Category: Artist Interviews

Nonstop Punching: An Interview With ‘The Legend of Luther Strode’s’ Tradd Moore

by admin

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Sometimes when the written word just isn’t enough to capture the sheer awesomeness of an interview, we turn to a more liberating medium. In this case, an interview with Tradd Moore the artist behind The Legend of Luther Strode, we decided to do things via the wonders of podcasting.

Panel Bound’s Eastyn caught up Moore recently to discuss the joys of working from home, and having significant others who feel the need to make sure they see daylight.  They also talk about comics and stuff.  Matthew was unfortunately unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts of needing to save the world.

Listen To The Interview Here

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Interview With The Creators Of Indie Comic Rapture Burgers

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A few months ago Matt and I made our way to an event that essentially worked as speed dating but for artists and writers of comics.  There we met Chris, Adam, and Mimi.  Chris and Adam were the creative minds behind the Rapture Burgers comic and were desperately looking for somebody to put a face to their characters and world.  After reviewing their first two issues, I had to interview them.  Thanks again to Chris, Adam and Mimi for dealing with my technical difficulties!

So all three if you met at the [Creators] Conference?  How was that experience for all of you?

Adam: Well Chris and I knew eachother before that, but yes, we met Mimi at the creator conference.

Chris: Right, we did meet there. Our goal, from the outset, was to find someone to replace my sister, who was our original artist. It was an interesting event, which is that is was basically speed dating for an artist.

Mimi, how did you enjoy the conference, as an artist?

Mimi: When I explain it to people I use the term “speed dating” as well.  I thought it was a really great experience.  I got to see a bunch of other artist and what was out there in addition to getting actual work.  It was an awesome way to well… get commissions.  I wouldn’t have met Chris and Adam with out it.

So, how did they go about asking you to be their artist? Did they have to woo you a bit?

Mimi: Not really.  Their project seemed fun and my art style was close enough to what they were looking for.

Adam: I did wink at her pretty suggestively. I don’t think that’s what did it, though.

Chris: We were talking about whether or not we wanted to go forward with things, because Mimi sketched out Camille on the spot, which was totally cool. I think my words were, “…If we can afford you.”

How did the money negotiations go?

Chris: I think money negotiations went pretty well. I offered what I thought was “right” basically on the spot.  We followed up with some emails and talk about schedule of pages per week. Typical stuff, I imagine.

Sounds like that the Creators thing worked out wonderfully for all three of you.  So you have two issues out, what are your long term plans for RB?

Chris: Really, when we started, it was planned to be a typical, weekly webcomic that had a punchline at the end of each page/strip, but over the years that it took to get anything actually produced, we evolved into a full-fleshed story that we wanted to pitch to publishers.

WHY is it no longer a weekly webcomic?

Mimi: I know Chris as a specific answer for this, because I’ve asked the same thing.

Chris: Well, like I said, it started that way. I suppose it veered away from being a 4-panel strip into full pages. Back then, it was less of a story and more of a general premise that was going to be exploited for laughs, then eventually get some kind of continuity.

Adam: A lot of the first chapter was original written in this webcomic format. A few jokes survived from that period.

Chris: But, as we continued to work with it and evolved, I guess I got the “I want to publish this” bug and really pushed for full pages and a continuing story.

How has it been working with each other for writing, and Mimi, How is it drawing something that is not your story/vision?

Adam: It’s pretty easy as far as colaborations go. We have complimenting strengths when it comes to storytelling. He has the big ideas and the clear vision, and I provide the specific words for them.

Chris: And also, he’s a much better techical writer than I am, and usually adds the funny to my jokes.

Mimi: These two are actually very liberating to work with as far as most commissioners go.

Why so?

Mimi: I mean, I can do almost anything I want with the background enviornment and character, and even add some sight gags.

Adam: Mimi has contributed quite a few of my favorite sight gags.

Mimi: They give me a script and then I can just have fun with it.  Of course some times there are a few issues, like some character’s hair needs to be different, or Camille looks a little too angry in this picture and I fix it.  I’m glad when I get those notes, because I want these pages to be what they want.

Chris: That’s actually one of the things we wanted/encourage. My sister wasn’t very uhh…obedient? Is that a good word? We’d call something out in the script and she’d just do whatever she wanted instead, and it was usually funny.

Adam: Ha ha ha. Obedient  is not a good word, and I hope she doesn’t read it.

Mimi: Hmm, this is to imply that I am.

You guys all recently met, and started working together, and it appears to be going well for everybody with a solid plan in the future.  What do you think is the most important factor to keep that positive feel good feeling going?

