exterminator in land of bugs
By J.T. MORAND
jtmorand@pioneerlocal.com
> Spiewak has also taken his graphic novels, geared toward 8- to 13-year-old kids, to another level by offering an interactive Web site, www.bugem.com, where readers can do puzzles, read character sketches, view animated clips and work on coloring pages.
>Vinny the Bug man was originally a video game concept, but the more Spiewak developed Vinny, he realized the character was too developed for a video game.
>"Vinny's got a personal-
lity," he said. "So, I decided to make a graphic novel."
>But, his attempt at getting the book, called Prophecy Fulfilled, pub-
lished turned into a dead end when the publisher went out of business.
> Since then, Spiewak has self-published the graphic novels under CWS Studios, the multimedia company he runs out of his home. He's thrown his hat into a market that is gaining popularity among children and teens.
> The pursuit of writing and illustrating graphic novels seems to be a logical move for Spiewak, who said his family didn't have a lot of money when he was growing up. He was a voracious reader and a big fan of comic books, especially Thor, whenever he could get them. He alsoenjoys looking through picture books of animals and insects.
> "To read and imagine was amazing," he said. "I didn't watch much TV an I drew a lot when I was a kid."
ridge man services net-
working, printing and scanning equipment. At night, he's a self-taught artist who develops graphic novels about a shrunken bug extermina-
tor named Vinny, which Spiewak also writes and stylizes with 3-dimensional computer-generated illus-
trations. His second in the series of Vinny books, Vinny the Bug Man: Our Liberator Returns, comes out in September 2009
>In the first book, Vinny
the Bug Man: The Journey Begins, self-published in 2007,
Vinny Mazola acci-
dentally shrinks himself to bug size while helping his professional exterminator
uncle. From then on, his life is one adventure after another as he runs
from, and sometimes fights with different kinds of bugs. But, he also
befriends some insects.
Then he uses hi computer to translate his drawings into illustrations. Some of his drawing and 3D design sketches can be found in the back of his books and on his Web site.
> "The key is you still have to be a good artist," he said.
> It's a lot of work, but it's enjoyable, which makes it easy to do after working hi day job. Plus, there are elements from his day job he incorporates into working on the books, including discipline and the people he might interact with on any given day.
> "It does influence me sometimes," he said.
>Spiewak's books are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Broders and www.3Dstorybooks.com
>What as your favorite book as child?
> "Stuart Little. It was
the first book that hooked me on reading because it required a lot of
imagination."
> What's
your favorite bug and least favorite bug?
>"Favorite is the taran-
tula. They're just cool. Least favorite are the slugs. They're slimy"
What would you do if you were shrunken to the size of Vinny?
> "I'd
be scared for my life. If you watch the Discovery Channel, you see there
are so many things that can get you."
