Remembering Norm Breyfogle

I am saddened to hear that Norm Breyfogle, legendary comic book creator, passed away on Monday at the age of 58. Best known for his resurgence of Batman with DC comics, Norm boasted an extensive list of credits in the comic book industry. My purpose in writing this is not to rattle off a list of Norm’s accomplishments, though they are quite impressive by any measure; but rather to remember a man I had the privilege of calling my friend.

About ten years ago, I contacted Norm after finishing a comic book themed film entitled “Crimson: The Motion Picture.” I asked him if he would watch the movie and, if he liked it, supply a quote which we could then use for promotional purposes. He agreed and, to my delight, Norm enjoyed the movie very much and replied with the following quote, “Crimson is an action packed violence-fest, ala Taxi Driver, with a little superhero thrown in the mix.” Thus began our friendship.

Though Norm and I never met in person, we spoke quite frequently over the last decade. Despite both of us being professional artists, our conversations were geared more towards existential philosophies and esoteric intellectualism. Norm introduced me to the world of Alan Watts and in so doing he added something beneficial to my life. As a student of Vajrayana Buddhism, I often enjoyed bantering back and forth with Norm about various topics, including: Zen, The Matrix (theory), Singularity (theory), Quantum Physics, God and so many other topics which kept our minds healthy.

A few years ago, this exercise of keeping a healthy mind became all the more important when Norm tragically suffered a severe stroke. I recall him saying everything went back and he had only an inkling of his own existence, which became a pin-hole of light. He poked at it and poked at it, trying to remember…something… and using his magnificent mind (my words, not his), he was able to regain consciousness. Despite this triumph, his life was never the same as he lost the use of his drawing hand. Since his stroke, I tried to uplift Norm’s spirits whenever possible. Sometimes I was successful, other times the physical pain was too much for him to bear. Several days ago I was thinking about messaging him but I didn’t get around to it. So it is with a heavy heart that I write this, however I know that Norm would not want me to be overcome with sadness. Below are some snippets from a ten year long conversation that I had with Norm Breyfogle, a true legend and an insanely brilliant artist and human being. If anyone ever chooses to write a book about Norm and would like to use any of the quotes from below, please be my guest. This is wisdom that ought to be preserved for all time. All but one of the screenshots below come from private messages on Facebook between myself and Norm. They are not placed in any linear fashion, but are presented as some of the very best examples of Norm being Norm.