Adam: Company retreat, maybe? I’m thinking Disneyland. But for real, I love that we each have our ideas, and everyone gets an input into the comic. Our various senses of humor have gelled into a project I’m pretty proud of.

Chris: Yeah, I agree with Adam. I think we have good communication and rapport these days. I trust Mimi to meet the deadline or let me know if there’s going to be a delay, and we know what to expect from her art.

Mimi: I think just making sure we all understand what is going on and being communicative.  This is the best job ever.

[End Interview]

Interview With The Creators Of Indie Comic Rapture Burgers

by admin

A few months ago Matt and I made our way to an event that essentially worked as speed dating but for artists and writers of comics.  There we met Chris, Adam, and Mimi.  Chris and Adam were the creative minds behind the Rapture Burgers comic and were desperately looking for somebody to put a face to their characters and world.  After reviewing their first two issues, I had to interview them.  Thanks again to Chris, Adam and Mimi for dealing with my technical difficulties!

So all three if you met at the [Creators] Conference?  How was that experience for all of you?

Adam: Well Chris and I knew eachother before that, but yes, we met Mimi at the creator conference.

Chris: Right, we did meet there. Our goal, from the outset, was to find someone to replace my sister, who was our original artist. It was an interesting event, which is that is was basically speed dating for an artist.

Mimi, how did you enjoy the conference, as an artist?

Mimi: When I explain it to people I use the term “speed dating” as well.  I thought it was a really great experience.  I got to see a bunch of other artist and what was out there in addition to getting actual work.  It was an awesome way to well… get commissions.  I wouldn’t have met Chris and Adam with out it.

So, how did they go about asking you to be their artist? Did they have to woo you a bit?

Mimi: Not really.  Their project seemed fun and my art style was close enough to what they were looking for.

Adam: I did wink at her pretty suggestively. I don’t think that’s what did it, though.

Chris: We were talking about whether or not we wanted to go forward with things, because Mimi sketched out Camille on the spot, which was totally cool. I think my words were, “…If we can afford you.”

How did the money negotiations go?

Chris: I think money negotiations went pretty well. I offered what I thought was “right” basically on the spot.  We followed up with some emails and talk about schedule of pages per week. Typical stuff, I imagine.

Sounds like that the Creators thing worked out wonderfully for all three of you.  So you have two issues out, what are your long term plans for RB?

Chris: Really, when we started, it was planned to be a typical, weekly webcomic that had a punchline at the end of each page/strip, but over the years that it took to get anything actually produced, we evolved into a full-fleshed story that we wanted to pitch to publishers.

WHY is it no longer a weekly webcomic?

Mimi: I know Chris as a specific answer for this, because I’ve asked the same thing.

Chris: Well, like I said, it started that way. I suppose it veered away from being a 4-panel strip into full pages. Back then, it was less of a story and more of a general premise that was going to be exploited for laughs, then eventually get some kind of continuity.

Adam: A lot of the first chapter was original written in this webcomic format. A few jokes survived from that period.

Chris: But, as we continued to work with it and evolved, I guess I got the “I want to publish this” bug and really pushed for full pages and a continuing story.

How has it been working with each other for writing, and Mimi, How is it drawing something that is not your story/vision?

Adam: It’s pretty easy as far as colaborations go. We have complimenting strengths when it comes to storytelling. He has the big ideas and the clear vision, and I provide the specific words for them.

Chris: And also, he’s a much better techical writer than I am, and usually adds the funny to my jokes.

Mimi: These two are actually very liberating to work with as far as most commissioners go.

Why so?

Mimi: I mean, I can do almost anything I want with the background enviornment and character, and even add some sight gags.

Adam: Mimi has contributed quite a few of my favorite sight gags.

Mimi: They give me a script and then I can just have fun with it.  Of course some times there are a few issues, like some character’s hair needs to be different, or Camille looks a little too angry in this picture and I fix it.  I’m glad when I get those notes, because I want these pages to be what they want.

Chris: That’s actually one of the things we wanted/encourage. My sister wasn’t very uhh…obedient? Is that a good word? We’d call something out in the script and she’d just do whatever she wanted instead, and it was usually funny.

Adam: Ha ha ha. Obedient  is not a good word, and I hope she doesn’t read it.

Mimi: Hmm, this is to imply that I am.

You guys all recently met, and started working together, and it appears to be going well for everybody with a solid plan in the future.  What do you think is the most important factor to keep that positive feel good feeling going?

Adam: Company retreat, maybe? I’m thinking Disneyland. But for real, I love that we each have our ideas, and everyone gets an input into the comic. Our various senses of humor have gelled into a project I’m pretty proud of.

