‘Wallace the Brave’: A modern comic strip with timeless appeal
On March 26, 2018, Andrews McMeel Syndication will launch Wallace the Brave in more than 40 newspapers.
Like many new comics, Wallace the Brave started as a web comic on GoComics.com, where it quickly became a favorite among people who love timeless strips about kids and their adventures, much in the spirit of Calvin and Hobbes and Cul de Sac.
Created by Will Henry, the strip follows the adventures of a bold and curious little boy named Wallace, his best friend Spud, and the new girl in town, instigator Amelia. Wallace lives in the quaint and funky town of Snug Harbor with his fisherman father, plant-loving mother, and feral little brother, Sterling. Henry draws his inspiration from everyday life, and in the age of the smartphone, he aims to re-create a world in which kids “still collect bugs, fly kites, and eat ice cream cones upside down.”
When editor Shena Wolf first saw the submission, she knew it was a winner. “All the elements were in place: the beautiful art, absurd yet endearing little kids, the world that was a character in and of itself, and the humor,” she said. “At its heart, the strip is about children at play, parents doing their best, and the occasional Bigfoot adventure.”
And like many such strips, the appeal for kids was apparent, as was the next step in the life of this comic strip: publishing a collection of strips as a part of Andrews McMeel’s kids’ line of comics, joining such greats as Peanuts, Big Nate, and Phoebe and Her Unicorn.
Wallace the Brave’s creator Will Henry is an interesting guy, the really nice, laid-back sort. He owns a liquor store, a cool little spot called Grapes and Gourmet, in a quaint, Snug-Harbor-esque town called Jamestown, Rhode Island. There he sometimes works on a little drawing table, and the neighborhood kids often stop by to see what he’s drawing and offer up their refreshingly honest commentary (perhaps to the dismay of their parents). Will lives with his wife, his cat, and his mistress, the sea.
