I met Dylan Williams at the SPACE comics show in Columbus, Ohio in ’02. Actually I met him the night before the show at the Laughing Ogre comics shop. We hit it off pretty much instantly and within minutes of meeting each other we were running around the shop like idiots scoffing at the reproduction quality of the Marvel Masterworks books and unearthing old issues of Speedball from the longboxes. It was a rare phone call with DW that didn’t end up in both of us referencing our copies of The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books: Volume One and Two.
Comics lost a great guy this past weekend when Dylan Williams passed away. Dylan published one of my books via his publishing company, Sparkplug Comicbooks, but I think of him more as just a really good friend. I was always thankful that I got to know and work with him. He was a real independent dude both in the way he wrote comics and the way he ran his company. I always very much admired his heart, generosity and dedication. Not to mention his vast knowledge of both old comics and kung fu movies. In fact, I gotta think right now he’s shoulder to shoulder with Mort Meskin rifling thru some incredible longboxes.
Dylan had been in the hospital quite a bit recently. Lots of people have suggested buying Sparkplug comics to help his family with the medical bills, and I'd like to echo that suggestion here. And I would also add the suggestion to not let time slip away from you. Thinking about Dylan being gone at such a relatively young age just made me think about what a short time we have in life. And it makes me admire the amount he was able to accomplish and the lives he touched. I know my life is much better for having known him. I’m really gonna miss him, that’s for sure.
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