Chris: Yeah, I agree with Adam. I think we have good communication and rapport these days. I trust Mimi to meet the deadline or let me know if there’s going to be a delay, and we know what to expect from her art.

Mimi: I think just making sure we all understand what is going on and being communicative.  This is the best job ever.

We Interview Scott Wegener The Artist Behind Everyone’s Favorite Nazi-Busting Robot — Atomic Robo

by admin

We’re double dipping here at Panel Bound (wait, is that the term I wanted to use?) Anyways, less than a month after interviewing Atomic Robo creator Brian Clevinger we are bringing you a little Q&A session with the book’s artist Scott Wegener.

Scott is an immensely talented artist who, since the inception of Atomic Robo has been bringing the wild, Nazi-busting visions of Brian Clevinger to life on the page. If you are an aspiring artist, Scott has more than a few lessons to impart, chief among them, well, see question six.

I caught up with Scott via the magic of the Internet to talk about creator-owned projects and the not so final design of Atomic Robo’s titular “Robo.”

How did Brian get you onboard to draw Atomic Robo?

I think someone pointed him at my old website. I was looking for a long-term project that would allow me to start making comics full-time. I had a few offers, but Atomic Robo was the one that really appealed to me and felt like it had the legs for a good long run.

If someone approached you and asked you to draw their story, what would convince you to draw their comic?

Brian and I have got a really good thing going here. Creatively we play to each other’s strengths, we share a common vision of where our book will go, and we’ve become good friends. There is a very short list of people who are not Brian whom I would like to work with some day.

Creator-owned work is intensely personal. There is so much of who Brian and I are in these stories and characters that in a way, it’s almost offensive to me when people approach me to take on other projects. I’ll do short stories for friends when I can, and the occasional small project for a larger publisher from time to time. But in general I’m not interested in working on anything else.

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What’s the best part about being a professional comic artist?

Working at home, drawing all day, creating characters, telling stories, meeting fans and fellow creators. There’s actually a whole lot about this life that is pretty amazing.

The worst part?

The money.

How did you arrive at the final design for Robo?

Who says I’ve arrived at the final design for Robo? Haha!

Robo changes subtly from volume to volume, and sometimes even from issue to issue. But I know what you meant . . .

I went through a pretty grueling design process for Robo. Dozens of different bodies, and probably over a hundred different heads. The version of Robo you see in the comics is actually the third “final design.” We thought we really had him nailed down in 2006. Then I worked on another project for a month or two, and when I came back to Robo I had a bunch of fresh ideas.

With any character, you want their physicality to tell you who they are. Robo is tough, headstrong, stubborn, and often kind of foolish. The version of him you see in Atomic Robo #1 tells you none of that. I think it was a good look, but as I learned more about my craft, he has changed. Back then he looked like a short guy in armor. Now he looks a bit like a beer keg with gorilla arms. I miss the simple cuteness of Vol.1 Robo, but his current design does it’s job a lot better.

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How do you recommend aspiring comic artists start getting their work out there?

USE THE INTERNET. MAKE IT FREE. THE END.

Do you believe a comic artist should always be paid upfront for their work or possibly draw the comic with the promise to get paid once it gets picked up?

Did Brian tell you to ask me this? Because this topic is one that sends me into an instant frothing rage.

It depends. There are dozens of exceptions; projects with friends, kids still in school collaborating to make comics for fun, etc. Working for nothing on your own project is fine. Its a labor of love and, more importantly, it belongs to you. If it’s any good there is the potential that it will some day earn you money. You can also use it as a kind of on-going portfolio in order to get paid work along the way.

Working on someone else’s project for free? Hell no. I mean, okay sure, maybe you draw a few pages on spec to help sell an idea to a publisher. That’s a few day’s work invested and could possibly help get you a nice fat contract somewhere.

When you work for other people for nothing, you devalue yourself, and you devalue the work that we all do. You are saying, “My art is not important.” It sends a message. A very bad one. The chances that whatever comic you are drawing is going to get popular enough to be comfortably profitable, or optioned into a movie, are astronomical.

Some writers will try and convince you that even if the book fails the “exposure” will be good for you, and what great “experience” you will gain (oh boy XP!!!) Baloney! Assuming this person is halfway competent as a writer it took them a few days, maybe a week, to write this comic. It is going to take you weeks, and maybe months, to illustrate it.

I like to tell writers about this great idea I’ve got for a novel. I will draw the art for the dust jacket and I’d like them to write it for me on spec. If it get’s picked up I’ll split everything with them 50/50. That sounds insane, right? Because it is.

