Eben Burgoon is an American-born comic author and educator best known for the webcomic series Eben 07: Covert Custodian and his current independent series, B-Squad: Soldiers of Misfortune.
Burgoon has worked with non-profits, arts organizations, comic book conventions, and educational spaces to promote the joy of creating comics and educate writers of all ages. He created a comics education program that yielded two books by partnering with a small non-profit in Sacramento. Students at a primary school in Sacramento learned the basics of comic books and writing before developing a pitch that ultimately led to working with comic artists in the Sacramento region. Additionally, his educational workshops have been featured at the Crocker Art Museum, regional libraries, and comic book conventions. Since 2012, Burgoon co-organizes a comic-convention themed arts night, Crocker-Con, at the Crocker Art Museum which draws about 1000 people annually in the fall.
Inspirations
Much of his writing work follows a theme of parody of pop culture and approaching the subject with mashups or unusual angle. In many interviews, Eben Burgoon discusses influences on his work. Among them are pop-entertainment like James Bond, Venture Brothers., as well as writers like Dan Harmon, Ian Fleming, and Douglas Adams.
Comic book bibliography
Eben07: Covert Custodian 2007-2013 Independent webcomic series. Premise follows janitors tasked with cleaning the mess left by super-spies like James Bond. Illustrated by D.Bethel.
B-Squad: Soldiers of Misfortune 2012-Current Independent comic book series. Premise follows a misfit squad of mercenaries, during each adventure one main character is killed; selected randomly by author using a six-sided die. Each adventure is illustrated by a different artist or artistic team. Comic series inspired a beer, B-SquadBlonde Ale, brewed by New Helvetia Brewing Company in Sacramento. B-Squad is now published by Starburns Industries Press, a division of Starburns Industries, which released the first issue as an exclusive for Comic Con International.
Issue One, 2014, Kickstarter, illustrated by Lauren Monardo.
Issue One, 2019, SBI Press, illustrated by Lauren Gramprey.
Issue Two, 2014, Kickstarter, illustrated by Jon Williams and Claudia Palescandolo.