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The day is done, the child sound asleep.

In the quiet moments most would take a breath, Kevin Cuffe breathes life into ideas, characters, concepts born from his imagination.

He’s an aspiring comic book writer.

But he’s also a single dad and full-time employee, so the writing often happens late at night.

Cuffe admits he sleeps only three to four hours each night. It doesn’t bother him. The Williamsburg resident is energized by his passion for the comic craft.

“It’s very moving at times, because I never thought for one second when I started doing this that I’d be pursuing it as a career,” he said. “But then here I am really, really trying to do it.”

You could say the pursuit started a few years ago, when Cuffe entered a 72-page comic script in the Top Cow Talent Hunt. Cuffe had dabbled in screenwriting, and he thought, if I can do that, I can write a comic book.

Turns out, it’s not that simple.

“You can tell a story,” Cuffe was told, “but you need to learn how to format and write a comic book.”

He’s studied the craft ever since, learning from explanatory books and others in the industry.

Cuffe’s connection to comic books stretches far beyond the talent hunt, though. He’s always read them. Comics are how he learned to read, in fact, encouraged by his dad. Cuffe said his dad served in World War II, where comics served as a diversion for servicemen.

Growing up, Cuffe devoured Spider-Man, Power Man, Iron Fist and the Hulk. He grew away from comics for a while, but the interest rekindled in watching the Cartoon Network superheroes show, “Young Justice,” with his son Connor, who was two at the time.

“I started bringing him by the comic book store to let him pick out stuff, and then I started getting back into it,” Cuffe said. “Of course, it worked more on me than him.”

As much as Cuffe loves comics and writing comics, he does it for his son, now six. He recalled the time Connor said he wished Cuffe spent more time at home – Cuffe works full-time in sales at Coca-Cola. And, as a writer, Cuffe could work largely from home.

Cuffe’s first completed comic, “The Elvis Adventures,” printed earlier this year. About 80 copies sold at Tidewater Comic Con in May, and the comic is now available on the comiXology app.

Co-written by Bob Frantz, the 27-page comic follows Elvis as he’s mistaken for the king of earth by a group of aliens. Cuffe described the comic as a “spoofy, silly, semi-space adventure, with kung fu, Cadillacs, roller skates and other things.”

During the writing process, Cuffe and Frantz bounced ridiculous ideas off each other until the story came together.

“He just kind of lets things fly, which is cool, because it makes the nature of the work kind of impromptu,” said Frantz, who’s been creating comics for six years. “He writes from a very natural place.”

Cuffe launched a Kickstarter crowd funding campaign for another series, “Oathbound,” a fantasy/spaghetti western tale and a father-daughter story at heart. For that series, Cuffe worked with artist Paul Gori, and five other professionals.

For Cuffe, the collaboration makes the whole experience what it is.

“The experience of watching this grow from just a random idea into a script, into completed pages with pictures and character concepts of things that I came up with in my head and then bounced off an artist and then he came back with other ideas,” he said. “Just the whole collaboration aspect of it … was just a lot of fun.”

That inclusive mindset is not always seen in the industry, Frantz said.

“It’s cool to see someone have such a passion about it, and to be so selfless,” Frantz said. “Kevin still has that kind of ‘we’ mentality.”

Marc Deering, a professional inker based in Newport News, has worked on both Marvel and DC Comics titles. Mostly known for his work with DC, Deering’s portfolio includes Supergirl, Justice League, Green Lantern and Legion of Super-Heroes.

Much like Cuffe, though, Deering started small by doing original work and inking for friends. He attended conventions, networked. And he worked relentlessly.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” Deering said. “A lot of keep doing it, keep doing it, don’t really stop.”

Deering met Cuffe at a convention through mutual friend Drew Moss, a professional comic book artist living in Hampton.

“This is one of those industries where you really have to kind of forge your own path,” Deering said. “He’s doing exactly that.”

For Cuffe, it’s not work. It’s never been work.

It’s the passion that keeps him up late at night. It’s the reason he saves comic art to his phone, handy at a moment’s notice. It’s why, despite working his day job 40 to 50 hours each week, Cuffe tirelessly formulates ideas.

Having raised $8,000 through 175 supporters, $1,000 more than the goal, the Kickstarter campaign for Oathbound proved successful, to say the least. Cuffe’s also collaborating with Moss on a project, with a few other projects in the works. In a few years, Cuffe hopes to say he’s written for a major publisher. He ultimately hopes to work on a creator-owned series. Something that allows space for the unbounded creativity Cuffe loves.

“It’s really nice to see that there’s a possibility that I won’t have to be in Coke and sales the rest of my life,” Cuffe said. “I can actually try and do this, and do something I really love.”

Bridges can be reached by phone at 757-345-2342.

Connect with Kevin

Twitter: @Kevin_Cuffe

Facebook: facebook.com/Oathboundcomic

Website: oathboundcomic.com