Interviews Archives

Questions by Rafer Roberts

You've worked on both solo projects and on collaborations. What is your approach working in either method, and do you prefer one over the other?

My preference is to work solo. It's very satisfying to move an idea from its initial inkling to a full blooded comic page (although, the failure to do so is particularly frustrating). I also think, in the end, that it's the solo projects that really test a cartoonist's mettle.

Collaborating can be a refreshing change, though, because of the way it divvies up the creative and technical labor. It's also fun because you don't really know what the final product will look like, so there's some healthy anticipation to see the subsequent stages, too.

That said, I do think that the ideal is the one person - one comic model, and I think collaborations require that at least one of the people be able to do a whole comic on their own. Otherwise, the division of talent and labor can be too rigidly separate, and that disjuncture affects both the fun of the process and the quality of the product.

A lot of your work could be described as happy or welcoming or friendly. I can only assume that your work is such due to you having a terrifying dark side. What lives inside your soul?

I think juxtaposition is a very interesting and rich vein to mine with comics. Visual style is one source of that contraposition, using it as a kind of foil or cutting agent against other aspects of content or writing. I've lately been trying to use style as a kind of disarming aspect for content. It had occurred to me at some point that a more overtly cartoon style would yield certain dividends, like a potentially broader range of tone as between the writing and drawing. That way, I could plausibly zigzag between extremes and keep things from ever really settling too much for the reader. By consciously playing the writing against the style, and vice versa, I get an extra layer of storytelling to play with.

What is your dream project and why haven't you worked on it yet?

Somehow disposing of the commercial notions of "graphic novels" and "original art" would be something of a dream, I guess, but in the meanwhile I'm still waiting for things to bubble up out of the brain.

And now for three questions with Rafer Roberts, the master of Plastic Farm.

Your primary project, Plastic Farm, involves some pretty dark stuff (i.e all involving "the life of a man named Chester and his slow descent into complete insanity"). What gives you inspiration for your material?

Mostly it all comes from the space between what humanity could be and my hatred and disgust of what humanity actually is. It is a wasted potential, but it is still a potential that could be reached and as such remains as an energy source that can be tapped into. This energy can be used in order to create art of many stripes, or more accurately, to fuel the kinetic shift that will carry humankind into a new reality. My hope is that art taken from, or borrowed from this Waste Space can act as a primary ignition to spark the engines of human potential and get this caravan moving forward.

I don't know what the end result of human kind should be, nor (though some would argue this point) am I egotistical to specify what this pinnacle of human reality should be. I will say though that we seem to moving further and further away from it and we have no one to blame for this but ourselves.

Making Plastic Farm keeps me from screaming at people on the street.

Since you both write and illustrate most of your stories, what's your story-making process from conception to illustration? How do you fit it all together? Is there one set formula?

There is no set formula, though looking at my recent productivity, I should probably adopt one.

I have a 30 or 40 page document that plots out the major parts of Plastic Farm from beginning to end. Some of it is highly detailed and includes dialogue and scene directions and some of it is nothing more than minor reminders of what goes where and when. It's open enough that I can add or subtract from the story with relative ease, which is great for me since I tend to allow whatever I am feeling to influence my art at the exact time of creation.

I usually start in my sketchbook, thumb-nailing out the pages which I'll then pencil out for real. I don't normally write out full scripts ahead of time so most of the dialogue is written during either the thumb-nailing process or during the pencilling stage. I am currently working on three pages where I haven't written any of the dialogue yet. I'm a little all over the place there. I ink mostly using real brushes and crow quill for detail work, though I've been moving more towards mechanical pens for backgrounds to give them a bit more contrast with the figures.

I also have my studio setup so I can watch television or listen to the 200 gigs of music on my computer. I cannot draw in silence.

If you could travel through time to any moment in history and then write a comic about it, what would it be and why?

I would go about 25 years into the future and write some sort of sci-fi murder mystery incorporating all of the future tech, politics, and future spirituality that I saw. Then I would sit back and wait for that future to happen and be heralded as one of the most prophetic writers of all time.

And one day, before my predicted future came to be, I would answer three questions about this comic I made. And lo, the name of that comic would be Plastic Farm.

Questions from John Lucien Grillo

How have the comic books you read in the past had an effect on the stories you make today?

You know, as a writer whose background is in fiction/screenwriting/novels, I'm somewhat new to the comics game. Growing up, I actually was way more into cartoons - the Saturday morning cartoon line up back then was legendary (Dragon's Lair, Superfriends, Dungeons & Dragons, Snorks, Spider Man, etc. - the list is endless). I always read the "funnies" in the paper and got into comics like The Far Side, Garfield, and Calvin and Hobbes. Those comics (and a continuous love for cartoons) ultimately helped generate my creativity and imagination - around age eleven, I swear I thought I could actually become a superhero. It wasn't until later, as an adult, that I discovered the full range of comic books - those that went beyond the "cartoonish" realm to become dark, serious, violent, complex, philosophical, and highly artistic. I'm still discovering them even today, constantly being impressed at the range of story-telling capability. I think the DC Conspiracy is a great example - I'm constantly wowed by the work this group creates.