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Any last minute advice for anyone looking to break into comics?

Do your own thing! Do you want to be the guy who created Batman, or do you want to be one of the largely forgotten artists who have worked on Batman?

Start digital and worry about making a physical book later on.

Indie Comic Spotlight: Carpe Chaos

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This week we have a mammoth interview and spotlight event going on with the guys from the web comic Carpe Chaos. Those of you not familiar with Carpe Chaos here is a little synopsis from the crew…

Carpe Chaos is an independent science-fiction space-opera webcomic about five alien races who learn to travel between stars, and it focuses on the ways their cultures collide and how they work to solve their problems. Each story stands on its own, but because our stories follow their histories over several thousand years you can get a really wide perspective on their societies and personalities if you read through the archives.

When I first approached Carpe Chaos I literally had no clue what to think. But after reading through their work I was hooked. The amazing part about Carpe Chaos is the diversity and depth that they have managed to capture in this saga. Each writer,creator,and artist in this series has a defined concept of the scope and voice of not only every creature but every alien race.

Jason Bane is the editor, one of the writers and project leader. Eric essentially created the universe and is the second main writer. Anthony, Daniel, and Joeare all artists on the series and have contributed to different stories.

Today I wanted to feature a few pages from one of the Carpe Chaos story lines that I personally really enjoyed. It’s called Filter Dregs and, well it speaks for itself. So head over to the Carpe Chaos website and read the rest of Filter Dregs and also check out the rest of the series. Tomorrow we will be putting up an interview that we did with most of the Carpe Chaos team. Until then enjoy some free awesome web comic goodness, thanks again to the dudes at Carpe Chaos for sharing their great vision with us.

Talking Space Sadness & Kickstarter With Lee Milewski Creator Of ‘With The Earth Above Us’

by admin

Every so often, we either come across or are sent an independent project that we feel – being starving artists ourselves – deserves a little recognition. Recently, comic artist and writer Lee Milewski tipped us off about an independent comic beautifully titled With The Earth Above Us.

With The Earth Above Us is somewhere between Blade Runner and 2001: A Space Odyssey mixed with an oppressive air of isolation and rendered in grey scales.

Lee is currently seeking funding over at Kickstarter to help him complete this 70-page B/W graphic novel. It is really a beautiful tale of isolation and paranoia wrapped in the cold metal hull of an interstellar spacecraft. That said, check this book out, give Lee some support and head over to the official Kickstarter.

To help flesh out this comic a little more, we got together with Lee via the magic of email to talk about With The Earth Above Us and the perils and perks of self publishing.

Why did you choose Kickstarter over Indiegogo?

IndieGogo has many limits towards it’s overall presentation, though I’d say the primary reason is due to popularity. Kickstarter has so many projects going on at once, which means that you have tons of people who come to the site and check out your project as well. I also enjoy the “all-or-nothing” concept that Kickstarter goes by, which makes it a much more intense and exciting thing to be apart of.

Why did you choose to self publish?

Self publishing allows me to keep my identity, I guess. I love that my book can look, feel, and go exactly where I want it to; And the fact that my ideas are the only ones which affect the end result is great!

What are some of the difficulties you have encountered?

The main thing that I’ve found to be the most difficult for my own personal growth, which probably comes off as a little odd, is getting my name out into the wide world of independent comics. In fact, before this campaign, I hadn’t really shown my stuff around. It really was a challenge to get out of my comfort zone.

What do you think are the benefits of self publishing?

The benefits largely consist in being able to direct your project whichever way you choose, which is great. Unfortunately, you do lack advertising (unless you shell out your own money), but you can make that up by joining in on the many conversations that consist to help spread the word on independent comics. There are many forums to use, along with Facebook/Twitter/etc., which allows for a person like myself to reach a wide audience.

Interview With Marian Churchland

by admin

After a brief intermission, I AM BACK, with a wonderful interview with Marian Churchland.  You may have noticed her work in Elephantmen or Northlanders.  You could also just recognize the name from the awesome blog she has, hchom.  She is wonderful to speak with and one of my personal favorite artists.  We talked about everything from skipping classes to draw to future goals and aspirations (and a little bit of Skyrim as well).  I hope you all enjoy this wonderful interview with Marian and check out her blog (and be prepared to spend hours reading every detail).

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So my first question would be is there anything in particular that inspired you to start drawing/consider using your artistic talent for a career?

