Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Brian Donnelly, Comics, entertainment, kickstarter, Mythographer's Workshop, Tir na Fuil

From Lawyer To Life-Changing Diagnosis To Comic Writer

Published Fri, 30 Sep 2016 15:00:59 -0500

Brian Donnelly is used to seeing his name in print. He's a founding partner at Donnelly Ritigstein, LLC, a lawfirm based in Haddonfield, N.J. But for the last five years, Donnelly has been leading a double life. Lawyer and father by day…. comic writer at night. And he's been focused on creating a comic book anthology that could be described as the lovechild of J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P. Lovecraft.

Tir na Fuil (Celtic for Land of Blood) is a dark historical fantasy that retells the "true" story of the Irish War for Independence from Great Britain in the early 20th century. It includes famous historical figures such as Michael Collins, Aemon DeValera and Aleister Crowley, along with cameos by Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler. The story is planned over three volumes with the first volume is set to come out at the end of this year.

Donnelly spoke about how a busy lawyer ends up being a comic writer:

I was so lucky that my first job was at a comic book store in the heyday of the late 80s when the comic book industry was really taking off. I was in 8th grade and this was long before the whole Marvel blow up, standing up of Image and the fallout of pricing and the industry becoming what it is today. Fast forward twenty years later when I took Andy Schmidt's Comic Experience on script writing and it was off to the races. It was a critical piece for me to be able to even know where to start. Without that course I would not even have had the basic tools to begin.

But it was more than just taking a class that sent him down this path. At age 37, Donnelly was diagnosed with a brain tumor and epilepsy. With a then-pregnant wife and a home under construction, Donnelly headed into intense neuro surgery where a substantial portion of his brain was removed and he underwent seven months of immuno-infusion therapy. It was during his recovery that Donnelly formed his comic book publishing company, Mythographer's Workshop, LLC, wrote and completed all five stories that now make up the first volume of the three-volume Tir na Fuil anthology.

What started out as a vision for a historical journey quickly morphed into a journey into the fantastic once I discovered just how many layers of history I was really dealing with," says Donnelly. "Tir na Fuil is really a unified mythology for Ireland that combines the different elements of Celtic and Irish mythology, Christianity and the country's fascinating history as a British colony.

Donnelly has already invested $25,000 into the project. Hiring experience industry professionals and paying them top rates and giving them long enough deadlines to keep the pressure down. But with changes to the way independent publishing works, Donnelly has chosen to use Kickstarter to help get the books out to his potential audience.

Crowdfunding has become more and more essential for indie publishing to be successful. The old model of Diamond being the only path to comic book success has already begun to die.

Donnelly is very realistic about the chance of success and knows that it's his job as a lawyer that keeps the lights on at home.

I think for most creators, quitting your day job is not an option. I keep my hopes of being the next Walking Dead on the back burner because I know it's not likely to happen. I created TIR because I want to see something I envisioned come to life. This thing that was just in your head now exists in your hands as a tangible thing. In that way, the reward of the work, at least for me, is the work itself.

For more information on Brian Donnelly, Tir na Fuil and Mythographer's Workshop, or to learn more about how to support the Tir na Fuil Kickstarter, visit www.facebook.com/mythographersworkshop.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!