Avoid the Future

One Question Interview #26: Ben Newman

2011-07-28T01:34:00.017+01:00

Picture of The Bento Bestiary nabbed from our friends at Nobrow

As even the most casual ATF reader knows, the way to my heart is through a momentous amount of kaiju references. With that it mind, it shouldn't be hard to figure out why Ben Newman - illustrator behind Nobrow's fantastic yokai-inspired compendium The Bento Bestiary - has forced us out of our hiatus with this volume-length and video-packed answer to our long-standing question about his favourite monsters. This one's got it all, folks: Mattel, Ultraman, late 80s anime, more Ultraman, and the mighty Garamon; so sit back, relax, and enjoy what just might be my favourite One Question Interview yet:

Q: Our favourite monsters in The Bento Bestiary are Taimatsu Maru, Nue and Wanyudo. Whom are your favourite monsters?

I was thinking about this question as I was falling asleep last night and as I desperately tried to enter Slumberland I started to think back to what my earliest experiences with monsters were in my childhood. I was born in January 1982 which was the year Return of the Jedi came out into cinemas and although I was mere weeks old when it was released, I believe this was a point in time where movie and television merchandise was starting to hit an all time peak. When I think of all the difficulty my parents would have at Christmas trying desperately to buy the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle or Thunder-tank or Optimus Prime or whatever the relentlessly new cartoon phenomenon was governing the brains of children everywhere, I feel awful that I would cause them so much stress and money year after year. Especially now, as an adult, when I understand that excess money is not easy to come by and, with the gift of hindsight, can look back and see how my parents struggled to make ends meet while trying to please their children. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that, as a child, I loved toys especially Monster toys and this is the basis of my fascination with them as a grown up. So to answer the question (rather than write a dull mini autobiography about presents I have received at Christmas over the past 30 years), I have decided to compile a top ten of favourite monsters (in no particular order) that I feel have influenced me a great deal growing up and within my work.

10. Hordak (from The Evil Horde featured in the He-man and She-re cartoons)

Crazy evil Mohawk skull with a up-turned collar? Check. Bat encrusted battle chest plate in BLACK? Double check. Deemed to be far more bad ass than Skeletor (was skeletor much of a bad ass? His high-pitch-maiden-like-screeching voice makes me think otherwise), Hordak really knew how to turn heads in his little furry black pants and knee-high, steel toed boots. For me though, the very graphical, symmetrical look of his face pulls the right optical nerves and has done since I was a wee nipper, just watch the grainy video below to believe me.

9. My Pet Monster

'My Pet Monster' was the monster equivalent of Teddy Rukspin and although put together with some of the most garish colours pairings imaginable it ignited a flame of desire in my tiny infantile mind. His blue fur, with a purple and red tuft on top of his head, yellow beady eyes, a bright green warty nose, a corduroy belly, huge dirty fangs and bulbous fingers and toes made me want to tear it from my neighbour's clutches and hide it in my room. Both hands were shackled with bright orange handcuffs that you could snap open in a beastly rage. Yeah, I obsessed a lot over this monster when I was a child mainly due to the fact that I could not have one. I love monsters that try to look scary but actually just look confused and lost. 'My Pet Monster' is one of my favourite examples of that and this live action film that was made to help promote the toy proves it, just look at his befuddled furry face. I remember it blowing my mind as a child and watching this trailer on youtube, 20 plus years later, I was surprised to find how well I remembered the opening credits.

8. The Zoanoids from Guyver

When I was eleven, I would spend ages browsing the shelves at the local video shop looking at all the 18 certificate films like Critters, The Goulies and Troll, whilst my Mum and sister would be looking for 'Care Bears' in the children's section. One day I came across a new Japanese animation called 'Guyver'. My Mother kindly rented the first video out for me even though I was about five years too young to be watching it (some might say this is bad parenting but it just made me think she was even more awesome). "Guyver' was about a young high school student who stumbles across a bio-weapon that bonds to him as an organic battle suit and is then inadvertently flung into a war with the evil Kronos who conduct experiments on humans turning them into killer monsters called Zoanoids with an assortment of different abilities. I could go on and explain this in so much more detail and even longer sentences but I'll save you the eyestrain and boredom and just tell you it was incredible. This was my first foray into violent action in a cartoon and I loved it. Head would explode, limbs were hacked off and giant holes where burnt through bodies with lasers. Yep, cool right? If you're still unsure, the video below should sell it to you.

7. Jamila

Jamila was a man before a trip to another planet evolved his body into a giant, very broad shoulder, hulking monster. He really does look exactly like a mutated American football line backer. His shoulders have become the top of his head and the expression on his face is that of laughter rather than the intended horror. Check out this sparring match with Ultraman. Jamila is having the time of his life!

6. Mer-man

A lumbering, mentally under-developed 'Creature from the Black Lagoon'. I think that short sentence really sums Mer-man up pretty pretty pretty well. You can definitely see that Mer-man has had a big influence on the monsters I design. I guess I just have a big soft spot for brightly colours, idiotic, silly looking monsters. Thanks, Mer-man.

5. The Thing (from.... er.... The Thing)

Basically.... I just love this film. The Thing can look like anything so my fascination for this alien/monster isn't bright colours or a goofy face, its because its terrifying. I love the scene where they start dissecting it on the operating table and the open stomach forms teeth and bites off the doctors hands and then the heads slowly falls off the body and grows legs and antenna and trundles off down the corridor whilst the frightened survivors flame through the living hell out off the remains..... at least that what remember happening..... awesome.

Just found the scene on youtube... turns out I do remember it very well. Computer generated special effects have nothing on this.

4. Woo

Alex from Nobrow introduced me to this incredible beast that I now love dearly. The abominable yet adorable Woo is not as sleek as some of her contemporaries but then she is a giant supernatural monster that lives in the snowy mountain tops where an ergonomic look vastly outweighs that of aesthetics. Covered from head to toe in long yeti-like hair, she can be found summoning large blizzards to wipe out locals who are being mean to her daughter, Yuki. I love that her only viewable characteristic, apart from all the hair, is her terrifying face which is made up of two amphetamine wired eyeballs and a wide dentistry-nightmare of a mouth. Her face gives me flashbacks to Terrahawk's Zelda.

3. Moguera

Originally created by The Mysterians to bend humanity to their will and then later in 'Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla', it built by man to destroy Earth's greatest monster Godzilla but ended up helping him destroy SpaceGodzilla. Ugh! This giving me a headache. Moguera has made the cut because... well... he is essentially Robo-Godzilla and what is not to like about that sentence? Moguera ended up having the head off a mole, the hands of a lobster and a huge square corrugated body.... yes, he looks amazing... in the most laughable way possible.

2. Garamon

This is one of Alex from Nobrow's favourite Kaiju and... well, to be honest I can not put into words how brilliant Garamon is, it is probably best if you just skip to 2.57 in this here video and those first four seconds will explain everything. Honestly, it just makes me laugh every time. He is such (literally) a massive dork.

1. Dada

Last but not least, Dada is a monster that travelled to Earth extra-dimensionally with the aim to capture Earthlings so that he can take them back for testing on his home planet. He has a giant black dome for a head and a peering white face with large yellow eyes. The colour of his eyes change depending on the stages of his rejuvenation process after an injury. Beneath this daunting black dome is a white body covered in what can only be described as very fashionable 60s zebra stripes. Yes, this guy is a snappy dresser and that's what I find so appealing about him. This monster is so graphical and geometric and yet feels very organic. The stark black and white with a splash of colour really appeals to my visual tastes outside of monsters but I guess that's what happens when you are a sharp dresser from another dimension.

A SpaceGodzilla sized thanks to Ben for this suitably colossal answer. The Bento Bestiary is still available in hardback on the Nobrow site for £12 and you are strongly, strongly advised to grab a copy for you and/or the monster-lover in your life immediately. You should also absolutely check out Ben's other Nobrow treasure, Ourobors, and cry that his awesome Dicephaly Bros figure is long out of stock. We regret not getting one, and so we'd appreciate if you'd share our misery too.

LINKS

Ben's website

Latitude 2011: We're hosting a UK Graphic Novel Panel!

2011-05-23T16:57:00.003+01:00

I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be at Latitude Festival on the 17th July, hosting a graphic novel panel featuring the venerable William Goldsmith, Darryl Cunningham, and Julian Hanshaw. Who the hell do these plucky comics people think they are? Rock stars?

From the Latitude website:

Three of the UK’s most heralded graphic novelists discuss and read from their recent works from Jonathan Cape and Blank Slate Books. William Goldsmith presents Vignettes of Ystov, an engrossing story cycle set within a fictional “vaguely Eastern European” city. Darryl Cunningham talks about the real-life experiences that inspired Psychiatric Tales, his collection of stigma-busting accounts set within an acute psychiatric ward. Winner of the Cape/Observer Comica Graphic Short Story Prize, Julian Hanshaw gives insight into the Vietnam-inspired The Art of Pho, which has been described as “part travelogue, part dream, part cookbook”. Chaired by Martin Steenton, of comic arts blog Avoid the Future.

It's going to be loads of fun, and although I'm sworn to secrecy at the moment, I can promise that there are going to be plenty of surprises, a wealth of never before seen material, and maybe even an announcement or two made. Tickets are available here. See you there!

Review: Root Rot, Edited by Michael DeForge & Anne Koyama

2011-05-11T15:50:00.002+01:00

Koyama Press | Edited by Michael Deforge & Anne Koyama | Softcover, 72pp, Colour | ISBN 978-0-9784810-9-4 | $12.00

I'll begin with an admission that I probably shouldn't state publicly: I’ve grown to really dread reviewing anthologies. This doesn't mean that I hate the medium—nothing could be further from the truth—it's just that my patience (read: failings as a writer) means that it's often difficult for me to find something meaningful to say about them outside of listing a bunch of isolated observations about different strips.

With Root Rot, none of that hesitancy exists. You only have to look at the editorial duo behind the book to know you’re in good hands. In the red corner: the widely-heralded, eye-gougingly brilliant, two-time Doug Wright award winner Michael DeForge. In the blue corner: you have the one-woman indie publishing powerhouse, “Kickass” Annie Koyama. Instead of grappling each other in the middle of the squared circle, they combine their might to create an anthology-making tag team of epic proportions.

More concisely put, this is the indie comics anthology done right. It possesses all the wild artistic abandon of, for example, a Kuš or a Nobrow collection whilst having the kind of authoritative restraint of the soon-to-be-dearly departed Mome. Unlike a lot of anthologies (the three aforementioned series very much excluded), Root Rot excels through having a consistent theme and format. The book’s evocative eponymous through-line and consistent two-pages-per-artist restriction gives it a strong identity and rhythm that creates a genuinely cohesive—and rewarding—reading experience.

Dan Zettwoch's piece is a highlight amongst a book of highlights.. which really says something.

The pungent naturalism of the "root rot" theme provides the perfect showcase for this down and dirty dozen (there are actually seventeen contributors, sue me) to go wild with. The two-page restriction is really a great mechanism for a couple of reasons: the first being that it solicits the desire to read more work from creators by teasing the reader with just enough to draw them in; the second being that it allows creators who may still be finding their feet with longer work and non-sequential/ non-narrative pieces to shine without the pressure of a more generous page count.

The staccato nature of the two-page format really gives the impression that DeForge and Koyama desire to proxy hammer a psychic nail into the part of the reader's brain that recognises greatness. Of course, this is probably true. This really is one of those collections that's of such a consistently high quality that it's difficult to pick standouts. So, in honour of DeForge becoming a two-time Doug Wright award winner on the weekend, I’m going to conclude this mini-review with the first—and most likely last—annual Avoid the Future Root Rot contributor awards:

Most intensely amazing cartoonist: Dan Zettwoch
Palme d’Or for Life-affirming, traditional comic storytelling ability: Bob Flynn
Most likely to be requested to paint a mural at ATF HQ: T Edward Bak
Funniest dude: Chris Eliopoulos
The memorial “My eyeballs are now running down the sides of my cheeks... but I kind of love it” Award: Jon Vermilyea
Most astonishing: Angie Wang
Highest chance of being found sandwiched between some Moebius, XIII and filthy, banned erotica in a Parisian comic shop: Derek M Ballard
Best decapitation of beloved cartoon icon: Robin Nishio

And... finally...

Award for my absolute favourite comic of the lot: Hellen Jo

So there we have it, folks. Special shout-outs go to Inés Estrada, Lizz Hickey, Mickey Zacchili, Jesse Jacobs, Jason Fischer, Greg Pizzoli, and Joe Lambert who all contribute great/ interesting/ handsome work to the anthology too, I assure you. I sincerely hope that this isn’t the last we’ll see of DeForge and Koyama as anthologists, because the world could certainly use another book like this.

Make sure to check back in throughout the week for more fun and frolics in Koyamaland. Until then, be sure to visit the Koyama Press website for an overview of all the great books released so far and where to buy them, and follow the editors on Twitter (Annie, Michael). Oh, and for heaven's sake, visit every link included in this article.

One Question Interview #26: Mark Andrew Smith

2011-05-03T22:08:00.002+01:00

The Skull Bros in... action (?); from Gladstone's School for World Conquerors Issue 1.

Part Teen Titans, part Harry Potter, Gladstone's School for World Conquerors makes it's debut in comic shops this week, published buy Image. Written by Mark Andrew Smith, (best known as the writer behind The Amazing Joy Buzzards and co-creator of the impressively varied Popgun anthology) and illustrated by Armand Villavert (with colours by Carlos Carrasco), it follows the misadventures of the students of the titular academy--a school for the children of the Earth's greatest super-villains--as they uncover its secrets and the alarming truth behind the superhero community.

With a day to spare before release, Mark kindly accepted our offer to answer a question on the new title.

Q: How did the concept and design of Gladstone's School for World Conquerors come together?

For Gladstone’s School for World Conquerors the concept all started with the title. It was an appealing name and something mysterious. I really wanted to wander the halls of this school and discover what it was all about. From there I brainstormed around 20 characters and from those about 6 really stood out. The characters that jumped off the page at me were Kid Nefarious, Mummy Girl, Ghost Girl, Martian Jones, and the Skull Brothers. After the art came in for the characters from Armand I had them firmly locked into my mind and the writing just flowed with that creative ammunition.

The character design for Gladstone’s was instant once we selected our main characters. Armand did sort of a “usual suspects” police lineup of them and it stuck. He nailed them perfectly the first time and there were no comments, notes, or suggestions for revisions from me to him. I think that really speaks volumes about Armand’s talent.

A line-up of the Gladstones students (click to enlarge). Mummy Girl's our fave.

Bonus Q: In your opinion, what is it about the superhero concept that has caused it to be so enduring?

I think it’s just kind of a fantasy to be a character that can do all of these incredible things. The mind is the limit of what can be done. I think for me the characters are also very compelling. Gladstone’s we’re doing our best to build an entire universe of heroes and villains and it’s been a fun road creating the world of Gladstone’s.

A huge thank you to Mark for answering his question. Clearly a sucker for punishment, he's casually agreed to return later in the year for a full-length interview, where nobody will be able to accuse us of cheating for asking more than one question. We're looking forward to it.

Sunday Comic: Noah Van Sciver

2011-05-01T15:24:00.005+01:00

© Noah Van Sciver, 2011

Not content with being one of our absolute favourite creators to emerge within the last few years, Noah Van Sciver submits himself straight into our hearts with this special guest comic. With convention season upon us, it's only right that we be reminded of their worst, most despicable qualities, right? Right.

Noah's latest comic, Blammo #7 is available to purchase now via his blog, and worth every goddamn penny, if you ask us. With content moving seamlessly between laugh-inspiring comedy and genuinely touching examinations of the human condition, Blammo is more than just a return to the classic single-author alternative comic floppy format. Rather, it serves as a reminder of how much potential that format has to chronicle—and showcase—the trajectory of important creative talent. You should buy all seven issues, and then join us in the sweaty-palmed agony that is waiting for his graphic biography of the young Abraham Lincoln, The Hypo, to be released. We can't wait.

Huge thanks go to Noah for making our weekend with this submission. If any creators out there are interested in pitching a future Sunday strip to us, please get in touch via the usual address. Shazam!

One Question Interview #25: Simon Gärdenfors

2011-04-29T17:03:00.007+01:00

Photo: Gusten

Much like eating a fun-size Snickers on a diet, today's One Question Interview may a little tiny bit of a cheat. Ever since Swedish cartoonist/ musician/ TV personality Simon Gärdenfors' gave us a glimpse of his extensive candy packaging collection during our interview promoting The 120 Days of Simon last year, we've been filled with confectionery curiosity. Recently launching a Kickstarter project for a cartoon starring a popcorn judoka, and currently working on an graphic memoir which takes its visual cues from classic candy wrappers, it's clear that to understand Gärdenfors, you must understand the inside of his cupboards.

Unfortunately, when we came to him to ask for his list top ten wrappers, boxes, and sachets, he told us that Swedish website Preview 11 had already beaten us to it. Fortunately, those forward-thinking question-nappers are allowing us to post the list in English here. Hoorah!

What are your ten favourite examples of candy packaging?

#1: Double Dip  - Sherbet (UK)

The charmingly hateful characters make my heart melt. The silliness of the packaging combined with the colours make it magic. It has new packaging now, and it’s not attractive at all—the characters are drawn in a way that is just not pleasant.  

#2: Burbu Soda  - Sherbet with chilli (Mexico)

It’s basic and beautiful with just a few colours. Keeps it simple.  

#3: Cisco  - Cereal (Japan)

I think it’s from the 60s—I bought it in a specialty store in Tokyo. Genuinely airbrushed! Characters!  

#4: Chira Chira Chocolate  (Japan)

I believe that it’s from around the 50s. The clown's charming smile speaks for itself. Bought in the same store were I bought Cisco.  

#5: Butter-Nut  (U.S.)

The box design is from the 1930s, it contains 24 candy-bars. Really hot gouache illustrations, pale colours and hand-drawn typography. Bought it at Economy Candy in Manhattan, last spring.  

Photo: Gusten

#6: 本日语  - Gum machine (Japan)

A mini-gum machine from Japan. Packaging can often be extra nice when you don’t understand it—when you can’t interpret the letters or characters, typography just becomes pure symbols in the brain. Here, I get only what the illustration depicts.  

#7: Chipileta  - Sherbet with chilli (Mexico).

Most candy from Mexico contains chillies. The package is not as simple and stylish as Burbu Soda, but the mis-print, the stripes and the happy squirrel give it extra points.  

#8: Non Stop - Chocolate bar (Sweden)

The colours and simple style give this package a place on the list. It is the only Scandinavian candy I have in my collection, too—maybe because I have some sort of domestic blindness. I have to put this in the fridge so the chocolate does not melt—best before 01/27/2006. I bought this because I thought that they would probably change the packaging. Sure enough, a few weeks later, it received new, uglier packaging with Photoshop gradients.  

#9: Tubble Gum  - Chewing gum (France)

I’ve always liked pink bubblegum aesthetics. I have four different kinds of Tubble Gum. These feature a variation of the baseball cap wearing boy that I remember from childhood. I don't have that one in my collection though. It's probably the package I miss the most.  

#10: Milky -  Chocolate Candy (Japan)

This design just gets everything right. I liked it so much that I plagiarized it for the cover of my comic book Lura mig!.  

A very sincere "tack så mycket" goes out to Simon (Gusten, and Preview 11), for providing the translated list. For more Gärdenfors goodness, head on over to his blog, or, for follow this link for Paco the Judo Popcorn-specific updates.

News: Simon Gärdenfors Needs YOU to Kickstart Paco the Judo Popcorn

2011-04-26T12:30:00.002+01:00

Friend of Avoid the Future, Swedish cartoonist Simon Gärdenfors has teamed-up with animator Jonas Pike Dahlstrom, to set up a Kickstarter page for an awesome new project. Their noble dream: to create an animated pilot for their character, the mighty Paco the Judo Popcorn. As it stands, the project has 23 days left to meet its target of $5000, and it's up to you, the benevolent arts patrons of the digital world, to make sure that the project comes to life!

From the Kickstarter page:

Paco is a popcorn with superpowers. Although he spends most of his days like any other ordinary popcorn kernel passing time with his other friends in the kitchen, when he gets mad he transforms into a super judo popcorn!
We've already made an animated 1-minute teaser featuring Paco's origin story with lots of action in the same cute candy package visuals we plan to use in the pilot episode. Paco is the kind of cartoon we dreamt of watching as kids and it is our belief that kids of all ages will dig it also.

Outside of the inner-joy that comes from knowing that you've helped bring this project one step closer to fruition, incentives for donating include stickers (everybody loves stickers), an mp3 of Paco's theme song, t-shirts, original art, hand-made Paco dolls, and for $10,000 Simon and Pike will dress as the characters and perform at your birthday party. Donald Trump, if you're reading this—and we know you definitely are—we're counting on you for that last one!