I guess I started drawing when people started giving me crayons – I suspect it was an easy way for an introverted kid to avoid attention and be left alone. I had various parents and teachers telling me I was going to be a “famous artist” (har har) long before I was capable of considering it as a career, so naturally I had to rebel against them when I hit my teenage years. I ended up studying English rather than going to art school, and in retrospect I’m glad it turned out that way, though I skipped a lot of classes to stay home and draw.

I can’t actually remember when I finally caved in and decided to make it a career. It still feels like something I’m skipping classes for.

 

Were there any specific comics or artists you found helped to inspire you and develop your style?

Most of my favourite artists (as a teenager) were videogame artists. I had really limited access to comics – I owned a few issues of X-men (Joe Madureira and the Kubert brothers were doing the pencils, back then), but I had a lot of trouble getting my hands on new issues. More often I’d flip through Gamefan Magazine (a great videogame magazine from the 90′s), and see stuff by Bengus, or Yoshitaka Amano, or Akihiko Yoshida, etc. That was my main source of inspiration, at that age, and the one that still resonates the most.

 

What steps did you take to start getting your work published once you decided to go down that road? Did you frequent conventions, send in portfolios? And did you ever try to do something like concept/character art for video games?

Hrmm. I guess I decided that I wanted to draw a graphic novel, and I just naively assumed that once it was done, I could send it in to publishers until I found one that would take it. I never did the conventions/portfolio thing. At that point, I didn’t know anybody in the comics industry, but within several months I met Brandon and Justin Norman (Moritat) and others, which was lucky timing. Even knowing people, getting a book published was far from straightforward, but I was probably spared a large share of uncertainty and disregard.

I showed finished sections of Beast around for about a year, and Image took it after I’d drawn three issues of Elephantmen (which was a job I got via Justin).

 

How did the process go for getting you into Elephantmen and Northlanders? Those are huge names. Was it a “Hey, guys. This girl’s art is awesome she will be drawing for us now.” Or did you still have to go through everything but you just had somebody’s name backing you?

My getting the Elephantmen job was entirely Justin’s doing. He was the artist on the series, and he convinced Richard Starkings to hire me for an 8-page backup, which was eventually upgraded to three issues. Richard was also extremely supportive in propounding me to Image, and once they took Beast, other opportunities followed – the Madame Xanadu and Northlanders issues.

I’m probably not the best example! I’ve taken a relatively passive role in my career (at least from a networking standpoint) mainly wanting to be left alone to do my own thing, and I’ve been lucky to have outstanding friends in positions to land me work.

 

That’s still awesome that you have had those opportunities.   I saw on your blog that you offer up “Packages.”  What else do you do with art between working on the bigger stuffs?

Hchom posts constitute most of my in-between work. I angst so much over the details of the bigger stuff – does this belong here, should I remove that, etc. – and having an outlet that’s less controlled and self-conscious helps keep me sane. I can draw the same loaf of bread seventeen times in a row, and it might not have any artistic merit, but piss if I care, because I’m just doing it to please myself!

And the big projects do take me a really long time, so the blog has some social importance as well. Left to my own devices I’m a complete hermit, so getting comments from a variety of awesome people who also like art, or videogames or tasty loaves of bread is probably good for my sanity as well.

 

Anything you would like to do in the future?  Big goal plans for your artwork?

Really my hope for the future is to be able to focus entirely on my own books, simple as that is. Staying at home and drawing (and having people pay me to do that) is already a fantastic scam, but I find that I have trouble juggling the side jobs with the longer projects I’m really passionate about. I’m not a creative multitasker.

Sometimes I think about what it would be like if I hunkered down, and worked on one thing – people would find me later, a skeleton at the bottom of a dungeon, surrounded by paper (pardon me, I’ve been playing Skyrim). My point is, if I could do that without starving to death, and somewhere that didn’t have giant rats, then life would be roses.

And big goals for the work, of course, but I’ve never been any good at talking about that stuff anywhere other than in the work itself.

 

What is some advice you could give to some aspiring artists?  Or advice you received from somebody that you really took to heart?

I was once complaining to my friend Sachiko Murakami, who is a poet, about some comics-related social terrors, or something I didn’t want to do, and she told me that I should view it as serving the work. I thought that was nicely put (well she is a poet, after all), so I often remind myself, now, to serve the work – that it’s not actually about me.

So if I had to give broad advice, it would be to put the work first. For me that means dialing back my panic about external pressures, emails, deadlines, publishers (whether you have one or not), etc. And it also means trying to disentangle my various anxieties (whatever they happen to be, that day) from the work, so that I can actually sit down and get on with it. (Not that I’m any good at either of these things, mind you, which is why I think it’s such good advice.)

