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In the NoCo
In The NoCo

How artist R. Alan Brooks uses comics and graphic novels to dissect culture and politics

By In The NoCo,
Erin O'Toole, Ariel Lavery
Published August 15, 2024 at 5:35 AM MDT
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Graphic novelist Alan Brooks sits with his arms on a table, wearing a red t-shirt and a hat.
1 of 3  — _R. Alan Brooks by Joe Rogers.jpg
"When I was growing up, comic books were not really broadly accepted," says Denver-based writer and artist R. Alan Brooks, who also teaches graphic novel writing at Regis University. "So the idea that comics have gotten me into a museum and made me into a professor is just 鈥� like, I wish I could go back and tell 10-year old Alan that."
Joe Rogers / Courtesy of R. Alan Brooks
Page ten from R Alan Brooks' children's comic, 'The Mask in Your Dreams'.
2 of 3  — Page-10_detail.jpg
R Alan Brooks will be a special guest at the 2024 annual Fort Collins Comic Con. Brooks shared this illustration from his children book, 'The Mask in Your Dreams.'
Page seven from Brooks' unpublished children's comic.
3 of 3  — Page-07_color detail.jpg
R Alan Brooks

If you read the Colorado Sun, you might be familiar with the comic strip called 鈥樷€� It follows conversations between Ossie 鈥� a young Black man 鈥� and Myra 鈥� an older white woman 鈥� who has awakened from a long coma.

Together they struggle to understand modern day politics and culture. Ossie and Myra talk about issues like artificial intelligence, disinformation on social media and more recently, the attempted assassination of Former President Donald Trump.

鈥榃hat鈥檇 I Miss?鈥� is written by Denver resident . He also writes graphic novels and teaches graphic novel writing at Regis University. This weekend, he will be a special guest at .

Host Erin O鈥橳oole spoke with Brooks to talk about his work and life in comics.

Page six from Alan Brooks' first children's comic.
R Alan Brooks
Page six from R. Alan Brooks' first children's comic, called "The Mask in Your Dreams."

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In The NoCo
皇冠网址's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
See stories by In The NoCo
Erin O'Toole
As the host of 皇冠网址鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
See stories by Erin O'Toole
Ariel Lavery
Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.
See stories by Ariel Lavery