'American Splendor 25: Transatlantic Comics'.
Colin Warneford is a British comic artist with Asperger's Syndrome. He drew several comics for newsletters about and for people with autism. His lifestory, adapted into comic strip form, was printed in Harvey Pekar's 'American Splendor 25: Transatlantic Comics' (July 1998).
Life and work
Colin Warneford was born in the United Kingdom, hailing from Gateshead, south of Newcastle upon Tyne. His exact birth date is unknown, but following his own statement that he was 31 in 1996, he was either born in 1964 or 1965. According to MyHeritage, there was a Colin C. Warneford born in early 1964 in Gateshead, which is most likely the same person. His mother's maiden name was Bracey. What is known about his life comes from his segment in the story 'Transatlantic Comics' in Harvey Pekar's American Splendor series.
At age six or seven, Warneford noticed his eyesight deteriorating rapidly and by age 12, he was blind in his right eye. He lived with a constant fear that he would turn completely blind, but never told anybody about it. In school, he was regarded as a weird kid with a "communication problem". He preferred to draw instead of talking to other people. According to Warneford, many of his early comics appeared to be "lacking" something: "a theme, I suppose. Something that would tie it all together... help me understand all the disconnected fragments... (my perception of the world is, by nature, fragmented) and get some coherence to it all."
'American Splendor 25: Transatlantic Comics'.
Warneford later dropped out of school and lived with his parents. In 1982, his mother had a stroke, but he didn't know what to do and just waited until his father came home. In the hospital, she scribbled several notes which were difficult to decipher, since she was partially paralyzed and couldn't operate her hand properly. Colin managed to decipher these "final words" and they read: "Look after Colin". His father later threw the notes away. Later, he too was hospitalized with liver failure, but Warneford remembered that all he could think of was a children's TV show he desperately wanted to catch around that hour. As he waited for the bus home, his father died and he only learned about it when his brother-in-law phoned him about it. At age 18, Warneford was molested in a Chinese takeaway and could only stand there and wait for his assailant to finish.
In 1987, Warneford saw an 'Arena' documentary about Robert Crumb on the BBC, which struck a chord. He saw the creator of 'Fritz the Cat' and 'Mr. Natural' sit in a separate room, drawing and being described as a "quiet, retiring guy". Warneford thought that if he did what Crumb did, things might improve for him. As Warneford reflected: "I s'pose Crumb might be amused – so-called 'able' autistic 'mimics' R. Crumb!"
At age 31 in October 1996, Warneford was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and declared a "high-functioning" autist. Glad that he finally understood why he was "different" from other people, Warneford claimed a disability living allowance. He carried a sketchbook around wherever he went, often drawing people in pubs, restaurants and in the streets. One particular pub in Newcastle was open 24 hours a day and so ideal for him to just draw customers and scenery. Some of his drawings and comics have been printed in newsletters by and for people with autism. Warneford drew out of a desperate need to communicate with others, which wasn't easy because, for many years, he lacked a self-described awareness of the difference between a "friend", "stranger" and "acquaintance", being hostile to people who try to be friendly and friendly towards people he should avoid. To him, drawing was all he lived for and he couldn't understand his professional carers (social workers, day center staff, psychologists) who would often take a break from work. Whenever he tried to socialize with people, he never felt at ease and couldn't relate to the things they found fun and important.
'American Splendor 25: Transatlantic Comics'.
American Splendor
In 1996, Warneford wrote a letter to Harvey Pekar, creator of the slice-of-life comic book series 'American Splendor', complete with a comic strip chronicling his life. Since he was unsure whether Pekar would write him back, he was open about his autism and illustrated his letter in comic strip form. Pekar took excerpts from Warneford's long letter and had him illustrate certain scenes in dialogue form, written in Geordie slang, a dialect spoken in and around Newcastle. Pekar included Warneford's comic strip in American Splendor #25 (July 1998), where it is embedded in a story, 'Transatlantic Comics', of which the first scenes and final scenes are drawn by Frank Stack. The story kicks off with Pekar's car accidentally causing a bump to an empty car in a parking lot. He drives off to avoid any hassle, but worries all weekend that somebody may have written down his license number and contacted the police. To take his mind off it, he goes to the post office to check his mailbox, where he finds Warneford's letter and starts reading it. From that moment on, Warneford's autobiographical comic takes over the plot for several pages, until Pekar finishes and simply declares: "Wow!"
Since Warneford's story appears so random within the story and has no genuine impact on the overall plot about the car accident, many readers have wondered why Pekar included it in this particular manner. He never gave an explanation. On the back cover of the volume, drawn by Joe Sacco, Pekar called Warnford an "outstanding illustrator and fine writer (...) He's had to pay a lot of dues and, hopefully, getting his work out will, in the long run, make him feel better."
Recent years
Colin Warneford's later whereabouts and activities are unknown.
'American Splendor 25: Transatlantic Comics'.