By Nicole June
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Not everyone gets to help shape the world of their favorite fandom, but Clarksville resident Jacob Rougemont has done just that with a gig as a freelance writer for Marvel comics.
Rougemont began dabbling in fan fiction in high school when he created his own website with details about the Avengers characters. When he emailed a fellow writer to ask for images, he was surprised when the writer asked him to contribute to his own website.
“I ended up having more fun with his than trying to manage mine,” Rougemont said. Little did he know this would be the start of something much bigger.
A few years later, the man who managed the website Rougemont was writing for began to write professionally for Marvel comics. He was tasked with writing a Marvel Handbook series and needed several other writers to help with the project. Naturally, Rougemont jumped at the chance.
Rougemont’s first few contributions got him ‘special thanks’ mentions in the series, but by the end of 2006, he had his first real writing credit in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (A-Z, Number 12).
Over the next few years, Rougemont would continue writing pieces for another hardcover series and other various publications. So far, he has racked up credits or mentions in over 100 books since 2004.
Rougemont said each writer is typically assigned a character and dives into intense research to flesh out detailed character biographies. This is no easy feat, as many of the characters have more than 50 years of history.
When he writes about characters he is not as familiar with, Rougemont has found that he becomes a bigger fan as he learns more about the detailed histories. His favorite character is Hawkeye from the Avengers, but he enjoys giving lesser-known characters a chance.
Rougemont’s credits are extensive, but he remains humble.
“I’m hardly a celebrity in the comic book field,” he said. “All of us on the team certainly have to know what we’re talking about, but we’re all fans of it as well.”
Any hardcore fan attends comic book conventions (comic-cons), and Rougemont is no exception. He frequently sets up booths at cons across the region, including Wizard World in Atlanta and Dragon Con in Atlanta. He enjoys meeting fellow fans, drawing pictures for them, selling his books, and just chatting.
He said people always ask him how he got into the business, and he’s glad to share the information.
“I just kind of fell into it,” he said. “Whether it’s art or whether it’s writing or whatever somebody wants to get into in comic books, definitely never stop practicing and never stop learning more about what you’re doing.”
Rougemont said it’s also important to try to meet as many people as you can. “Just building a connection with someone that may be setting up at a convention; you never know who could be there to throw a bone at some point.”
You can learn more about Rougemont’s work on Marvel’s official website.
