Ken Cleveland
HOLDEN/RUTLAND — Telling a story through a graphic novel has allowed Joshua Altobelli to tell a story while also illustrating the tale of Zheph Skyre, an inventor who is trapped in a city walled off from the rest of the world.
“The original story was inspired partly by a video game I played called ‘Legend of Dragoon.’ It was a Japanese role-playing game on the Playstation where you would control a whole team of characters with different weapons and abilities,” Altobelli said.
“I thought it was awesome to see them change into knights with wings and face off against such powerful foes. Over the years, I drew inspiration from other sources, like the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, RA Salvatore, George RR Martin, Robert Jordan, J.K. Rowling and various other works. Quite a few Japanese manga series and American comic books have also played a huge influence over the writing and the artwork for this series.”
His series has taken more than 20 years to create, he said.
“And yet it is only the beginning. I’m hoping to eventually write a total of 10 books, but I may need a bit of assistance with that eventually.
“So far, I have heard great comments from friends about the web comic series. I thank my mother for being one of the editors for my book, even though science fiction and fantasy aren’t really her thing. But she was eager to buy a book anyways.”
Altobelli’s book is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The back cover describes the book: “Most people believe that Zheph is a devilworshipper based on his gadgets and appearance. Many believe he is a criminal. Few understand who he truly is, and one particular individual wants to use him for his own selfish intentions. There’s only one person who Zheph can call a friend, and she just so happens to be a princess, though many consider her odd as well. Zheph doesn’t believe in the mystical, but he is in for quite a surprise.”
The book was a journey itself, just as Altobelli had a long journey.
“I … had a rough start, you could say. I grew up with autism. I may be high functioning, but I still required a lot of assistance while growing up, and I couldn’t progress as fast as others,” Altobelli said.
“I required a speech pathologist and home lessons with my parents in order to learn how to speak. As most kids would usually be able to speak words when they are around 2, I couldn’t speak a single word until I was 5. I also required extra assistance when I went to school with the help of a teacher’s aide. Foreign language classes were something I had to wait until high school … to take.
“In middle school, I had a tutorial class to help me with studying instead. When I reached high school, I still had a difficult time in Latin class. I think ASL would have been better, as it would have assisted with other jobs I would eventually have.”
Altobelli grew up in Holden, attending Dawson, Mountview and Wachusett schools Noting his success, his mother, Lori, said that “I always dreamed that Josh would become ‘normal,’ never imagining that he would far surpass normal. He ever ceases to amaze me.”
Altobelli said he had been accepted to California Institute of Art when he was in high school, but could not afford it, opting for a more affordable state school, UMass Dartmouth.
“Instead of getting a degree in animation or illustration, I ended up getting a degree in digital media. I managed to take some illustration classes and was told I didn’t need to double major in order to get an illustration job. After college, I tried really hard to apply to various positions that were within my field, but for the longest time, I had no success. I was beginning to doubt myself as I could only seem to get entry level positions at certain places, and had to remain living at home for quite some time.
“It has helped having loving friends, family, and a loving girlfriend to support me, encourage me, and give their honest opinions about my work in order to succeed,’ he continued. ‘Also, I have to thank my karate studio where I received my black belt. Their weekly classes don’t only just help me defend myself from possible attackers, but also teaches me discipline within other areas of my life. I also want to thank Cana Church, a smaller church,” Altobelli said.
“I have been drawing, designing and illustrating for a good majority of my life. Perhaps before I could speak, I enjoyed drawing. However, I have only had a few clients over the years who have requested commissions. It has been brought to my attention that graphic design, animation and illustration are all contract-based work and are all highly competitive. So no matter what avenue I tried to go down, the obstacle appeared very daunting, but I didn’t just want to give up. I have always loved creating,” he said.
He has not been writing quite as long. “I think I truly started to enjoy it in middle school, but as the years go by, I have been enjoying it more and more again. I did write some poetry, but I enjoyed writing stories far more.
“In elementary school, I created comic books about superheroes. They were very simplistic, and eventually I drifted away from making them. In middle school, I wrote two short stories about an inventor. The first story was based on the simple fairy tale story of a knight defeating a dragon to save the princess. The second was a sequel to the first, adding more characters and dynamics.
“Years went by, and I was writing notebooks full of details for a whole series of books. Even though most of these ideas are being reconsidered, it still helped me flesh out the story more,” Altobelli said.
He then began creating a web comic series entirely on his own.
“I even studied books to help me improve my comic creating skills. As I was working on it by myself, it occurred to me that it was too much. I would never be able to upload the entirety of my concept in this format. So, like many other aspects of my life, I had to reconsider my goals.
“I decided to write it as a written novel series instead. Considering my skills as an artist, too, I was convinced to also include a few various illustrations within the book.”
Striving towards a career as a graphic designer and illustrator did not work, but “I didn’t want to just give up and settle with some job that I would despise. I wanted a job that I could excel at. That I could use my creative and artistic abilities.”
Altobelli began to work more within minor teaching positions for those with disabilities more severe than his.
“I eventually landed a job as a paraprofessional at the local middle school. I can honestly say that it is one of the better positions I have had, even though it doesn’t allow me to use my specific skills and creativity as much as I would like. There were friends of mine who suggested I should become an art teacher. I honestly wasn’t sure about it at first. But then I managed to get a part-time job outside of my full-time position as a paint night host through PaintNight.com.
“I began teaching adults how to paint various paintings at venues around Massachusetts, and I found myself really enjoying it,” Altobelli said.
Growing up in Holden and now living and working in Rutland at Central Tree Middle School, Altobelli said he is studying to become an art teacher.
“I hope that teaching children how to make art isn’t as scary as I feel it is, but I am determined to overcome that fear. In the meantime, I will continue to host paint nights, write more, and work on more artwork,” Altobelli said.
“I just want everyone to know that even if you have disabilities, even if life throws curveballs at you and even if your goals have to change, you can still do great things in your life. You can still make it fulfilling, worthwhile, and memorable. You can find love. You can find happiness. You can find your reasons for living.”
