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[Editor’s Note: Seth Kushner and I were first connected because we share a high school mentor (at Abraham Lincoln in Coney Island), a teacher who inspired me toward my writing/editing life—and who, a generation later, nurtured Seth toward his dream of becoming a photographer. People love Seth: He’s a wonderful and unlikely paradox of both genuine hipster and generous mensch. I was stunned when I came upon a Facebook post from Seth in late-May indicating that he was in the hospital with Leukemia. In addition to photography, one of Seth’s passions is comics. He did the photos for Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics, (2012), a book of profiles of Stan Lee, Art Spiegelman, and other great masters of the form. He writes comics, too: Just a few months ago Seth completed a successful Kickstarter campaign to have his autobiographical web-based comic, SCHMUCK, about his single days, published in print.
What I didn’t know, until recently, is that Seth can also draw. I know this now because while Seth was in the hospital he started drawing pictures of superheroes for his son, Jackson, and also shared them on Facebook. There was a streak in June when it felt like I was waking up every morning to a new drawing from Seth, a jolt of love and inspiration that, I knew, he was getting back from his community of friends and followers on Facebook. After his second round of chemo, Seth returned home to Brooklyn—to his wife, Terra, and to Jackson, who turned 5 on July 4—and I invited him to share the story of his drawings, and the drawings themselves, in New York Family. —Eric Messinger]
I knew I was going to have to be in the hospital for a long while, but I had no idea my stay would end up being nearly two months. I felt pretty sick at the beginning, since I had come in with flu-like symptoms, which lead to my diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. By the second week, I still felt pretty lousy but it was because I was going through my first round of chemo and was feeling major fatigue, among other things. But, with all that, the worst part of it all was being away from my 5-year-old son, Jackson. Sure, this would suck for anyone, but as the freelancer in the family, I was accustomed to picking Jackson up from preschool every day, then playing with him at the park, going food shopping, making him dinner, bathing him and helping to put him to bed. Now, with a potentially deadly disease, I didn’t even know when I’d be able to hug him again.
I knew no matter what I had to remain a presence in my son’s life. Technology became our savior when we started talking to each other on FaceTime every morning at 7:30am, before Jackson would leave for school. Some mornings he told me about what he and mommy were doing that day, or what he learned at school the previous day. Other mornings he’d show me his “stinky” feet. It didn’t matter what we talked about. We were connecting. It would break my heart when he’d ask me when I was coming home or when I would get better. I would simply tell him I was getting better every day and I would be home soon. I didn’t know when, but one day I would surprise him.
A couple of weeks into my stay, my wife Terra encouraged me to take up a childhood passion of mine. Jackson was sending me his drawings to hang up in my room, so Terra thought it would be nice if I sent him back my drawings. She turned to my good friend, cartoonist Dean Haspiel, for advice on art supplies. He recommended particular pens and pencils and brushes for me to use, which Terra ordered.
I decided to draw one superhero every morning to send home to Jackson. I’m a big comic book superhero fan and I’ve been sharing that love with Jackson, so I knew he’d appreciate the drawings.
My drawing skills were rusty, to say the least. I’d spent the past few years writing comics, not drawing them. I turned to much more skilled artists than I to handle the art chores. I started out drawing a freehand Superman and I wasn’t thrilled with the results. I decided I needed to reference the work of some of my favorite artists, and when I did, not surprisingly, my work got better.
I began with drawing the icons: Batman, Superman, Captain America, Spider-Man. Jackson was familiar with those guys. But, my hospital stay was so lengthy, I was soon drawing more obscure heroes like Falcon, Ant-Man, Orion, and Doctor Strange. I knew Jackson wouldn’t know them, but he’d learn.
Drawing became part of my routine. I’d spend about two hours working on them every morning. Soon, all my doctors and nurses knew about my project. They’d ask: “Who are you drawing today”?
The exercise of drawing gave me purpose, as well as another way to connect with my son. It also sharpened my art skills. I found myself getting better and needing to rely on reference much less as I went on.
In addition to sending my drawings home with Terra to give to Jackson, after I’d finish one, I’d take a photo of it with my iPhone and post on Facebook. Each one would get several hundred “likes.” Many of my professional cartoonist buddies encouraged me to keep going.
Now, I’m spending a few glorious weeks at home with my family, having been released from the hospital. I haven’t done any drawings since I’ve been home. Instead, finally feeling more like myself, I’ve been focusing on working on my various comic book projects, working on scripts, sending proposals to publishers and spending time with my family and friends. I have to go back into the hospital soon for another extended stay. I will be getting a bone marrow transplant. My doctors say it will give me the best chance for a long-term remission. I expect I will go back to drawing once I’m back inside. I’m thinking I might be all superhero-ed out, so I might take a stab at drawing a daily Star Wars character instead.
To learn more about Seth Kushner’s photography, books, and comics, visit sethkushner.com.
To learn about an upcoming event on 8/26 to help Seth Kushner–and others–fight blood cancer, click HERE!
Eric Messinger is the editor of New York Family. He can be reached at [email protected].
