Independent Comic Artist
The Last Bus Home
As an Independent comic artist, I was hired by JJ comics to illustrate the story of The Last Bus Home. Working alongside Jake Zender, we successfully raised funds through Kickstarter to have four total titles self-published.
I originally discovered Jake through the Webcomic Collab community several years ago, and landing this job became my first real break in comics after facing many rejections with my portfolio submissions. Looking back, I can understand those early rejections—my skill level then was nowhere near what it is today—but what I'm most grateful for is that Jake saw potential and gave me a chance.
Working with Jake has been transformative. His patience and grace as both employer and creative partner have been incredible. From sharing initial sketches to reviewing final artwork and scripts, he's even welcomed my feedback on the story itself. What started as a professional relationship has grown into a creative partnership I truly value and appreciate.
Without Jake, I wouldn't feel like I've achieved my dream—even if I'm still a bit of a vigilante comic artist, working my day job and illustrating comics by night. Over the years, I've grown closer to both him and this story, and I'm excited to see it through to the very end. Each issue is an opportunity to push my skills further and make the next one better than the last.
The style for The Last Bus Home evolved significantly over time as my own artistic voice developed. Each issue required balancing the story's shifting tone, from comical moments to intensely dark scenes, which had me constantly adapting my approach.
Issue two became a true collaboration when my friend Alice Elizabeth joined as inker while I focused on thumbnails, flats, and rendering. Her darker inking style brought a crime noir atmosphere that perfectly complemented the story's direction and really elevated that issue.
As we moved into issues three and four, I was on my own again. However, the narrative became more emotionally charged, and honestly, this was right in my wheelhouse. My own comic work in Starfish Lovers delves heavily into difficult themes like trauma, depression, and anxiety. So I felt much more confident navigating these emotional depths. I believe the artistic tone and execution in these later issues showed significant improvement over the earlier ones.
While I enjoyed working on every issue, I'm particularly proud of my artistic progression and intentionality in issues three and four. You can really see how my style matured and how I learned to match the artwork's emotional weight to the story's needs.
Jake Zender
(He/They), Writer
Raised in the Pacific Northwest on a steady diet of cartoons, I have loved comic books my entire life. When I wrote the first issue of "The Last Bus Home" it was to try to add what little I could to a medium that I loved so much. Now a few years removed from that initial success my goal hasn't change. I just want to make comics and be proud of what I write on the page.
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Hades, Business Cat (Seen here in a Crisis)