Tag: Comics

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.

[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.

Review: Penguins Vs Possums

by admin

When I first met Sebastian Kadlecik at the Southern California Creators Unite event, I was lucky enough to get a quick preview of the comic he had created with his partners John Bring and Lindsay Calhoon.  I was ecstatic over the idea of a comic featuring Penguins and Possums doing human things.

After reading the first as well as the second issue (which premires at Long Beach Comic Con this coming up weekend), I was conflicted.  I love the idea of this story.  The premise is Penguins and Possums have been eternally at war, for no reason other than they don’t like each other.  It is rich with a history that you know exists, but isn’t immediately shoved in your face, and characters that have potential to grow and expand.  However, I felt as though the relationships, the personalities and the story was a bit rushed.  It was difficult for me to take a definitive stance on whether or not I enjoyed this comic.

Technically speaking my only issue with the art was that the first issue was solely black and white and there was no grey scale, but was pleased to see that the second issue was in grey scale.  The black and white was very reminiscent of manga, and I found myself trying to read it right to left.  The grey scale helps to add to the over all mood of the comic.

What it does well is create a world and a situation that is so ridiculous and out there, but so serious and ernest in it’s mythos that it makes you forget that penguins and possums really haven’t been at war since the beginning of times.

As a huge fan of epic fantasy novels with strong tortured leads, I find myself wanting a more dynamic character with depth.  I am sure that as the story progresses each character will find their voice and they will start to develop naturally, but as of right now the character development feels a little forced.  This is something that can be fixed over time.

With an interesting concept that reminds me vaguely of Redwall and the potential to grow and improve, this comic has me interested.  I am genuinely excited to see how the writers and artists improve and grow within the stories.  The only thing I really hope I see is a slower pace in later issues.  These characters have a lot of potential, and I want to savor the development.

You can check out their website here:

Penguins Vs. Possums

And if you are going to Long Beach Comic Con, make sure to stop by and grab Issue One if you don’t have it, as well as Issue Two.

They will also be part of the Super Indie Comics Panel at noon on Sunday, so be sure to stop by and show some support.

Which side will you choose? 

Penguins or Possums?

Paige Warren Of Busty Girl Comics Talks Steam Punk & Unlicensed Medical Advice [Podcast]

by admin

Welcome to our first official Panel Bound Podcast. We caught up with Paige Warren of Busty Girl Comics. We spoke about everything from the movie “Wild Wild West” to the difficulty involved with creating a character without adding a bit of yourself into it. It was a great kickoff to the Panel Bound Podcast. Thanks again to Paige, it was a blast!

Click the link below to listen!

Interview With Alexa Dickman of Ladies Making Comics

by admin

This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to interview the awesome and amazing Alexa Dickman.  She is the brains behind the blog Ladies Making Comics.  We talked about what kind of world female creators live in and how it effects the female characters we see in modern comics.  We did something different with this interview, but as a lady myself, I felt it to be an interesting and compelling topic for any aspiring female creators out there.  Thank you again to Alexa, I greatly appreciate you taking the time.  You can find her on twitter @LadiesMaknComix.

You run the blog Ladies Making Comics, what inspired that?

Well, It kind of started on a whim, when other friends in comics fandom started Tumblrs, usually based around their favorite superheroes, and I kind of felt like that theme was pretty tired by the time I got started on Tumblr. But I had been keenly aware that many of my favorite creators around that time were women (such as G. Willow Wilson, Gail Simone, Amanda Conner, and Becky Cloonan) so I decided a blog about women in comics was just the sort of thing that people might be interested in that I could talk a lot about.

Why do you think it’s important to bring light to different women creators?

Because while I don’t think anyone is surprised to find women working in comics these days, I also feel like they can get lost in the shuffle of all the big names out there (e.g. the Marvel “Architects” and the DC equivalent: Johns, Lee, Snyder, Morrison), who are all men.  People tend to just think of Gail Simone and Amanda Conner and call it a day, when there are so many more women working out there on a variety of comics.  It’s hard really for any new creator to get their voice heard and to build an audience these days, and I just feel that with the gender balance being skewed so male for decades, it’s worth showing the diversity of talent on the distaff side.

