C J Henderson

A friend of mine, CJ Henderson, died of lymphoma last night. I think the last 5 to ten years he had been in pain from just normal getting older. He had been in a lot of pain from the last year of battling. So at least there is that. He had a wonderful loving wife and daughter. And of course extended family. I didn’t see him very often the past few years.

I’ve known CJ since I met him in the lobby at DC comics just after having the worst 7 or 8 months of my short comic book career. (all my books got cancelled within two months of each other) I was looking for work, CJ was looking for work. He’d been writing comics for years by this moment. We sat down across from each other on the couches in the waiting room and awkwardly smiled as we acknowledged each other’s existence. I wasn’t in a social mood having no income to speak of for the previous few months.

CJ spoke first with the obvious question, “So… What do you do?” We exchanged resume’s and next thing I knew I was showing him my portfolio. He spent way more time sifting through my work and talking to me than the insulting arrogant bastich editor I was to eventually see would.

I think CJ called me later that night or the next day and said “Hey! Remember me from the DC lobby?…” The next day I was eating dinner at his house and he gave me a dramatic reading of the script we would eventually do for Big Entertainment. Lady Justice was the title. I think I did some of my best work on this one penciling and inking. My career was saved. CJ showed up when I was on my last leg. And that leg had a Charlie Horse, and even that horse was pulling up lame.

I’m going to miss my friend.