And Now for Something Completely Different…

There’s tons I can tell you about writing and drawing or the comics industry as a whole. But I’ll refrain from that, as much as I would love to write about that right now.

Today I’m going to talk about something important to all of us. Dragons. Dragons are majestic mythological creatures that hearken back to ancient times. They are found in scripture, myths, legends, and even modern day fairy tales. They are intelligent, powerful, graceful. They have a predilection for young maidens, gold, and mountains. They are the namesake of constellations, and are also found in ancient astrology. Basically, dragons are awesome!! They’re strong. They are nearly indestructible and immortal, and they’re lucky too!

I was born in the Chinese Zodiac year of the Dragon. This makes me attuned to all of the above, and definitely makes me lucky. I love being a dragon. I know it’s not for everyone but since the fantasy art of the 1970s, dragons have regained importance in the world, and have only grown in popularity in recent times. Dragons are found in every culture, even in our internet dominated modern techno culture.

This, of course, is because dragons are awesome. Once in a while, we all wish we were dragons. And you can be…

You just have to go for what you love, destroy what you hate, be bold and daring. Be confident!!! There are all sorts of dragons, too. You can be any type of dragon that you want.

Grace, speed, strength, intelligence… who would not want to be a dragon!?

But dragons, for all of their virtues, are “highly misunderstood creatures,” as Hagrid would say.

Their boldness appears to be cockiness. Their intelligence a sort of egotism. And yet, dragons know more than the average person. They know things we could not even imagine! They’re old and wise. And hunted.

The hero always wants to kill the dragon and save the day. But while the bad dragons of this world are found in stories, the run of the mill dragon just minds their own business and helps the world quietly, unseen, acting through lesser creatures thanks to thought and prayer. They stay in their mountains and don’t disturb a hair.

You don’t hear much about those dragons. Why would you? They’re boring, but… they make life beautiful. They help. They’re lucky for all of us.

Each dragon is unique, like each human being. Each has a soul, dreams and fears, just like you and me. And only humans are a threat to them, which explains their interest in us. They love us for our genius, and fear us for the same reason. Humans and dragons are like brothers and sisters… is it any wonder we don’t get along?

Fate always has heroes and dragons at odds with each other, fighting for dominion over the land. But so is it with humans and humans. We’re not great at sharing the gold. Each wants it all for themselves. We go to war and famine soon follows.

But the ‘other’ is not the enemy. Pride is the enemy. And this is the weakness of both man and dragon.

Because we are strong, we think we should rule.

Because we are wise, we think we know it all.

Because we love gold and things that shine, we lust after it.

Because we are special, we think bards should sing our praises.

Because we have a soul, we think we are gods.

But life creates it all, and gives us our place in the world. Some creatures are ignorant, and have a simple life. Some creatures are evil, and boldly take what they want. Some creatures are good, and fight hard for the downtrodden. Such is life.

Do you know your own power? Can you fly? Spit fire? Are you capable of great good and great evil?

Both man and dragon are faced with choice. Good or evil. Or ignorance… This choice is what makes us who we are. For every evil dragon, there are fifty thousand evil men.

For every good dragon, there are ten good men.

There are no ignorant dragons. There are many ignorant men.

Which brings us to love. The love of a beautiful person can melt the hearts of both humans and dragons. Many use this as a ruse to get what they want.

There is nothing a sentient creature would not do for love.

True, genuine, love, can both create and destroy. Love, after all, can make you do crazy things.

And the only kind of love that doesn’t make you do crazy things is a lofty goal indeed : selflessness. Love for all. Some people are capable of this. The dragons capable of this are what my brother calls ‘love dragons.’ Like Buddha or Jesus, they are capable of removing themselves from the equation and loving all fellow creatures.

The point is that a human being, like a dragon, can do amazing things, truly wondrous and awesome things.

So!? Are you good or evil or ignorant? Will love cripple you and make you do insane things, or will you be cool and love all fellow creatures? At the end of the day, the choices are made in the soul.

So whether you be man or woman or dragon, I hope you will help more than hurt, be mindful and present, and avoid destruction at all costs. But hey, it’s up to you. And if you do do ill, we will try to stop you, even if it seems impossible. Such is the way of stories, after all.

Each dragon and each human is unique… just be yourself.

Dominic,
August 2015,
Ottawa, Canada. :)

https://youtu.be/siguNvm0so0