-The History-
The Great Rosique has given me a spot on the website to tell you the real history of all this madness.
**Spoilers!** But a great read!
Let me start this adventure by giving you a few quick facts. My name is Michael Dawson. I am the owner of Halloween Ink and writer/lettering for Rosique in Tenebris. My good friend, Aaron Laurich, is the mastermind behind the incredible artwork you see in the comics. During Hauntcon 2015, I visited Aaron and his family in Baton Rouge, LA., Aaron pitched to me the idea of doing a Halloween comic. Within 3 days (and 2 nights), we had come up with the title, premise, design and timeline. Aaron, however, already had the name of the main character in mind – Rosique.
And that name leads us to an unusual story.
I live in Pensacola, Florida in my family home. It is a 115+ year old house situated on the Bayou Chico and Pensacola Bay. And, it is haunted.
Somewhere in the late 1940’s or early 1950’s a man and his wife lived in a house just down the road from mine. They were very good friends with my family and visited often. One day, the husband began to forget things and wonder off. Back then, there was no clinical name for what he was experiencing…today we know it as Alzheimer’s. The choice his wife had was either to give him over to a sanitarium or keep him safe at home. In order for her to keep him, she needed to make sure he could not leave the house. So, she had the large attic area turned into a very nice living space for her husband..where he passed away a few short years later. Her husband loved his wife so much and their home, that his ghost stayed there until his wife passed away a few short years after he did. The couple had no children or heirs to will the house to, so the city claimed it and demolished the house. The wife being content in passing went on but her husband loved the neighborhood and his life-before-death so much that he stayed. His ghost moved from the property where his house once stood to the neighborly friend’s house…my family’s home. He has been keeping my relatives company decades before I was born. He plays games, hides things, closes and opens doors. He protects the house and the people in it. He tests everyone new that comes through the front door. And he won’t let you leave until he is satisfied you are good enough to be invited back. Everyone who knows me..knows him.
Mr. William Rosique.
Now you know the story of our main character. I think Aaron made a great choice for the name.
Willie (as he is known around here) celebrates Halloween with me every year. He enjoys making the cold spots, the air move and the unexplained thumps and rattles when Trick-or-Treaters come up to the house. So, this comic, in part, pays homage to him.
There is a lot more to tell. I have plenty of secrets. I’ll share them with you during the year. For right now, on behalf of Aaron and myself….enjoy the adventures of Rosique in Tenebris!