INTERVIEW: Dougside Syndicate Press Presents: The Bridge That Eats Trucks
“Horror and humor kind of go together in a strange way, even though they seem to be opposites, they elicit an extreme response from people, a belly laugh or a scream is all coming from the same place.”
The infamous Glenville bridge has been the focus of countless memes, news stories, and local lore, with a low clearance that many truck drivers have either missed or completely ignored. Now, there is a new medium that has examined this phenomenon. From the mind of local comic book author and publisher, Douglas Arthur, of Dougside Syndicate Press, the anthology “The Bridge That Eats Trucks” is a collection of stories from local and nationally recognized authors.
Arthur’s journey with comics has been almost lifelong. While he grew up in Voorheesville, his first published pieces were actually featured in a weekly strip for the University of Buffalo’s college magazine, Generation, which he contributed to for several semesters. The strips were called “Tales From The Dougside” and would vary week to week, giving him the ability to experiment with different formats and genres. He would later find himself working at a movie theater, where he would meet a local film critic who recruited him for another publication.
“He worked for a local entertainment publication called Nightlife Magazine, and when he found out I was a cartoonist, he set up a portfolio review with the editor.” It clearly went well, as Arthur went on to work there from March of ‘92 to November of ‘98.
During that time, Arthur began to attend comic book conventions as a seller. However, it wasn't an immediate success. After his first two shows, he quickly realized the Xerox copies of this artwork and free copies of Nightlife Magazine weren’t moving the needle with audiences. He needed to do something more substantial. So, he started publishing his own books.
“At that point I had almost three years’ worth of material that I could compile. I published my book in March of 1995 and would publish a total of four through ‘98.”
Photo of Douglas Arthur and Rick Parker
In ‘98, he would discontinue his strip with Nightlife Magazine and went on a hiatus until 2013 due to various personal reasons, including moving back to the area (specifically about a mile from the Glenville Bridge). Since then, he has now published 13 more books, including this fateful collection about our infamous bridge. The idea came from his search for something to spur collaboration with other local artists — it was ultimately his wife’s thought of the Glenville Bridge that put the wheels in motion. At that point, he made an outline and started to pitch it.
“It was of local interest and a local concept, I didn’t throw out a large net because I didn’t want artists from New Jersey or Tennessee,” Arthur explains. He then tells me gleefully, “It worked out really well, because most of them either live in or are from the Scotia-Glenville area,” the danger zone of the bridge’s seemingly endless wreckage.
Of course, there are a couple of exceptions to his “local artists only” rule. His brother, Rick, who helped him get his start in the convention circuit, has a story in the anthology. He is best known for working on Mirage Comics’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, having created the character Lucindra Thompkins. The anthology also features Rick Parker, a longtime Marvel Comics Artist, best known for the Beavis & Butt-Head comics he did for them
“My brother and I befriended him at a show in Western Massachusetts years ago, and when we were doing the kickstarter for this last fall, he reached out to me and said why didn’t you ask me to do a story?” Arthur recalls with a chuckle. He was surprised he wanted to contribute, but thrilled. “If he was interested in doing a story, I thought it would be nice for someone of his caliber to contribute to this,” he concludes.
There are a variety of elements represented in this anthology. It ranges anywhere from the crude humor you might expect from someone like Parker, to Indigenous legends and local Schenectady lore found in Myron Lauzon’s story called “A Bridge Over Time.” At its core, it's a mix of humor and horror, something Arthur lauds as the perfect blend.
“Horror and humor kind of go together in a strange way, even though they seem to be opposites, they elicit an extreme response from people, a belly laugh or a scream is all coming from the same place,” he says.
While the content is local, the anthology has already found fans worldwide. He has heard from people all over the world, reaching places like England and Denmark. After seeing the project, they would remark on similar bridges they had in their own hometowns. “I think it’s something that resonates with people who live in older parts of the world, where railroad bridges were built before tall vehicles existed on the road,” Arthur ventures.
Whatever it may be, Arthur and his team of artists have created something tangible for you to turn to the next time you see the bridge take down another victim. And the time after that. And after that again. And…
To get your hands on a copy of The Bridge That Eats Trucks or to explore Dougside Syndicate Press, visit their website.
