Daniel replies:

I lived in a loft building in Hoboken, New Jersey, where my neighbor, a math professor, and I, became friends.  In the evenings, we took to drinking coffee, and he told me stories of his early life.  I based the setting and characters in Wingman on his stories.  He also took me to the old neighborhood, where I was able to photograph, the laundry, the school, the kids climbing on the George Washington Bridge, etc., and I used the photos in making the illustrations.