A Local Writer’s Comic Book with a Powerful Message
By Joanne Michielsen
Like many retirees, Greece resident Joe Janowicz found himself at a crossroads after stepping away from a successful career as a writer and producer at Kodak. After a few years spent enjoying family time and tending to things neglected during his working years, he felt a familiar restlessness return.
Janowicz had grown up reading comic books, so he decided to try writing one himself. His creative process is instinctive rather than planned. “When I get an idea, I just sit down and start to write. I have no idea of where it’s going to go or how it’s going to end,” he said. Before long, he had completed a comic, collaborated with artists, and even spoken with representatives from Marvel and DC Comics. With one goal achieved, he set his sights on his next challenge: writing a novel. He succeeded there as well. Over the past few years, Janowicz has published six comic books along with several novels, including his latest, The SILENT RAIN.
“I began to have a second act, and I recommend for anyone who has retirement plans or is a retiree like me in their golden years, take advantage of what you wanted to do, and try. No matter what the results are, you will have accomplished something,” he said.
The project closest to Janowicz’s heart is his comic book series, DREAMER. The main character is inspired by—and named after—his longtime friend Frank Johnson. Nearly 50 years ago, Johnson was trapped in a fire and suffered a traumatic brain injury that impaired his speech and hand movements, drastically altering his life and dreams. Through perseverance and determination, Johnson overcame many of those challenges and went on to become a nationally recognized inspirational speaker.
In the DREAMER comics, Frank Johnson is reimagined as a 14‑year‑old boy who suffers life‑threatening injuries while saving children with disabilities from a hospital fire. Doctors place him in an induced coma to save his life. While unresponsive in the real world, Frank gains the ability to enter other children’s dreams, where he helps them overcome their fears by motivating them to tap into their inner strengths.
“It’s not the typical superhero comic with people running around in masks and capes trying to beat up the villains,” Janowicz said. “This is about humans trying to cope with situations that have been thrust upon them.” Characters grapple with real‑life challenges such as autism, blindness, loss, and traumatic accidents. Janowicz believes the true hero’s journey is about action and resilience in the face of adversity. “Basically, flipping the switch and finding the true hero in themselves.”
Bringing DREAMER to life is a collaborative effort involving several Greece residents, each contributing unique skills to the project. Janowicz’s teenage granddaughters, Lexi, 17, and Ella, 14, help shape the dialogue to ensure it reflects how teens speak today. Both attend Greece Athena. “They’re my biggest critics, because they’ll tell me what kids really would say and wouldn’t say, and they’re also the biggest fans of my book,” he said.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Kelly Newby also reviews the stories to ensure medical accuracy and even appears as a character in the third issue of the series. Dr. Newby runs Thrive Therapeutic Camp in Hilton, which uses community‑service projects, creative arts, animal rescue, and equine‑assisted therapy to serve people of all ages (thrivenewby.com). She incorporates the comics into her work because many of the children she serves are working through disabilities and connect with the stories.
The artwork for DREAMER is created by local illustrator Ken Wheaton, who is well known for his work on comics featuring characters such as The Simpsons and Popeye. Wheaton and Janowicz meet to review the script and discuss visual concepts. Wheaton then sketches the pages, followed by another review—sometimes over coffee at Wegmans—before revisions are finalized. The approved sketches move through inking, coloring, and lettering, each step adding depth and tone to the story. Color, Janowicz notes, plays a vital role. “In the dreamland I created, I wanted it sunny and bright, and filled with all sorts of interesting colors.” Once completed, the comics are printed and distributed with the help of a local printer.
The process is lengthy, and Janowicz typically releases one issue per year, allowing time for family and for his other writing pursuits, which include murder mysteries, horror novels, and screenplays. He laughed at the contrast. “It’s like on one side, I help kids with these wonderful, nice storylines, and then on the other side, I go out at night and write these suspenseful horror stories that scare people so they don’t sleep.”
The fourth issue of DREAMER is expected to be released in mid-May. Janowicz describes it as especially emotional, noting that early readers have said it brought them to tears. “They really got the story and could see that life is not all roses, but it’s what you do with your life, that’s where the roses come from,” he said.
DREAMER is available at local comic book shops, including Rhino’s Comics on Dewey Avenue in Greece, and a portion of the proceeds goes to Golisano Children’s Hospital. Issues tend to sell out quickly. Customers are encouraged to ask if copies are not on the shelf, so supplies can be replenished.
Janowicz’s reach has extended beyond the Rochester area as well. While visiting his son in Denver, Colorado, Joe introduced his work to Mile High Comics—the largest comic book store in the country—which now carries the series. “It makes me very proud to know that I’m touching hearts and influencing people not only in the Rochester area, but outside the Rochester area as well,” Janowicz said.
The first four issues of DREAMER complete a story arc and will be collected into a graphic novel scheduled for release July 11 and 12 at the Rochester Empire Comic Festival at the JCC in Brighton. Both Wheaton and Janowicz will be there to autograph and discuss the comic.
This doesn’t mean the series is over; the story is just evolving. Janowicz has many more stories planned and would love to see DREAMER adapted into a movie or television series. The greatest challenge has been finding the right person with the right connections in the entertainment industry to help make that vision a reality.
Until then, Janowicz remains focused on writing and sharing his work to inspire people, especially children facing their own challenges, to find the hero within themselves. “We’re not Hollywood, and we’re not Marvel or DC Comics. We’re just our own local, independent Rochester/Greece team, and we’re trying our best to make a difference.”
For more information on Janowicz’s various writing projects, visit joejanowiczauthor.com.
