Thank you, Dutch friends, for coming to check out this page!
I spent several years of my life in New York City and what we call “upstate” New York, where Dutch colonial history in North America has deep roots — but goes mostly misunderstood and underappreciated.
I was also privileged in 2009 to pass a spectacular month and a half living in a flat on Looiersgracht in Amsterdam and travel throughout the Netherlands. (A favorite: Zuid-Kennemerland National Park).
My love of Dutch history and culture inspired me to make the hero of EPOCHALYPSE, my science fiction/time travel epic, a Hollander (i.e., neither from Friesland or Limburg!). Johannes is originally from the 1640s. But shortly after immigrating to America, he is catapulted into a bizarre new reality where 600 years of history have disastrously collapsed into a single new timeline and where people from the past, present, and future are forced to live together — all with no apparent way to return where they came from.
I don’t know how often you get to see your country or countrymen depicted in American comics or any other media. So I thought you might enjoy this opening sequence from Epochalypse #2, which takes place in The Hague in 1643.
Many thanks to the excellent Rijksmuseum for its historical archive of images which made this representation possible. I’m sure I have made some dumb mistakes portraying these people and places… I would sure love to hear about any missteps!
You can read Epochalypse online at Comixology or hopefully find it (in English) in a local store.
I will send free signed issues to the first two curious comics lovers from the Netherlands who get in touch (and send mailing addresses) via the contact page at my website, jonathanhennessey.com, where you can also find out about my upcoming graphic novel on the history of beer.
Now I will ga toch fietsen!
Warmly from Los Angeles, U.S.A.,
Jonathan Hennessey
