Rebirth of the Gangster is CJ's first comic work, but he has been active as a writer in other contexts before that. He wrote for the now-defunct Slant and is now writing for Graphic Policy; he also writes a blog at his own site, cjstandalproductions.com. In his spare time, he teaches high school English, including a class on graphic novels, bringing his lifelong love of comics to academia. When not writing or teaching, he can be found snuggling up for a good read next to his girlfriend and cat in Wisconsin.