"If you can make a comic about a guy with a big coffee cup on his head, you can do anything," says comic illustrator Matthew Reidsma, describing the formative influence of the comic, Too Much Coffee Man by Shannon Wheeler. Reidsma "draw[s] comics every day," a phrase echoed on his white t-shirt, which depicts himself with a pen and paper in hand. Purveyor of comics delivered monthly in self-assembled, 3"x4" booklets called High Maintenance Machine, which started as a birthday oath to create a comic every day, Reidsma has been penning the daily comic diary since 2006.
HMM can currently be purchased in monthly doses, which features letters from admirers, mini comics created by others and one even includes a recipe for stir-fried snow peas. Reidsma is now focusing on full stories while retaining the mini comic format.
Born in Holland, Mich., Reidsma recently moved to Grand Rapids after living in Boston and participating in the hearty, coastal comic scene. Fresh from the Boston Comic Roundtable, a regular meeting of people interested in the art of comic making and already published "old hats," Reidsma wanted to discover Grand Rapidians who shared his passion. Much to his surprise, the underground comic scene in Grand Rapids is bigger than he expected.
Using the same model as the Roundtable, Reidsma formed the GR Comics Roundtable with co-founder Drew Damrom, the first person he met in town that was making comics. Hosted Thursday nights every other week at The Sparrows Coffee, Tea & Newsstand, Reidsma's Roundtable, "gives a venue for new people who are interested in comics," he explains.
"Mini comics are so personal...I [do] every aspect - [draw] it, ink it, print it, cut it, bound it with staples, and sell it." He is even known to hand the comic to the person [buying it] with a special note. An important aspect of the world of mini comics is that it is acceptable to self publish. "Now it's almost the standard," Reidsma says. Unlike novels, the author becomes legit through publishing.
"There no money to be made, people just love doing it - there are lots of different ways to get your comics out," explains Reidsma. "Everyone's thinking ‘I should be paid to draw this' - it's not like that. This is the best hobby I can find to lose money."