[End Interview]

Thanks again to Marian for the interview you can check out a link to her blog below

Interview With Ray Friesen

by admin

Ray Friesen is the writer and illustrator of the comic compilation Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken currently being published by Top Shelf Productions. Ray is one of the funniest and open comic creators I have ever met. I spoke to him briefly at APE previous to this interview and in just a few minutes I felt we had been friends for a while. It’s this kind of attitude that had made Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken such a success among kids and adults.Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken is about well…a penguin who is a pirate and a chicken who is a ninja, it’s a love hate realtionship between the two hence the title of the book “Troublems with Frenemies”. I asked Ray about the openness he shares with his fans as well as where his ideas for this book first came about. I hope you enjoy the interview

 

Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken is one of the most creative all ages comics out in comics today. How did you first develop the idea for this completely wild project?

First of all, you said it, not me,I’ve been drawing penguins since forever; they’re my favorite creatures. I had a fairly normal penguiny penguin named Mellville, and he was always getting confused for other penguins. ‘Chilly Willy! Happy Feet! Madagascar!” people would say at me, so I began wondering at ways to make a penguin that was more distinctive. Simultaneously, I drew a book called Yarg! in which the major villains were Pirates. They were far more interesting to write than the quote unquote hero character, and had a lot more storytelling capabilities, it seemed to me. Jerks are funnier!

Simultaneously, I had been spending a while trying to get a comic strip into Nickelodeon Magazine. The editor Chris Duffy liked my work, but it wasn’t right for the magazine. He gave me some very good advice: “You’ve got 80 billion characters, with complex storylines. Can you write something with like, one or two people in it?” and my brain went BOOM! Pirate Penguin. I then figured he needed a friend to argue with, so a Ninja Chicken happened.

 

What process did you go through to get PP Vs. NC picked up by Top Shelf Productions?

Chris Duffy said he really liked PPvsNC, and I did a little dance, and then Nickelodeon Magazine was shut down. It was a strange roller coaster week. So I sat on the characters for a bit, started putting them on my website, and then I saw Top Shelf was publishing several collections of cartoons formerly of Nick Mag. I sent them a package, explained what was going on, and the next day, Chris Staros (are all my editors named Chris?) wrote me an email saying I was really funny and we should make some books. Books! I had been hoping for Book. It was surprisingly easy!

 

Did you use a traditional pitch when pitching to Top Shelf (high concept, sequential art, outline)?

I just sent them some of the comics I had already create, about a half dozen two pagers. They wanted to know if I could write a longer story to anchor the shorter ones, so I wrote a script. Since my characters do a lot of talking, that suited me fine. I had to punch up the adventure and plot a bit more, which I hadn’t done with these characters, but felt confident about from some of my other books.

 

What made you want to begin working with the all ages genre in general? 

I like all forms of comedy, but the best kind always appeals to adults, and kids. If done right, they’re just better, more jokes per square inch than the next leading brand. Think classic Looney Tunes, there are different tiers of laughs (which also means the kids can rewatch it when they’re older, and laugh at entirely different things!) I love the immediate reaction I get from kids, they laugh uproariously. Whenever I do a school visit, I get to be rockstar!

 

The relationship between pirate penguin and ninja chicken is something between Tom and Jerry and Spy vs Spy, a love hate kind of thing, was it always your intention to create this kind of rivalry between the two?

It’s definitely an Odd Couple kind of thing. When it started, the plan was to be much more spy vs. spy antagonism, but it mutated. I think I’m best writing comedy arguments for some reason, talking in addition to the sword fights. They kind of have a brotherly level of antagonism. They’ll punch each other, but then go out for ice cream. I just felt I had more storytelling possibilities, although that was probably a subconscious thing. I like Tom and Jerry, but they do tend to repeat themselves sometimes.

 

You manage to create a sense of competition between pirate penguin and ninja chicken, but keep it wholesome and generally silly to suit a younger audience, how did you find this great in-between spot of not to serious competition. 

I didn’t have to look too hard; I think it just comes naturally. Most writers find a sweet spot between writing what they know, and a writing challenge. I tried writing something completely different lately, and it didn’t work out all that great, because I was forcing myself to be something I wasn’t. Pirates who are also penguins are the sort of thing I’m good at, I’m gonna stick with them! Plus do a bunch of other things; I always like variety, even if I only write 3 basic personality types (The crazy one, the cranky one, and the responsible one.)

As an all ages creator you have made yourself completely open to the public, on your site (http://www.donteatanybugs.net) you have contact methods and personal responses everywhere. Have you found this attitude of openness and being a generally fun guy better for you as an all ages creator?

