{"id":39789,"date":"2025-11-14T19:37:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T19:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/39789\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T19:37:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T19:37:09","slug":"detonator-brooklyn-paramedic-channels-years-of-ems-experience-into-new-comic-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/39789\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Detonator:\u2019 Brooklyn paramedic channels years of EMS experience into new comic \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Detonator\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Brooklyn-based paramedic James Parrish recently released his debut novel, \u201cDetonator,\u201d after eight years of work. <\/p>\n

Photos courtesy of James Parrish<\/p>\n

For eight years, paramedic James Parrish has spent his days \u2014 and many long nights \u2014 responding to emergencies across Brooklyn. Working first as an EMT and now as a paramedic, he\u2019s seen the quiet heroism that shapes life in New York City. But behind the uniform is a longtime storyteller<\/a> who has been nurturing an idea he couldn\u2019t let go of.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve loved telling stories ever since I was a little kid,\u201d Parrish told Brooklyn Paper. \u201c\u2018I\u2019ve had this idea for a story for such a long time. I was reading a bunch of comics one day and figured, \u2018you know what? I can do this.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That moment became \u201cDetonator,\u201d Parrish\u2019s seven-issue comic series \u2014 a darkly funny, action-driven and emotionally layered story about friendship, trauma and the fragility of superheroes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Detonator\"\u201cDetonator\u201d tells the story of Kaz, who would do anything to help his superhero friend.Photo courtesy of James Parrish, illustration by Carlos N. Zamudio<\/p>\n

The series, completed after nearly eight years of work, follows a character named Kaz who will quite literally blow up his superhero best friend\u2019s house in an attempt to force him to confront crippling mental illness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main question that \u2018Detonator\u2019 asks is how far you would go to help a friend struggling with mental illness,\u201d Parrish explained. \u201cAnd the main character, Kaz, would go as far as to blow up his friend\u2019s house, which most mental health professionals wouldn\u2019t recommend.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Parrish\u2019s world, even heroes can\u2019t outrun depression, trauma or PTSD.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cHis friend is a superhero who could fly to the moon and back, but won\u2019t leave his bedroom,\u201d he said. \u201cHe says, if you\u2019re going to hide in your room, I\u2019m going to blow it up and force you to get better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The project took nearly a decade, not because the author lacked motivation, but because he was juggling a demanding career and fully funding the work of a professional illustrator. After searching for the right collaborator, Parrish connected with artist Carlos N. Zamudio.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom is proud of my stick figures, but I don\u2019t think they would sell very well,\u201d Parrish joked. \u201cI want to make sure that this story has the art it deserves.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The creative process moved slowly \u2014 sometimes painstakingly \u2014 as life kept happening around them. Parrish entered paramedic school, which \u201cconsumed a year\u201d of his life. Zamudio took on other projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Parrish\u2019s journey to \u201cDetonator\u201d took eight years, and his career as a paramedic inspired its themes.Photo courtesy of James Parrish, illustration by Carlos N. Zamudio<\/p>\n

Those years shaped the emotional core of \u201cDetonator.\u201d Parrish\u2019s real-world EMS experience \u2014 the sudden shifts from silence to chaos, the trauma endured quietly by first responders and the weight of wanting to help people who can\u2019t always accept it\u00a0 \u2014 all contributed to the story.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI could be sitting in an ambulance calmly on my phone in one minute, and then literally trying to resuscitate a baby or being attacked by a patient,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot. And I had my own issues learning to acclimate to this profession; everyone\u2019s fighting their own silent battles.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Those experiences helped Parrish craft characters who are flawed, overwhelmed and trying their best \u2014 whether they wear capes or not.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you see someone struggling and don\u2019t know how to help them, you can feel a little powerless and you would literally do anything,\u201d he said. \u201cYou don\u2019t become a domestic super terrorist, but everyone has the desire to help.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the series wrapped, Parrish turned to Kickstarter<\/a> to fund printing and distribution, uncertain whether his deeply personal project would resonate with anyone beyond his circle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI always knew it was going to be great, I\u2019m perfect,\u201d he laughed before adding: \u201cNo, I\u2019m kidding.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

But the response still surprised him. Of his $2,500 backing goal, he\u2019s seen over $8,000 in support from 200+ backers. Three issues are now available on Kickstarter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Detonator\"Parrish got the help of illustrator Carlos N. Zamudio, who helped bring his vision to life.Photo courtesy of James Parrish, illustration by Carlos N. Zamudio<\/p>\n

I feel really grateful and lucky,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m so moved by how many people are interested in the story and are supporting it,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople have emailed me about how much they like it \u2014 one of my fans told me that they cried and were really touched by one of the later chapters. As an author, there\u2019s no better feeling in the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

With \u201cDetonator\u201d complete, Parrish is already diving into his next creative venture, a fantasy series titled \u201cPrince Nobody\u201d \u2014 tonally different from the dark comedy of his debut.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m flexing different muscles with this new book,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to tell a story that asked the question, \u2018Is it ever too late to start over?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than sprawling world-building and ensemble casts common to modern fantasy, Parrish plans to focus on a single character\u2019s journey. He described his influences as ranging from \u201cStation Eleven\u201d by Emily St. John Mandel and Claire Keegan\u2019s \u201cSmall Things like These.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about entitlement and prophecy,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I were told that I was a special chosen one, I\u2019d probably become like a lazy, entitled brat. The story is about the consequences of being told you have an epic destiny and what happens when you let it get to your head.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

With even more writing ahead, Parrish remains committed to EMS\u00a0 \u2014 the job that continues to ground him and keeps him committed to fueling his work.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI would never want to do anything else as my main career,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m doing this forever.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brooklyn-based paramedic James Parrish recently released his debut novel, \u201cDetonator,\u201d after eight years of work. Photos courtesy of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39790,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,23161,23162,100,99,23163,23164,23165,23166,23167,9901,23168,23169,23170,23171,9,24,23172,370,63,23173],"class_list":["post-39789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-arts","tag-brooklyn-author","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-brooklyn-paramedic","tag-carlos-zamudio","tag-creative-brooklyn","tag-detonator","tag-ems-stories","tag-graphic-novels","tag-indie-comics","tag-james-parrish","tag-kickstarter-comics","tag-mental-health-awareness","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-comics-scene","tag-newsletter","tag-nyc","tag-superhero-comics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39789\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}