Tia Davis
Reporter

In the parking lot of a movie theater, two childhood best friends came up with the idea of making comics together. With Samuel, “Sam,” Allsup’s illustration skills and Riley Reed’s passion for creating stories, the two had the perfect abilities to make their comic-loving dreams turn into a reality.

Reed had the idea for starting a business, and Allsup was dedicated to getting the story published and working on a collaboration. They were each other's push that they needed to start this business they have together. Together they established Revive Comics and began publishing the first prints of their comic together, “Blood of the Android,” and started selling them locally.

Allsup is a student at Mississippi University for Women and is pursuing a degree in Drawing and Painting with an emphasis in Illustration. He said that when he transferred from East Mississippi Community College he didn’t really have an academic plan.

Sam Allsup working on the background for a comic
Photos by Tia Davis

“I guess I sort of went to EMCC because I really didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Allsup said. “And I met a couple people that guided me to the path I wanted to, which was illustration, and moved over here specifically because of that.”

He said that he developed a newfound passion again in illustration. Illustrating was something that Allsup had done since he was young, and he was always doing it. However, his main dream was to make stories, something he’d always wanted to do but never had an outlet or reason to start. Then the parking lot conversation changed everything, giving him that opportunity to pursue his dreams.

Riley Reed is a cybersecurity student at Mississippi State University and has been rethinking what he wants to do since starting this business with Allsup. Since he has finally been able to write stuff and put it out into the world, it has put a lot of things into perspective for him.

“I almost pressured myself to create things, and I feel like I haven’t been giving myself that outlet,” Reed said. “Now that I have, it’s really changed the way I look at things, and changed the way I look at life in a way, and what I’m doing with it.”

He shared that cybersecurity no longer aligns with what he wants to do in life, and that it would be something he felt like he had to do, instead of wanting to do. Reed expressed that it’s not what life is about.

With running this business, the two must also juggle being full-time students. Being a university student and juggling both schoolwork and Revive Comics has been a rollercoaster for the two.

“Revive Comics has definitely been just, like, kicking my butt, but I enjoy it,” Allsup said. “I think it’s the passion that keeps me going for it. It is very difficult to maintain good grades and a good amount of money while also wanting to do this; it’s a very tedious thing to have to learn how to balance.”

Even with trying to manage Revive Comics and school, it has added some positive attributes to Reed’s life. Reed explained that he had been in a hard place before Revive Comics, focused solely on school, not having time for a social life or job.

“It made school pretty easy, but also like, it sucked, you know?” Reed said. “And then now I’m having the problem of, I got a social life, I got a job, and I have Revive and school. So that’s like, really hard to balance.”

Even with the difficulties, the two continue to pour into Revive Comics and take it as far as they can. They couldn’t, however, have gotten this far without the support of a few friends. Riley Newell, a student at The W pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, helped Allsup and Reed with designing their logo.

“So, when they come to me, and they ask me, ‘Hey, can you make us this logo, and can you also just tweak it to what looks good, you know?’” Newell said. “It was a good experience, cause it’s not just making the logo; it’s communicating a lot, asking a lot of questions, seeing if revisions need to be made.”

Newell has known Allsup for quite some time. They attended EMCC and transferred to The W around the same time. Throughout their college years, they’ve grown a tight friendship, and Newell shared that she knew him well enough to know what he likes and doesn’t like about things. So, when asked to help with their logo, Newell felt honored.

“It’s really fun because it’s like, we have so many very, very talented graphic designers in Summer Hall, so it’s like, oh, you want to come to me of all people,” Newell said.

Though still a work in progress, Revive Comics continues to create and publish more comics. According to their official Instagram account, they will be selling and releasing their next book at Under the Oaks on Oct. 31 in Columbus, Miss.