The Hero Business

So how did this “Hero Business” thing come about?

Well, I’ve been drawing since I was like 5 years old. Mostly super-heroes. In high school, I created my own comics and characters. In college, I ran my own comic strip for 3 years. Post-college, I took some comic art classes at School of Visual Arts in New York. I created my own comic creation called “Stiletto,” which was a Simpsons-like super-hero parody.

Then the graphic design industry claimed me. Since then, I’ve worked at various agencies in the Connecticut and New York metropolitan area. It’s been great. The past few years, I’ve been freelancing. In my spare time, I’ve developed some of my own ideas and pitches for comics and animation.

So…. what does all this have to do with “The Hero Business”?

It hit me one day: Why not blend my two worlds together? The wheels began to turn…. A workplace comedy series based at an agency… for super-heroes.

The comedy could work on multiple levels. You’ve got the super-hero parody stuff. You’ve got a scathing look at our overly-marketed world. You’ve got a cast of characters that include super-heroes, villains and regular folk. That sounds kinda like an ad agency by itself! And then the name hit me: The Hero Business (I can never resist a good double entendre. I grew up watching Three’s Company!).

There are influences, but maybe not what you would think. I guess the easy “sell” for this would be “The Office” set in a super-hero universe, but I’m not sure if that quite encapsulates the tone. See, I’m a big fan of “workplace sitcoms” in general. There’s something about the idea of a forced family that appeals to me. Cubemates are not associating with each other by choice. They are forced to deal with each other. So, you have a logical reason to have people clashing on a daily basis. Maybe that’s why I love shows like Newsradio, Scrubs, 30 Rock, Mary Tyler Moore, Cheers, and the like.

So I had the premise. I just neeeded to develop the cast…. who would work at The Hero Business?

That’s a story for another post….

Yesterday, I had a favorable write-up in Comic Book Resources’ “Robot 6″ blog from Brigid Alverson:

Start reading now: The Hero Business

The Hero Business, by Bill Walko, is a fun take on the superheroes-as-business genre. The Hero Business is a full-service agency providing advising, costume design, and other services to superheroes, told from the point of view of Parker Jameson, the new receptionist. The comic mixes up familiar characters and some fresh jokes, and the clean, easy to follow art style makes it work nicely as a gag strip as well as a continuing story. The first story arc has just wrapped up, so it’s a good time to jump in and start reading.

You can check out the post here!

Thanks, Brigid! Glad you’re enjoying it!

LIFE Under Construction has posted a strip inspired by The Hero Business! Here’s what Scooter , the strip’s creator, had to say:

“Today’s Bonus Feature is inspired by The Hero Business, by Bill Walko. This comic cleverly blends the classic superhero conventions with office humor and  the modern day reality of our celebrity centric culture. The Hero Business is a full-service agency catering strictly to the super-heroes where their marketing marvels can fly you “from zero to hero.” And really…if superheroes did exist, agents, publicists and business managers would be on them faster than a speeding bullet.”

You can check out the inspired (and funny!) strip here.

Thanks, Scooter! Nice stuff.

Another nice review, from “Looking To The Stars” livejournal:

“Just stumbled across a new web-comic called The Hero Biz. Rather funny, fairly new weekly strip about a company that handles costume-design, name-selection, continuing education and technical support for superheroes.

Of course the idea of a comic deconstructing the tropes of superhero comic books from the perspective of a real-world profession is hardly a new one. John Kovalic’s Dr. Blink: Superhero Shrink covered much the same territory as did the classic mini-series Common Grounds. And yet, The Hero Biz managed to put a fresh new spin on the concept.

Told through the eyes of a rookie receptionist, the first storyline details her walking a prospective new superhero (a vapid Paris Hilton expy) through the process of picking a name, choosing a costume, testing her powers and setting up a class schedule for basic training. Through this, we are introduced to the rest of the staff.

You’ve seen any office comedy show, you’ve seen most of these characters – the slacker artist in charge of costume design, the sleazy douchebag in charge of marketing. The most interesting and unique of these is Dr. Malefactor – a former super-villain who is in charge of R&D, barely reformed and just itching for an excuse to break out the ray gun.

Recently, the strip seems to have changed from the longer story-driven strips to a series of one-strip gags based around specific comic book characters. Some of these are amusing but require some knowledge of the character being parodied, such as a heroine named Amerigirl who keeps having her background rewritten and her costume changed every time there’s any sort of crisis. (Am I Greek now? I feel vaugely Greek.)

Still, it amused me and it might amuse you too.”