Come back tomorrow for a little more Paco goodness as Simon Gärdenfors goodness as he returns to ATF for a One Question Interview about the candy collection he hinted at in our very first interview ever!

News: Latitude Festival to Feature Graphic Novelists for the First Time!

2011-04-25T14:39:00.004+01:00

One of the things we get most excited about is the continued integration of comics into the accepted arts and entertainment landscape. So, when the team behind music festival Latitude contacted us with the information that they would be including graphic novelists in the line-up of their literary arena for the first time, we jumped at the chance to help spread the word about it.

From Thursday 14th – Sunday 17th July, festival goers will be able to see the likes of British comics legend Bryan Talbot (Grandville, Alice in Sunderland), alongside William Goldsmith (Vignettes of Ystov), Julian Hanshaw (Observer/ Comica graphic short story prize winner 2008), and Guardian cartoonist Nick Hayes (The Rime of the Modern Mariner). With yet more guests to be announced, there’s plenty to be excited about.

We recently spoke with the festival's Arts & Special Events Promoter Tania Harrison about her decision to include graphic novelists for the first time:

It’s something I’ve consciously thought about and have wanted to do for a couple of years. I think there has been big growth in the world of graphic novels, and they’re very appealing to a large group of people who are music fans—a lot of our audience read graphic novels or comics in preference to traditional novels.

Graphic novels are accessible to a lot of people, and that fits in with the mission behind Latitude—we’re looking at all art forms, of which graphic novels are very important. There’s a whole wave of really exciting graphic novelists out there and it’s only fair to include them at Latitude.

As well as confirming that there will be something every day for comic fans in the literary arena, she also dropped a few hints that there are still many great things to be announced. We recommend keeping one eye on the Latitude website for more information as it happens. Tickets can be purchased here, and the full/current line-up of acts and guests can be found here. See you there!

One Question Interview #23: Joey Weiser

2011-04-22T17:12:00.004+01:00

One of the thumbnails depicting Weiser's original, slightly darker Cavemen in Space ending

As one of the very first creators that we interviewed on the blog, we’re very pleased to have Joey Weiser back to kick off our second wave of One Question Interviews. The man behind Cavemen in Space, The Ride Home, and Mermin, Weiser is responsible for some of the most accessible and appealing all-ages comic work available at the moment. Also, he draws the weekly giant-monster kaiju-inspired webcomic Monster Isle, which is obviously the best genre a webcomic can possibly be.

Catching him off-guard, we jumped at the chance to talk to him after he hinted on his Twitter account that his 2010 AdHouse all-ages graphic novel, Cavemen in Space originally concluded a little differently.

Q: Is it true that Cavemen in Space originally had a different ending?

Yes! I recently mentioned this on Twitter, because it’s been about a year since my fundraiser to publish the Cavemen in Space graphic novel. The original concept for how the book ends had a much different twist.

In the original ending, the crew of “The Wheel” still successfully defends their space station from the Zanntu invasion, but ultimately the Earth is still taken over by the alien empire. This take-over leads to Professor Casimir’s experiment being shut down, and then the characters are given the same choice to either return back to the past, or live with the Professor as his assistants, now under Zanntu rule.

This ending was one of the very first ideas when I was brainstorming for the book, along with the final conclusion with who decides to return to the past, and the very last panel. It stuck around through all the outlines, the pitching process, and even into first draft or two of thumbnails. The concept came to me because I was actually working for a company at the time that was purchasing and integrating other companies into them. It was interesting to me because it was certainly difficult, and not many employees actually transitioned over unfortunately, but life goes on for better or worse.

However, as I continued to work on the book, it grew into another thing, and this idea wasn’t working for me as much in the end. I think it’s a good twist for “twist’s sake,” but it didn’t really reflect the kind of ending I wanted anymore. Plus, I became more concerned about Casimir’s growth, and thought that it was better for his character if he made the decision himself to shut down “Project: Cavemen” rather than just being forced to.

Our gratitude goes to Joey for being so nice about us accosting him on Twitter for this answer. If this feature left you a bit mystified, Cavemen in Space can be previewed and purchased over on the AdHouse site. He'll be debuting new work as part of the 2011 Fluke Anthology (see our post about last year’s here) at FLUKE! 2011 in Athens, GA. Our personal favourite of Weiser’s characters, Mermin, was most recently seen in this gorgeous illustration he did for the Drawn for Them ♥ Japan Tumblr. Yes, you’re quite right, he does make a lot of neat stuff, doesn’t he? It would only be right to buy one of everything on his webstore now.

An Infinite Universe: an Interview with Madéleine Flores

2011-03-29T17:43:00.028+01:00

With a passport almost full to bursting, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the internationally-raised Madéleine Flores resides in Florida, but her debut graphic novel, The Girl and the Gorilla is published out of London. A charming all-ages book about reading, writing, self-belief, and—well—hanging out with a gorilla, it was published by Blank Slate in Autumn 2010 and currently sees her in contention for an award at this year’s Stumptown comics fest.

Not content to simply win our favour by drawing a special dedication in our personal copy of the book, Madéleine provided not one, but two very special illustrations for this mini-interview. A drawing machine—and one of the nicest folks we’ve had the pleasure of talking to—we were excited to hear how the story arose from boredom at work (like all the best ideas), her desire to write something she would have liked to read in middle school, and what her five favourite books of all time are.

To begin with we wanted to ask you a little bit about your background, both personal and creative. We know you’ve studied in at least three different countries and speak several languages, for example. Who’s more well-travelled, you or Carmen Sandiego?

Heehee, Well, to start off at the very beginning, I breathed my first breath of life in Texas -Yeehaw~! But quickly shuffled on over to Germany, where I spent most of my life, then a quick stop in Georgia, then scooted down to Florida and went up north to Minnesota for a bit and decided that I liked the Florida weather more!

I think moving around might have actually helped push me in the direction of becoming an artist, because always changing schools and addresses made it difficult to make new friends, but the one consistent thing anywhere I went was pen and paper.

I think Carmen Sandiego has the leg up on the traveling - but I'm catching up! My passport is almost full now!

Do you consider The Girl and the Gorilla to be an all-ages (in the literal sense) book?

I certainly intended it to be enjoyed by everyone, but in the back of my head I kept thinking that I wanted to make something that I would have liked to have read in Middle School.

The impetus of the plot regards Aurelie receiving a rejection letter for a submission. Is this based on your experience as a creator? How much of yourself do you see in the characters?

Well, I certainly have received my share of rejection letters,but I'm lucky in that I have a very strong support system of friends and family who always have my back and just when it seems like I'm out for the count they say just the right thing, push me back into the ring and I'm ready to go!

Out of all the characters, I think my personality is mirrored in Elijah D.Slipwitch - he's a positive fun little man. I hope I'm like that - minus the little man part.

How did the land of Creativity develop when you were planning the book?

The original meat and potatoes of the story came around 2007 or so. I was working in a bookstore and we had our regular customers who would gravitate to their favorite sections, so I decided all the different sections were countries and the customers were the citizens. Then I built up from there- deciding that all the different authors lived there as well, it went on and on.

Sometimes being bored at work is fun!

Something we really wanted to talk about is the construction of the comic, itself. You’ve chosen to omit a major part of traditional comic language by using no panel borders. Why was this?

I think that's just something that happened by accident! I read lot of French BD-blogs and my favorite ones never used any panels. I liked the way it opened up the art and kind of created an infinite universe.

What can readers expect next from you? We want more!

WELL! I post little journal comics on a regular basis on my blog and I'm working on another comic project right now and I'm sorting out all the story and art involved in that, I hope I can finish it up sometime soon! I'm really excited about it and I'm using everything I learned from the process of creating The Girl and The Gorilla to up my game this time around.

But what I am most focused on right now is my application to The Center for Cartoon Studies- I'd like to learn more about comics.

Finally, what are your five favourite books of all time?

Oh boy!

1. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting ( I read this every year- I don't own a copy of it myself, but I like to pretend that I keep the library in business by checking it out once in a while!)

2. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams ( I was being chased by bullies in 7th grade, ran into the school library and grabbed the first book off the shelf and hid behind it , all nonchalant like- something out of a movie scene, heehee~ Good thing Adams is at the beginning of the Alphabet, I fell in love with the series, I've never laughed harder in my life!)

3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (This was my favorite in the series because we saw more about the Wizarding World Community and I love Harry Potter. Ha!)

4. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (The wordplay in this book changed my life and how I think about the English language, FOREVER! I love it!)

5. World Mythology (This was a huge Mustard colored book in my Elementary School Library. The Librarian took off the book jacket and I never bothered to look at the title page to get the proper name, but it contained hundreds of creation myths from around the world and had adorable gouache paintings along with each story. Oh Nostalgia!)

Finally... Congrats on your Stumptown award nomination! How do you feel about it?

Super, hyper, mega thanks to Madéleine for not only answering our questions in words and pictures (!), but also drawing that wonderful illustration heading the article for us. Look at that lettering up there- charismatic, huh? Why not head over to the Stumptown voting page and make your opinion heard? Once you’ve done doing that you should visit her blog, which is updated regularly with all kinds of great illustrations and comics. We’re regular lurkers over there, and you should be too.

LINKS

Order your very own copy of The Girl and the Gorilla via Blank Slate Books
Check out Madéleine's blog

A Strange Kind of Courage: an Interview with Peggy Adam

2011-03-23T17:01:00.006Z

Without a doubt, the absolute highlight of our time running Avoid the Future has been getting the opportunity to translate Peggy Adam's graphic novel Luchadoras for Blank Slate Books. Originally published in French by Swiss publisher Atrabile in 2006, it's a powerful story set against the backdrop of the Cuidad Juarez female-victim homicides. Using fiction to expose real-life atrocities, Adam places the reader directly in the middle of the oppressive setting of Juarez, examining the atmosphere of misogyny, exploitation, and corruption that gave birth to these horrific crimes.

As the book packs its bags and prepares to go off to print this week, we thought it was the perfect time to officially invite Peggy for a chat about the Luchadoras and her work in general. Passionate, and eager to show her support to those affected by these issues, she tells us about what inspired her to create the book, how it relates to her other work, and the symbolism present within the story.

First released by Atrabile in 2006, Luchadoras has now been published in several countries and languages. Did you imagine that it would be greeted so enthusiastically by publishers outside of the French comic sphere?

When I was writing the story, I was hoping it would be published in Mexico. That still isn’t the case, but with the book having been published in Spanish, I haven’t given up hope of seeing it there one day... at least so the women of Juarez know that somebody is talking about their situation outside of Mexico, and that we’re supporting their fight.

What do you think has attracted international publishers to the book?

What makes a book sell in different countries? I don’t know. It’s more about a publisher having a crush on a book, I think.

How did you first become aware of the femicides of Cuidad Juarez? What specifically inspired you to create a story set amongst the backdrop of these tragedies?

In November 2005, I came across an investigative article by Manon Schick in Amnistie, the Swiss edition of Amnesty International’s magazine. She reported figures of more than 430 women murdered in 12 years in Ciudad Juarez. There were testimonies by some victims’ mothers, some of which have been threatened or attacked for asking justice for their child. I couldn’t believe it.

After doing some research, the reality was actually a lot worse than what I thought. I was extremely upset, and when something upsets me, I need to talk about it. It happened through comics because that’s the medium in which I can best express myself.

One of the most compelling things about the book is how you take a slightly indirect look at these awful events by producing a character-based narrative. Do you recall the process by which your ideas for the characters and their relationships took shape?

Alma and Jean already existed in a slightly different form, in one of the books from my series Plus ou moins... [More or Less... published in France by Atrabile]. They came naturally to me. Alma might not be representative of all the women in Juarez. I wanted a violent woman who wasn’t a victim. She responds the way only she can to the violence that surrounds her—that’s her way to defend herself.

The story comes little by little as the characters are created. The further I am into the story, the stronger the characters’ personalities become. Sometimes I add a character to create a setting for a situation, or to give more weight to the story. For Luchadoras, I mixed real people with fictional people.

Throughout the book, Juarez almost feels like a supporting character—a corruptive force that brings out the worst in humanity. How would you describe your presentation of the city?

To me, a city is made by the people who live within it. So, I focused on the people and not so much on the setting – just enough so you can recognize you're in Mexico. I could have used a fictional town and the story wouldn’t have lost any of its interest. But the fact that I rooted it in a real setting, in a situation that is still happening today, allowed me not have to explain as much in the book. We know what’s happening in Juarez.

Some of the readers who don’t know about what’s going on there may think that, yes, what happens in the book is terrible but ultimately it’s just a story. However, reality in Juarez is a lot worse, and once you’ve realised that, you see the world we live in in a different light.

There’s a moral ambiguity to the book, in that even “good” people seem inevitably forced to do “bad” things in order to survive. Do you believe the book to have a moral message, or does it stand as a reflection of a corrupt world?

My world isn’t black and white, and so I don’t have “good” or “bad” characters. We all have a shadowy part, whether it is cowardice, resentment, jealousy, or sometimes a strange kind of courage... My characters are just the reflection of what I observe in the people around me, so this book absolutely doesn’t have a moralistic purpose—how awful would that be?

Yes, the Mexican government has corruption within it, but it’s not very visible in the story—except for the character of the cop involved in drug trafficking, who actually exists. I didn’t want to give any special explanation to these women’s genocide, as there are so many causes: drug cartel madness, government and police corruption, poverty, and above all, sexism and misogyny—the latter two being so deeply, habitually rooted that they destroy relationships between men and women.

Although the main narrative is quite direct in the way you present it, there also seems to be a layer of symbolism at work. Images of birds and cats reoccur during the course of the book, and the wrestling match that Alma and Jean attend seems to carry special significance...

It is true about one of the birds: the howl that you see when Alma’s sister gets into the van is a symbol of death. The vultures that Jean observes with his telephoto lens can also be interpreted as death symbols, but also as symbols of life as they eat organic waste and thus are essential to the planet’s ecosystem.

Cats are always present in my stories, simply because I’ve always had cats with me. And also, they have nine lives, so if they die in one story, they can come back in another one...

About the wrestling match: I refer to it in Plus ou moins... It can seem a little cliché as a reference, but to me Mexico comes with El Santo and Blue Demon!

The word “Luchadoras” is an interesting title choice, being familiar to professional wrestling fans as the Lucha Libre term for female wrestlers. What attracted you to it?

At the first the book was simply called “Lucha Libre” but a collective released a book with the same title a few months before mine was published, so I decided to call it “Luchadoras” instead. In the end it is more relevant to the story, as it is about women who are struggling, both figuratively and literally, to defend their right to a better life.

In an interview with BDentente, you talk about the connection between the book and Plus ou moins..., and covertly wanting to offer a more uplifting resolution to Luchadoras. Do you consider Luchadoras to be a stand-alone work, or do you feel that your work presents different moments of the same, interconnected creative universe (such as Love and Rockets)?

It’s true. Without really controlling it, I realise that my stories are all linked to each other. Sometimes it will be just a character that goes from one book to another, sometimes a place. I like the idea of being able to make a character appear in one book or another without it seeming weird. What I build throughout my comics is an extension of my world, and I don’t find it odd that my characters sometimes meet or just pass each other by—after all they live on the same planet!

Rather than Love and Rockets—which I discovered quite late—I think I’ve been influenced by movies such as Short Cuts by Robert Altman (adapted from Raymond Carver’s short stories), Happiness by Solondz, or Magnolia by Paul Thomas Anderson. I like individual stories that coexist, sometimes conflict, and finally merge together.

Just to torment all of us English-speaking readers, can you talk a little about can you talk a little about your current projects? Will the final Plus ou moins... be seen soon?

I’d like to be able to answer this question! I always have projects on the go, but I just need to find time to make them happen...

Usually we only have to thank people for giving up their time to speak to us, but we owe Peggy an incomprehensible amount of gratitude for trusting us with her book, as well as giving us the opportunity to share it with the English-speaking comics market. Luchadoras will be available from Blank Slate books very soon: be sure to follow our Twitter feed or our Facebook page for updates as they happen.

LINKS

Peggy Adam's website
Blank Slate Books' page for Luchadoras
To learn more about what's happening in Juarez and give your support to the families of victims, visit http://www.mujeresdejuarez.org/EUversion.htm

New videos from Noah Van Sciver & Elio

2011-03-20T08:11:00.004Z

First it killed the radio star, and now it's coming for our beloved indie Cartoonists! Recently launching YouTube spots for their latest comics are the right honourable creators Noah Van Sciver and Chris "Elio" Eliopoulos.

Van Sciver's Blammo #7 is currently available for purchase over at his blog now. As you would expect from the guy Martin labelled as his man to watch in 2011, this latest issue is worth every penny, and features some of Van Sciver's best work yet (the stories Who are you Jesus and Buried Alive come highly recommended).

Although we haven't read Elio's Monster Party! yet, the video alone sends our substantia nigras and ventral tegmental areas into a dopamine-producing frenzy. That, coupled with the fact that it's being put out by the unstoppable quality-publishing behemoth that is Koyama Press makes it essential reading. It's yet to be released, but you should all go add Eliopoulos' blog to your RSS feeder of choice in order to swoop down on it like the comic-loving hawks you are as soon as it becomes available.

What are you waiting for? Go, go, go!

Autobiography at the Heart of Everything: an Interview with Luke Pearson

2011-03-16T16:35:00.005Z

Taken from Hildafolk, published by the acclaimed NoBrow Press as part of their 17x23 series

As you’d expect from one of the leading lights of Britain's new wave of young creators, the quality of Luke Pearson's work seems to develop just as rapidly as the scene itself. In a critical climate where work is often polarised into the two extremes of art and entertainment, Pearson’s latest comic, the spell-binding contemporary fairytale Hildafolk, feels just as at home in publisher NoBrow Press' visually intelligent catalogue as it does between good old fashioned yarns like Bone and The Adventures of Tintin in my bookcase.

We thought given the comic's spellbinding setting, it would be easy for us to stay on topic in the following interview. Oh, how wrong we were. The combination of our foam-mouthed enthusiasm for his work and his considered, insightful answers gave way to a conversation that refused to be contained. Moving back and forth between subjects such as his development as a creator, his perspective on comics as an auteur medium, his relationship with children's books, and the status of the British comic scene and beyond, it was a real pleasure, and one we've been looking forward to sharing with you.

Why comics?

It's probably a similar story to most people. I was above average at drawing as a kid, I liked comics and so obviously I started drawing my own. It was a way of entertaining people and at school it was kind of a way of showing off and attention-seeking, which was an important vent for a shy kid like me. I liked being funny and gross and seeing the reactions people had and I still get that same buzz now, though I'm probably not as gross or as funny any more.

I always wanted to be either a comic artist, an illustrator or an animator just because these were jobs where you got to draw fun things. I'm not sure I knew what the boundaries between those were or if I was even aware that there were any, it was all just drawing to me. Which in some ways is how I still feel about it, in that I don't just look at and think about comics when I'm making comics, I feed my knowledge of what makes good illustration and animation into what I'm doing. But in a way I arrived specifically at comics by necessity.

As a kid I thought of comics as something I could do until I figured out how to make a cartoon. But it dawns on you that it takes a ton of people to make a cartoon and only one person gets to decide what really happens in it. Since I was never going to be confident or assertive enough to be that person and I was more interested in telling my own stories than in the act of animating itself, I realised that wasn't going to satisfy my ego.

Obviously in the last few years I've become more wrapped up in and fascinated by the vast, storytelling potential of the medium and all that stuff. I'm not doing them begrudgingly because I can't make a cartoon. But ultimately comics suit me because it's the medium in which I can have the most control over the most things with the littlest input from anyone else.

It feels legitimate to say that one of the major differences between mainstream comics and indie/ small press is there's a much greater emphasis on single-author works. Do you think there's a case for stating that comics might be the ultimate medium for auteurs?

I totally believe that to be the case. My dissertation for university was on autobiography in comics and that was basically the point I was trying to make, though focusing specifically on that genre. When telling the tale of your own life it seems natural to me that you'd want to tailor the reading experience to allow the reader to see the world through your eyes and in a non-literal way through your state of mind. It's this ability to control that experience due to the wobbly boundaries of the format and of what the medium even is that makes it so perfect I think. Sure a novel is mostly the singular vision of the writer, but any control over the display of their words is denied them. As soon as you start to tinker, to change the size or the colour of words for effect, what's happening? It's taking tentative steps towards becoming a comic. The fact that anything you can visually make happen is (in theory) available to you for self expression and storytelling purposes should make it pretty appealing to the auteur. Although the word doesn't actually mean as much when anyone can draw their singular creative vision on a bit of lined paper and call themselves an auteur.

Taken from Pearson's New Game, as seen in Nobrow's sinfully handsome anthology A Graphic Cosmogony

Hildafolk certainly feels like it's from the same creative voice as your other work, and I think that anybody familiar with you could easily pick out a "Luke Pearson" comic or illustration on sight. Do you consider there to be central elements or themes that inform your work?

