For the love of comics

Gio Benedetti believes children in a balanced society would have as many opportunities to do art — and meet like-minded kids — as they have in the sports world. The Petaluma musician, artist and educator is doing his part to fix the problem by teaching children how to make comics.

The first harvest of the project is “For the Love of Comics: Vol. 1: An Anthology of Comics by Young Creators,” a 170-page book containing 16 comics written and drawn by participants during an eight-week class conducted last March and April. Published by the Sonoma County Library, the first printing has already sold out, but a limited second printing is underway and pre-orders are being accepted by Benedetti.

“If a kid is interested in sports, there are many ways we provide the chance,” Benedetti said, citing the educational and community programs that provide low-cost, regularly scheduled sports activities for children. “There’s nothing comparable for kids interested in art.”

The young artists in Benedetti’s class — mostly girls in the 10-13 age range — met weekly via Zoom to learn the challenging art of comic-making. The class was organized in three stages: story development, layout and drawing, and pencil and inking.

Working under a tight deadline, participants learned to pitch stories, develop characters through rough sketches, lay out a story, and merge image and word to create a narrative. No digital implements were allowed.

“I wanted them all to use the same tools,” he said. “Those kids used to electronic tablets had to adjust.”

The project is sponsored by Petaluma Regional Library, Friends of the Petaluma Library and Lumacon. Revenues from book sales go to Friends of the Petaluma Library.

The class started out with 25 students, but some would-be artists soon dropped out as they realized how much time the project would demand — and how scary the creative process can be at first.

“I would constantly remind them that the only way to be creative is to be fearless,” Benedetti said. “Fear is the mind killer.”

Each comic in the book begins with a statement by the artist. Aidan Fusco, 13, wrote, “I wanted to make a funny comic that would have been simple to follow along with. A king eating people sounded pretty funny and easy.”

Naomi Leach, 11, wrote, “Throughout the course I got to see it progressing, and turning into something real, which was incredible to me.”

Some statements give a fascinating insight into that artist’s creative and decision-making processes.

“I wanted to make a comic about a 14-year-old genius girl,” wrote Elizabeth Jensen, 12, “but that story would be way too long. So, I decided to write about something I was passionate about: ballet.”

Some statements addressed the experience of taking the class itself. Addy Kellogg, 11, wrote that she “liked laughing really hard on the group chat.”

Several of the comics in the book include a page of that artist’s “rough thumbnails” and draft layouts.

As Benedetti explained, two of the challenges for the comic artist are to create a distinctive style in their drawing, and then maintain it throughout the comic. The artist KDWS, 13, achieves this in “The Different Me,” as does Addy in “Messes of Dresses,” and Mars Bell in “To Get Over the Wall.”

Among those artists who successfully blend strong writing with excellent draftsmanship, Camille Stinson, 15, delivers a funny story called “Tsaicatsky’s Mansion,” while Emma, 13, crafts a touching parable about a crippled angel who makes a surprising friend. Delaney Reynolds’ tale, “Superheroes Don’t Bake,” reminds the reader that heroism takes many forms.

To keep the artists on track, Benedetti would periodically remind them how far along they should be in the process.

“I love drawing comics, but it’s easy to stop,” he said, “so I pushed them to stay on schedule and finish the comic.”

Benedetti feels that the act of finishing the task and holding a tangible result in one’s hands is one of the main benefits of the work.

The book includes a comic that Benedetti himself created during the class. He has created many comics over the years as gifts to family members and as illustrated stories for his daughters Stella, 10, and Emmaline, 8.

“I would photograph and send them home when I was out on tour with the band,” he said, referring to his years as a musician with bands such as The Brothers Comatose. “I’m still just as challenged by the work as a beginner is.”

A second class ended this month, resulting in a magazine rather than a book. Instead of meeting on Zoom, two groups of 12 artists met outdoors weekly at Walnut Park. The approximately 20-page magazine, titled, like the book, “For the Love of Comics,” will contain one-page comics and cartoons. Once published, it will be distributed for free at Brian's Comics, Petaluma Coffee & Tea and other Petaluma coffee shops.

Benedetti stresses that kids interested in art need ways to meet each other. He taught music to young people for 20 years, noting that only a small percentage of them subsequently stuck to music. He feels there is a strong benefit to young artists if they can meet like-minded peers with whom to pursue their passion.

Benedetti is planning more classes for early in 2022. He is also scheduled to conduct a workshop at LumaCon in January. An art show featuring several artists in the book is on display at Petaluma Coffee and Tea Company until the end of the year.

For more information about Benedetti, go to giobenedetti.com. To pre-order For the Love of Comics and for information on future classes, go to fortheloveofcomics.art.