I live in a tiny cave full of art supplies, so I have to be real open to the public so I can have some social interaction! Seriously, I love hearing from fans, and I want them to contact me any way possible! And reversing that process, I’ve met a wide variety of cartoonists I admire, some are open and fun, some aren’t. I like the former much better! You always want the story of how you met the author you like to be a good one.

 

 As an artist do you ever consider working with a writer to collaborate on projects, if so what would be the best way for a writer to present you with a project in your opinion?

I’ve definitely considered it, and tried it a couple times! It hasn’t worked out all that great… I think I would do better writing something somebody else would draw, rather than me drawing something somebody else writes, I keep wanting to change things. There’s no specific way to approach me about anything, just email me ala paragraph seven!

 

What next for Pirate Penguin Vs. Ninja Chicken?

I’m working on Book Two for Top Shelf, and I think it’s gonna be even epicker (epiculent?) than the first one. It’s tentatively titled ‘Escape From Skull Fragment Island’ and yes, it does have hot air balloons in it. I *may* temporarily retire Pirate Penguin from being the weekly web comic on my site in favor of a different thing, while I draw the book (there’s no such thing as too much Pirate Penguin, but… it’s twice the normal amount of Pirate Penguin for my drawing arm.

 

Any last minute advice for aspiring all age’s comic creators?

DRAW! Draw all the time! Draw the sort of things you like to draw, draw the things you hate to draw (so you get better at them, for me its technology. I keep writing stories with motorcycles in them, and I hate drawing motorcycles!). Start doing a comic, and keep it up. Practice makes you soooooo much better. Show it to friends, show it to enemies, post it online! Make copies and sell them, and then draw the next issue! Figure out what you’re best at, and then do it times a bajillion, and that’s how you become King of whatever it is.

 

[End Interview]

I want to thank Ray again for taking the time to answer some questions, if you haven’t checked out Ray’s site yet I highly recommend you do, there are regularly updated web comics that Ray has created for free!!!! You can check out Links below.

Interview With Ray Friesen

by admin

Ray Friesen is the writer and illustrator of the comic compilation Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken currently being published by Top Shelf Productions. Ray is one of the funniest and open comic creators I have ever met. I spoke to him briefly at APE previous to this interview and in just a few minutes I felt we had been friends for a while. It’s this kind of attitude that had made Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken such a success among kids and adults.Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken is about well…a penguin who is a pirate and a chicken who is a ninja, it’s a love hate realtionship between the two hence the title of the book “Troublems with Frenemies”. I asked Ray about the openness he shares with his fans as well as where his ideas for this book first came about. I hope you enjoy the interview

 

Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken is one of the most creative all ages comics out in comics today. How did you first develop the idea for this completely wild project?

First of all, you said it, not me,I’ve been drawing penguins since forever; they’re my favorite creatures. I had a fairly normal penguiny penguin named Mellville, and he was always getting confused for other penguins. ‘Chilly Willy! Happy Feet! Madagascar!” people would say at me, so I began wondering at ways to make a penguin that was more distinctive. Simultaneously, I drew a book called Yarg! in which the major villains were Pirates. They were far more interesting to write than the quote unquote hero character, and had a lot more storytelling capabilities, it seemed to me. Jerks are funnier!

Simultaneously, I had been spending a while trying to get a comic strip into Nickelodeon Magazine. The editor Chris Duffy liked my work, but it wasn’t right for the magazine. He gave me some very good advice: “You’ve got 80 billion characters, with complex storylines. Can you write something with like, one or two people in it?” and my brain went BOOM! Pirate Penguin. I then figured he needed a friend to argue with, so a Ninja Chicken happened.

 

What process did you go through to get PP Vs. NC picked up by Top Shelf Productions?

Chris Duffy said he really liked PPvsNC, and I did a little dance, and then Nickelodeon Magazine was shut down. It was a strange roller coaster week. So I sat on the characters for a bit, started putting them on my website, and then I saw Top Shelf was publishing several collections of cartoons formerly of Nick Mag. I sent them a package, explained what was going on, and the next day, Chris Staros (are all my editors named Chris?) wrote me an email saying I was really funny and we should make some books. Books! I had been hoping for Book. It was surprisingly easy!

 

Did you use a traditional pitch when pitching to Top Shelf (high concept, sequential art, outline)?

I just sent them some of the comics I had already create, about a half dozen two pagers. They wanted to know if I could write a longer story to anchor the shorter ones, so I wrote a script. Since my characters do a lot of talking, that suited me fine. I had to punch up the adventure and plot a bit more, which I hadn’t done with these characters, but felt confident about from some of my other books.

