How 12-year-old Jake Tinsley created a comic book to honor his late grandfather, a Tx journalism legend

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November 2007

Twelve-year-old Night Owl creator is schoolboy by day, comic superhero by night.

Grandson of legendary Texas journalist crafts character’s hero after his late grandfather

GALVESTON, TX. -- When Jake Tinsley sits down to write his superhero adventures, he draws inspiration from the memory of his grandfather, legendary Texas journalist Jack B. Tinsley, who was Jake’s best friend.

Jake’s first book, Two-Fisted Adventures #1 is slated for publication this month in www.comicexpress.com, making him one of the youngest comic book writers in America. Night Owl is the character in the 50-page comic book which also houses three other titles. The other adventures are written by Texas teacher Pmanuel Alvear, Kentucky fan fiction writer Christopher W. Blaine; and Chicago comic book artist and writer Casey Columbus.

Jake began writing the book over two years after his grandfather died unexpectedly in 2004, when Jake was 9. Jack B. Tinsley, known to Jake as “Poppa,” was the executive editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The paper won two Pulitzers under his leadership.

For some time after his Poppa died, Jake was overwhelmed by sadness. It subsided after awhile, but Jake was still troubled by the fact he hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye to his real-life hero.

“I think the whole creative process of writing Night Owl has helped him remember the many good times he shared with his Poppa,” said Ben Tinsley of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ben Tinsley is Jake’s father and a journalist who formed Wham Bang Comics to publish Jake’s writings when living in Galveston, Texas. The company spans both Texas and Nevada.

In his Night Owl adventures, Jake’s main character, 12-year-old Zack Finley, inherits the Shaman powers of his Poppa after witnessing his brutal murder at the hands of a villain. In real life, Jake’s grandfather died of complications from surgery after suffering a ruptured aortic aneurism. Jake was unable to get to the hospital in time to say goodbye.

“The character Jake patterned after grandfather, “Poppa Finley” will play a major role in the second Night Owl episode in Two Fisted Adventures #2,” Ben Tinsley said. “He’s referenced in several flashbacks.”

Jake, who lives with his mother in Fort Worth, always had a ferocious imagination, having invented the Night Owl character as a small child. But as he dealt with the death of his real life hero, he was more drawn to the character than ever. At Jake’s urgings, his father decided to publish his work, which is why Wham Bang Comics to do it.

“Wham Bang Comics is creating a new mythology of heroes for the here and now,” Tinsley said. “We all love today’s superheroes but many of them were around when our grandparents were still kids.”

Jake inherited his love of comic books from his dad. Ben Tinsley is a journalist of 18 years and an avid reader of comic books since childhood.

“Comics inspired me to learn more about history and writing and words as a young child, and I’ve seen them have the same effect on Jake,” Ben Tinsley said. “Several times my son has put down a comic and asked me to go online with him to research history, geography and other concepts.”

Jason Dube of Sacramento, California, Wham Bang’s art director, said he came aboard with the new company because he was impressed by the passion that Jake and his dad had to create new and interesting comic books.

Together, Dube and Ben Tinsley spent the better part of six months – mostly in their spare time – editing and organizing the first issue for the comic. It was a lot of work, and their collaboration occurred completely over the internet and telephone. Dube and the Tinsleys have never met in person.

“As I began working for Wham Bang Comics I realized I was not doing your average comic book,” Dube said. “I was now part of a vision that little 12-year-old Jake Tinsley and his father shared. Working for long hours at my art table and over phone conversations with Ben Tinsley I saw the development of a child’s world come to life.”

Dube said he really enjoys working with Jake Tinsley because of the young Texan’s love for kid heroes.

“Two-Fisted Adventures has a little bit of something for everyone – from a funny, slapstick, sometimes dramatic superhero adventure to a gothic tale of magic, to a super powered fight against terrorism,” Dube said. “The comic really covers a lot of ground and I am really looking forward to seeing what happens in future issues.”

Shane Clendening of Fort Worth, chief financial officer for Wham Bang Comics and a longtime friend of the Tinsley family, said he hopes Two-Fisted Adventures inspires other children in the same way Jake and his father have been inspired by comic books Clendening’s young son Niko is friends with Jake as well.

“If we can get kids as excited about reading our superheroes as Jake is, they’ll eventually get excited about history, math and science,” Clendening said. “That’s what Wham Bang Comics is all about. We’re selling excitement.”