I like to think that if I just do whatever seems interesting to me at the time then those elements and themes will eventually begin to reveal themselves. Hopefully that's what's happening because I definitely don't feel like I've set any up intentionally. I'm actually usually worried that you wouldn't be able to pick out a "Luke Pearson" comic because I feel like I haven't settled stylistically yet and that each new project I do is probably a bad or weird choice given what came before it. But I think the variation between the things I do is way more extreme in my head because people usually tell me that they can spot my work fairly easily. I do sometimes struggle to see exactly what that voice is made up of though and it's always troubling me slightly. But there are definitely some things that seem to naturally crop up again and again which I guess go towards defining it. Also my comics definitely don't stray too far away from my own life experience which I guess gives them a similar feel.

Not including Hildafolk, a fair few of my shorter comics have featured protagonists who are vague stand-ins for me and rather than having a fleshed out character of their own are just kind of vehicles to say whatever I've got to say. I haven't written anything yet that's required me to look at things from a vastly different viewpoint to my own. There's an autobio comic at the heart of everything I do.

In Dull Ache and Some People, it's a lot more apparent that you have a great urge to experiment with style. Is it fair to say that Dull Ache sees you purposely trying out different things, as well as taking a more direct influence from other artists in order to develop? There's one strip that reminds me of John Porcellino's work...

Half of Dull Ache is old material that spans probably about two years of different phases I've gone through. There might be some even older stuff. A lot of that stuff is my sketchbook work and I tend to let my influences flow pretty freely in those. For the bits I drew especially for it, I was trying to keep that sketchbook spontaneity and not stress about consistency. The bit that looks a bit like a Porcellino comic was an experiment in putting a comic down without planning and in a state of mind in which usually I'd never even pick up a pencil. My entire process from start to finish can be quite laborious and I get anxious just thinking about starting something sometimes so that was an attempt at seeing how I could combat that. There are a lot of styles and approaches to comics that I enjoy and want to explore, the hope being that eventually I can bring them all together and turn them into something that's uniquely mine, so I guess I used Dull Ache to muck around with those ideas and not worry about the bringing them together part. If I do more in that series I think it'll continue in a similar vein.

One of many potential Pearson avatars, this time seen in the comic 'Bed' from Luke's Dull Ache collection

A lot of your work has autobiographical elements, even if they're not necessarily framed as such. For instance, even your supernatural-themed story from Solipsistic Pop 2 seems to feature an avatar of yourself. Does Hildafolk represent a more permanent step in the other direction?

It's definitely not a permanent step but a sort of intentional one. I'm really drawn to autobiography and I'm constantly thinking of straight up autobio stories I could easily draw but I try to stop myself because I don't feel like the world needs to read about the troubles and woes of a 20 something guy who doesn't do much but draw things. I prefer to twist anything I've got to say into something else. I want to make comics that are just plain fun and maybe have a broader appeal too though which is where Hildafolk comes in. I wanted it to be for all ages and for it to feel warm and positive without being cloying or lame.

What can you tell us about the origins of Hildafolk?

I'd been drawing the character that would become Hilda for about a year previously. I haven't really had any other recurring characters so I knew I'd have to use her for something [Luke directs readers to two prototype versions of the character here and here]. I didn't know who she was then but I knew the world I wanted her to exist in. The original pitch to myself was that it would be like Lyra's world in the His Dark Materials books crossed with Moominvalley, steeped in Scandinavian folklore and full of weird, cartoony monsters. That was just one of many vague ideas bubbling around a for a while until Nobrow contacted me about possibly doing a book in their 17x23 series. They were into the earlier image I'd done so that was that. The book doesn't touch on anywhere near as much stuff as I'd eventually like to but the aim was always to create a world and a character that could become the basis of some kind of series.

It's obvious from reading Hildafolk that you have an engagement with world-building, and an important part of any world are its monsters. What inspired you to create the non-human cast, both in terms of their narrative purpose and design?

They come from a few different places. The wood man comes from a really short story I read in a book of folk tales about a guy called "The Wood Man" who turns up at your house and brings you wood, but then he lies down in front of the fire but he won't leave and he's got really long legs and takes up loads of room or something. When I first read it I thought he was actually made of wood but I think he's just a regular tall dude. But having the wooden thing in mind I thought it'd be nice to combine him with the wooden character I drew for Nobrow 3 and he became that guy. I guess I've always liked trolls. I'd go and see a lot of standing stones and things as a kid and I always liked to think of them turning into giant people and shuffling around at night. The image of huge lumbering beasts going about their business unseen has always stuck with me. I guess I wanted to populate the place with creatures that are strange and eerie and maybe a bit sorrowful but not necessarily monstrous. Or just cute and weird. There isn't that much too it really.

She's not lying, you know.

What are your favourite 'all-ages' works? They don't necessarily have to be comics-based.

I'd say Tove Jansson's Moomin books and comics which is fitting because the influence they've had on Hildafolk is pretty evident. Anyone can appreciate them. They work for kids because they're populated with strange and sweet characters, funny stuff happens and the world is always warm and inviting. But they're full of these hilariously spot-on observations and scathing criticisms of adult life. They work for multiple audiences because they're intelligent and have a lot of things to say, not because they have cheap, dirty gags that go over a kid's head. They're good-natured and questioning and you feel like a child who grew up reading them would grow up to be an extremely decent human being. I'd say Asterix is a great all-ages comic. I loved it as a kid but I never got the whiff of lameness that I sometimes got from comics like The Beano when I compared them to the dirty, grown-up 2000 ADs I liked to read.

Speaking of The Beano and 2000AD-- In terms of discernible comics culture, Britain has long and limply stood in the shadow of its Franco-Belgian and North American cousins. Do you feel that things are beginning to change?

It does feel like something is changing, maybe. It could just be something vague and optimistic that people say but I see it said quite a lot. I'm not in the best position to appreciate the change if it is happening as I've only relatively recently immersed myself in comics culture, but the main thing seems to be more smaller publishers being more willing to publish un-established artists and more interesting comics.

I know that only a few years ago I wouldn't have had the opportunity that Nobrow have given me in putting a full colour book out already and getting it into shops. I've definitely been lucky in starting out at a time that's incredibly convenient for a new artist, so the best we can hope is that more and more cartoonists get to take advantage of this and that some of them are really good. I could be wrong but it also seems like more comic shops are more willing to put indie and alternative comics in a more prominent position of the store. If more and more people were to see that stuff as 'the real stuff', the main attraction (never gonna happen), then audiences would be more likely to pick up on the creators and books that are uniquely British and some kind of culture can be formed. But if you go into a comic shop and all you see is the intimidating wall of glossy mainstream booklets, independent voices get lost. The culture gets kind of flattened and generalised.

For many following the trajectory of Pearson's work, his piece in the childhood-themed third volume of British comic anthology Solipsistic Pop may seem like the logical stepping stone between the reflective ghost-themed memoir he submitted to Solipsistic Pop 2 and the fantastical, story-book world of Hildafolk.

Do you think that in the Internet age, and the convergence of artists and media within social networks, etcetera, it's as important to help generate domestic comic scenes?

It's not as important. The Internet lets you work in isolation with the promise that if you're actually good then your work will get seen and spread and good things could happen. You build your fanbase internationally, but ultimately you'll always be claimed as the produce of wherever you've come from. Domestic scenes will always exist, just due to geographical restrictions and the desire for cartoonists to congregate. And the flavour and direction of these scenes will likely be defined by their strongest and most popular artists. I think when the UK has some more 'big names' then the scene and the culture will be more easily defined, but who even really cares about that. People should just worry about making the best work possible and getting it out there in the best way possible, wherever they're from.

Who in the UK do you see as having the greatest potential to reach that kind of 'big name' status?

Tom Gauld is already a big name but I feel like he will keep on rising into superstardom. I also want to go on record as predicting that Nick Edwards is gonna be huge.

What's next for you?

My next book Everything We Miss will be released by Nobrow in June and there's a continuation of Hildafolk planned for the end of the year. There'll also be other smaller projects appearing as the year goes on.

Hold on a second there, if you think I'm going to let you just casually tease your next book you have another thing coming, mister. Give up the goods!

It's a kind of exploration of things that are missed or that go unseen, both the everyday and the surreal, weaved around a story of a crumbling relationship. It kind of veers off in a very different direction to Hildafolk, it's not for kids. That's about as much as I can say right now. There'll be more info and sneak peaks coming hopefully very soon.

A troll-sized thanks goes out to Luke for making our week with this interview. He's currently in the process of finishing up his new blog, but in the meantime, we very much recommended checking out his old Blogspot blog, his inspiration Tumblr, and following the talented scoundrel on Twitter. Whilst you're off checking all those out, we'll be rifling through the bins outside of his house for any clues we can find about Everything we Miss. Better invest in a shredder, Pearson!

LINKS

Buy Hildafolk via the (freshly redesigned) NoBrow website
Buy A Graphic Cosmogony via the (oh so dreamy) NoBrow website
Buy Solipsistic Pop 2 & 3 (featuring Luke) via the Solipsistic Pop website
Pre-order Paper Science 4 featuring a cover and contribution by Luke via We Are Words & Pictures website

Guest Review: Rondal Scott III on Expansion Part One by Malachi Ward & Mat Sheean

2011-03-11T22:45:00.009Z

In what marks Avoid the Future’s first ever guest post, we gave Rondal Scott III—the creator of the awesome Strange Kids Club blog—free reign to review the comic of his choice. Known worldwide as the man who puts the "goo" in "good taste", he didn't disappoint.

“Billions of years ago the universe was a smaller, denser place, teeming with intelligent life.”

Thus begins Part One of Expansion, a “three part epic science fiction comic” co-created by artists Matt Sheean & Malachi Ward, which sets out to explore just how vast the recesses of the universe can be through the eyes of two, estranged travelers. As collaborators, Sheean and Ward’s work seems to complement one another seamlessly with no single panel wasted or left unattended. Those familiar with either artist’s previous work will likely appreciate this subtly even more so as neither individual’s style takes precedence over the other.

Sheean and Ward waste no time tossing you into the thick of the story, opening with an in-progress space battle that features rockets hurled in all directions, ship panels explode, and bodies that are twisted- torn asunder by the inexplicable assault. It’s within this chaos that we meet our protagonists, Briggs and Turner, and it’s interesting to watch the chemistry unfold between the two as they forge headlong into the unknown (otherwise known as the A.T.R. or Abnormal Temporal Region).

It is within the A.T.R. that Briggs and Turner encounter a lost civilization, lead by a woman named Basilia, with some interesting outlooks on life that essentially set the stage for the main premise of an ever-expanding universe. What that means for the future of all existence is left unresolved by Part One’s ending, but it can be assumed that there is much more to be learned before the series final act. “Part One was mostly setting up the plot, so in Part Two we start to really get into the conflict,” said Ward in an earlier interview. “We also get to know Basilia and her people better. It all builds to the third part, where everything contracts.”

The writing follows suit with the art, providing a steady pace and fluid dialogue. If I had to choose one flaw it would be that acronyms are used without explanation (such as the one mentioned above). It would have been nice for a few footnotes to help make sense of them, but they compliment the book’s high-minded science fiction setup well enough that they only stop the story from being slightly less entertaining. For an independent production the overall book boasts some excellent quality. From its copper-toned cover to the masterfully applied grey washes that give each character a real sense of depth and life, Expansion is at two talented artists boldly going where only a few others have gone before them and they’re doing it with style.

All Artwork © Copyright Malachi Ward and Mat Sheean

Expansion Part One © Copyright Malachi Ward and Mat Sheean

LINKS

Buy Expansion Part One via Malachi Ward's Blog

About Rondal

Rondal Scott III is a creative instigator who tackles each day with Red Bull-induced enthusiasm and is a self-professed Twitter addict. His obsession with horror movies and 80s pop culture inspired him to start Strange Kids Club in 2009 where his puppet persona geeks out on a daily basis. He is also currently Co-Editor of Fuel Your Illustration and a frequent contributor to the Bloodsprayer.

An Interview with T.J. Kirsch (Part Two)

2011-03-10T23:52:00.008Z

A potential cover for a potential collection. We're going to personally bug him until it becomes a reality.

When I told T.J. Kirsch that we were going to focus this second (and final) part of our interview on his education, the Oni Press-affiliated artist suggested that I should make ironic quote marks around the word. Far too humble, he has the unique experience of transferring from the Savannah College of Art and Design to the comics-specific Kubert School, and it seemed like too good a chance to pick his brains about the rarely-explored subject.

In addition to quizzing him about his University years, we force him to make like a stool pigeon and give up the goods on the latest She Died in Terrebonne print editions, as well as reveal the origins of his recurring Slim Johnson character. 'Education', ha!

Click here for part one.

As an artist, what do you think are the keys to creating a good detective story?

I'd say find a good writer! What you need is a solid story, and relatable, distinctive characters. Of course as an artist, I'd say the artwork end of it is pretty important too. Take a look at what guys like Chester Gould did: very distinctive characters, great storytelling, and gritty art that's at least grounded in reality. I draw inspiration from him as well as Jordi Bernet and his Torpedo work, but there's so many great examples of great detective comics. Of course you can't leave out all of the great Batman artists and guys like Will Eisner.

Speaking of detectives: what can readers expect to find in the latest She Died in Terrebonne print volume?

Well, funny you should ask! The latest issue of She Died In Terrebonne (#3) is back from the printer and available in the Agreeable shop! It's got the third act of the story seen online, as well as a great backup story written by Kevin [Church] and drawn by Eric Kim. It's a Sam Kimimura flashback story basically, involving Sam and his early days in the SFPD. Eric was a great fit for a Sam story and I think he did a really great job. I was going to draw it myself but I had a few too many things going on at the time. Plus, I'd just finished the main SDIT story, so a break from Sam Kimimura was in order.

A little birdie tells me that the complete Terrebonne collection now has a publisher attached to it...

Aha! Yes, we've somehow tricked a publisher into partnering with us. They're a small Chicago-based outfit called Nan bu Nan Publishing It's a boutique situation but they've got a handful of really quality authors and both the guys behind it, Rick Boven and Nick Vandermolen, are very enthusiastic and complimentary about mine and Kevin's work. So, the book's in good hands, and we've all got some work do on that, on the design and production end of things. It should be released sometime around late summer/ early fall if I'm correct.

You mentioned to me a couple of weeks back that you were thinking of compiling some of your solo material into a collection - can we expect to see that materialise any time soon?

That's very possible, yeah. I might put together a little collection in time for the Boston Comic Con in April. It'd probably include all my Top Shelf 2.0 strips and maybe some extra material. Thanks for reminding me! I've gotta get on that. I know most people probably haven't seen that first Slim Johnson story, so maybe that'll be in there.

That first Slim Johnson story: Office Bitch, from Fat Chunk

What’s the history behind the Slim Johnson character? 

At first he was just a one-off sort of throwaway character I came up with when I did a story for the Jamie Smart-edited anthology Fat Chunk. He's this Vietnam war veteran who's obviously been through some stuff, and he's trying to start over and find out who he is. He's clearly got some issues. I think I came up with the name on a whim - something that was funny but sounded like an everyman. Like a lot of R. Crumb's characters.

You mentioned earlier that you studied at The Kubert School. Am I right in thinking that you went to SCAD at some point?

I went to SCAD for a school year then took a year off. Then I went for three years and graduated from the Kubert School.

What made you make the leap to a comic-specific school like The Kubert School?

I don't think it was such a huge leap - just in terms of the curriculum anyway. SCAD was really expensive, and it was the first time I'd been away from home for that amount of time. I think maybe I was too young to really take anything seriously. I did well in terms of grades and things, but those don't really mean anything in art school anyway. The one quote I hear a lot about art school in general is "you get out of it what you put into it," and I was I think a bit too immature at the time. I think more than anything SCAD set me on the comics path. Plus, I didn't know it at the time but I was sick, too, but undiagnosed.   I took a year off from school after that, then went to Kubert. It immediately felt like I was in the right place.

Toppled, written by Elton Pruitt and illustrated by Kirsch, can be read in its entirety, here.

Were you certain about what you wanted to do during your year off? Was it a long and torturous decision, or did you "just know" that comics were the thing for you?

Oh, I was pretty certain. At first I tried a local liberal arts college as a fine arts major, and all was all wrong for me. After being at SCAD, it was like going right back to high school. Plus the art classes were just about as slow as molasses. I think we did about 3 weeks of just mixing paints and getting your station in order before putting paint to canvas. I tried that for maybe a month and a half before leaving. At the same time I found a job as a parking lot attendant at an independent movie theater, which was great. It was either just me, or me and another guy in this booth out back. Nobody was supervising you so you could draw or write or play your guitar - whatever. You know I just remembered... I think I read an interview with Brian Ralph in the Comics Journal or somewhere, where he mentioned being a parking lot attendant and how it was the only job he had that he didn't completely hate. So remembering that quote, I jumped at the chance to do that job. I wonder how many artists have that type of gig...

That sounds like a dream job to me!  

It was pretty great, and it was pure luck finding it. I drew a lot of the comics in that booth, and read a lot of comics for sure. Plus, there was the free popcorn, soda, and coffee. AND free movies when I wasn't on the clock. I think I saw Ghost World a few times there.  

Did you apply to Kubert via their famous in-comic advertising? What were your thoughts when you got there?

I think I applied to Kubert like everyone else. I KNEW about it because I had seen the ads since I was a kid. I heard horror stories about the workload and stuff like that. When I got there I made a lot of friends - it's hard not to when you're in the same room all day every day drawing next to the same guys. It's funny, I was just going through some old portfolios from that era and it's really funny how many assignments seem totally out of context and strange to the outsider, but at the time we're just trying to make each other laugh with every drawing... Some in-joke about a teacher or something along those lines.

What would your advice be to young cartoonists who are trying to decide between a "regular" college program and a more specific comics-based school?

Oh god. It really depends on the person. If you're serious about wanting to be a cartoonist and you don't want anything to 'fall back on' you should look into schools like Kubert or CCS, most definitely. If CCS was around a few years earlier I would've applied there, but I don't have any regrets. SCAD is also a great option, and now of course they've got their Atlanta branch up and running with some great talented teachers like Chris Schweizer, of Crogans fame. If you want a job after you graduate from a "regular" college, then get a degree in nano-future bots with a minor in fixing cars! Then do your comics by yourself. But really, if you're looking into any comics-related schooling, ask or email people that've gone there previously. That's the best way to find out how it really is, and if it's for you.   

One of the nicest, most co-operative interviewees a comics blogger could ever hope to find, we'd like to offer T.J. a very sincere thanks for taking the time to chat with us. One of these days, we're going to hound him to talk about his wilder years as a drummer in a band. Until then, be sure to follow him on Twitter and buy every single in-print comic that he's worked on. Consider that an order!

LINKS

T.J. Kirsch's blog
She Died in Terrebone as seen on Agreeable Comics
For more of T.J.'s collaborative work, check out Straw Gods & So Buttons

An Interview with T.J. Kirsch (Part One)

2011-03-07T22:23:00.004Z

A sneek-peek of Kirsch's art in the upcoming third volume of Oni's Amy Devlin Mysteries, written by Nunzio DeFilippis & Christina Weir

T.J. Kirsch is a blood-thirsty mercenary of an artist. Born with blood in his eyes and a pencil gripped tightly in his hand, he’s a firm believer in the benefit of working in collaboration with a wide variety of writers. Although he’s best-known for his work with Oni Press (Uncle Slam Fights Back!, Jam!), T.J.’s spent the past five or six years honing his craft with a diverse list of cohorts, including Agreeable Comics’ Kevin Church and So... Buttons' Jonathan Baylis.

Fresh off of completing online detective story She Died in Terrebonne with Church, Kirsch has swiftly found himself drawing another sleuth, this time for Oni Press via their Amy Devlin Mystery series. In the first part of this two-part interview, we caught up with T.J. to discuss his latest work, his thoughts on working with writers, his latest comic for Top Shelf 2.0, and his dream projects.

You’re currently working on the third installment of the Amy Devlin Mysteries series, Lost & Found, with writers Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir . How did you get involved with the team behind the book?

I’m working with Nunzio and Christina, along with Editor Jill Beaton. All three have been great to work with - very receptive and complimentary to the work I've done so far.

Well, I'd been bothering Oni quite a bit trying to find another project after I did Uncle Slam Fights Back!, and I ended up doing some shorter pieces for them last year. First I illustrated a story for the Jam! anthology, and then a backup for the Resurrection series. After doing those, I tried out for another project that went to another artist, but they needed someone for this Amy Devlin book—it's exactly the stuff I like to draw. I had drawn another detective [Sam Kimimura, of She Died in Terrebonne] for a while, so they saw I could do something in that same vein. I read the first book and loved it, which had some great art by Christopher Mitten. The second one hadn't come out yet, but it has since, and it's just as good. It's a great series, and the books are also really nice-looking hardcovers, thanks to the design and production work of Eric Skillman and Oni's Keith Wood.

