Originally published in 2005, Matt Kindt wrote and drew the graphic novel 3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man about the secret history of what it would be like to be a giant man. Unable to fit inside a house, to have a normal life, Kindt explored the strange and abnormal life of Craig Pressgang. Today, courtesy of Dark Horse Comics we have an exclusive short essay written by Kindt about 3 Story which talks about the creative process of storytelling after having a child.
Below you’ll find the essay, as well as a preview to 3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man. Enjoy!
3 Story – by Matt Kindt
Every writer that has a kid, will eventually have one book that deals with the idea of parenthood. I think it’s almost a subconscious thing—but I see it with every writer I know—I can pinpoint the book they made when they had a kid. This was that book for me. Like all my work, I never really know what my books are “about” until they’re done. And even then I don’t really consciously think about it until do interview and interact with readers and see where my book landed. My intent with this book was to write a book that my wife would read and love. She wasn’t a big comic book fan when she was a kid and read very few—just the ones I would give her when we first met. At conventions, I noticed that it was hard for her to find comics that appealed to her. And I realized there was a huge gap in available comics for a large audience that wanted to read comics. But didn’t have a comic that spoke to them. 3 Story was my way of trying to solve that problem. To make a book that the guy dragging his bored wife/girlfriend around to a convention would maybe be interested in. A book my wife would love. That book was for her. It also really took me out of my comfort zone as a writer—something I’m always trying to do. I hate repeating myself and I really try to avoid writing from my own point of view. The idea with this was to write from the POV of my grandmother, my wife, and then my daughter—hence the “three stories.” As a result there are a lot of very personal moments in this book that aren’t masked by fiction. It was uncomfortable to include scenes and characters that were really…well, real. Usually I can hide behind fiction but in this case I decided not to. It was a little bit terrifying. Ironically, the premise is one of the more outlandish—a man who grows three stories tall—but I think the outlandish idea forced me to find a way to ground this story in reality more than I ever have before or since.
You can pick up a hardcover copy of 3 Story on Amazon today.
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