, Rick Dalby, Susan Decker, Alfonso Delgado, Dan Dilonardo, Zehour Durghali, Juan Figueroa, Megan Fish, Matt Fritz, David Garvasi, Larry Gibbs, Zeljka Gortinski, John Heitman, Steve Helmace, Greg Jenkins, Mike Karlman, LeAnne Katz, Kevin Klages, Harvey Landy, Phillip Limones, Larry Linthicum, Steve Lovick, Scotty Martin, Sean Martin, Michael McCarty, Gus Medina, Barry Park, Fred Pastor, Joe Ralston, Paige Ralston, Stacie Ralston, Sydney Ralston, Doug Richardson, Steve Ricotta, Andre Rivas, Pepe Ruiz, Juan Salvador, Steve Serra, Walter Shui, Ron Silveira, Trent Simmons, Richardo Thomas, Ken Tom, David Turk, Julia Vail, Jose Vazquez, Guy Vennero, Dean Winger, Rene Zamora