Since we last spoke, you had another short solo story, Beefed, appear on the Top Shelf 2.0 website. Do you consider comics like Beefed and Slim Johnson’s Fever Dream as anti-structural sandboxes to experiment in?

I don't think they're anti-structural really. They've got a loose structure in the same way that some slice-of-life comics have, in that something happens but there aren't really any great stakes in the small events, if that makes sense. I didn't have any real aim in creating them other than to experiment, really. I have fun doing them. After working on someone else's script for awhile, it's kind of a creative exhale, an outlet.

The opening page of T.J.'s short comic Beefed, currently appearing on the Top Shelf 2.0 website.

There seems to be a contrast between the cinematic-style work that you do with writers, and the more visually experimental work you do in your solo work. How do you see your own work in comparison to your collaborations?

When I write, there tends to be more of a visual influence overall, yeah. Usually when I get an itch to do a short story, the ideas come to me as an image, or a collection of strong images. I can't get them out of my head until they're a fully formed finished comic. Sometimes I get an image in my head, and I use that as a jumping-off point for a potential strip.

I haven't yet tackled a long-form comic from the writing end, and I envy those who can do that well, like some of my collaborators. I've learned so much from every one of the writers I've worked with, and I think it keeps my work fresh going back and forth between writing my own stories and drawing someone else's script. I think I've said this before, but it's giving the artist something to draw outside their comfort zone, and the expanding repertoire that comes out of that which is the benefit. Working by yourself, you can get into a rut, and just keep operating inside your own little bubble.

Is there a writer out there you’d love to (or would have loved to) collaborate with?  

Oh, that's a good question! Well I'd definitely want to work with Kevin again, for sure. I think we've got a great working relationship going, and I'd hate to not take advantage of that. There are some other writers that I've worked with that I'd love to collaborate with again at some point as well - Elton Pruitt, Jonathan Baylis, Jason Pell... It'd be fun to draw a script from Jeffrey Brown or James Kochalka, because again, they're both such pure cartooning talents. It would be interesting to see how much they can let go of their vision to another artist. Evan Dorkin would be another one.

This is difficult because most of the writers I'm a fan of are also cartoonists themselves, and it's rare that they'd even collaborate at all! I'm talking about guys like Dan Clowes and Chester Brown, guys like that. I would've loved to have drawn a story for Harvey Pekar. That was one of the major things on my list of career aspirations. I'm a big fan of his work and what he represented.

Kirsch's collaborations with autobiographical writer Johnathan Baylis represent some of both creators' best work. Representing just how important and indivisible the comic artist is as an author of a piece, T.J.'s art and layout brings tangible depth and importance to Baylis' childhood memory and affection for Famous Monsters of Filmland.

You’ve mentioned to us in the past that you came to ‘alternative’ comics quite late, and have been a voracious reader of them ever since. Flipping to a more mainstream focus, I really enjoyed your Secret Defenders Covered submission last year - have you ever been interested in superhero work?

I haven't been really interested in superhero stuff since I was about 13 or so. The reason I got back into comics was discovering there was material on the other end of the spectrum, like autobio and 'alternative.' After I did Uncle Slam, I said that was the last superhero comic I'll ever draw. I did it because the script was really funny, and damn good. I'm not ruling out anything entirely, but that's not the genre I want to focus on at all.

You’ve worked on detectives, superheroes, horror characters, derby girls, and everyday Joes. Do you have a dream project?

I did have this horror pitch that I want to do, but it's going to take some tweaking before it's ready. I'd like to explore that one more at some point. As far as a dream project, I'd love to write and draw a graphic novel in the drama side of things. Leaning toward slice-of-life... Maybe a romance thing? I read Blankets when it came out years ago and was blown away. A coming-of-age graphic novel! Every cartoonist has one of those in them right? I should do that.

One of my goals is to draw for Mad Magazine, and has been for a long time. Their entire stable of artists have inspired my own goofy drawings a whole lot. I'd also love to maybe draw a story for Bongo Comics. I've been a Simpsons fan since the beginning and I remember drawing Bart Simpson in the margins of every school notebook when I was supposed to be paying attention.

What are you enjoying at the moment?

Recently I've had my face buried in the first two Amy Devlin books every day for reference, with nothing much else! Other than those two, I've been reading Fogtown, one of the Vertigo Crime books. I love the Brad Rader art! I've gotta find more of his stuff.

Whenever I'm feeling a little burned out I pick up a Jeffrey Brown book or something by Kochalka, as a refresher to remember why I enjoy comics. I also read the first volume of Tezuka's Black Jack and I loved that. Asterios Polyp was another one recently that knocked me out... and I've gotta mention Toby Cypress' new book Rodd Racer as well, being a former student of his. Plus, Whenever I venture out to the comic store I can't help but pick up any Jonah Hex issue with Jordi Bernet art. They're all pretty inspiring to me.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the conclusion of our conversation with T.J, where we turn the focus onto the upcoming collection of She Died in Terrebonne, the origins of Slim Johnson, his journey as a student from SCAD to the Kubert School, and more.

LINKS

T.J. Kirsch's blog
She Died in Terrebone as seen on Agreeable Comics
For more of T.J.'s collaborative work, check out Straw Gods & So Buttons

Review: The Wolf’s Whistle, Bjorn Rune Lie

2011-02-14T16:57:00.004Z

Bjorn Rune Lie | Nobrow, 2010 | 15.5 x 22 cm | 32 pages | Available now

The Wolf’s Whistle isn’t so much of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, as it is a wolf adorned with an amazing Technicolor dreamcoat. Artist/writer Bjorn Rune Lie eviscerates the well-known Three Little Pigs fable and stuffs it with a tasty mix of crime-thriller and costumed-vigilantism in this genre-blurring, half-comic, half-storybook prequel. If that wasn’t the most unnecessarily grotesque introduction to a review of a children’s book ever, I don’t know what is.

To start with, the book emits a mysterious air. Its handsome, pulp noir-inspired cover gives readers some gentle clues about what to expect inside. The back-lit silhouette of a costumed, anthropomorphic, wolf-eared hero looking down on the scene of a crime is more of a visual leitmotif than an accurate portrayal of its contents. Ostensibly functioning as an origin story of the costumed-vigilante known as The Lone Wolf, it actually provides an alternative back-story to the infamous incident between The Big Bad Wolf and the three fraternal pigs.

An inversion of the standard lupine/swine dynamic, it turns out that Big Bad—here known as simply Albert—is not so bad at all. Rather, he’s a mild-mannered janitor working for a comic book company, dreaming of being able to create his own comic book some day. He and his childhood friends—collectively, "The Fearless Four", a homage to historical bigot Enid Blyton’s Famous Five—live in an old house on the corner of Dead End Street and Porkobelly Avenue. Illustrating the book’s unique balance between light-hearted whimsy and darkness, Albert’s imperfect but happy life is suddenly torn apart as his home, and his friends, are taken from him in an act of arson. The culprits? None other than Albert’s malevolent Mafioso landlords, the three Honeyroast brothers. I don’t think I need to tell you which species they belong to.

My favourite page, exhibiting the fusion between comic and storybook formats. The sequential nature of the panels allows for subtle and nuanced storytelling, with the prose anchoring and enhancing it.

Retroactively rationalising the actions of supposedly evil characters from classic stories is a firmly established trope, with even the mighty Mario and Donkey Kong unable to escape the gravity of its cultural tractor-beam. In fact, just last year, J.D. Arnold and Richard Koslowski’s graphic novel—B.B. Wolf and the Three LPs—utilised the same technique (very differently) to a positive critical response. Unlike B.B. Wolf’s tragic Delta Blues-Driven narrative, The Wolf’s Whistle's chief appeal is its subtle manipulation of genre archetypes and the standard construction of comics and illustrated stories.

In sewing together his story from mismatched pelts, Bjorn Rune Lie has created a book that will work on many different levels for many different audiences. Children will marvel at the joyful art, fun characters, and general weird and wonderful nature of the whole thing. Pretentious, stuffy adults like me will find reward in recognising its references and the way in which it expertly combines sequential images and charismatic prose.

Revenge is a dish best served with apple sauce. Just kidding, I’m a vegetarian.

It’s an immensely compelling read, but as a consequence, perhaps one that ends a little too soon. Due to the nature of being a prequel, the story ends before Albert gets a chance to take his revenge, and it’s difficult not to crave more of Bjorn Rune Lie’s irresistible characters and world. I can’t escape the thought that’s exactly the point though, as by establishing the motive which informs the Wolf’s actions against the Three Little Pigs, the onus—and power—is given to the reader to re-imagine the original tale from a new perspective. Still though, I wouldn’t half mind an official sequel.

LINKS

Buy The Wolf's Whistle via the Nobrow website
Bjorn Rune Lie's blog and website

Review: KLAUS 1 & 2, Dicky Short

2011-02-08T13:09:00.007Z

Dicky Short | Self-released, 2010 | 2x 24p, black and white | Available now

When Umberto Eco described Charlez Schulz as a poet in his 1963 introduction to the first Italian collection of Peanuts, he openly admitted the statement was intended to grab the ire of the cultural custodians of the day. The gall of the man! By lauding Schulz’ ability to convey the complex emotionality of human existence through his dialogue and subtle manipulation of rhythm and visual language, Eco elevated Peanuts to the status of art. Today, although still ghettoised in the big, pop-cultural picture, you’d be hard pressed to find comic readers—of everything from Persepolis to Power Girl—who would dispute that status.

From the strip format’s syndicated newspaper heyday in the late 20th century to the web-comic rush of the internet era, very few artists have managed to capture the same lyricism as Schulz in their work. Stepping up to the Herculean plate is Richard “Dicky” Short, creator of Klaus, a four-panel web-come-print comic following the exploits of a pensive anthropomorphic cat of the same name. One part Peanuts, one part Jim Woodring’s Frank, Klaus transplants the myogenic spirit of the classic strip comic into a new, slightly stranger yet similarly robust body. Like a Hunt 102-weilding Victor Frankenstein, Short isn’t afraid to experiment, and readers may soon find themselves absorbed in the witty, contemplative, and warped world of cat-people, humanoid rodents, and metaphysical ruminations.

Whilst tributes certainly exist within the comic (the title character’s own stripes resemble Charlie Brown’s iconic shirt and an early plot arch in which he raises a baby bird appears to playfully riff on the Snoopy/Woodstock relationship, for example), Klaus is much more than left-field homage to Schulz’s work. Although always adherent to the four-panel construct, there is a considerable element of creative exploration to the comic, helping it veer away from format expectations. Gags are not always a given (or at least not always the primary focus) and the art style can be malleable to the purpose of the strip. For instance, moments of intense voyeurism are depicted with a greater realism than the otherwise constant cartoon aesthetic, and time and space periodically jump about, requiring the reader to engage in a much more active way than a strip comic usually insists upon.

As with any great strip cartoon, from Krazy Kat to Calvin and Hobbes, Short is developing both the visual and structural feel of his work as the series progresses. Sure, there are times where he strains the glue of the proverbial envelope a little too much with his pushing, and times where the troupes of the format are rested on a little too plainly, but these all part of the natural development of the strip.

To return to Eco’s comparison: Short might be best understood as the Ginsberg to Schulz’ Whitman, in that Klaus doesn’t so much recite the poetry of Peanuts as it does advance upon it for a different generation. If the reader thinks that comparison may be a little grandiose, please forgive me—it’s just my excitement for the strip speaking. Vexing, warm, and developing a genuine depth all of its own, it’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited about the format, and can’t wait to see exactly just how the comic develops.

LINKS

You can contact Short via his blog to order a copy of Klaus
Also: check out his Flickr account for more Klaus goodness!

Review: Everything Dies Issue 5, Box Brown

2011-01-24T09:02:00.010Z

Box Brown | Grimalkin Press, 2011 | 38 pages, black and white | $5 | Available now

Feeling spiritually bereft lately? Is your theistic gas tank running on empty? Maybe you’re just a little curious about matters of death and the afterlife? Luckily for you, Box Brown has returned with a 5th issue of his religion-themed web-and-print series, Everything Dies, for loyal fans and newcomers to eat up like tasty, tasty communion wafers.

For those unfamiliar with the series, a typical Everything Dies story functions like a Bizzaro version of one of Jack Chick’s infamous tracts. Whereas a Chick tract typically utilises the comic form to disseminate religious intolerance and manic evangelical stories of the satanic evils of homosexuality, evolution, and Dungeons & Dragons (seriously.), Everything Dies offers an educational and (largely) objective insight into various world religions via illustrated parables, real-life stories, and fictional narrative.

Those who read my review of the first couple of issues may remember I have a particular fondness for Brown’s Heart of Stonework sub-series, to which this entire issue is dedicated. Originally appearing as short exchanges based on—but not strictly adherent to—Buddist kōans, in which an elderly monk imparts wisdom to his student, its characters have grown over time, creating a compelling character-driven narrative of their own.

The central character, an ex-monk, hides his ceremonial incense-burns underneath a bandanna and mop of wavy hair: perhaps a subtle re-enforcement of the comic's Bruce Springsteen-inspired title.

Although a direct sequel to the web-exclusive story “Cigarette”, this issue works well on its own merit, and newcomers shouldn’t have any problems making sense of this classic tale of challenged faith. The story follows a disillusioned ex-monk who abandoned his order and beliefs following the death of his teacher. Saturnine and filled with resent, he is presented as a man adrift in existential waters, bitterly rejecting his Buddhist past whilst still struggling with the spiritual vacuum left in its wake.

Serving to humanise religious belief whilst allowing Brown to explore his own atheism, Heart of Stonework has become the thematic cornerstone of Everything Dies, and the conduit through which the entire series is best understood. By fragmenting religion in such a way, across a collection of stories and publications, Brown presents it as it really is: an interconnected yet disparate collection of stories, ideas, and cultural concepts that have become tightly entangled over time.

More than anything, Everything Dies’ chief success is that it is an exercise in theological reverse-engineering, breaking down the unfathomable whole to better understand all of its working parts. Until Moses comes down from Mt Sinai with the instruction manual, I, for one, am more than happy to watch Box Brown work on it.

LINKS

Buy Everything Dies # 5 from the Grimalkin Press webstore
Buy Everything Dies back-issues from Box Brown's webstore
Everything Dies website

Video: Jess Smart Smiley's Dragon vs. Killer Whale

2011-01-14T16:41:00.009Z

Although December is traditionally the time where Team ATF retreat into our cave and do little else but eat and play video games (and read comics, of course!), our festive plans were derailed as I contracted the nasty case of flu that was going around. Bed-ridden and reduced to a human husk, friend-of-the-blog Jess Smart Smiley decided to step in and cheer me up by taking on my challenge to draw a dragon fighting a killer whale.

As you can see from the video above, I don't think that it's any wonder that I went on to make a full recovery mere days later. As seen in our recent interview with him, Jess' is currently working on all manner of fun projects, not least of which is his all-ages Upside Down series, the first of which will be published by Top Shelf later this year. For more great drawings like the one above, we highly recommend visiting his website, or even adding him on Facebook. He'll be the best Facebook friend you'll ever have, honest!

Review: Baba Yaga and the Wolf, Tin Can Forest

2011-01-13T10:40:00.010Z

Tin Can Forest | Koyama Press, 2010 | 28 pages, 23x30cm, full colour | $15 | ISBN 978-0-9784810-5-6

Although the arcane forest of Baba Yaga and the Wolf couldn’t be further from the prosaic streets of American Splendor, I couldn’t help but think of the late, great Harvey Pekar’s iconic defence of comic books whilst reading it: “you can do anything with words and pictures”. Tin Can Forest—the Toronto-based team of artists Marek Colek and Pat Shewchuk—obviously share the same conviction, embedding this classic Slavic folk-tale with new magic via their inspired use of graphic narrative.

Ostensibly a follow-up to Coleck and Shewchuk's 2008 collection, Pohádky (“folk tales” in Czetch), readers are presented with a world where the natural and supernatural coexist freely, and deals with the devil are part of the status quo. The story itself focuses on Katarina, a woman desperately seeking help in order to cure her fatally-ill husband, Ivan. Ivan, as it turns out, is a lycanthrope, a condition he contracted as a result of an occult body-switching fratricide he committed as a younger man. When things are this weird, who better to call than a witch? In this case, the best known witch of Eastern-European folklore, the Baba Yaga.

The subject of countless reiterations over time, Baba Yaga has been portrayed as everything from a maniacal, child-eating hag to a deistic guardian of nature. With a clear reverence of their source material, Colek and Shewchuk embrace the plurality of the character, depicting her both as a benevolent shamanic healer and an omnipotent harbinger of death. This dichotomy is best illustrated by the “remedy” that she provides Katarina, stuffing Ivan full of chamomile and wormwood and burying him in the garden. Taking holistic medicine to the extreme, if the plants within him survive through the summer, he will return home, cured.

A nod to the oral traditions that inform the story, the events that befall Ivan and Katarina are delivered retrospectively from the perspective of Katarina’s youngest sister. Now an elderly woman passing down the story to her great-grandchild, the veracity of the story is unclear. Time and space fold into one another as her words float across the richly-detailed images of the forest, sometimes hovering above the action, sometimes emanating from within, via speech-bubbles from the characters’ mouths.

Tin Can Forest subvert—or at the very least play with—the traditional conventions of comic books to match the poetic nature of the story. Characters move between panels with dream-like fluidity and panel borders barely exist. I found myself reminded of cinematic auteurs like Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro, and even Luis Buñuel, in the way Tin Can Forest disassemble and rebuild their chosen format to create something breathtaking and unique.

Ethereal and perplexing, Baba Yaga and the Wolf continues publisher Koyama Press’ reputation of being on the forefront of exciting, progressive comic and graphic novel work. As much of a celebration of folk narrative as it is the potentials of the humble comic book, it is a real triumph for its creative team and deserves to be read by a wider audience. Above all else, it is proof that with enough creativity and understanding of the form, you can do anything with words and pictures.

LINKS

One Question Interview #22: Anne Holiday

2011-01-10T15:03:00.005Z

'Xena the Warrior Cat', written by Anne Holiday and illustrated by Tom Humberstone (from Solipsistic Pop 2)

Today's One Question Interview is with writer Anne Holiday, best known in the comics sphere for her work with Solipsistic Pop editor Tom Humberstone. With the duo currently working on a series of comics documenting the recent student demonstrations in London, we thought we'd take a page out of the police's book and isolate her for interrogation.

As a writer, what do you consider the challenges and rewards of comic books to be?

"As a writer, I think the challenge is to find someone to work with. And that’s a very real obstacle. You can have as many ideas as you like but without the skills to realise them visually on the page, you’ve got very little that resembles a comic book.

However, once you’ve managed to persuade people to collaborate with you – and I’ve only managed this with two people thus far so I’m miles away from being knowledgeable about it – it’s pretty damn rewarding. Seeing your ideas on the page rather than just reading or processing the words on their own is a bit of a surreal – and totally amazing – experience. It’s probably a bit like holding your child for the first time maybe. But, then again, I wouldn’t know because I don’t have any kids – I’m just drawing on that sense of satisfaction about having contributed to the making of a ‘thing’ that you couldn’t have done alone. When Tom Humberstone sent me a draft of our first collaboration Xena the Warrior Cat, I was so giddy with excitement I couldn’t stand still for an hour. He made those words look so bloody brilliant, I had a really difficult time getting back to my notebook and writing any more. Once you’ve found a good collaborator, keep working with them."

Our thanks go out to Anne for taking part in this mini-interview. If, like us, you're looking forward to seeing her latest collaboration with Tom Humberstone, we highly recommend checking out her blog The English Holiday Club, for updates as well as lots of other fun projects (such as this).

Featured Project: Luchadoras Translation

2011-01-03T09:37:00.027Z

A defiant Alma surveys her fiancé's handiwork in Luchadoras

Currently, we’re excited to be aiding Blank Slate Books in bringing Peggy Adam’s French-language graphic novel, Luchadoras, to the English-speaking market. Due for release this February, it’s our honour to be acting as translation team, and be part of enabling the book to gain more much-deserved exposure amongst readers.

Set in Mexico during the height of the Ciudad Juárez feminicidios, the book follows Alma, a victim of domestic abuse as she attempts to escape her abusive fiancé. First reading the book a couple of years ago, Judith and I were immediately won over by the care and precision with which the subjects of domestic violence, societal corruption, and misogyny are handled. Drawing attention the often disturbing, complex issues of the surrounding murders through the humanity of her characters, Luchadoras became a firm favourite of ours, and we jumped at the chance when Blank Slate boss-man Kenny Penman offered us the chance to translate it.

