Willam: Cartoonist will Wilson's
syndicated comic strip, Wallace
the brave appears in more than
100 newspapers nationwide.
But as David Wright reports,
Wilson finds his inspiration
closer to home.
The story is part of our arts
and culture series, canvas.
>> Father and son, dockside,
enjoying a bit of mischief in
jamestown, just across the water
from Newport.
It's exactly the sort of scene
you might find in the comic
strip, Wallace the brave, set in
a mythical Seaside village
called snug harbor.
>> I'm sure as most rounders
know there is an actual snug
harmer -- snug harbor.
>> That's William Henry Wilson.
He has a secret identity.
By day, he owns and operates
grapes and gourmet, local wine
shop.
>> But he's also a nationally
syndicated cartoonist under>>
The pen name will Henry.
What pays the bills?
The comic strip or the liquor
store?
>> The comic strip.
But the shop was an
opportunistic endeavor.
I was working here in my 20's.
The owner lived in Arizona and
didn't want to be here anymore.
He offered it to me at a
discount price and I took
advantage of that price and
because I was trying to do
cartoons, I brought my drawing
desk down here.
>> That little drafting table
under the wine racket, his
window onto the world.
Cartooning was something he used
to do in his downtime.
How did you come up with miles
the brave?
>> I was sitting at the drawing
table and I was looking out the
window and I saw a kid on a
pylon.
It was summertime and they were
laughing and the little kid came
and pushed him off of it and he
fell in the water and splashed
and he popped out and he was
laughing, just so happy.
And I thought that is a moment I
want to capture.
Fun, ocean, kids being kids in
there was a click moment where I
saw a path to a successful comic
>> Very briefly, for those
unfamiliar, here are the
tremendous persona --
>> The main character is
Wallace.
He's an energetic, happy, very
positive kid.
He is the main character.
His best that his best friend is
spud, he's a weird kid and very
self-conscious of weird things
but Wallace celebrates them and
I think that is what makes them
click.
>> There is Wallace's kid
brother, sterling, who never met
a buggy would neat.
And then there is Amelia, the
new girl in town.
>> She's very feisty.
>> Your sister's name.
>> I would never cross her.
>> The inspiration, always close
to home.
>> When I first started drawing
this comic, I was maybe 29, 20
eight, had no kids, I was
The characters, especially the
parents and kids, were based on
my experience as me being that
child and the parents were my
parents.
After a couple of kids and being
in the family life, I noticed
the parents have evolved into my
wife and I and the kid
characters I see a lot more of
my kids and them.
>> Can you point to an example
where you got something that
happened in your own life?
>> There was a comic that just
ran left Sunday where -- when I
draw my comics, I will either
draw them at the liquor store in
my studio.
I came down from the studio and
my wife is wearing a K penned a
Dr. Seuss hat and holding a
ladle and the kids are half
naked and have stuff all over
them and they are playing this
imaginary game.
I just thought this is crazy,
what are you doing, honey?
They made fun of me because I
wasn't in costume, so those kind
of moments I try to capture
because they are surprising to
me but they are real.
>> People have compared it to
peanuts, to Calvin and hobbes,
it is old-fashioned in the way.
>> I'm trying to build a world
where the kids, there is
technology in the world but I
want Wallace, the main
character, to be the one that
says that stuff is fine but I
enjoy being out in nature, I
enjoyed being out in the world.
>> And that world never fails to
inspire him.
The comic strip and the family,
celebrating life's daily
adventures.
For the pbs newshour, I'm David
Wright in jamestown, Rhode