There’s also something to be said for bringing new diversity of voices into any medium– one of the reason why G. Willow Wilson’s work appeals to me is not just because she’s a woman, but also because she’s a Muslim convert in a post 9/11 world with Egyptian family in the Arab Spring era.  It made her take on Mystic way more authentic than I think most writers could have pulled off.

Do you think women in the field are attempting to blend in with the men and create homogenous stories that couldn’t be told apart?  Or do you see them bringing different life experiences to their characters and scenarios? 

I think both happen, often within the same book!  I mean, you get writers like Kelly Sue DeConnick and Gail Simone who grew up reading superhero comics with the boys in their lives, and so for the most part their work is pretty straightforward, but then they are also keenly aware of how they’re part of a minority in the talent pool, and they kind of take responsibility for that, writing stories and sequences that maybe wouldn’t have occurred to the average man to write– like DeConnick’s integration of the actual history of female pilots and astronauts into Captain Marvel, and Simone’s dedication to writing not just more women (which she did wonderfully in Birds of Prey) but also LGBT/sexual minorities (especially in Secret Six).  Of course, there are male writers, such as Greg Rucka, who also do a great job of writing women and LGBT characters.  But there is certainly an angle of life experience that influences (sometimes subtly and sometimes not) women’s writing.  And of course, the artists also bring a natural understanding of female anatomy which is often refreshing!

Speaking of female anatomy, there has been some broo-haha over some of the women in the New 52 Reboot, like Starfire and Catwoman.  What do you think on the situation?  Would strong female characters benefit from a woman (or a special kind of man) writer/artist?

One of the comments that always comes up when people try to talk about female anatomy in comics is that “well, the men are idealized/sexualized too”. And they’re just not, at least, not in the way that women are.  My suggestion for anyone who thinks that is to Google “Tom of Finland” (not while at work, though!).  His body of work is entirely butch gay porn.  To me, his work is visually the male equivalent of how female characters are often depicted in mainstream comics.  It’s fun to look at every once in a while (though Tom of Finland’s work makes me laugh more than anything because of how over-the-top it can be), but imagine seeing that in half of the comics on the stands– featuring characters that you grew up with to boot! It can be very demoralizing.  So certainly I think that good artists (male or female) who are dedicated to helping tell a character’s story– and not just drawing figures on a page for the paycheck.  Sure, Catwoman is sexy, and Starfire is all about “free love”, but there is depth to their characters and back stories that make those traits interesting, not just titillating.

The fact is, Catwoman is just as sexy when drawn by Darwyn Cooke as Guillem March because the character IS sexy. There’s no need to base the art entirely on that!

I feel as though there is a much greater female presence when it comes to Manga [Japanese comics] versus American comics.  And as such, we see such split genres such as Shoujo and Shonen that are marketed towards specific genders/interests (not saying that only girls can read Shoujo and boys only Shonen).  Do you think that kind of split in genres would encourage more women creators?  Or does it create a schism between genders as opposed to integrating them? 

I absolutely think the greater variety of genre in manga is one of the driving forces behind a resurgence of female interest in comics, both as readers and creators.  I’ve read so many interviews and blog posts by comics educators like Scott McCloud and Jessica Abel where they talk about how half or more of their classes now are female. And I don’t think that the genre divides in manga creates a schism, at least not an unbreachable one.  After all, Fullmetal Alchemist is pretty male-oriented in terms of genre and lead characters, but Arakawa is a woman, and it’s pretty popular with every demographic.  Pretty much everyone just needs to keep an open mind about the media they consume, and that’s thankfully getting more and more common these days– just look at the Bronies!  But certainly there are times (especially when I’m reading Nana!) where I sigh wistfully and wish there was more of a Josei scene in Western comics.  We’ve basically got Terry Moore in the West, and that’s a lot to put on one person’s shoulders!

What are some of your favorite strong female role models as characters, drawn by men or women?

I am really digging Kelly Sue DeConnick’s take on Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel so far.

