The ABOUT YIRMUMAH page. In which I will speak of myself in the third person quite frequently, in order to make all this seem more important and official like.

The early days-
Yirmumah was originally created in 1998 as a semi-autobiographical mini comic about an aspiring comic artist’s journey to be the NEXT “King of Comics”. Haunted by the ghost of Jack Kirby, young Drew Price was forced, coerced and then determined to save the comic book industry, one reader at a time. All three original print issues are available online to CLUB YIRMUMAH members only. Join Club Yirmumah to read em. -

In those early minicomics the characters were based on real life friends of mine, primarily BOB, the tortured aspiring writer, and DAVE the “psychic weirdo”. Dave was neither psychic, nor a weirdo, but it worked great in the comic.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?
“The name “Yirmumah”, (pronounced YIR-MUM-AH) came from a late night watching the history channel , a special about Egyptian Hieroglyphics, and how the announce on TV said that these workers would tell their complete life story in sequential formats all the way to the end, he said a completed story was called “The Yirmumah” — Or at least it sounded like he said YIRMUMAH. So, it made sense, that the story of one man’s journey to tell a life in pictures, or other lives in pictures would be this….YIRMUMAH. ”

Who’s Drew Price? Aren’t you D.J. Coffman?
As told by D.J. Coffman:
“Drew Price” came from a short story written by my good friend Bob back in 1997. In that story, the character “Drue Pryce” is an aged man, failed in making comics as the young hotshot, but took one last chance, packed up his portfolio on the back of a motocycle and traveled all the way to the San Diego Comicon, where he had heard one of the the secrets of breaking into the comic book business was to get in on this secret poker game where several big publishers played. Drue Price held crashes their party and demands a spot at the table. If he beats them, he wins a publishing contract, if he loses, they cut off his drawing hand. — I don’t remember the exact ending, if I find the story I will post it, but I remember it ending with not knowing what had happened. Also, in true Bob fashion, Drue’s wife was a stripper called Cindy Gottahavemore.

That story is ironic, because last year I gambled and took a trip to San Diego for the Comic Book Challenge and ended up winning a publishing contract. There was no threat my hand would be cut off, but it’s odd how reality sort of fun house mirrored Bob’s story a bit. One last shot at it…

YIRMUMAH’S INSPIRATION - THE DREAM - The King and I
I met Jack Kirby ONCE the year before he passed away. Unfortunately it was before I knew any better just how important the man was. It was a chance encounter at the August 1993 San Diego comicon, my late Uncle Roger had given me enough money to get down from the Coachella Valley to the con to show my portfolio around. It was there that I saw a small group of geeks, one showing his portfolio to an ancient looking man, and I had heard it was Jack Kirby, I thought why not… so I brought my portfolio up and he thumbed through it quickly and just sort of brushed me off with some positive comment saying “Keep with it, you’ll get there.”– A few minutes later is when someone asked him what he thought of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s quote was one I wouldn’t forget: “If working for Marvel was Hell, then Stan Lee was surely Satan”. Everyone laughed and chuckled and then dispersed. It didn’t feel like Jack was joking to me as he said it in sort of a grumpy tone. I believe his wife and Mark Evanier were nearby when he said it. Looking back now, my art was crap and I was just looking to be some young hotshot, but he still gave me encouraging words. He had to know it was total crap though.

Years later in 1996, One tired and exhausted night after working at UPS unloading trucks, then coming home to work on submission material for major publishers, I fell asleep at the drawing table and had a strange dream where Jack Kirby was calling me a wuss and saying there was no time for sleep. Everything was white, and I discussed comics with the ghost of Jack Kirby for what seemed like hours. In the dream, Jack Kirby was sad that all that he had helped build was now being torn apart or pissed on. He was calling out to those who could save comic books and keep his dreams alive. Keep in mind, I had no admiration of any of the old time comic artists at this time in my life, this dream came out of the blue. Also, there was a weird white radio playing Mexican music or news, I couldn’t make out a word of it and I though that was weird.

At Mid-Ohio comicon, after having that dream I decided to attend the Jack Kirby tribute panel, where I heard Mark Evanier say that Jack Kirby would often put on the radio on a mexican station so it would be background noise, but wouldn’t distract him from his work. Bob was witness to this event, and it seemed like some freaky destiny type moment. Bob had joked that he was going to raise his hand and tell everyone in the room of my freaky dream, and I begged him not to do it.

When I sat down to draw the original Yirmumah comic, it was to cheer up Bob from one of his random bouts with depression. I decided to use the name he had given my character, and in kind I would create this crazy Bob persona that many Yirmumah readers have come to love or hate, or both. And of course, the comic featured non-other than the Ghost of Jack Kirby, and it was Drew Price’s mission to destroy the likes of the Rob Liefelds of the industry.”

THE EARLY INTERNET YEARS
After a few years in print, self published and minicomics, Yirmumah made it’s comeback online in 2003 with the PV Comics group of creators. (now defunct) - Yirmumah soon took off on it’s own in 2004, and trucked along with a mixture of social, political and pop culture satire, mixed with bits of semi-autobiographical yarns. The team of D.J. Coffman and Bob McDeavitt, known across the globe as the “Coffman and McDeavitt” team responsible for such hits as the shortly syndicated “GRAVITY” comic strip and such thrilling B-Movie-esque comic titles as ZOMBIEOPOLIS, continued work on Yirmumah series for a couple years together.

In 2005, Bob McDeavitt left writing for the strip citing irreconcilable differences (aka NOT MAKING MONEY) - The two creators once again almost killed each other

THE INTERNET BOOM TIME!
Coffman continued on by himself, and launched into deals with sites like Cracked Magazine and Crapville, cyber syndicating Yirmumah around the net for a small fee. In early 2006 Coffman also launched a full color monthly comic book– the first truly independent full color comic of it’s nature. Coffman and Yirmumah also became known for sharing advice on making money with webcomics to other creators on the Yirmumah Make Money blog section of the site.

In summer of 2006 Coffman shifted gears to do more serious semi-autobiographical stories or chapters called ORIGIN. Chapter One, and Chapter Two were completed. ORIGIN was made soley in a therapeutic nature, in order to share with the world what helped to shape one apathetic and twisted cartoonist’s view of the world around him.

Coffman entered and won the first COMIC BOOK CHALLENGE, put on by Platinum Studios. The Hero By Night series was launched online in October 2006 to great fanfare and praise, and in March of 2007 as a book. Another ironic twist in that Coffman had given up years prior the notion of writing and drawing super hero comics. But that dream with Jack Kirby somehow came true all on it’s own.

HIATUS
After winning the contest, Yirmumah became less regularly updated as Coffman focused full time on the print comic book series. Writer Wiz Rollins was brought on to help with adding the HA-HA to the mix again. But the strip continued it’s off again- on again update schedule until finally taking an official HIATUS.

The RETURN
Yirmumah is now slowly returning, but in what form will it take?

TO BE CONTINUED!!!