The story that eventually became Running on Empty began way back in 2001, when I was a high school kid looking to make light of my life.  I had just gotten into reading Impulse, a comic series about the reckless teenage hero named Bart Allen (Flash’s grandson).  My favorite part about that title wasn’t the super heroics; I had seen plenty of that.  It was the day-to-day interactions, the mischief at school, and the hijinks Bart got involved in.  It struck a cord.  It wasn’t difficult imagining a similarly styled book with me as the lead.  I began drawing a few pages, outlining story ideas, just for the hell of it.  It began with a story arc featuring my character’s inability to get a prom date, ultimately ending with a high school dance filled with hookers.  It seemed funny at the time.

Fast forward to college, and looking at the school newspaper, I figured I’d try my hand at contributing something to the comics page.