Every person with a creative instinct knows how ideas come and go - while quietly sipping coffee in the morning, listening to the radio, or laying in bed staring at the ceiling.
Mercy started with a simple idea and a blank page after years of writing stories in my head. I didn't know where it would lead. I only know that it became a story I needed to tell.
Twenty-two pages later, the first script was finished. But finishing the script wasn't the end of the journey. it was only the beginning.
The Script - August 2026
For years, stories lived mostly in my head. I've written unpublished manuscripts and started various other projects in the past. Mercy was different though. I finally sat down and put words to page.
The first draft became a complete twenty-two page comic script. Then came something almost as difficult as writing it - letting other people read it.
The early response gave me something I hadn't fully expected: confidence. Readers connected with the story , the characters, and the world I created. Some wanted to know what happened next and others said it read as a movie in their head. For the first time, Mercy felt like it might become more than a script I wrote at various hours over several months in the middle of the night.
Tucson Comic-Con - September 2026
I've been to many comic conventions over the years. Tucson was the first time I walked on onto the convention floor not just as a fan, but as a writer.
I was scared to death. I had no idea what I was doing ,and I didn't want to look like a fool in front of professionals - and people I hoped might someday become my peers.
I'm not a salesman, so approaching people with a "pitch" didn't feel natural or comfortable instead, i approached a vendor I knew would be an easy conversation. He was selling comics, and I know comics.
We just talked. Nothing serious. But somewhere in that conversation, for the first time, I told a complete stranger that I was writing my own comic
His excitement caught me off guard. Instead of looking at me like I didn't belong, he immediately started suggesting artists I might talk to about bringing Mercy to life.
It was a small conversation, but it changed the way I approached the rest of the weekend.
As the day carried on, I had a difficult time separating the fan in me from the creator I was trying to become. There were so many interesting people and amazing vendors that the distraction were nearly overwhelming.
Then I stumbled onto Committed Comics.
Tom Doherty changed my perspective on everything.
Tom was down to earth and willing to give me a look behind the curtain of the publishing world. He told me about his background, his experiences in the industry, and why he ultimately decided to create his own independent comic. Hearing that perspective from someone who had actually lived it was refreshing.
He gave me tips and pointers, answered my questions, and, eventually, listened as I told him about Mercy. There was no prejudice or judgement. He simply listened.
By the end of our conversation, Tom invited me to submit the Mercy script to Committed Comics to see if it might be something they would be interested in taking on. Knowing that I hadn't established an artist didn't deter him as I thought it would.
Stunned is an understatement.
I had walked into Tucson scared that I might look like a fool for calling myself a comic writer. Now someone from the publishing side of the industry was asking to read what I'd written.
Time dragged on as i strolled the convention floors for hours each day. I found myself switching between fan, creator, and businessman with every aisle I walked down.
I started looking at booths from a fan's perspective and a business perspective at the same time. How did I see Mercy fitting into this world? More importantly, how would a prospective fan see it?
Late Saturday, I ran into someone I'd been following on Facebook for years as an industry insider connected to San Diego Comic-Con.
The conversation I had with Eric Arreaga became my second powerful revelation.
Like Tom on Friday, Eric gave me a look behind the curtain, but this time from an artist's perspective. We found common ground almost immediately in the idea of building a community that respects and preserves the relationship between the fan and the creator.
That conversation naturally led to why I created Rendezvous Comics in the first place - to help build that kind of community.
I told Eric about one of the biggest challenges I was facing with Mercy: finding an artist interested in sequential storytelling, not simply sketches, commissions, or quick sales. I needed someone who could help tell a story visually.
Once again, I was stunned when Eric offered to let me send him the script so he could look it over and see whether he might be able to do some pencil work on Mercy.
The thought that someone might actually bring Mercy to life visually was almost too much to comprehend.
Sunday rolled on. I met independent authors and established creators. Everyone I talked to offered a tip or some piece of advice, and they were genuinely excited about my venture into their world.
My feet were aching and my head was spinning. But I was floating.
After watching a movie premiere I'd been invited to by its creator, I headed home. Two hours back to Phoenix.
Every song I listened to hit differently this time. I couldn't help but let the music become a soundtrack as I imagined Mercy's Kickstarter campaign and, eventually, its public launch.
Mercy wasn't just a vague idea I'd had at some random midnight anymore.
Mercy had a potential journey into creation now.