While Alma’s story is at the core of the graphic novel, the tragic, senseless killings affect every character in the comic. Throughout the book, Juárez’ dark side is revealed and the city itself becomes the personification of its problems. Appearing as an arid, inhuman entity that enables and perpetuates a hopeless cycle of brutality, it's a place where innocence is almost impossible; the police are plagued with corruption, maquiladora bosses are involved in unsettling kidnappings, and men are seemingly free to beat women as they please.

Without getting into spoilers, we believe the book is truly a graphic novel of substance that everyone—comic fan or not— should read. We’re thrilled to be involved in this project, and to be part of what looks like a marquee year for Blank Slate. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and/or Facebook for more updates on Luchadoras, including upcoming interviews with Peggy Adam and Kenny Penman in the build up to the book’s February release. We can’t wait!

For more information on our involvement, head over to this article on the Blank Slate website. For those of you interested to find out more about the Juárez femicides, Amnesty International have several webpages and documents available to read. We recommend starting with this one.

One Question Interview #21: Luke Pearson

2010-12-20T16:47:00.004Z

'The Egg', Pearson's contribution to 'Solipsistic Pop 3'

What can be said about Luke Pearson that hasn't already been done so? People love his work, and it seems to be fairly unanimous that he's one of the most promising up-and-coming talents in British comics. He was one of our absolute faves during our Solipsistic Pop 2 coverage, and he's only continued to impress us (along with the rest of the internet) in the time since.

In addition to having new work in Solipsistic Pop 3, most excellent publisher Nobrow have just released Pearson's latest comic, Hildafolk. Understandably, we had high hopes for this One Question Interview, and we certainly weren't disappointed, with Luke giving us a detailed insight into his style, visual interests, and what separates his taste in illustration from his taste in comics.

Q: Through your comics and illustration, it's clear that you have an interest in geometry and/or patterns. What can you tell us about this and how it relates to your work?

"I think the geometric thing comes from the interest I developed in angular, mid century illustrations while doing my illustration course. I'd take a lot of inspiration from poster art, old book covers and 50's animation design and I started making illustrations using just the polygon lasso tool in photoshop, which is when the triangles began to appear. I like illustrations that are built up of strong, readable shapes and often boiling things down to their simplest geometric forms is the best way of doing that.

I would say that my taste in illustration and my taste in comics are not the same. With comics I'm generally drawn to inked lines and circular, cartoony forms which makes my aims quite different. So I direct those illustrative influences at the page compositions and titles and such instead. I really love the diagrammatic nature of the comics page. When planning out a page you're essentially arranging geometric shapes in various patterns and there's unlimited potential for what that pattern could be and what it could mean for the reading experience. I think the patterns I actually include in the imagery are a reflection of that (I also just like knitted jumper patterns).

When I'm thumbnailing my layouts, I kind of get a kick out of looking at the pages and pages of various combinations of sketched out squares and triangles within rectangles. It's like I'm writing and experimenting with this bizarre, esoteric set of symbols that only I can understand and I find it totally cool. Because of this strange joy I think I often try to draw attention to the design of the page, rather than allowing it to discreetly do its job. I'm hoping in the future I can master that without compromising on the actual storytelling.

If you check out my tumblr I sometimes post the kind of inspiration I'm talking about and you can sort of piece together how my influences combine."

We're very grateful that Luke gave up some of his time to answer this question for us, and we hope the rest of you won't hate us for momentarily slowing his mighty pencil. In addition to his excellent above-linked tumblr page, you should absolutely positively go slam your eyeballs against his blog, which contains all manner of wonderful examples of his work. We've just ordered our copy of Hildafolk, have you?

Competition Result: Solipsistic Pop/ Chloe Noonan Remix Challenge

2010-12-14T16:17:00.006Z

We're delighted to announce that the winner of our Solipsistic Pop/ Chloe Noonan Remix Challenge is Casey Bieda, with the above entry. Picked by Marc Ellerby himself, this monstrous submission will see Casey net some seriously enviable swag.

Casey will not only receive the fabled blank-covered copy of Solipsistic Pop 3 to draw on to her heart's content, but also an almighty comics care package consisting of all three volumes of Solipsistic Pop and all three issues of Chloe Noonan: Monster Hunter, signed by Marc.

Casey currently produces the webcomic Interesting Papers to be Written. More of her work can be found on her Deviantart page, where she reveals that Metal Gear Solid 3 is her favourite video game. She gets our thumbs up just for that.

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition, we appreciated every single one!

One Question Interview #20: Lizz Lunney

2010-12-13T13:19:00.004Z

Lizz Lunney's 'The Magical Unicorns of Keith the Wizard' from Solipsistic Pop 3

We're big fans of Lizz Lunney's lo-fi laughs at ATF, so we were absolutely thrilled when she accepted our offer to be the next person to sit in our Solipsistic Pop 3-themed One Question Interview hot-seat. Showcasing her signature humour and visual style, The Magical Unicorns of Keith the Wizard is one of our absolute favourite strips from the anthology. Curious to uncover all of her magical secrets, we decided to pick her brain about the subject of comedy. Scalpel, please!

From a cartoonist's perspective, what do you consider the building blocks of successful comedy to be?

"I'm really interested in what makes something funny to one person and not funny to someone else and it's something I'd constantly trying to work out. In my comics I guess a lot of the jokes are based on personality traits of the characters that people might see in themselves or in people they know. But generally I think comedy is about something unexpected or that you haven't thought of yourself (or something you have thought of and you thought you were the only one thinking it) whether this is in cartoon form, stand up comedy or in a sitcom. Although- there is a fine line between something being funny because you don't expect it and it being so shocking that it is just traumatic.

I always test out my own comics out on my Brother before anyone else gets to see them because he seems to know what makes something laugh out loud (LOL) compared to something I've written that is obviously only funny to me (AWOL) If I think about the funniest comic I've ever read I immediately think of David Shrigley's cartoons or Kate Beaton's historical comics. Both quite different but both able to give me stitch from laughing which I don't get very often. Maybe it's not something that can be explained because people laugh at different things but for something to be universally funny I have figured out the following formula:

LOL² = AWOL - NO

π "

Our thanks go to Lizz for taking the time to answer our question with such mathematical precision. Intrepid unicorn lovers should head over to her website or marvellous blog for more magical action. Lovers of all varieties are required by law to visit the recently-redesigned Solipsistic Pop website. If you don't, you'll find out why unicorns have those horns in the first place. Believe us, you won't like it.

One Question Interview #19: Joe Decie

2010-12-06T12:47:00.001Z

Ooh! A barbed-wire door! Soon enough, the ATF budget nuclear shelter will be complete. Then we'll see who's crazy.

Next up in our Solipsistic Pop 3 themed One Question Interview series is Joe Decie, the creator behind web-series What I Drew. Known for his detailed isolations of everyday life, and jaunty ink-washed illustration, his SP3 contribution, The Fabulous Find, expands his style over several pages, creating one of the highlights of the anthology. Without spoiling too much, the strip sees Decie trawling for treasure at the local dump, constructing some wondrous new technology from his findings, which is, of course, fabulous.

Many of your comics focus on everyday objects, something which The Fabulous Find seems to expand upon. Visually and thematically, what attracts you to objects as a storyteller?

"Hmmm. Well my comics don't always focus on objects, but I guess, always details; everyday details. That said, I love stuff. I'm a hoarder and a collector. I'll always be able to find a way to keep something, place some kind of emotional attachment on it. The stories are always rooted in reality; but from there things sometimes grow and change. You know when children tell little lies that snowball into big lies, with the story becoming more fantastical with every pause for breath? I never really grew out of that phase.

So inside those inky panels I've found a brilliant place to tell lies, and lovely place to keep my stuff."

Our gratitude goes to Joe for taking the time to answer. If you want to to aid us in our thanks, we're positive that buying a copy of Solipsistic Pop 3 will put a smile on his face; you like making people smile, right? Decie has a sizeable amount of work to view over at the aforementioned What I Drew website, and patient readers can expect some all-new work from him as part of Blank Slate Books' upcoming Chalk Marks series. We can't wait!

One Question Interview #18: Adam Cadwell

2010-12-02T20:16:00.002Z

Is it wrong that the thing that excited me most about this cameo-laden picture was the Ocean sign? Man, those were better days.

First up in our Solipsistic Pop-themed batch of One Question Interviews is Manchester-based cartoonist/ illustrator Adam Cadwell. Recently ending his popular autobio strip The Everyday, Cadwell goes back for one more bite of the self-chronicling cherry in the latest volume of the Britcomics anthology, with The Best Day of My Life So Far, a story about his trip to see a live Gamesmaster event as a (very lucky) child. Perennially unable to resist a video game-themed question, we dove in, head first.

Do you think that videogames have had an effect on your illustration or visual language?

"Yes, they probably did but not profoundly I don't think, or in any way I can specifically point out. I escaped into games so often as a child, before games had speech or a novel’s worth of translated text. Back then they had to communicate everything visually. If I wrote and drew more fantastical comics then those influences might come out more but I prefer writing more down to earth, relatable stories, so when I reference video games it's people talking about them rather than interweaving them into the world or style of the comic. For example, even in my vampire comic that I'm working on the main character, unable to detach himself from his human life, breaks into his old flat to retrieve his N64 memory card with completed Goldeneye save on it."

Goldeneye? That’s my jam, son. We’d like to offer a big thank you to Adam for taking the time to answer our question. For those of you who still haven’t gotten hold of the childhood-themed anthology, are thoroughly encouraged to head on over to the Solipsistic Pop website to order it immediately. A preview, and character designs from Cadwell’s upcoming vampire comic, Blood Blokes, can currently be found on his blog, amongst other awesome stuff. What are you waiting for?

Review: Cragmore, Pat Lewis (2010)

2010-11-29T14:54:00.010Z

Pat Lewis | B&W, 150 pages | $12 (4 issues) | Available Now

“When W.P. Cragmore cheated death, there was hell to pay.

Fortunately, he could afford it.”

Apparently, the greatest mistake Faust made when dealing with Mephistopheles was simply settling for a bad deal. Fortunately, Pat Lewis’ unscrupulous billionaire businessman W.P. Cragmore knows better. When the devil comes to collect your soul, you assemble your lawyers, contact R&D, and have them construct a way for you to avoid the afterlife completely. Hell, it worked for Walt Disney, right?

After a near-fatal construction accident sees Cragmore visiting hell, he's given a second chance to escape his fiery fate when his highly-paid medical team manage to save his life. Rather than pulling an Ebeneezer Scrooge, and simply repenting, Cragmore proves he's made of stronger stuff, deciding that he's going to live forever by developing a cryogenic-esque deathless stasis unit in order to avoid eternal damnation. More so than that, he’s going to mass-produce the technology for the world’s rich elite. Ignoring the pleas of his son—a priest, and ironic black sheep of the family—ol’ W.P. soon finds himself in a world of trouble, with the whole of hell conspiring to off him before his plans can come to fruition.

The Don Draper of supernatural cartoon comedy, Cragmore, lays the Devil himself out. Whatta guy.

On paper, you could be forgiven for assuming that this screwball comedy about an incorrigible megalomaniac locked in a war of the minds with the devil himself is as simple as it sounds. Appropriately, however, considering the supernatural connotations of the word, “craft” is at the heart of the graphic novel, with Lewis demonstrating a remarkable ability to create flawless, straight-ahead comedy that plays with classic troupes and formulas without feeling derivative.

Readers will notice Lewis’ style owes a great deal to the golden era of modernist cartooning. The hard angles and sweeping curves of his illustration are reminiscent of classic limited-animation; iconic yet full of life, fleshed out by pantomimic dialogue that is used to great comedic effect. Lewis has an obvious love of this kind of cartooning that shines through in his solid understanding of pacing and narrative construction. If it wasn’t for all the cursing or flipping off within, I’d claim that I got a warm nostalgic sense of childhood joy out of it. Oh, who am I kidding? Kids love swearing.

Cragmore's ultra-hip son (and foil), Father John Cragmore is pretty much the dreamiest guy ever to wear the collar. Chicks dig him.

Arrogant, partially clueless, yet absolutely devious, Cragmore is perhaps a fitting anti-hero for these uncertain economic times. Considering that ultra-violent morally-grey rebels like Wolverine and The Punisher redefined comic book protagonists in the ultra-conservative 1980s and early 1990s, why not have a billionaire during a financial recession? It’s difficult to not to like a guy who has the stones to cross Satan himself by attempting to circumvent death on behalf of the world’s biggest sinners.

Cooler than Keanu Reeves and Al Pachino put together, Cragmore proves that the only way to beat the devil is to be the devil. Recommended to anyone who believes that there’s still a place for the classic humour comic in today’s sequential art landscape, it flies in the face of the idea that the card of postmodernism must be played when utilising more traditional illustration and storytelling techniques. Pat Lewis should be commended for putting together an ultra-fun book that, whilst wearing its classic influences on its sleeve, has an identity all of its own. Maybe Lewis himself has a Faustian deal with the Devil?

LINKS

Order Cragmore from Pat Lewis' Lunchbreak comics
Pat Lewis' blog

Vampires and Typewriters: an Interview with Jess Smart Smiley

2010-11-17T14:40:00.012Z

The one and only Jess Smart Smiley in his natural habitat.

Jess Smart Smiley is a real piece of work. Not only does he have the nerve to produce wonderful, engaging comics for readers’ worldwide, he then turns around and treats people with genuine friendliness and respect. I know, right? What a jerk.

In all seriousness, he’s a great guy, and we’ve been eager to interview him pretty much since we reviewed his awesome graphic novella A Map in the Dirt earlier in the year. Recently having his all-ages vampire story Upside Down snapped up by Top Shelf for release next Halloween, we thought now would be the perfect time to take advantage of his gentlemanly nature and collar him for a chat.

Immensely creative, Jess currently supplements his funnybook work by writing and performing music, and is even undergoing the herculean task of writing a novel. Infuriatingly multi-talented, with an obvious, deep love of storytelling, read on for Jess’ thoughts on Upside Down, his upcoming all-new self published comic, his process, his love of Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake, as well as an anecdote featuring the most charming act of plagiarism you’ve ever heard of.

Firstly, congratulations are in order! Both on getting Upside Down signed up by Top Shelf and on the (very) recent birth of your daughter! It must be a pretty good time to be Jess Smart Smiley.

Thanks! Delivering the book was much easier than the baby. Top Shelf has been a favorite publisher of mine for years and I'm still reeling to have something that I've made in their catalog.

'Upside Down': don't mess with Vermillion if you value not being a newt.

Although Upside Down is (at first glance) a vampire pastiche, it soon becomes clear that it’s more about the mystery and impetuous adventures of childhood. What lead you to write this particular story?

That's a great way to put it. I wasn't looking to write any stories about childhood or vampires, but I quickly scribbled a vampire in my sketchbook last year around Halloween and felt a strong connection with the character right away. I wanted to get to know the drawing and character a little more and see what he was all about. "Where did you come from?" "How did you get into my pen?" "How are things?" Once I started learning about who he was, I started feeling a little sorry for him and a little excited to know him. It didn't take long for me to see that Harold had a lot to say and that's what's become Upside Down.

The consensus between us at the blog was that one of our favourite things about the book is the way you take several archetypes of folklore, horror, and children’s stories and wrap them all up together – the dangerous allure of candy, vampires, witches, the mad scientist and more. Was this something you intended when writing, or does this madness come naturally to you?

Upside Down definitely pulls a bunch of otherwise unrelated things together (candy, a mad scientist, a catchy song, frogs, etc) and, combined, they make a new story! I think I start to question stories when they're too focused on any one thing, because it reveals the fact that someone made it up and expects me to go along with it in a certain way. I've always liked stories that cross genres or mix up familiar storytelling patterns and it's something I try to do in my own work. Mostly, I just wanted to make a very serious story fun. I liked having Vermillion (the last witch on earth) and Harold (the boy vampire) knock heads and go at each other, because vampires and witches occupy the same realm in fantasy, but never quite meet up.

Prose and comics collide in 'A Map in the Dirt', showcasing both Jess' ability as a writer, and the more technical, restrained side to his illustrative style.

In the work that I have seen, there seem to be two main stylistic modes in which you work as an illustrator: the more structured, detailed line-work exemplified by A Map in the Dirt, and the more fluid, outwardly expressive cartooning as seen in Upside Down. What draws you to vary your approach so much?

Thanks for noticing. It's important for me to vary the style and technique from project to project for a number of reasons:

1) Drawing very loose, expressive pictures and then switching to a more detailed, time-intensive approach is very practical---it keeps me aware of the way I'm working and helps me be more sensitive to the quality and focus of the work.

2) Each project has a different voice and message and, therefor, each has a different look and feel to it. Upside Down would be really boring if it had been drawn like the pictures in A Map in the Dirt. It would be less like a fairy tale and more like an instruction manual. On the other hand, A Map in the Dirt is a very serious story; I even hope it's important in it's own way. If the drawings in Map looked like the cartoons in Upside Down, the story wouldn't be as believable. Each project needs a different face.

3) Switching styles and techniques is a great way for me to learn new ways of working. There are so many ways of doing things and I'm constantly searching for different ways to do make pictures and learn new aspects of picture-making and storytelling. Each style uses a different set or different application of techniques, and even different media. When I was drawing the detailed animals in A Map in the Dirt, I drew on illustration board for the first time and with a different kind of brush for inking. The combination of the paper, pen and ink helped create the kind of image I was after. When drawing Upside Down, I also used illustration board and ink, but the computer played an important role in adding color and I learned all sorts of new things in Photoshop while simply adding a single color to the book.

Do you feel there are certain elements (be they in theme or in process) that unify all your work, narrative and visual?

Hmmm...Well, I don't think I've ever gotten any idea worth using while working on the computer. My ideas for stories and and pictures come from drawing. Drawing is something I've done my whole life, so it's pretty easy for me to connect with ideas I had as a child, because they're still there, in the act of drawing. When I'm drawing a lot, it's easy enough to make stories with nothing to go from---the act of drawing is my closest and longest friendship, so I rely on my memories from drawing and my present projects to inform my work. When I get to the point that I'm no longer searching for a good idea for a story, that's when the best ideas are more likely to come.

Awesome. I didn't even answer the question. I think that drawing unifies my work. Drawing connects me to that part of me that makes me think in terms of pictures and stories worth making.

Click to enlarge: The inimitable Poppa Wheelie runnin' things in CHAIN GANG, Jess' upcoming self-published 1000-page (!) serial.

Upside Down’s sense of humour could best be described as part Roald Dahl and part James Kochalka. Who inspires you in the creative world, both in terms of this specific project, and more generally?

Can I just tell you what a big fan I am of Roald Dahl and James Kochalka?! Two of my favorites right there! Johnny Boo and Dragon Puncher are kings and Roald Dahl doesn't have a boring book to his name.

There are thousands of creators that I find absolutely fascinating and could spend my life with their work. Some favorites, from off the top of my head are:

Comics: Doug TenNapel, Ghostshrimp, Sammy Harkham, Scott McCloud, Jeff Smith, Ron Rege Jr., Lynda Barry, Craig Thompson, Aaron Renier, Gipi, Paper Rad, Jordan Crane, Alec Longstreth, Chris Ware, Nick Bertiozzi, Jeffrey Brown...

Writers: Mark Smiley, Jonathan Safran-Foer, Roald Dahl, Ray Bradbury, Dave Eggers, Yamm Martel, Pablo Neruda, Stephen Gashler, C.S. Lewis, Michael Pollan, Betty Smith...

Pictures: David Hockney, Mitch Parker, JJ Harrison, Alex Bigney, Kent Wing, Picasso, Matisse...

Music: Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Sam Davis, Sufjan Stevens, David Byrne, Paul Simon, Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Dr. Dog, Peter and the Wolf...

We’ve spoken a little in private before about the influence that Quentin Blake has had on your work, and I was wondering if you’d like to extrapolate on that a little in this interview. Does your appreciation of his work stem directly from a childhood love, or is it more of a direct stylistic appeal?

When I was in third grade, I devoured Roald Dahl's and Quentin Blake's books. I read Matilda and the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory books, The Twits, The BFG, and a book called Esio Trot. I checked out Esio Trot from the school library and instantly loved it. I knew my family didn't have money to buy the book, but I wanted a copy of the book for my own. So, everyday at school during lunch, I went to the computer room and typed, word for word, as much of Esio Trot as I could, picking up from where I had left off the day before. If I couldn't buy a copy, I'd make my own! One day the computer teacher saw what I was doing and told me that what I was doing was illegal and that I had to stop. I was absolutely heartbroken, knowing that I wouldn't get my own copy of Esio Trot.

I definitely have a childhood love for Quentin Blake's work, but it's enriched. His drawings have simple skins, but are colored with rich and subtle experience. I still get just as excited, looking at his pictures now, as I did then. The pictures are so rich and deep beneath their simple skins that they have just as much to offer a 28 year-old as they do a 9 year-old. The style is great, too, but there's something about his pictures that make them full of life, and that's what I love.