Probably the best evidence of the influence of cartoons/comics on my writing, is in my first novel, National Darkroast Day. It's regular fiction, yet the cover is illustrated like a comic or graphic novel to fit the tone and style of the story. Ultimately, that's the lens that I see my stories through - which was certainly given to me by all those cartoons/comics.

What are your ideal working conditions? Or does your environment have any effect on your writing?

Good question. I think my ideal working conditions are always somewhat in flux. There are certain elements that I've learned are generally helpful - being surrounded by books and other inspiring items, or having a window nearby so I don't get claustrophobic, or listening to good music. But other factors seem to change day to day, or year to year. Some days having a TV turned on while working is great help - other days it's an enormous distraction. Some days, like I said, I can't work without good music - other days it ruins my train of thought - or I need a particular type, like techno music, to keep up the intensity. I guess in that way, to answer your other question, yes, environment definitely plays a part in my writing - but factors change. Ultimately, whatever gets the work done is what works for me.

If you had the money to turn any comic book into a feature film (that hasn't already been done) which would it be and who would you cast?

Well, I recently saw "Watchmen" and thought that made an awesome movie. But according to the rules, I've got to mention something else. I'm sure there are lots of great comics out there I don't know about, but I guess I'd say maybe Calvin and Hobbes. I know by all means that's not the "coolest" comic book, but I own (and still love) nearly every C&H collection that Bill Watterson released. I've always thought it'd make a great film - perhaps using CGI done by Pixar. Everything Pixar does is great - and there's lots of imaginative stuff in C&H, especially the Spaceman Spiff, T-Rex, cardboard-box modifier stuff - as well as lots of humor. Don't care who does the voices, but Pixar would definitely be the crew to produce it right.

1. How did you get involved in making comics?

My first comic making was done in middle school - at first it was a whole lot of nonsense; helicopters shooting tanks and huge explosions. Eventually those doodles evolved into a cadre of shapeshifting, smiley-faced blobs that could turn their arms into guns and lasers. It was around that time that I started reading X-men and Spider Man, but the one story that really caught my attention was the Maximum Carnage arch.

I continued making comics throughout my high school life, I tried to make a strip for the school newspaper, but I didn't have a story to tell and I stopped after one strip. Damn, I think I was like 15 at that point.

Not much else happened between then and now, except for the fact that I lived in Japan for two years and was heavily affected by the manga art style.

I've taken up comics again, but this time I'm making them for the web. The learning curve is steep, especially with all of the digital re-touching that is possible these days. My current project, is a journal-style comic on the relationship between my wife Keisha and myself. It's been on hiatus for a while now, because I'm looking for a permanent webspace for my comic, and I'm experimenting with some different styles of illustration that would make my process easier.

2. Do you have a "routine" for when you draw (i.e., make a pot of coffee, do sketches first, etc.)?

I have no routine when I draw. I just get an idea in my head and I go crazy until I have a chance to get it out on paper.

The most helpful thing for me is a playlist of MP3s that help pass the time. Songs help me focus my ideas on what I'm working on, rather than on all the other thoughts and static that I'm normally filtering.

If I have trouble drawing the comic, I usually draw in another scrapbook that I keep nearby my work desk.

Of course, the most regular event in my comic making process is the dogs whining to go outside for another walk!

3. Other than pen and ink, do you use any other type of media?

Right now I'm experimenting with different types of coloring and media in Sticky Rice.

I use Sharpie Pens, which are nice and thick, to do the outlines of Lucien and Coco.

I used to do a lot of retouching using Gimp and my PC, but I want each comic to take less time, and maybe be a little more sloppy-looking. It's a journal comic, so I want the strips to fit in with my current events rather than linger in my mind until I eventually mange to scribble them out.

Nearly all of the other artistic work that I create involves a serious amount of mixed media and, when it comes to comic making, I've been feeling way too myopic about working with just pen and pencil.

1. What has been the greatest help to your art? (influences, people, training)

There are many wonderful art museums and galleries in the greater D.C.
area. Seeing those works in person is inspiring. The Stackler Museum
is one of my favorites. Meeting other artists has also been critical
to my development. My friend and local artist Steve Loya has had the
most influence on me in recent years. He's introduced me to a variety
of styles, media, techniques and tools, even if it's just to dabble
in.

2. What resources do you feel are essential to selling artwork?

I rarely sell original artwork. The few pieces that I've parted with I
sold at comic shows and a few auctions for charity. However, I am
planning on selling more works this year because they are starting to
accumulate. For that, I plan test a few local galleries and see how
that goes.

3. If you could go on all expense paid drinking binge for three days
with three historical figures (an artist, a writer and one free
choice) who would you choose for drinking buddies?

Alex Raymond, H.G. Wells and Andre the Giant. Raymond's 'Flash Gordon'
pages were one of the most beautifully illustrated strips of all time.
You have to see an original to truly appreciate his work. Re: Wells,
I've always enjoyed science fiction set in the Victorian era. His
works were genius. As far as Andre the Giant goes, he was larger than
life. Just his presence would stop anything. And his drinking binges
are legendary!