VanHeist is Rob Van Essen, a cartoonist working under a pen name that’s simply borrowed from the lead character of the first “real” comic story he created way back in school. For over 10 years, he’s worked on various projects both independently and with others, but his biggest source of enjoyment, artistic and personal growth, and creative power has been his work on “Bomango,” an odd little series featured primarily on deviantART. Over the last decade, Bomango has been a laboratory of ideas, stories, and character arcs and sketches that evolved in amazing and surprising directions, but mostly, it’s just been plain old fun. The reason he’s decided to use Patreon to support this work is simple: He wants to be able to devote more time and resources to making this comic happen. It affords him the opportunity to maintain creative control as an independent artist, and provides a structure of consistency and accountability to supporters. Best of all, it’s not a “pay wall”; the comic remains free and accessible, and monetary support is optional. Obviously, he would love for this to be a full time job for him. It’s his hope that he can create something worthy of that level of support. But for now, he’s just eager to create more comics and open the door to supporting that effort–and hopefully relying less upon his day job to do so. He’ll never stop making comics. It’s a joy, it’s a compulsion, it’s a wonderfully frustrating need and desire. There’s so much left to do, and he hopes you’ll support him in that effort.
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