'Upside Down (Book 1)', set to be released Halloween 2011. It will be worth the wait, believe us.

A person only has to know you for a short amount of time before realising the scope of your creativity is quite wide: outside of comics and illustration you perform music, and you’re currently writing a novel, All Got To Climb Some Mountain. Taking into account your overall drive to make things, what draws you to comics in particular?

When I was little, I liked to invent things. Drawing was a way for me to show my inventions and how they worked, and I was fascinated with the ways a drawing could at once be factual and also fantastic. It didn't take long for me to like drawing other things and I started coming up with my own creatures and characters. When my dad introduced me to his comics, I was hooked.

When I would come up with characters, they had a history and a personality that couldn't all be shown or pointed to in a single picture. Comics, on the other hand, were like breaking up a picture into a hundred pages and learning more about it. What a great excuse to draw the same character a hundred times! Comics are so versatile and can be so many things at once that it's hard for me not to draw comics.

The actual release of Upside Down is Halloween 2011, almost an entire year from now – which must be pretty frustrating. You’re staying busy though, with a strip in the next HIVE anthology, your book, and planning two more volumes of Upside Down. What we most want to know more about though is your upcoming comic Chain Gang. What can readers expect from it?

A year is a long time to wait for a book, but it'll be worth it! In the meantime, I'm making a comic that is probably the closest thing to the ridiculous comics I made as a kid.

Chain Gang is going to be a serialized 1,000 page ULTRA COMIC about a group of unwanted, unloved and unruly misfit bicycles (led by Poppa Wheelie) that are out to cause trouble, wreak havoc, and make you spend money til you sweat! These bikes will stop at nothing to show how tough and bawdy they are---they hop fences, mess up neighborhood dogs, ride backwards on housetops, scare children and eat whales, then do tricks inside their rib cages.

Starting January 2011, you can read all about the adventures of Poppa Wheelie, Crash, Stretch, Train, Spiderweb, the Twins, Rusty, Rocket and the rest of the Chain Gang!

Finally... What was your Halloween costume this year?

Dog the Bounty Hunter.

Purveyors of "ice" everywhere, tremble in your boots, Jess the Bounty Hunter is coming for you! We'd like to offer Jess a BFG sized thank-you for taking some very valuable postnatal time out to talk to us. Whilst we're all waiting for Upside Down and Chain Gang to be released, mosey on over to his official website to buy a ton of Smiley swag, or even commission your very own $20 portrait (do it!). Jess informs us that he's quite likely to launch a Kickstarter project to raise funds for the Chain Gang project soon, and you can be sure that we'll be here to cover news of it as soon as it appears. Poppa Wheelie 4 life!

LINKS

Jess Smart Smiley's website
Top Shelf's page for Upside Down

Competition: Solipsistic Pop/ Chloe Noonan Remix Challenge!

2010-11-09T13:52:00.007Z

Tom Humberstone and Marc Ellerby are looking for one lucky artist to redesign the Solipsistic Pop 3 sleeve

We’re very excited to reveal that Solipsistic Pop editor Tom Humberstone, cover artist Marc Ellerby, and Avoid the Future are teaming up to offer one lucky reader the chance to own a very special edition of the UK indie-comic anthology.

When Tom received the copies of the fantastic Children’s comics-themed collection from the printers, he was surprised to find that one of the covers had not been printed on. Seeing this printing error for the serendipitous opportunity that it truly is, Tom headed on over to us with an idea befitting of this volume’s children’s comics-inspired theme.

With every copy coming with a free Solipsistic Pop pencil, it’s only natural that readers will be tempted to let their inner (or actual) children scribble all over the one-of-a-kind book, and Tom and Marc want the competition’s winner to do exactly that.

A closer look at Marc Ellerby's cover-spanning Chloe Noonan strip.

Retaining Ellerby’s original font-cover dialogue, the winner will get to redesign the sleeve in any weird and wonderful way that they desire, including finishing the story as they see fit on the reverse! The remixed cover will appear on the Solipsistic Pop and Avoid the Future sites for the whole world to marvel at.

But, we’re not giving this treasure away to just anyone, oh no. In order to enter, you’ll have to prove your artistic chops by submitting your very own interpretation of everyone’s favourite monster hunter, Chloe Noonan, to avoidthefuture@gmail.com. The competition will close on ~~November 27th~~ December 3rd (!) and is open to absolutely anyone with no objections to Solipsistic Pop, Marc Ellerby, or Avoid the Future showcasing their work on the internet or in print.

The prize will also come signed by the contributors present at this Friday’s Solipsistic Pop 3 launch party. We heartily recommend competition entrants show up there to schmooze with the judges in the hopes of increasing their chances.

Head on over to the Solipsistic Pop website now for more info on the latest fun-packed edition, as well as all the details for this Friday’s super-awesome launch. Good luck!

Review: Gang Bang Bong (2010)

2010-11-08T15:50:00.009Z

Inés Estrada & Ginette Lapalme (Editors) | 20x25cm, b&w, 56 pages | $4

The problem with reviewing any anthology is that it’s often impossible – or just plain inconsiderate – to coherently summarize a collection of individual works into a neat little byline. Barring the most restrictively themed compendiums, to attempt to reduce the individual works of contributors into an approving or condemning distillation is not achievable with a clear conscience. The upside of this for anthologists is that the vast majority of collections are buffered critically by the de facto virtue of variety. Much the opposite of a single-author review, the bias of taste (subjective scourge that it is) actually works in favour of anthologies, as the self-appointed loser blowhards that critique them will almost always find something to rave about.

Gang Bang Bong, edited by international avant-garde comic wonderkids Inés Estrada and Ginette Lapalme (of Wowee Zonk fame), is a strange and wondrous beast that defies traditional anthology logic. Completely unconventional, if you’re the kind of reader looking for a selection of straight-ahead comic vignettes, you won’t find any here. The result is that the reader’s taste in comics becomes more important than usual in their enjoyment of an anthology. Like it or not, this collection is very much about the exploration of the comic form and the joys of subverting its established conventions. Consequently, it will no doubt find greatest success with people interested in the mechanics and (de)construction of visual storytelling. If that sounds like something that rings your bell, you’re in for a real treat. Ding ding.

Somewhere between Paul Pope and Mancuso is Ralph Niese with his sexually-charged comic Donaldiño & Simone.

Betwixt the hypnotically colourful cover lies some genuinely stand-out work that sends the established form and structure of comics through a loop. Some creators, such as Lauren Albert, Santiago Grijalva, and Garrett Young produce visually sophisticated works that attempt to find new narrative expressions within the standard apparatus of comics. Garrett Young’s piece is especially enjoyable for the way he intricately plays with the function of panels in creating a mysterious yet identifiable tension between two characters. Much more traditionally-minded in comparison, Santiago Grijalva uses the simple insertion of abstract organic shapes to create an unsettling sense of sexual awakening in his piece “Bloom”.

Others, like Ralph Niese and Edwin Sandoval work within the traditional form of comic books to create non-sequitur-laden parodies that feature (amongst other weird and wonderful stuff) rockabilly zombie boxers and ghostly-sperm heading towards galactic vaginas. Similarly, Vice Magazine’s acerbic comic guru Nick Gazin viciously satirises (or victoriously celebrates?) the vapid, avaricious, sexually aggressive stupidity of mainstream hip hop lyrics in ‘All The Way Turned Up’; a doodlefest in which some kind of ersatz Judge Dredd decapitates what resembles an anti-gravity Segway-riding Darth Vader. I hope someone buys the rights to make that into a videogame at some point.

Garrett Young takes your common or garden Kuleshov effect and transforms it into something even more complex, with panel-less images blending together to create mystery and depth.

Wowee Zonkers Chris Kuzma and Patrick Kyle add some essential levity to the weirdness, by individually contributing appealing cartoons that feature a not-so-epic quest for a Wizard’s magical drug stash (Kyle) and a super-cute send-up of Michael Douglas’ rampage-extraordinaire Falling Down. Lapalme herself contributes several entertaining lo-fi strips, one of which features a zine that actually shits on its reader. I’m sure anyone who has walked into a small-press event with too much money and not enough self-control can relate to that.

The deconstructionist merit of these proud deviations does vary from piece to piece and a few contributions appearing to simply be anarchic refusals to adhere to any semblance of accepted craft whatsoever. However, that is to be expected of a book like Gang Bang Bong, where play is regarded as important as precision. Completely free from any thematic restrictions whatsoever, the ironic strength of the book is that due to the off-the-wall nature of each contribution, it actually becomes one of the most consistent, coherent anthologies of recent memory. Whereas most anthology editors aim to intermingle traditional and experimental pieces in order to create a complimentary flow, the duo behind this book have launched a full-scale attack in the name of iconoclastic comics. I, for one, salute them.

Approximately one 16th of Chris Kuzma's tour-de-force adaptation of Falling Down. Come back and thank me once you've read the other fifteen 16ths.

Divisive, wilfully confounding, and, at times, overstepping the tolerable boundaries of experimental form, I found reading Gang Bang Bong to be an absolutely rewarding experience. Sure, it might be a little difficult at times, but to paraphrase the tired old cliché, what of any value isn’t? In many ways, it’s like an earnest version of Dylan Sisson’s Scott McCloud parody Filibusting Comics, reminding comic readers that there are still plenty of possibilities outside of the accepted processes of comic storytelling. Available now for $40 Mexican or $4 Canadian or US), it’s recommended to all of you who felt compelled to read past the “the mechanics and (de)construction of visual storytelling”, brave souls that you are.

LINKS

Buy Gang Bang Bong via Cafe Con Leche
Gang Bang Bong blog
Inés Estrada's website (which is very pretty)
Ginette Lapalme's website (which is super cute)

One Question Interview #17: Britt Wilson

2010-11-03T12:15:00.004Z

'Sewer Shark, or, They Can Smell Boredom', as seen on Britt's blog.

When you fall in love with someone's work when they are at their most hurried, you know that you must be onto something good. That's what happened to us last February when we spotted Britt Wilson's fantastic (and slightly ahead of schedule) 2010 Hourly Comics Day strips. One Google search later, it became fairly obvious we were yet again fashionably late to the party, and were but a couple of fuzzy pixels in the LCD static of her burgeoning internet fan-base.

In order to rectify our mistake, and restore the smug feeling of being totally cool dudes, we invited Britt to talk a little bit about the influences behind her comprehensive talents. Equally brilliant in lo-fi hourly comic mode and the hyper-crafted illustration style that can be seen currently jacketing the excellent Inkstuds book, we were eager to lay down the oldest and goldest interview question for her answering pleasure:

The Wu Tang Clan once described Old Dirty Bastard as having "no father" to "his style". Who do you consider the fathers (and mothers) of your style to be?

First of all, let me start off by saying that is the best wording of "what are your influences?" I have ever read. I love pictures. I love looking at pictures, I could do it all day long. This is good in some ways, I have a good grasp of what is going on in illustration and comics and I have a very clear understanding of what I like and what I don't. The drawbacks, of course, being that I spend way too much time looking at other people's pictures instead of making my own, but also that I end up paralyzed (artistically). Because I like a wide variety of styles, I can't figure out what I want my own to be, as a result I sometimes feel very scattered. As a child I read a lot, so book illustrations have always had a big impact on me, artists like Michael Martchenko, Dr. Suess, Marie-Louise Gay, and cartoonists like Bill Watterson. More recently I've been pouring over blogs by French animators, illustrators and cartoonists. In general, animators have this ability to capture motion in still images that I find fascinating and I'm trying to incorporate into my own work. The character design is also something I'm envious of, and have been working on. I don't know why the French in particular, I just noticed when looking through the blogs I follow that most of them are French. Probably has something to do with more arts funding or something.

I think it's the wine; drunker artists are better artists, right? Just ask Ian MacKaye. A big "thank you" to Britt for giving us a little of her time to answer us; we appreciate it greatly. If, like us, you want to be totally cool dudes and dudettes, you should immediately follow her on Twitter and also jam her blog into your RSS feeder for all kinds of great illustrations, cartoons, and, of course, pictures of her adorable cat Panties. And, no, that isn't a typo.

One Question Interview #16: Brooks M. Williams

2010-11-01T17:04:00.001Z

As the very first person to claim our Featured Creator spot, it should come as no surprise that we're big fans of Brooks M. Williams' swagger. As stated way back when, his online strip Facebrooks turns the often-mundane autobiographical strip genre on its head by pairing the everyday social mechanics of college life with hyper-bizarre visuals and character design.

Because of this, one of the most impressive things about Facebrooks (for us, at least) is how it manages to re-invigorate the diary strip almost entirely through the virtue of design. In a devious attempt to derail his frankly inhuman work-rate, we invited Brooks to talk to us about the decisions that inform his design work on the strip. What resulted was an interesting insight into the process behind Williams' illustration and how he marries the visual with the conceptual in his work. Fantastic.

How would you describe your process and perspective when designing characters?

"When a series has nothing going for it and there’s no growth or memorable events happening for large spans of time, there’s a certain quality to these series that keeps a reader around. It’s the same sort of quality that makes Facebook interesting or Twitter more than a momentary waste of time – it’s a chance to step into someone’s shoes and stop being ‘you’ for a second. It’s an option to judge somebody's rawest form. We all have those cravings; it’s what makes us human, and what feeds into why even the worst autobio comics have this certain pull to them.

I wanted to take advantage of that without wasting the reader’s time, to take that autobiographical pot and stir some more seasoning into the stew; to make it familiar but a new sort of experience. What I mean is, most autobiography series rely on day-to-day happenings and little inside jokes, no overarching story or memorable ‘characters’ to keep track of aside from the girlfriend or wacky/weird pal and party animal friend. There was a conscious need to get away from that kind of stuff while at the same time taking what made those aspects fun and interesting and adding my own twist into it while still being true to my life and the events that have taken place within it.

All of that thinking went into how I crafted the ‘look’ of the comic. I wanted something strange and wacky to look at, something that could be crazy one panel and very human and emotional in the next, so the strips I created would still be interesting to see even if the content in them was actually very bland and text-heavy. You’d be amazed at what you could get away with story-wise if you have a character that has a very interesting design or in a very odd or ‘wacky’ position. It makes a very nice balance for the reader. No matter what, they’ll be entertained somehow, it’s just a matter of ‘what's more interesting: the drawings or the story?’ – either way, the combo will be a winner.

I have a very large and varied group of friends I like to spend time with from all over my state, of all sorts of races and creeds, and I wanted to capture that with specific designs for each one. I didn’t want any two looking similar enough that people would start to get them mixed up, so I kept a strong hold on making each one have a completely different silhouette from the ‘character’ before it, and trying to give each one something iconic and memorable to stick in the reader’s minds.

For example, the stand-in for me has a ‘horn’ of hair on his head and a Mickey Mouse-shaped body. My friend Rod has oddly-shaped ears, a space-themed belt, and moon boots, and another friend, Brandon, is crafted with a nesting doll-esque design and wears a different shirt in every strip with a dumb pun written on it. Some designs don’t look entirely like the people they’re supposed to be, but they all manage to capture and contain the personality of the person they are representing, so at the end of the day, it all works out.

My persona is supposed to represent a lot of the qualities and ticks of trying to be a ‘man,’ so it’s only fitting that things are sharp and pointy on my character with a soft middle, just like how I am.

Rodriguez is a little bit ‘out there’ so of course the guy is decked out in space-themed attire, and Brandon is a character of many layers and pasts, so his matryoshka doll similarities really fit in with what he is all about. Other people like Nick, Leigh, and Eric have this sort of reasoning too; they all do. Each one goes through a long creative process when I go about designing them, and the last result never looks like what I start with. Sometimes a person only takes a day to nail down, and other times it takes a few months to really get what I want out of the look of a character.

The one thing I wanted to avoid was making everyone look too crazy. There’s a thin line between funny, interesting, and believable and strange-looking, Spumco wacky, and hard-to-identify-with. There had to be a way that I could walk a tightrope between both without losing a section of my audience or ruining the constant growth of the comic by making someone unbelievably, obnoxiously cartoony. I'm not sure I have it down to a 'T' yet, but it's something I work towards."

This is exactly the sort of thing that makes our nerdy hearts swell up with love, and we're so grateful to Brooks for answering us in such detail. You absolutely should go over to the Pow Pow Comics website now to check out more of his super-charismatic work. How many times do you need us to pressure you? Do it already!

One Question Interview #15: Chris & Shane Houghton

2010-10-27T11:28:00.003+01:00

Serious business afoot in 'Moon Gloom'

One of the more deplorable things about mainstream comics is the draconian way the pure-and-honest geekery is exploited via trade paperbacks. You spend $3.99/ £3.00 of your hard earned cash a month on an issue of your favourite guilty pleasure only to have Uncle Marvel or Great Aunt DC turn around at the end of screw you with the promise of extra material in the collected edition. We all know the extra material is most likely going to be junk, but we're damned animals and buy it anyway because we have serious emotional issues. Maybe that's just me.

With this in mind, it's great to hear that Chris & Shane Houghton are actually planning to produce something of worth with the collected edition of their cult comic Reed Gunther. Rather than just slapping it all together and calling it a day, they are planning to hire a colourist to bring new life to each and every panel of cowboy-meets-bear wonderment. In order to finance this, they've released the ultra-goofy, ultra-fun all-ages comic Moon Gloom, currently available in digital form for just $0.99 over on the Reed Gunther website.

Should some Hollywood bigwigs come along and offer you guys a Reed Gunther film deal where you guys had creative control, what would you alter for the silver screen, and whom would you cast?

Shane: "If we were to see our all-ages comic, Reed Gunther, in movie-licious form, we would definitely change a few things. First off, we'd need way more sex and violence. And probably some drug use.

Chris: I agree. Except for the sex, violence, and drug use part. Jeesh, Shane, this is an all-ages thing! Seriously, it'd be neat to see a Reed Gunther movie rated PG just for the fact that you hardly see any PG movie adaptations of comics.

Shane: I would really like to see an adventurous animated version of Reed. Chris' style has such great life and movement to it that it's practically bred for animation! If it was feature-length, I would love for it to be like Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs or How To Train Your Dragon. I love those flicks!

Chris: Yeah, an animation would be really awesome. I love those films as well and it'd just be a huge personal treat to see our characters moving in a sleek and beautifully-lit 3D environment. Quite the change from my fat, black lines on white paper! If we did a live action film though, I know for sure I would want Nathan Fillion to play Reed Gunther, hands down.

Shane: Oh yeah, Nathan Fillion would be a great Reed! I think he's currently campaigning on Twitter to be the guy from Uncharted. But nobody likes video game movie adaptations, Nathan! Drop that Uncharted crap and start campaigning for Reed Gunther! If Nathan Fillion starts campaigning on Twitter to play Reed Gunther in a live action film, Chris and I will pay him $100,000! *coughinmonoploymoneycough*

Chris: Agreed! If only there was a way to trick him into thinking he was on the set for Uncharted when really he was filming for the Reed Gunther movie... Okay Shane, who would you want to play Starla?

Shane: I'm soft on Anna Kendrick from Up in the Air and Scott Pilgrim. She seems like she's got a feisty, take-no-crap-from-anyone side to her, plus she can be really funny. But I'd have to see how hard she can punch before casting. A real-life Starla has got to be able to knock me out with a single punch. But that's not too hard to do. Like I said, I'm soft. Here's the toughy, Chris... Sterling the grizzly bear doesn't talk, but his facial expressions are everything. Who would you cast as Sterling?

Chris: I'd like to see Sterling handled like Spike Jonze handled the creatures in Where the Wild Things Are. Half puppetry, half CGI. Or if that doesn't work, we'd need to get someone who's big and hairy. How about Alan Moore if we can convince him to gain 200 lbs?

Shane: Sounds good to me! Hey Hollywood! We obviously have put a lot of thought into this and we're ready to cash that check you're holding! To be honest, a lot of folks ask us about movies or other adaptations of Reed Gunther, which is fantastic and must mean that Reed Gunther could easily be envisioned in a different medium. But right now, we're focused on creating the most exciting, adventurous, and goofy bear-riding cowboy comic book we can. So even if Hollywood does come knocking, I would love it if people said, "Yeah, the movie was alright... But did you read the COMIC?!"

Chris: There you have it folks! Thanks for the question!"

These guys are awesome, right? Our thanks go out to the Bros. Houghton for their answer. If you're a Reed Gunther fan, or are even just coming into contact with the Houghtons' work for the first time, we heartily recommend downloading a copy of Moon Gloom today. An ultra-goofy, ultra-fun story of the Moon's adventure to find another planet to orbit following Earth's destruction, you'd be a fool not to grab it whilst it's hot. Also, we defy you not to laugh at the Moon's butt. Consider that a challenge!

