An artist in print and Press
Jamari Lawson, a Coeur d'Alene artist and Press production employee, discusses printing his first comic, "Surrender-Man!" during an interview in Calypos on Tuesday. He is seen here with samples of his work.
DEVIN WEEKS/Press
Comic artist and Press production employee Jamari Lawson demonstrates his ability to whip up a version of the hero he created, Surrender-Man, Tuesday in Calypsos. The comic will be available for purchase in Vintage Vending machines in mid-June, including the one in Calypsos.
Issue No. 1 of "Henshin Battlegod Surrender-Man," created by Coeur d'Alene artist Jamari Lawson, will be available in area Vintage Vending machines by mid-June.
It's been 65 million years.
Now the D'Nosorians want their planet back, and they're ready to "advance your science and drop elbows, in no particular order."
When an invasion violates galactic law, only one can stop it: Surrender-Man, a sentient sun squished into an artificially intelligent supersuit looking to protect the thing he loves most, the Earth's sun.
"It’s a weird kind of goofy name," said Surrender-Man creator Jamari Lawson, with a few of his drawings and art samples splayed on a table in Calypsos.
"It's a play on Japanese superheroes, like Ultraman. Usually they have these super energetic names that don’t really mean anything but they sound cool," he said with a grin. "For some reason that energy communicated to me. I always thought it was super cool growing up. I just named him after something like that."
Lawson, 32, of Coeur d'Alene, just printed his first official copy of "Henshin Battlegod Surrender-Man!," a manga-style comic that follows the story of the eponymous hero, his foes the D'Nosorians and a social media celebrity, Kiki, who captures the action.
Lawson gravitated to the anime style in 2009 when he was in film school at the former Art Institute of Seattle.
"I got really into comics because all my friends were animators. It was something I was always practicing at," he said. “I started enjoying the more intimate storytelling you can get with comics with writing your own thing. You don’t have to worry about a cast and crew showing up some place; you’re the person that creates everything.
"I got really stuck in that rabbit hole, and now I’m 30-something," he said with a smile.
With the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Raphael on his keychain and wearing a T-shirt depicting anime characters, it's obvious this isn't just a hobby for Lawson.
It's a passion, and it all began with Sonic the Hedgehog.
"In second grade I figured out how to draw him. It was like a 'eureka' moment," he said. "Everyone in class was like, 'You have to draw me one!' and I think that was the first time with drawing was ever like, 'Oh, this is something that I do.'"
The artist takes advantage of his break time in the production facility at The Press to sketch different iterations of Surrender-Man, using the tops of vibrating machines to add a unique texture to his work.
"For some reason, I like drawing on that. The feeling of it, it's easier to relax and fall into," he said. "I used to previously hate drawing on newspaper print, but when I started working there, I started loving it and now I only draw on newspaper print."
Lawson has goals to carry his art to the next level, through marketing and possibly virtual reality applications. He usually attends and participates in the local comic art celebrations, including Coeur d'Con, Lake City Comicon and Lilac City Comicon.
Copies of "Surrender-Man" are expected to be available for purchase for about $8 in local Vintage Vending Machines, including the one in Calypsos, 116 E. Lakeside Ave, by mid-June.
Check out more of Lawson's work on Instagram, @nerdpromcomicsofficial, or visit www.webtoon.com to follow the multidimensional adventures of Surrender-Man.
