Sam is the next major character in this book. Sam, a young Jewish man raised in Brooklyn, is sort of sad and lonely before Joe comes along. He lacks self confidence and his hope is waning as he works at a novelty item shop in which he sees little future in. One of Sam's passions is comic books. He eats sleeps and breaths comic books, hoping one day to become a big shot comic book salesmen. He also enjoys drawing his own comic books. Although he lacks talent in drawing them, he has a knack for creating interesting storylines. Once Joe arrives, they seem to get along and grow closer together as friends. The next morning, once Sam wakes up, he notices Joe is trying to copy his drawings of comic books and is doing a very good job of it. Joe is very talented and this surprises Sam, giving him a crazy idea of starting up a comic book company. He tells Joe of his plans and they go pitch their idea to Sam's boss, Anapol. Anapol is intrigued by the idea, however he is skeptical it will sell. He tells Joe and Sam to work on a full comic book over the weekend and if they do a good job, he will give them a chance. Joe and Sam then work tirelessly on the project, getting help from other fellow comic book enthusiasts. They spend 3 straight days working on the comic book, and The Escapist is Born.