Space Available: an Interview with Kevin Huizenga

2010-10-25T14:29:00.013+01:00

An unavoidable tragedy awaiting to take flight (or not) in 'The Wild Kingdom'

Even before his recent - and much deserved - Ignatz award win for Outstanding Series with Ganges, Kevin Huizenga was a creator with no shortage of acclaim. Numerous reviewers and commentators have projected the idea that, a few years from now, he will be seen as one of this generation of creators’ finest, and, speaking from a personal perspective, it certainly seems hard to refute. Behind his "stylised, friendly art" (as NPR's Glen Weldon described it) often lies a complex layering of meaning that gives his work a real weight and value, and has won him favourable comparisons with Chris Ware, amongst other equally deific names.

His latest Glenn Ganges collection, The Wild Kingdom, might initially seem like somewhat of a departure from his best known works. Primarily made up of material found in earlier releases, it still holds all the hallmarks readers may expect from his comics, yet this arrangement of stories takes a slightly more oblique and fractured narrative route. Here, the reader is rewarded with a slow-burning curation of scenes that converge thematically and intensely over time. One of the most enchanting graphic novels this year, you'll understand that it was with some excitement that we approached the creator for an interview.

Filled with his characteristic humour and intelligence, read on for Huizenga's insights into the book; the creation of the comic's non-traditional story structure; his influences; and talks about how he is absolutely, positively not Glenn Ganges for the millionth time.

Congratulations on your much-deserved Ignatz win! How did you celebrate?

I allowed people to buy me beers. I wish I wasn’t terrified of speaking to a room of people, because it would be nice to have been able to make a real acceptance speech. Someday I’ll be able to do that—speak to a room of people—and I’ll feel like I’ve really accomplished something.

From 'The Wild Kingdom'

You chose to contextualise The Wild Kingdom by stating that your aim was to collect several related scenes “in which certain general laws appeared to reign independently of the individual peculiarities of each”, your hope being that this exercise might “aid in arresting unfortunate tendencies” in yourself and “in the times.” What do you consider these tendencies to be?

I don’t know. I would have named them if I knew. When you name something you’re on your way to being able to control it. I’m not sure these dark forces can be controlled! Also, that passage tested well with our focus groups, and we had some pressure from the sponsors to include it.

The “general laws” of The Wild Kingdom slowly become apparent as the reader progresses, and what starts as a seemingly fragmented collection of stories and vignettes starts to merge together to create a more complex narrative mood. As a storyteller, what do you think is the key to building macro-level meaning in a work?

I don’t know that there’s a key. You put together things that seem to work together. You repeat things and come at them from another angle, or you follow ideas down different alleys. You vary the mood of things, then circle back to where you were earlier, and the earlier thing is amplified the second time around. You go back and add something to the beginning that you thought up later, and it makes it seem like it was planned.

The work becomes meaningful insofar as its form allows people to invest it with meaning, like a sign in a field that says “space available.”

I’m the kind of writer and reader who likes it when very different subjects and forms play off each other. (I don’t like music that does this, though.) I like anthologies and magazines. I would like to be able to stick with a long story, a sustained thing, but in order to stay interested I have to build something in a modular fashion.

Ironically, for me, it felt that the point where all the individual threads in the collection became unified was through the voice of another writer, Maurice Maeterlinck’s via the extract of his The Life of the Bee. Was it your intention to include this passage as a thematic touchstone? Please tell us more about Maeterlinck’s influence on your work.

There’s no influence, strictly speaking. He came along pretty late in the game, when I was working on the second version of the story for Or Else #4. I had been reading about Colony Collapse Disorder, and I think a blogger mentioned Life of the Bee and Virgil’s Georgics. Those nature writings fit so well with my own “research program” that I had to incorporate it somehow. I also wanted to get some of the Georgics and more Walt Whitman and other pretentious name-drops into the mix, but there was only so much time.

An example of Huizenga's great, close-to-the-bone advertising parodies in 'The Wild Kingdom'

We’re really considering getting The Hot New Thing, but we’re having trouble deciding between getting the original model, the second model, or the Hot New Green Thing X. Which do you think best suits our needs as consumers?

You know, about a year ago I found myself in the same place as you: “Hey I like these Hot New Things, but which one is right for me?” Speaking for myself, as a future-focused, change-oriented knowledge worker, I wanted something that combines flexibility with style, especially in this economy. I called up the HNT World of Mystery Hotline (WOMH) and after a pleasant exchange with one of their qualified customer service softwares, they offered to send a local HNT consultant to my home to do some mind-mapping and go over some literature. At that point I was like, “fuck this.” But you should give them a call.

The Wild Kingdom’s cover is emblazoned with another reoccurring feature of your work – diagrams. Your diagrams in the book, especially those that precede the final section, seem to teeter between the realms of the functional and the esoteric. What were your intentions when including diagrams in the comic?

They fit into the mix of things that made up The Wild Kingdom. When you’re having a panic attack, something like a diagram that seems so calm and collected can just add to the escalating dread.

It’s interesting to note the similarities between your own and Chris Ware’s work, in that you’re both known for obliquely building wider narratives through successive, disjointed stories whilst simultaneously gravitating towards the condensed information of diagrammatic forms. What informs these kind of structural choices when you plan your work?

I think when he was starting out, Chris was very influenced by my work. Clearly it’s made a real mark on him. Speaking for myself, I guess I’ve wanted to avoid writing in the dramatic, character-centered, social realist approach. I’ve always been more attracted to other models of storytelling or writing—essays, or variations on a theme, or song forms, etc.

You continue to draw the continually awesome Amazing Facts... & Beyond! with your USS Catastrophe brethren, Dan Zettwoch and Ted May. Way back when you started, what was the process behind creating and designing the great man at the centre of it all, Leon Beyond? Do you think he’s developed over time.

Dan and I pretty much talked it out, after we met Leon. I suppose the strip has developed but I couldn’t say how. It’s a point of pride as a cartoonist to want to be in the local paper if you can, and I’m proud to be in there. But sometimes the deadline can be a real pain. The weeks go by so fast.

I’d like to point out that Dan and I have offered to do customized strips for an extremely reasonable price and that is still an open offer. Details on the blog. We initially got a few takers, and maybe people don’t realize that we’re still open for commissions. Dan Zettwoch is an incredible cartoonist, and I really believe that people are fools for not getting a Zettwoch original for such a deal.

A Huizenga-made edition of 'Amazing Facts... & Beyond' with Leon Beyond. If someone wants to commission one for our birthday, we won't be complaining!

You’re well known for your appreciation of classic cartoonists like E.C. Segar and Floyd Gottfredson, and Hergé is frequently evoked by reviewers when describing your art. Given that Picasso is often (and possibly falsely) attributed with the quote “Good artists borrow, great artists steal”, we wanted to ask about which cartoonists' influence you feel were instrumental in the development of your own style.

I’ve stolen some panels compositions from Frank King. I’ve definitely stolen words from here and there. In a superficial way I have tried to draw like the old newspaper cartoonists, but really, my comics wander far from those strips. I zoom in too often, and I try to mix in things like diagrams and formal gimmicks. I’ve barely even read much of that stuff. Any names I could drop here would just make me feel like a fraud. But I am far more interested in King, Segar, Herriman, Crane, and Little Lulu than I am by any superhero or fantasy cartoonists.

I think some artists—stronger artists than I—are more concerned about style. They have become artists because they have a strong taste for certain aesthetic qualities, certain forms and styles, and their love is so strong for those things that they work to perfect their own version of it and can’t bear to deviate from it. The source of my creative energy is different, I think, and I don’t hold onto my tastes for styles all that tightly.

I often feel that I’m not really a true artist or a writer, just a fan whose playing make-believe. The inner compulsion I have is to put together something with a kind of complex structure, with some complex arrangement of things that surprises me, or makes me feel like my favorite comics do. The other compulsion is an addiction to the flow of work and daydreaming that happens when I’m working on something and it’s going well—a state that became more and more difficult for me to get into in the late Zeroes, with all the distractions available with the Internet and piles of books and streaming movies and etc. etc. More and more I have to fight to carve out a clean, empty space and deny myself the pleasures of browsing and sorting through collections of things.

Finally, you’ve stated several times in interviews that Glenn Ganges is not your fictional avatar. We’re asking for proof. We demand 5 reasons why you’re absolutely, categorically not Glenn Ganges. Go!

You should just trust me and take my word for it. I’m not sure what a fictional avatar is, and I don’t remember using those words. He’s not an avatar in the sense that he stands for or represents me. It’s not particularly remarkable or meaningful to think he is—I don’t reveal any secrets of my heart or anything like that. Any comparison between my own specs and Glenn doesn’t open up anything meaningful in terms of the story. I tend to put more of my own personality into Wendy, if anything, when she acts cranky. If I were writing about myself and not just, like, some general stuff, like walking or trying to get to sleep, more or less universal things, I’d have to go much more into personal particulars, such as my religious upbringing, my troubles with women, my life in comics, and so on. I’m not interested in writing about those things right now. I’m not telling “my story,” or even Glenn’s story. It just goes story to story, and hopefully they’re interesting or amusing to others besides myself.

We'd like to extend our very sincere gratitude to Kevin for giving us his time in order to take part in this interview. Due to the global shortage of Hot New Things in retail outlets currently, readers are directed to purchase the next best thing by visiting the Drawn & Quarterly, Fantagraphics, and USS Catastrophie webstores (links below) for Huizenga's comics and graphic novels. By way of happy coincidence, Chris Mautner of Robot 6 has just penned a great introductory guide to Huizenga's work; so none of you have an excuse. Well, except you completionists who already have everything, but you can always buy extras as gifts for others. Go!

LINKS

Read a preview and order The Wild Kingdom via Drawn & Quarterly
Read a preview and order Ganges #1, #2 and #3 via Fantagraphics
Kevin Huizenga's website
USS Catastrophie webstore
Amazing Facts... & Beyond!

One Question Interview #14: Terreur Graphique

2010-10-22T12:36:00.003+01:00

One of the potential covers for Terreur Graphique's upcoming book "Rorschach"

Following on from David Ziggy Greene's opinions on the French comic scene as an outsider, today we're very pleased to be able to feature one of our favourite insiders in a One Question Interview, the mighty Terreur Graphique. Currently in the process of gearing up for the release of his latest graphic novel, Rorschach (no relation to that Rorschach, just in case any litigious DC bigwigs are reading this), an internal adventure between one man, his demons and his therapist. As Mr Graphique would put it, it's the "ultimate Freudian Fight", and who can argue with a sales pitch like that?

One of the most idiosyncratic illustrators we know, we wanted to ask him about his relationship with the concept of beauty, and find out a little more about his style which manages somehow to be vulgar, cute, alluring, cartoony and complex all at once.

Why is "ugly" more interesting than "beautiful"?

"That's maybe because ugly is beautiful. I'm drawing things just like I saw them; I know, it's a little bit weird. I mean, when I go out and look around, at people and things, it doesn't look like fashion week or a Walt Disney scene. People are sweating, spitting, sneezing, offending each other, vomiting, farting, yelling... they've got wrinkles, spots, cold sores; they are ugly, including myself when I wake up and look at myself in the mirror, and finding a new spot or that I have bad breath....

I think that we, as people, with all our defects, are good material and my blank paper will be filled quicker with the fat rolls of a big woman than with the "beauty" that television and advertising sell us all day long. None my friends or family seem to have gotten out from a soap opera or a blockbuster either - I can only draw what I know.

Maybe I should try to explore the beautiful side of the world, but I really think that I would quickly be bored and frustrated to not find a little piece of myself in my work.

More seriously, I don't ask myself this question when I take my pencil - I just draw, and if it looks like ugly on paper, it happened unconsciously."

Just for good measure, we've included his beyond-awesome "GAGA GAGA HEY" illustration that, without one word of a lie, has probably been the best thing to show up in our Facebook news-feed ever. Due to the wonders of technology, we wholeheartedly recommend readers flip on the old Google Translate and head over to Terreur Graphique's blog now to have their eyeballs blown apart by a cavalcade of cartoon wonders, including some sneak peeks at the upcoming Rorschach. Make sure you check back with us in early 2011 for more coverage of the book nearer its official launch!

One Question Interview #13: David Ziggy Greene

2010-10-21T14:06:00.003+01:00

What is it that they put in the water supply of the UK's comic community? Whilst it might be one of the smaller scenes in the grand global scheme of words and pictures, it's certainly one of the most vocal. Following Scottish creator Edward Ross' in-depth look at the cross-section between comics and film comes David Ziggy Green, creator of Swimming with Shoes On, with another opinionated perspective.

Several months ago, following the success of his aforementioned collection at France's Montargis festival, David remarked to us about how much easier he found acceptance to come by on the other side of the channel. Saving this nugget of info in our memory banks ever since, we decided to take the opportunity to pick his brains about it during this run of One Question Interviews.

In your own experience, what's the difference between the British and French comic scenes?

"This is a subject I'm always trying to analyse for many reasons. My experiences with both countries are becoming more frequent and with that I'm learning more all the time. There are the obvious differences within the cultures and the attitude towards comics/graphic novels/bandes dessinées. The French public treat them with respect, the English public treat it as childish; simple as that.

The French use illustration to compliment storytelling, journalism, education and much more whereas here in the UK it really isn't important if illustration existed or not. That's what I believe. Everything from magazines to advertising to (fine)art in the UK prefers to use text, photography or other means to put messages across. Cartoons, comics and illustration are cast aside at the first opportunity. In France, illustration may not be on top of the pile but it stands along side all the other forms.

I believe the French have the '9 Arts'; a list of the respected art-forms of man. I think it is something like: 1. architecture 2. sculpture 3. painting 4. music 5. poetry 6. theater 7. cinema 8. media arts (television and radio I think) 9. the comic/bande dessinée. So of course this greatly effects the comics scenes of both countries. And boy are they different! Clearly France has an industry whereas the UK has a 'scene'.

For all the hard work and books that the UK creators produce, they are fighting a culture which is restricting them from having an industry which can support them. And yes, I will mention the tough times we are all going through because when people/publishers/editors need to make cuts to save money (all be it legitimate or not), here in the UK, comics, cartoons and illustrations are the first to go. Even UK illustration agencies are cutting back on their artist numbers. Unfortunately, the UK scene doesn't have a stable track record to show it should exist. Whereas in France, they can say 'Hey, can't you see how much money this or that publication has made!

The culture within the 'scenes' are very different also. In France, almost every creator or publisher I know in some way or another knows each other on friendly terms (it seems to appear). The industry and creators seem to feed off of each other's work and success. Most importantly, they appear to respect each other despite maybe not liking the style of work produced.

As an English creator, I was quite an outsider to the French comics scene this time last year but what I've found is that when I attend a French festival as a guest or a creator, everybody is hugely respectful of you whether or not they know your work. Also, everyone shares opinions and very constructive feedback. Personally, I have a small barrier of language as I've only been studying French part-time for a year but I have made some amazing friends in France through festivals.

When I talk about my experiences at UK festivals, all seems bleak but I think it's just the experience of me and my books. My hands are way up in the air when I say that I don't really enjoy UK festivals. In fact when I attend one, it's usually a kick in the teeth and confidence for me. It takes me a while to recover. This is because I have trouble selling books at UK fests. For example, during 4 UK small press events over the years I sold a total of 4 books!

This year I was invited by the awesome Arnaud Floc’h to be a guest at the first Montargis Coince La Bulle in France. I managed to put my book together in time for the festival. It is in English except for one French story and I included a couple of French translations. The whole experience was mind-blowing to say the least. Amazing people, food, places, books and more. But also, I sold over 30 copies of my book in 2 days which is more than I expected considering it is in a foreign language and by a complete unknown amongst some huge French creators. And even a few weeks ago I had a great experience at a Paris festival where I sold some copies of my book despite not even attending as a guest. The French love to buy books! Simple as that. I think, fundamentally, my work appeals to French a little more than English tastes. I don't know why. Also from now on it's more financially viable for me to attend four festivals in France and one or two UK festivals per year compared to visa-versa.

I'm also always harking on about the difference of the festival set ups. The French supply the 'readers' with chairs and the creators spend time to chat and sign and sketch to show appreciation. The whole thing is an experience to show appreciation. The person comes to show appreciation of the book and the creator appreciated the person buying the book. It's great! In the UK festival scene, it's like a street market. Due to less shop support and publicity, a UK fest has to be a main selling opportunity.

Therefore it's a different environment where the potential 'reader' is more open to the hard sell (which a lot of UK creators detest). But unfortunately, the colder market atmosphere is there because the creators have had to self-publish and desperately need to make their money back in able to live. Sometimes I just wish that one of the events would try giving the public a seat on their side if the tables so that more time is spent to show appreciation.

Another difference in the 'scenes' is the range of storytelling. The UK is a little too influenced by what America is constantly trowing at us. Be it the Superhero stuff or Sci-Fi Stuff or even the 'indie' stuff. France (and greater Europe) also have sections which are also influenced by the US but move a few shelves along in a French comic shop and you'll likely find a larger range of styles, subject matters and approaches to the medium.

The UK scenes' future seems very strange to me. Anyone trying to take things ahead should really start from outside the comics world. Otherwise no one out there will ever notice. As for the French industry, it is standing at a very precarious point. Readership and sales are at all time highs, but so is the publication of books. This sounds great but most creators I know are waiting for the bubble to burst.

Most UK creators are into the indie attitude. Because of money issues they embrace photocopying and home-printing more. They enjoy smaller page counts. The French enjoy larger page counts. They are open to different formats but treat the indie scene as more of a starting point from which you evolve from. The UK scene needs to fight for recognition against a culture which cares little about it. The French are much luckier.

I'm planning to experience my first Angoulême fest in January and I know there are also a whole bunch of UK creators going. Should be great."

A Eurotunnel-long high five goes out to David for taking the time to give us such a detailed account of his experience as a small-press creator abroad. Copies of Swimming with Shoes On are currently available over at his very own small-press distro site Samu.co.uk now. If you've never visited before, you can expect to find all kinds of great cult treasures from the world of self-publishing on the webstore, including Alternative Press' inspirational anthology Publish You and Richard Cowdry, Peter Lally et al's ever-awesome Bedsit Journal. Mr Greene, we salute you!

One Question Interview #12: J.T. Yost

2010-10-20T15:39:00.004+01:00

Snoopy

Here at ATF, we dig J.T. Yost; that's just a fact. From his acclaimed Xeric-winning mini anthology Old Man Winter and Other Stories, to his half-real half-imagined tales of urban woe, Loosers Weepers, and everything in between (dream journals featuring adventures with Snoop Dogg & Dick Cheney; need we tell you how great they are?), we can't get enough of his work.

Fans of his comics as we may be, today is not the time to talk about them; oh no. Today is the time to talk about his extraordinarily bizarre side-project Peculiar Pet Portraits. Rather that introduce the concept with our boring old words, we thought the above picture would do a much better job of illustrating the concept. That, and of course a selection of much more exciting words from the man himself:

Oh my god, we've just found your Peculiar Pet Portraits website. We demand to know everything about this activity!

"Okay then!

Pet portraits were a natural outgrowth of my admiration/worship of critters. I can confidently state that there is almost nothing funnier than animals wearing suits. I've known this since sixth grade, when a friend and I would use every homeroom period to draw various beasties donning their Sunday best.

Fast forward to the year 2000. I was wracking my brain for a suitable gift for my non-linear dynamic physicist slash banjo playing buddy. On a whim I painted one of his cats, Galois, wearing overalls and strummin' on an old banjo. To tell you the truth, I don't even remember if he liked it or not, but I had fun painting it. And so, I continued to do so for other friends.

Eventually, in an attempt to afford salsa to go with my rice and beans, I started selling these peculiar pet portraits. Some potential customers couldn't handle the raw undiluted hilarity of pet personification, so I also began offering traditional oil portraits and hand-carved block prints.

The rest, as they say, is hiss-tory (couldn't resist)."

Meoaw-oving stuff. As usual, we'd like to take the opportunity to thank J.T. for virtually stopping by; it's our honour! Be sure to come back soon for a more in-depth look at his work. If you're impatient, or even if you aren't, you're advised to head on over to the Birdcage Bottom Books website to order up his fantastic comics. More to the point, you can commission your very own peculiar pet portrait via Yost's Primarily Pet Portraits today! "Meoaw-oving"? Outpun that, Yost!

One Question Interview #11: T.J. Kirsch

2010-10-19T13:22:00.002+01:00

Back when we interviewed T.J. Kirsch as part of the She Died in Terrebonne team last month, we were all ears as the Oni Press-affiliated artist enthusiastically cited his comic influences. Although, at the time it would have been more than a touch rude to his collaborator, Kevin Church, we could have listened all day. Taking full advantage of the One Question Interview feature, we decided it was the perfect time to corner Kirsch for a more in-depth look at his life as a comics fan.

It's no secret that we're big fans of T.J.'s style here, and marvel at its strange mutant-like ability to evoke both 1990s indie comics and classic American humour comic looks all at once. With this in mind, we decided to ask a question that really tapped into his preferences as a reader as well as a creator.

