Mon Valley author pens graphic novel based in South Hills
When Pittsburgh artist and 1997 Ringgold High School graduate Ross Kennedy needed a setting for his horror-themed graphic novel, “Revenants,” he didn’t have to venture far from home.
Set in a post-apocalyptic Pittsburgh, with scenes involving Route 51 and the Liberty Bridge, “Revenants” follows an unlikely hero, Jonah, as he wrestles with his own inner demons while fighting hoards of zombies and other ghouls.
“If I’m going to do a zombie-themed book, there’s no other place I’d have it in than Pittsburgh,” Kennedy said matter-of-factly. “That goes back to my love of George Romero films.”
Raised in Monongahela, Kennedy was bit by the art bug as a child when he discovered newspaper cartoons like “Peanuts” and “Garfield.” As a teen, he graduated to superhero comic books from Marvel and DC Comics.
“I knew I wanted to be cartoonist back when I was a kid,” said Kennedy, who also owns Armature Tattoo studio in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood. “If not as a profession, at least as a hobby.”
Kennedy, 38, also credits his parents for supporting his creative spirit.
“They were totally supportive of me and would buy me any supplies I needed,” he said.
“Revenants” is Kennedy’s first published graphic novel, and he said the idea for the 100-page book started to bloom in the mid-1990s, when the superhero movie craze exploded in Hollywood.
“I had the story idea back then, but I think part of it was getting myself motivated,” he admitted. “I’m not very good at connecting the dots and putting it all together.”
But fate intervened when short story writer Wendi Lee walked into his studio looking for a new tattoo. The two began conversing, and Kennedy told Lee about his idea for “Revenants.” Lee wrote the entire short story, and Kennedy was soon able to put his artwork to Lee’s prose.
Kennedy is quick to point out that he wanted “Revenants” to read less like a comic book, and more like a novel. To accomplish this, Lee’s narration can be found throughout the story.
“Usually, the narration is left to the artist,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy also added he wanted his book to have a human element that most graphic novels lack. Kennedy described the main character, Jonah, as a drug addict who is guilt-ridden over his mother’s accidental death when he was a child. As Jonah fights for survival travelling throughout the Steel City, he realizes what he wants in life and makes peace with the world around him.
“I wanted to have a deeper subtext than most graphic novels,” Kennedy said. “There’s more than just the horror aspect to it. I wanted the human story to it.”
Kennedy said the response to “Revenants” has been positive and he’s happy he’s able to do what he loves for a living.
“I’ve gotten pretty lucky because I’ve worked retail and factory jobs in the past and they sucked the soul out of me,” Kennedy said. “If I’m at a job where I’m not being creative, my brain just checks out.”
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/Revenant.graphicnovel.