Comics

Drippy the Newsboy Series (2015-2020)

Drippy the Newsboy was the mascot for a short-lived Vancouver arts community newspaper that I published in 1999 called The Drippy Gazette. Many years later, I discovered the work of Stephen Crane, a 19th Century American writer known for his dark themes of fear and isolation, as well as his innovative style of mixing poetic narrative with slang-filled dialogue. Crane was highly influential during his lifetime and often credited as the father of modern literature, yet he's largely forgotten today. I wanted to honour Crane's legacy by adapting three of his novels into comic books and by using Drippy the Newsboy as the protagonist for each one.

The Dripping Boat (2020)

The third and final volume of the Drippy the Newsboy series - an adaptation of Stephen Crane's novel, The Open Boat. First published in 1897, The Open Boat was based on Crane's real life experience of surviving a shipwreck off the coast of Florida on his way to Cuba as a newspaper correspondent. Crane was stranded at sea for 30 hours after his ship, the SS Commodore, sank after hitting a sandbar. He and three other men were forced to navigate their way to shore in a small boat.

Available from Conundrum Press

The Red Drip of Courage (2015)

The second in a trilogy based on the writings of Stephen Crane. The Red Drip of Courage is an adaptation of Crane's most famous work, the 1895 novel, The Red Badge of Courage. The harrowing story of a frightened young private in the middle of war.

“The Red Drip of Courage has a retro-comic strip feel like something that might appear alongside the Katzenjammer Kids… One might mistake the Drippy stories for parody, or even irreverence, but Lawrence is doing a great job of taking Crane’s themes and transforming them into something completely modern and different, while still retaining their core and, therefore, their integrity.”
— Comics Beat

Available from Conundrum Press

Drippy's Mama (2015)

Based on American writer Stephen Crane's 1896 novel, George's Mother. The story of a young man living in poverty who falls into delinquency, much to the horror of his pious and overprotective mother.

"Drippy’s Mama is a smartly written coming-of-age tale, with an accessibility that spans every age group. It’s a poignant story that plays on the heart strings of readers young and old alike."
- The Peak

Available from: Conundrum Press

This Justin

In 2015, Canada held a marathon Federal election campaign, the longest in history. During the eleven week onslaught of messaging, I became increasingly aware that the narrative surrounding the Liberal candidate as a young superhero had comic potential. This is my snarky response.