Interviews Archives

No new Bamn updates this week (although we have a deadline of April 6th to complete the bubbling on #3) but I neglected to mention earlier that I recently started a podcast called Menagerie of Kick-Assery.

M.O.K.A. (as it is affectionately called by nobody) is centrally focused on all things "geek." That includes comics, movies, TV shows, and (yep) wrestling.

We are nine episodes in and the ninth episode just went online today.

This episodes we talk to my good friend and wrestling manager Marcus "King Kong" Dowling.

Marcus was there for my fall from grace from professional wrasslin' (it was a short fall) and he gives us tons of industry insight.

Download it, stream it, or Itunes it at the Menagerie of Kick-Assery blog (you might learn something...but no promises):

CLICK HERE to listen to me, co-host Gene Green, and Marcus at the MOKA blog.

...and PLASTIC FARM related things.

Hey everyone,

It was a pretty busy week for me, which is pretty unusual, so I thought I'd take advantage of my posting privileges and totally pimp myself.

First, I had a guest comic go up over at Danielle Corsetto's GIRLS WITH SLINGSHOTS. It's probably the first comic I have ever had published in color. Thanks again to Danielle for letting me do this. You can read the comic here. (Make sure to check out the rest of the strip. It's really good!)

Second, an interview I had done a few months back went online. In it I discuss the origins of the name PLASTIC FARM, how various new electronic devices change the very language of comics, the dwindling presence of mini-comics, and probably poop somewhere in there. Here's an excerpt:

"I think that it's funny that comics are getting classified not by content, but by format. Maybe I'm old and crotchety, but I don't know why webcomics get segregated to their own areas at conventions or even get thought of as a separate artform. It would be like if I published Plastic Farm in a manga format and sat with TokyoPop because, despite our content being in no way similar, our books were both five by seven and a half inches.

So, if people think of me as a webcomic creator, I can't stop them. I like to think that I make comics."

Read the rest here.

Third, Matt Dembicki and I have been nominated for some S.P.A.C.E. Prizes. In the general category, Matt's TRICKSTER got the nomination, and we both got nominations in the minicomic/short story category. Pretty awesome stuff.

Here's a pretty link.

And finally, there's a bunch of work going on for MAGIC BULLET and we've received a bunch of really cool submissions already. If you are interested in drawing something, or advertising, please click on the MAGIC BULLET link in the menu bar, or here.

In the meantime, here's a panels from an upcoming Nightmare the Rat comics which will be in MAGIC BULLET #2.

Thanks!

I was interviewed this past week for the People You Don't Know podcast. I'm the second of two guests and I get to discuss several creative projects I'm involved in and I got to discuss the DCC for a bit. If you're SUPER curious about me, give it a listen here.

www.pydkpodcast.com is hosted by Eugene Ahn, a fellow DC guy, and he said he'll be sure to come to a future meeting because he loves comics and he'll be at SPX, too. Nice guy!

Just some quick links to DCC related areas of the web:

First up, our own Chris Piers got interviewed by the Examiner about the class on Writing Comics he teaches, his creative process, and even manages to plug the DCC.

"The most difficult part of writing comics is forcing yourself to write the first draft. There's always a temptation to edit or perfect the story as you write, but that's a mistake. You end up procrastinating and it's never perfect anyway. There are numerous short exercises you can find online or in creative writing books to help come up with ideas."

Read more at the Examiner: Comic book writing - a perspective from Chris Piers »

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Next is a review of our first Anthology book "Wonders of Science" at Indy Comic Review.

"For fans of well-written fiction of any stripe, The Wonders of Science can't help but appeal."

Read the complete (4 star!) review at Indy Comic review »

1. You have a history of involvement with DC arts and music. What have you noticed about the development or popularity of comics in the city over the years?

Comics have always been popular in DC counterculture and the 80's indy comic boom went hand in hand with the hardcore scene here. There were two really good free papers put out on a regular basis during that time; The Duckberg Times and WDC Period. Both used to write about comics and featured comic strips in each issue. Matt Feazell and John K Snyder were both frequent contributors to the Duckberg Times which had a more of a focus on comic strips, while WDC Period focused more on the music. But it was through WDC Period's articles where I learned about all the cool comics I wasn't reading at the time but later would, like "Ed the Happy Clown" and. "Love and Rockets". DC has always been an alternative comic friendly town.

I think the fact that the Small Press Expo started up here in 1994, and now looking at how big of a show it has gone on to become, is a good testament to comic's popularity in the DC area

2. Your comics, like "Skidoo" and "Down and Out on Planet Earth," often involve some pretty wild and cosmic plot lines. How do you harness and focus that creativity?

I draw my inspiration from the awe and wonder I discover in the world and how strange the world really can be. I love to draw from that strangeness in whatever form I find it and crafyt stories around it. I have a scary encyclopedia like knowledge about all kinds of weird factoids and events that needs to be constantly fed under the guise of "research".

Also, as a writer, I find motivations interesting and try to write characters from perspectives and reality tunnels more removed from my own. Basically, I am interested in how people form beliefs. "Skidoo" And "Down and Out On Planet Earth" both deal with examinations of belief systems, and in some cases lampoon them, and I definitely feel I have worked out some of my beliefs (and non beliefs too) on the pages in telling some of those stories. However, just you wait... I have lots of wilder stuff to explore in future issues of "Skidoo".

3. Are you still interested in the same artists who first attracted you to comics, or were they more like stepping stones to other influences?

Yes and yes. I still find new dimensions in the work of artists who inspired me to draw comics and as a result still buy reprints of those artists work. Lately, I adore Jim Aparo's work from the early 70's. I have been buying up those Showcase Essentials with his "Phantom Stranger" and "The Brave and the Bold" artwork and his line work is just gorgeous. I keep rediscovering my love for the artists who drew me into comics but I also get new influences all the time. I think that is essential in developing your craft and part of my evolution as an artist to remain open to new influences and different ideas of expression.