If punk rock really is dead, it’s at least still very much alive in independent comic literature.
Just ask Cerritos student Matthew Merys, artist of ‘I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You’, a comic created by Merys and fellow student Carlos Holguin that tells the story of “music, love and lying to yourself.”
“Its kind of a ‘boy meets girl, falls in love, things go wrong,’ typical kind of story,” explained Merys.
He added, “All the characters are punk kids. Our main character has a mohawk, that’s what makes it different.”
Fans of punk music might recognize the name, as it comes from one of the most legendary punk bands around.
“It’s a Ramones song about not wanting to date someone. The name came first, then when I talked to Carlos I was like, ‘You want to make a comic book? I’ve got a great name’.”
Going off a dream and a song title, Merys was only left with coming up with a story plot to match.
“I was like ‘what kind of plot would you do with that?’. Then I went to Carlos and he ran with it and made one of the best-written comic books, even if I wasn’t working on it, [it’s] one of the best written comic books I’ve ever read.”
Alexis Lapuz, a former Cerritos student, donated a large sum of money toward the comic’s Kickstarter campaign before any full issue existed.
“What compelled me to donate to the comic was the fear of what would come if not funded sufficiently. They have a genuine idea, and things like that stir something in people […] All I can say is they did an exceptional job with the limited resources available to them and I am amazed how professionally it turned out.”
This venture into comics was a long time coming for Meyrs, whose love for art started early.
“I’ve been drawing since I was five, I’ve wanted to do comic books. I drew a Power Ranger, and that was it for me,” he said.
While Merys’ own style is bold, blocky, and exemplarily haphazard, he cites post-60s artists as some of his biggest influences.
“I’m a pretty big fan of 60s Marvel. The post-Kirby era, right when Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko started leaving books and people started coming on. John Buscema, John Romita Jr. I’m a 90s kid, so, Jim Lee, John Romita Jr.”
What sets Merys art apart from the rest of the pack is that he draws characters like people and that’s a big thing in comics.
One look at any mainstream comic and it’s clear how rare it is to see characters that look like real people.
So far the comic has two full issues out with a third one in the works. Fans and readers can pick up either issue for only $1 at Candmpublishing.squarespace.com.
