The Idea Behind Wendell
WARNING: I'm going to do all I can to get you to fall in love with this kid.
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Receiving questions, especially fan mail about WANTED HERO comic books, has always been a joy to meβ¦particularly when I get them from children.
What seems to stump them is why I write a story about a guy who canβt really do anything? Β
Why a character like Wendell P. Dipmier?
Short answer is, thereβs a great deal more to Wendell than meets the eye. Β
The longer answer isβ¦well, longer.Β
The Comic Book Isnβt The Novel
The comic book version of Wendell isnβt the same as the novel version. You need to understand this right up front. In fact, the novel version of Wendell isnβt the novel version of Wendell either.
Did I lose you?
I intended the comic version of my hero for kids. Young kids. I was trying to avoid anything I could think of that would offend parents, give kids nightmares, or worse, need therapy. So I pulled back on the reins and focused far more on the comedy side of the storyline and gutted what I had in my notes.
Wendell in this version was a 33-year-old nerd who still lived in the basement of his motherβs house. He had little to no direction in his life, but he started figuring it out quickly once they carted him away to another world. He had many of the same qualities, but I had to alter the powers and abilities he would receive. Wendell would not face many of the problems crafted to throw at him in my original notes.
The Novel Isnβt The Novel
When I started writing the novels, due to damage to my hands after a car accident, I held back. This is 100% my fault, and I have no one to blame but myself for this. It scared me that people wouldnβt like the novels after seeing the success of the comic book. What would happen if Iβd wrote the complete story?
So I compromised.
If you havenβt read my foundation explanation of who I am and how I get here, to this point right now in life, read How to Succeed at Fiction By Failing: Part One. Itβs in three parts, but youβll get a clear picture of why Iβve done what Iβve done.
Chronicles of a Hero had progressed to eight books, and I loved writing them, but they werenβt what I should have written. My fear sent me on a path, seeking to spew out what I believed readers wanted. To this day, I wonder what would have happened if Iβd stayed the course and written the entire story the first time around.
The results were nowhere close to my intended goals.
Point is, Wendell wasnβt what he was supposed to be in the novels, and that was the fundamental problem. He was closer, yes, but I made him 18, just out of high school, and again, the challenges he faced werenβt the original conflicts.
So here we are, in August 2023, ready to rewrite the books all over again. The plan is for them to be published faster, here on Substack, for members to enjoy each chapter first, and hopefully give me feedback. Best of all, I will do my best to make sure the stories are complete, as they should have been.
So Who Is Wendell, Really?
Wendell is a 17-year-old kid, who just wants to find his place in the world. I mean, what teen doesnβt, right? But heβs still in high school. Heβs trying to figure his stuff out. Having to deal with the βlaw of the jungleβ, where popularity rules and violence are normal when the teachers arenβt looking.
Heβs the kid no one really pays much attention to during the school year, but always seems to have the most signatures in his yearbook in the end. Thatβs because of all the challenges he faces and the problems he experiences in school, he actually likes other people. Thereβs a rare quality in this young man, and that is seeing and appreciating others and who they are.
He doesnβt have a βclickβ. He wouldnβt fit, anyway. Wendell admires others from a distance, always wanting to connect, but never sure how to do so.
Every girl that has liked Wendell finds themselves stepping back. Heβs cute enough, with his wavy brown hair and dark eyes. His genuine smile is actually infectious, but his awkward lack of social skills causes doors to shut in his face. The gawky clumsiness of his coordination translates perfectly over to his use of words. It always sounds better when itβs just in his head.
All Wendell Wants Is To Be A Hero
I donβt know about you, but I always wanted to do something important. It wasnβt about being the hero, but doing something heroic and helping others when they truly needed it. Wendell wants both.
Wendell wants to be the hero, more than anything else in the world. To have purpose and to win the affections of others, in a current life that isnβt noticed by anyone. He simply wants to matter to other people.