 

What made you want to begin working with the all ages genre in general? 

I like all forms of comedy, but the best kind always appeals to adults, and kids. If done right, they’re just better, more jokes per square inch than the next leading brand. Think classic Looney Tunes, there are different tiers of laughs (which also means the kids can rewatch it when they’re older, and laugh at entirely different things!) I love the immediate reaction I get from kids, they laugh uproariously. Whenever I do a school visit, I get to be rockstar!

 

The relationship between pirate penguin and ninja chicken is something between Tom and Jerry and Spy vs Spy, a love hate kind of thing, was it always your intention to create this kind of rivalry between the two?

It’s definitely an Odd Couple kind of thing. When it started, the plan was to be much more spy vs. spy antagonism, but it mutated. I think I’m best writing comedy arguments for some reason, talking in addition to the sword fights. They kind of have a brotherly level of antagonism. They’ll punch each other, but then go out for ice cream. I just felt I had more storytelling possibilities, although that was probably a subconscious thing. I like Tom and Jerry, but they do tend to repeat themselves sometimes.

 

You manage to create a sense of competition between pirate penguin and ninja chicken, but keep it wholesome and generally silly to suit a younger audience, how did you find this great in-between spot of not to serious competition. 

I didn’t have to look too hard; I think it just comes naturally. Most writers find a sweet spot between writing what they know, and a writing challenge. I tried writing something completely different lately, and it didn’t work out all that great, because I was forcing myself to be something I wasn’t. Pirates who are also penguins are the sort of thing I’m good at, I’m gonna stick with them! Plus do a bunch of other things; I always like variety, even if I only write 3 basic personality types (The crazy one, the cranky one, and the responsible one.)

As an all ages creator you have made yourself completely open to the public, on your site (http://www.donteatanybugs.net) you have contact methods and personal responses everywhere. Have you found this attitude of openness and being a generally fun guy better for you as an all ages creator?

I live in a tiny cave full of art supplies, so I have to be real open to the public so I can have some social interaction! Seriously, I love hearing from fans, and I want them to contact me any way possible! And reversing that process, I’ve met a wide variety of cartoonists I admire, some are open and fun, some aren’t. I like the former much better! You always want the story of how you met the author you like to be a good one.

 

 As an artist do you ever consider working with a writer to collaborate on projects, if so what would be the best way for a writer to present you with a project in your opinion?

I’ve definitely considered it, and tried it a couple times! It hasn’t worked out all that great… I think I would do better writing something somebody else would draw, rather than me drawing something somebody else writes, I keep wanting to change things. There’s no specific way to approach me about anything, just email me ala paragraph seven!

 

What next for Pirate Penguin Vs. Ninja Chicken?

I’m working on Book Two for Top Shelf, and I think it’s gonna be even epicker (epiculent?) than the first one. It’s tentatively titled ‘Escape From Skull Fragment Island’ and yes, it does have hot air balloons in it. I *may* temporarily retire Pirate Penguin from being the weekly web comic on my site in favor of a different thing, while I draw the book (there’s no such thing as too much Pirate Penguin, but… it’s twice the normal amount of Pirate Penguin for my drawing arm.

 

Any last minute advice for aspiring all age’s comic creators?

DRAW! Draw all the time! Draw the sort of things you like to draw, draw the things you hate to draw (so you get better at them, for me its technology. I keep writing stories with motorcycles in them, and I hate drawing motorcycles!). Start doing a comic, and keep it up. Practice makes you soooooo much better. Show it to friends, show it to enemies, post it online! Make copies and sell them, and then draw the next issue! Figure out what you’re best at, and then do it times a bajillion, and that’s how you become King of whatever it is.

 

[End Interview]

I want to thank Ray again for taking the time to answer some questions, if you haven’t checked out Ray’s site yet I highly recommend you do, there are regularly updated web comics that Ray has created for free!!!! You can check out Links below.

10 Questions with Holly Golightly By Darrick Patrick

by admin

Holly Golightly (also known as Holly G!) is a professional artist and writer who mainly works within the comic book format.  She is the vice president of her husband Jim Balent’s company called Broadsword Comics as well as the colorist on Tarot, Witch of the Black Rose and the model for Tarot herself.  Her project titled School Bites is available as well.  Holly G! has also worked on characters/projects such as Vampfire, Cheryl Blossom, Josie And The Pussycats, Betty & Veronica, Cosmo Girl, and Sabrina, The Teenage Witch.  She consistently makes contributions to New Witch Magazine and has also done design work for the musician Thomas Dolby……

You can read the rest of the interview here