I love how she integrated real women’s history into the character, and is really delving into her take-no-crap, military background.  I also love Power Girl, especially when drawn by Amanda Conner.  She’s confident and playful, she’s conscious of her “physique” and it’s effect on people (both readers and other characters), but she owns it, which gives her a brazenness that pervades her whole character.  I also love Batwoman, especially when written by Greg Rucka– as a character she’s plenty “broken” and flawed, but she’s also resilient in a way I totally admire.

Do you think with a stronger female presence in comics and geek culture, we will start to see more of a presence in LGBT?

Absolutely.  I did an informal demographics survey on Facebook once (if you go through Facebook’s advertising process, you can get demographic numbers on the people who have listed interests such as “comics” and “graphic novels”), and I found a significant number of female comics fans were also “interested in” women. It was about 10%, though men interested in men only made up about 2%.  But with creators like Alison Bechdel, and characters like Batwoman, getting mainstream attention–plus with the general growth of acceptance of LGBT people, I definitely think were going to see that reflected in comics.

Any advice or words of wisdom you’d like to give to everybody about the role of women in comics and geek culture?

Well, I guess just that we’ve always been there, and that we have as much right to be in the clubhouse as the guys! I do a lot of research on Golden Age female creators for my Women in Comics Wiki, and I’m continually astonished by the amount of women who were working in the ’40s and ’50s, but there they were.  And I will always remember an interview with Joe Simon, one of the last he gave before he died, where he said that his proudest creation was not Captain America, but the romance comics, because they appealed to older, female readers and he lamented their decline. We have every right to this clubhouse, and don’t let anyone tell you different!

Panel Bound’s Manga Pick of the Week: Tramps Like Us

by admin

Tramps Like Us, written by Yayoi Ogawa, is a manga driven powerfully by the idea of what is considered to be an acceptable match between a Japanese man and woman.  Tramps Like Us is a josei manga.  If shoujo manga were the peppy cosplaying high school student, josei would be her single older chain smoking aunt who has a shoddy view on life at best.  It features Sumire Iwaya, a tall and beautiful business woman who is perceived as cold hearted by her colleagues.

She suffers from depression and anxiety after her fiance called off their wedding and a demotion at work.  Her fiance was threatened by her higher height, status and pay grade (the three highs that japanese women look for in a male partner) and left her for somebody more suited to his societal level.  This of course, bums Sumire out to no end.  I know this sounds like the happiest story in the world, but bare with me.

Now that you have the set up for the huge bummer that Sumire is in her life, let me set up the little bit that gives this manga what I like to call the ‘manga factor.’  That little twist in the plot that is just strange enough to work:

Sumire finds a young homeless man in a box outside her house.  He reminds her of a dog she used to have named, Momo.  She then agrees to let him live there as long as her pet.  She names him Momo.

I am going to let that sink in.  She is now keeping this young man as a pet.

Anyways, so that’s pretty much the set up of the story, as you can tell there will be issues that ensue, especially when she starts dating (NO SPOILERS FOR YOU!)

As for the technical sides, the artwork is wonderful.  The characters all have a strange sensual feeling to them that match the mood of the story quite well.  The clean lines and natural placement and movement of characters throughout the story really help you to forget what you are reading is drawn.

The storyline is what drew me in, however.  The plot seems like it is a bad porn set up, however the characters are all so deep.  Every single one of them is human.  There is no set bad guy or good guy, they just are well developed characters with pretty neutral morality just like us.  It’s easy to latch onto one character and identify with them, which will undoubtedly send you on a whirlwind of emotions throughout the manga (Sumire is my personal favorite as the heroine).

This is by no means a manga for the kids.  The subject matter is heavy (although it does have some humorous parts) and can get pretty steamy at times.  It’s a wonderful 14 volume series and comes highly recommended by yours truly.

Buy it Here!

Also, just to let you guys know, we are going to be making the manga recommends into MANGA MONDAYS!

So stay tuned to find out what new manga I have to recommend next!
Next week: Something for the men to really enjoy

-Eastyn