Broken Frontier

I’ve always heard that when times get really tough, people turn to entertainment for an escape. Monopoly, one of the greatest entertainment success stories in US history sprang to life during the great depression. The box office always goes like gangbusters when the economy goes in the trash. I could cite several more examples, but you get the idea.

So, rewind to the end of 2008. Minus the birth of my son, the last year had been one of the toughest I’d ever endured as an adult. My wife had been sick prior to getting pregnant and then had one of the worst pregnancies we’ve heard of in all the stories we were told (and trust me, if you don’t have kids, people LOVE to tell you their war stories when you’re having your first). Not only was I working a fifty-hour per week day job at the time, but I was writing an additional twenty hours and taking care of her pretty much every other minute I was awake. Then our son was born and we added taking care of him to the pile of things we already couldn’t handle.

So, when I got down to writing Timothy, I needed an escape so badly I literally ached from that need. Each day I’d sit at my desk to write and for those few hours, I didn’t have to worry about taking care of my wife, paying bills, changing diapers, running to the store, finding ways to earn more money or anything else. I could just fly free. More on that when we look at page thirty-eight, but for now, let’s peak at page eighteen.

Pages 18-21

We’ve all been there. Maybe it only happened to you once, or like me it happened every year. There was that one thing you really, really wanted as a gift and sure enough, when the time came to unwrap the present, you were about to burst at the seams with excitement. Then, you rip through the wrapping paper and there it is! It’s exactly not what you wanted… what a letdown.

But sometimes, your parents know you better than you know yourself and they get you something that is far better than anything you ever imagined. I say “you” because that never happened to me, but maybe it did for you.

Page 38

For me, this page was that need to escape brought to life, literally. Timothy and Towel are on the move, flying away from Timothy’s real world troubles as fast as they can and the rush of relief Timothy feels mirrors the one I felt when I was able to sit and write during those days. Gone are any down to earth concerns and worries, replaced by an unbridled zeal of wonton imagination at its best. The future is infinite at this point. They can go anywhere, do anything and soak up the adventure and excitement every step of the way.

Pages 39-40

After the heaviness of Timothy’s real life back on Earth, it just felt right to add in something of a comedic scene here, where we get to see the silly side of Timothy and Towel. While Towel really is the “straight man” in this scene, having Timothy bounce silly thoughts off of him also helped to give the reader a sense of Towel’s personality. And, I couldn’t help but ask Michael Metcalf to draw a superhero with a bug deflector strapped to his face.

When it’s all said and done, Timothy came into my life at just the right time. He took me along for the ride as he and Towel escaped our humdrum world, explored the far reaches of outer space and discovered a little bit about himself along the way. T&T have already gone on more adventures together, and you’ll get to enjoy those as well, but for now, it’s time to join the Zoom Patrol. Are you up for it? I know I am.