The situations Wendell finds himself in shadow similar situations I had to solve as a youth. I became paranoid about sharing my vulnerabilities, which caused the process to derail and compromises had to be made.
Not that I had talking diamonds impaling themselves into my chest or that they transported me to distant planets in the far reaches of the known universe. Β
That would have been cool, to be honest.
As a youth, I was the target of jokes and brutality, as many children are in school. I was one of those rare few that the so-called βbulliesβ of the day would practice on βjust because I was thereβ. That was what I was told on many Friday afternoons when the recess guard would walk out of sight. When I would walk home and was out of view of the school, or even when the teacher left to talk with another student, I became a target. Β
My personal experiences ranged from being hit and kicked to being beaten. They used books, bags, pipes, sticks, tree branches, bottles, chains, rocks and even the concrete they threw it at me. Β
A group of opponents chased and caught me almost every time, which happened at least once a week. Β
My point here is that I have had an inordinate amount of experience with bullies, and so does Wendell. That was always the point, dealing with bullies, but I held back in previous publications. Β
I hate bullies. So does Wendell. Β
I also stand up to bullies. So does Wendell.
Wendell reflects the development I went through as I grew up and how I dealt with people who sought to harm others for the sheer pleasure in doing so. While struggling with mental limitations and violent individuals, I developed a teen character that I love. Itβs time I let him shine.
Wendell Is A Hidden Hope For Surprises
Because this is just you and me, I want to share something Iβve never mentioned before. What made Wendell βperfectβ to me, even though he isnβt literally perfect, is his ability for growth.
So many beliefs in this world, things burned into our minds by society, will be confronted. If anything could be said about Wendell, itβs that he has a habit of saying what we want to say, but are rarely brave enough to say it. I just made sure he didnβt come with that particular filter.
Yeah, that gets him into a lot of trouble, and heβs complained about it to meβ¦but you and I get to reap the benefits of it.
What many donβt realize, especially when they face having to defend themselves, is they donβt have to be βbestβ to do it. You donβt always have to say the best thing, to change someoneβs mind. You donβt have to be some master of martial arts to defend yourself physically, either. Even bees and hornets can scare off a 300lb muscular assailant.
You just have to be good ENOUGH...and that is something we can all do. Β
There will always be someone faster, stronger, bigger and more experienced than yourselfβbut you can always do something. Thatβs one aspect of Wendell that will shine over the comic books. These new novels will be crafted to make us laugh, make us pause, β¦and if Iβm very lucky, make all of us consider new options that weβve ignored up to now.
Wendell is a regular guy with an exceptional heart, and one I believe many will choose to emulate. Because being a hero isnβt always about doing the impossibleβ¦.but it is always about doing for another what they cannot do for themselves.
That is Wendell P. Dipmier in a nutshell. Β
I hope youβll join me as Chronicles of a Hero is told in its entirety.
Until then.
- Jaime
Do you have a favorite fantasy character? Iβd love to know who it is, and why you love them so much.
Paid subscribers can comment, access the archive of this site, along with other stories, art, and any article Iβve ever written. If you arenβt a paid subscriber, you can access the archive for free with a 7-day trial OR earn a paid membership by joining the referral program!
I think I'm glad I hadn't fully read your stuff until now. I like that you have really stepped into your own, unafraid and unhindered. Much success to you with the rewrites and I'm looking forward to seeing Wendell in action! He seems like a very charming, clumsy, but loveable character. <3
Iβm glad Wendell has such a good wingman (you know the one that says βHeβs very... VERY punchable. But his hearts in a great placeβ π)
Anyway I think Wendell is greatly written in terms of relatability. I thoroughly approve of making his age closer to target audience. And letβs be honest everyone deals with bullies. Bullies often are bullied themselves then just have a stupid copping mechanism. And every one wants to be more than they are now. (Not everyone dreams of being a hero per say) but everyone wants to be greater. Great job. This kid is worth exploring and finding out what heβs made of.