Doncaster artist supported by Lifeways publishes thrilling manga comic

A budding Doncaster artist supported by Lifeways has taken a major step in his creative journey by developing and publishing his own manga comic. 

Heavily inspired by the iconic Japanese series Dragon Ball Z, Josh has released Paradise Wish, which has already attracted early sales and enthusiastic feedback. 

The concept for Paradise Wish first came to Josh while he was staying in a psychiatric hospital. Living with bipolar disorder, Josh held onto the idea for years before bringing it to life with the help of the team at Lifeways. 

“They said if you have an idea, don’t let people talk you out of it,” he said. “They always encouraged my creative side.” 

Josh has been living at one of Lifeways’ supported living services in Doncaster for around five years. Now, with growing confidence, he is beginning to think about living independently - something he says has gone hand in hand with working on his comic. For this, as well as the support with his creative work, he thanked the team there.  

“I’d like to say thank you to Sarah, Lauren and Shannon,” he continued. “They have always helped me and encouraged me, especially when it came to carrying on with my comic book. They put belief in me that I needed to see in myself.” 

Aiming to follow in the footsteps of Dragon Ball Z creator Akira Toriyama - or perhaps even become the next Stan Lee - Josh created a story that follows a protagonist who shares his name. Paradise Wish centres around seven magical crystal gems that grant a wish to anyone who can collect them all. 

The tale begins with a brave, legendary warrior who sacrifices himself to banish monsters to another dimension. Thousands of years later, peace reigns in a futuristic world - until the monsters return. 

“Josh is the legacy of the legendary warrior,” he said. “But will he become the legendary warrior?” 

Josh explained that Dragon Ball Z’s moral foundation left a lasting impact on him - something he worked to weave into his own work. 

“True strength is having the courage to stand up for what’s right, even if it means losing,” he added. 

Although he’s already developing ideas for a follow-up title, The Chosen One, Josh says he’s taking a more measured approach to the next phase of his creative career. He now hopes to study graphic design at college to further build his skills.