What's your favourite graphic novel of all time?

"My favorite graphic novel of all time would have to be The Playboy by Chester Brown. It was one of the first books I picked up from the library at SCAD, if I remember correctly, and I'd never seen or read anything like it. It's a really deeply personal story, and very engaging. The artwork felt very honest, but exaggerated, with a certain crudeness to it that made it accessible.

At that point I'd just started school, and I'd sort of chosen my Sequential Art major on sort of a whim, really. It was between that and Illustration. All of my favorite artists were cartoonists, so based on that alone, I chose Sequential Art. So, I was pretty aimless and lost at first, and really getting back into drawing seriously in a long time. When I picked up that book and started to read, it was one of those life-changing moments. I remember feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand up... maybe there was a choir singing behind me, I can't remember. I realized what I was going to do for the rest of my life, and that was ten years ago. It's been really rewarding getting to do something I'm passionate about, and I hope I can continue to do it for a long, long time.

Number two on my list would have to be a tie between Clowes' David Boring and Chester Brown's I Never Liked You."

Thank you to T.J. coming back for this follow up. A man of good taste and charismatic illustration, you should head over to his blog now, as well as subscribing to his Twitter feed, to hear about his latest projects as they happen. Stay tuned (or should that be "logged on"?) for a full-length solo interview with the man himself some point before the year is through. Also, just how awesome is that header image? Swoon!

One Question Interview #10: Rui Tenreiro

2010-10-17T22:12:00.009+01:00

One of the best things about living outside of France's comic culture is that, even with the internet and our friends in the Franco-Belgian industry, comic shops on the other side of the channel still hold a lot of wonderful surprises for us. To add further international flair to this anecdote, it was in one of Paris' wonderful multitude of comic stores that we first encountered the breathtaking work of Mozambican creator Rui Tenreiro.

Instantly falling in love at first sight with the gorgeous La Pastèque edition of his graphic novel The Celebration, we immediately knew that it was a book we had to have. Luckily, our shallow judging of the book by its cover paid off, and we were rewarded with one of the most delightful books we've had the pleasure of reading this year. A story of adventure, creatures, dreams and reality, its appeal is such that it's already been published in four languages and a little bird tells us that negotiations are underway to release it in English. Seriously people, cross your fingers.

We've heard that your book The Celebration might finally get published in English next Spring. Congratulations! What was the original idea and inspiration behind writing it?

"Thanks! The publication of the book is currently being negotiated. I would very much like it to come out in English. The book is currently published in French, Spanish, Finnish and Norwegian.

The idea for this book was strange because there were elements which I first made up and joined, and later on discovered they really existed and made more sense than I had imagined. For example: the bird-demon character in the book. It happened that this demon existed in Shinto beliefs, and it’s called Tengu. But I didn’t know this when I wrote the story. To a certain extent, the story is a mystery even to me. But I think there’s also an implicit meaning in the choices one makes, so things don’t happen completely at random.

Part of the idea for the story came to me when I was at home listening to music. At about the same time, I had a dream of a celebration happening in a forest, where people celebrated fertility and burned trees which would grow new flowers the following year. There was some emphasis on repetition in the dream. Throughout the book, there’s an emphasis is on ritual and repetition.

The story should probably be just enjoyed rather than overly explained. But I can tell a little about it.

The book has a circular quality to it. The scenario isn’t quite in Japan, nor in any specific time/era, but it indicates more a sort of medieval place, lost somewhere in time and memory. The story follows two identical travelers who encounter a strange, dead creature while crossing a great forest. After spending the night camping in the woods, they wake up to a farmer, who deliberately directs them to the wrong path. They won’t know this ever, but the shape-shifting farmer is a Tengu. The demon needs to hatch an egg which is inside the village, and towards which the two main characters are being directed to. To achieve that, he takes over the body of one of them.

Further on, the two travelers encounter villagers from Paper City, which the demon-bird wants to reach. They sing in the forest and burn trees in a ritual to ‘renew’ them, so that the cycle of fertility can go on, and so that the crops can continue producing. The flowers from the trees flood the town linger over the town, which is believed to ‘fertilize’ it.The villagers invite the travelers to stay, which is what the demon wants. Once in the town, the demon will succeed in hatching the egg.

In the meantime, the strange creature simply vanishes when the men go back to look for it. All the elements in the story are interlinked and dependent on one another for balance, in a way. You can trace their origin and connection in a sort of internal loop-like plot, if you follow closely. The story contains one element which isn’t attached to any particular mystery inside the story — a French pilot. (guess who!)

Some time ago, after completing The Celebration, I watched Dreams by Akira Kurosawa (a film containing several short films which he’d dreamed). I was surprised to find several similarities to my own story in the last short film, entitled ‘Village of The Watermills’. I even knew what the characters would say before they did so, somehow. Being such a fan of some of his films, I like to imagine that Kurosawa and I were dreaming the same stories in different a different time and place."

As if we didn't already owe Rui huge gratitude for providing us with such a detailed perspective of the book, he's kindly allowed us to showcase an excerpt from it (see below). It's honestly an amazing book, that we can't wait to see in English. Until then, if you know Finnish, French, Portugese, Norwegian or Spanish, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy. Of course, we'll keep you posted when the book comes out, or you can check Tenreiro's blog obsessively like us for the latest updates.

One Question Interview #9: Lucy Knisley

2010-10-14T22:58:00.004+01:00

Today's One Question Interview guest is Lucy Knisley, writer/ artist of French Milk and all-around diarist extraordinaire. One of the most skilled autobiographical cartoonists of this generation, the success of Knisley's work lies in her oh-so-delicate, subtle balance of personal experience, narrative transference, and just enough humour to prevent everything from becoming overly maudlin. In short, she's great.

Recently making her latest comic, Salvaged Parts, available for purchase via her website (traditionally as well as digitally), we invited her to talk a little about it. Foreshadowed in her online strip Stop Paying Attention, the comic focuses on her recent split from her long-term boyfriend, and is perhaps the best example of her abilities as a storyteller and a cartoonist yet.

As a creator interested in self-chronicling, how much are you aware of the narrative of your life as it happens? Is it comforting or terrifying to know that other people view your life as a story?

"I don't think I would do this job if I didn't feel that the filter of narrative on my life wasn't comforting. I love the idea that writing an experience becomes a shared emotion with the reader. This age of "digital life-sharing" is evidence that I'm not alone in that feeling.

That said, it is occasionally a struggle to make the distinction between my self and my character. For example, I think people occasionally expect me to be more gregarious than I turn out to be when they meet me at conventions. I always feel like a big awkward doofus at those things. Maybe because I process a lot of my life through comics, it makes it harder for me to process on the fly...

I want to portray myself truthfully, and allow my flaws to show... But I also want to make comics about strong, self-confident women (and I'm not always one). I want to show my life accurately, but I want to make work that rings familiar for everyone (and I'm not everyone). It's a balance between how I live my life and how I write my comic, and I think I will always be teetering a little.

In the case of Salvaged Parts, which deals with my breakup (the climax of a "storyline" that had been building in my Stop Paying Attention comics), it was a double-sided coin; in part, it was horrific to be faced with the task of publicly sharing my heartbreak, handling the matter maturely, and even just forcing myself to be introspective enough to make comics in the midst of a breakup. On the other hand, it was lovely to have readers who were rooting for me through the whole mess. It really brought to light how my work could effect people, and how great that connection is. The actual making of the comic also forced me to organize my thoughts and emotions in a way that helped me to see my own life more clearly, which is the main reason behind why I make comics. Word and image as the digestive aid for thought and emotion."

A very sincere "thank you" goes to Lucy for graciously accepting our invitation at short notice. We love Salvaged Parts, and if you're not some kind of emotionless robot, we're willing to bet you might too. As previously stated, copies are available now over at her website. You probably don't need us to tell you how much of a damn-fine colourist she is to boot, but we will anyway. Also, if you're feeling generous, you can help heal her broken heart by aiding facilitation of a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Do it now, you miserable misers, you.

One Question Interview #8: Michael DeForge & Hellen Jo talk Root Rot (Title TBC)

2010-10-13T21:05:00.004+01:00

A teaser of Hellen Jo's contribution to the anthology.

O.K., so today we're going to cheat a little. During her recent interview with us, Koyama Press head honcho dropped news that she was co-editing an anthology with ATF-favourite Michael DeForge. Only driven more maddeningly insane with curiosity by the clandestine air around the project, we invited DeForge himself, along with ultra-talented contributor Hellen Jo to spill a few more beans. For the purists out there who fear this may ruin the sanctity of the one question interview, we made sure to only ask them each one question; satisfied?

With the working title of Root Rot, readers can expect contributions from a whole host of weird and wonderful supertalents, including: Angie Wang, Bob Flynn, Chris "Elio" Eliopoulos, Dan Zettwoch, Inés Estrada, Jason Fischer, Jesse Jacobs, Jon Vermilyea, Joe Lambert, Lizz Hickey, T. Edward Bak, and more. Good golly gosh, we're excited.

First up is Michael DeForge:

What can you tell us about the theme of the collection, and your approach as co-editor?

"The theme is pretty loose. All the art had to be "forest" related in some way, and we ended up with a broad range of responses to that. We just tried to pick artists whose styles and influences would compliment each other. I'm very happy Greg Pizzoli is in the book, for instance. His background is in printmaking whereas a lot of the other contributors are cartoonists first and foremost - but his piece pairs extremely well with the comics content."

Lizz Hickey's contribution

Next up, one of the most intensely talented illustrators involved in the "alternative" comics scene today, Hellen Jo:

What can readers expect to see in your contribution, Making Friends?

"Making Friends is an extremely short comic, clocking in at a paltry two pages, but I attempted to address the coming-of-age experience, the pain of being a lonely teen girl, skateboarding, and flower magic in just 12 panels. And if that's inadequate, the whole dang comic is fully watercolored in my most saturated palette yet. To give you an idea of how much your mind will be blown, my sister is the only person to have read it so far, and after finishing, she asked, "Is that it?" Look forward to Root Rot, coming soon from Koyama Press!"

Whilst you're gnawing the bannisters in manic anticipation, be sure to check out Hellen's crazy awesome blog for more updates on her work, as well as dropping in at Michael's recently-relocated blog. Due out sometime in 2011 from Koyama Press, you'll have to get behind us, as we're queuing at the front of the line for this one.

One Question Interview #7: Madéleine Flores

2010-10-12T21:39:00.009+01:00

Things are really heating up for British indie publisher Blank Slate Books this year. Fresh from the critical success of Darryl Cunningham's Psychiatric Tales, the London-based company is launching its next wave of "slates", amongst which is the utterly-charming-looking The Girl and the Gorilla by Madéleine Florès.

Just in case you aren't won over by the picture above (soulless bastards that you may be), we invited Madéleine to talk a little about what readers can expect to find in the book:

Your debut graphic novel, The Girl and the Gorilla is set to be published by Blank Slate Books this Autumn. What can you tell us about the story and its characters?

"Well now, The Girl and the Gorilla centers around Aurelie, a young girl who is struggling with some personal issues that have kept her pretty upset. But her mood is quickly changed when she crosses paths with a large talking Gorilla! She follows him into a magnificent world where she meets historical figures and native residents of this new world who help her change her view on life as she faces the pure evil that lurks in the shadows.

It's a story for everyone who loves books, adventure, and saving the day!"

Magilla Gorilla, eat your banana-filled heart out. The Girl and the Gorilla will be available later this year; if, like us, you can't wait for that, be sure to visit Madéleine's website every single day until the book's release. Whilst you're at it, be sure to a good hard look at the Blank Slate website, before its glorious renovation is complete.

One Question Interview #6: Leigh Walton

2010-10-11T21:11:00.002+01:00

Whilst Jonathan Case's entry might not be the most "out there" entry within Leigh Walton's Tintin sketchbook, it's certainly one of our favourites.

For today's One Question Interview, we invited someone a little different to talk. Whilst creators are the heart of the comics industry, without the lungs, liver, stomach, or pancreas they'd just create a bloody mess, right? Helping add structure to this chaos is Top Shelf Productions' PR/ Marketing guy extraordinaire Leigh Walton. More than just an imposing industry "suit", he's a true blue comics fan, and nowhere is this better illustrated (pun intended) than in his Tintin sketchbook project.

For several years, Leigh's been stealing moments with all kinds of comic artists at festivals, getting them to add their spin on Hergé's beloved, sometimes controversial characters. Featuring an impressive cast of contributors including Bryan Lee O'Mally, Jeff Lemire, Raina Telgemeier, James Kochalka and a whole lot more, the project threatens to rival even Chris Pitzer's Alt-Comix Trading Card collection in terms of sheer awesome.

Why Tintin?

"I was inspired to start a themed sketchbook soon after officially joining the comics industry. Inspired by Mike Baehr's Yoda book and Brett Warnock's Kirby's Fourth World book (plus the books that fans would bring up to our artists at shows), I tried to think of a good theme. Eventually I settled on Tintin because it was something I could bring to almost any artist -- popular enough that everyone would be familiar with it (even in dumb ol' America), yet respectable enough that snooty latte-sipping lit-comix artistes would still be interested. Hergé's series is wide-ranging enough to accomodate lots of different settings, characters, and moods, so artists can take the prompt in almost any direction (and they have!). Finally, Tintin was one of my earliest and fondest memories of reading comics -- my brother and I would get Tintin, Asterix, and Elfquest out of the public library.

I've filled almost two full sketchbooks so far and there are plenty more artists that I'd love to have contribute, so I'll probably keep going! Although at SPX this year I got the itch to start up a new one for Fabian Nicieza & Rob Liefeld's Shatterstar (who I maintain is ripe for a revival)..."

Our sincere thanks go out to Leigh for taking time out from spreading the gospel of Top Shelf to answer our question. Just in case you missed the link up top, be sure to head on over to Leigh's Tintin Flickr set to have your eyes squeal with yet more delight. Roll on Operation Shatterstar!

One Question Interview #5: Van Jensen

2010-10-08T21:22:00.006+01:00

Today's One Question Interview stars Van Jensen and Dusty Higgins, the team behind Slave Labor Graphics' cult favourite, Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer. For those unfamiliar, all you need to imagine is that, here, the pure-hearted puppet-boy notes from Van Helsing's playbook is offing vampires left, right, and centre WITH HIS NOSE. Anne Rice has nothing on this, let us tell you.

Gearing up for the release of the book's sequel, subtitled The Great Puppet Theatre, we asked Jensen (the book's writer) to tell us a little about what readers can expect in the upcoming book:

What's new with Pinocchio?

"Everyone's favorite vampire-slaying puppet has been missing for a year, but rest assured that he's spent that time traveling across Italy and putting the undead back in their graves. Pinocchio, the talking cricket, the fairy and a surprise friend have made it to Rome. But, as you could probably guess, they're too busy fighting vampires to enjoy any sightseeing. Unless epic fights in catacombs walled with skulls counts as sightseeing. The wooden boy also has had a family reunion of sorts, as the surviving members of the Great Puppet Theater have joined him on the hunt. Their particular brand of family reunion means battling with vampire gypsies, vampire pirates and the like. Let me reiterate that last point: vampire pirates!"

Check Pinocchio's official website now for a super-fun competition, where readers can get their hands on some serious vampire slayin' swag by designing their very own murderous puppet. Bound by the code of comic blogger professionalism, we can't enter, but let me tell you, if we did, we'd blow the rest of you out of the water.

One Question Interview #4: Edward Ross

2010-10-07T22:56:00.007+01:00

The Movies meet McCloud in Edward Ross' intelligent and informative series "Filmish"

One of the most overlooked facets of the comic form is its ability to educate. From Scott McCloud all the way to Darryl Cunningham, there are many creators out there who are keen to take advantage of the unique cognitive abilities of words and images in the name of learning. Similarly, Edward Ross' Filmish is a treasure trove for film fans everywhere, uniting movie snobs and slobs alike with his thoughtful, accessible yet academic analysis of the silver screen.

Contrarians that we are, we thought we'd ask the movie-loving creator exactly what he doesn't like about flicks. Oh what wicked devils we thought we were, until he hit us with one of the most illuminating pieces of writing yet to grace a One Question Interview. Read on for Ross' thoughts on movies, and his opinions on the connection - or lack thereof - between comics and celluloid.

What Are Your Cinematic Pet Peeves?

"Oh man, I actually love to hate films, I really do. I’d say that there’s a sweet-spot a movie can occupy where it’s a pleasure to watch, and then just rip into afterwards and pull apart all its flaws. A great example would be something like the recent Indiana Jones film or the Star Wars prequels. I mean, admit it, you love ripping those films to pieces! It’s such a pleasure to me to explore where these films go wrong and where they might have gone right. Some films are just bad, for sure, but some bring us so much joy by occupying that sweet-spot of frustrating almost-goodness. I think the most common thing you’ll hear out of my mouth on the way home from the cinema is “You know what they should have done…”

I guess as a person who writes and draws about film, my biggest complaint would be a lack of depth in too many films. And I don’t mean that every film needs to have richly drawn characters and intellectually stimulating plots, just that I wish film-makers would look at investing more thought into the worlds they are creating. When you look back on those films that have survived the wear and tear of time, it’s those that bother to have a little more complexity and nuance that really stick with us. It’s that care and attention at every level of production that really shows. I guess that’s what frustrates and fascinates me so much with something like Indiana Jones IV: You can see in that film the opportunity to tell an interesting story about Indy becoming a relic of the past himself, as science and the atomic bomb replace mysticism and the Gods (or whatever your own theory is of how they could have made a better film!). Instead what we get is something that is at times painfully vacuous, and pretty forgettable, lacking any depth beyond obvious spectacle.

A lot of people say that films like that are designed purely as entertainment. But many ‘popcorn’ films manage to create a legacy for themselves, revealing their depth over the years as people explore them in all sorts of different ways. Take a film like Die Hard, which is at first sight ‘just another action movie’. About six months ago I read this article by Geoff Manaugh, who called Die Hard “one of the best architectural films of the past 25 years”. He went on to discuss how John McClane harnesses his environment as a weapon to fight his enemy, traversing the building in this really unconventional manner.

From "Filmish" #2

It’s just so wonderful and fascinating to me that we can take a film like Die Hard and twenty years after its creation, still find new ways to explore the film and its meanings. It’s a testament to just how wonderful cinema can be.

That’s what I love about good cinema, the way a film you’ve enjoyed for years can get transformed into something else when you watch with a certain critical perspective. I love taking some esoteric element of film, and looking at how it’s deployed by film-makers to different effect. I play games with films, and then I write about them in comics. And when film-makers don’t even bother to give their films enough thought and depth to allow me to play those games, well… that’s just no fun.

I think ultimately, I wish films were a little more like comics. We’ve had this influx of comic book adaptations and comic book centric films made over the last few years, and I’m not really referring to them. In fact the worst possible thing a film-maker can do when trying to convert a comic to the screen is to try and make their film more like a comic, especially when they don’t really understand how that works. One notable exception that worked was Scott Pilgrim VS The World which I think captured comic-book (and more-so computer-game) aesthetics really well without forgetting to be a film. But I cringe at films like Sin City and The Hulk (the Eric Bana one) where the film-maker has tried to invest the film with a really overbearing comic-book ‘sensibility’, as if that’s even a thing. Obviously we’ve got to remember that films and comics are worlds apart in what they are and what they do, but I think they can both learn from each other.

What I’m really referring to is the can-do attitude of the comics scene, especially the small press scene. What’s inspired me and driven me forward over the last year is the fact that comics, unlike almost every other medium, is a very accessible one to work in. Not so film, which requires vast teams and resources just to get your vision filmed, let alone distributed. Meanwhile in comics you just need a pen, paper and a photocopier to get your vision down, and a trip to your local independent comics shop to get it out there for people to read.

What I’d like to see more in film is this kind of singular vision, resulting I think from the small teams that create the unique comics works that we pick up in comics shops or buy online. I realise that this is not entirely possible in the world of film, but as technology reduces the cost of production and distribution I think we’ll more and more see films that come with the comic-book ethos. Out of the democratisation of print we got underground comix and to this day an exciting small-press scene. I just wonder what artists will emerge from the democratisation of film. We’ve already recently seen it can be achieved to an extent, with the fantastic District 9, a concept that was first conceived with a DV camera and desktop software before being remade with Hollywood backing. I think that stands as an example of what I’ve been talking about. Not only is that film well conceived and full of nuance and depth, but it has drawn on what I see as a comics attitude to film; a desire to create distinctive, singular work that showcases a creator’s vision.

I guess at the end of the day, having grown up on films before comics, when I read my favourite creators I do just wonder, what would happen if they gave Chris Ware or James Kochalka or Art Spiegelman a camera?"

Keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming review of Filmish within the next month. Spoiler alert: it's going to be a highly positive one, so let's just dispense with the formalities and go and buy Filmish #1 & #2 via Edward's blog, immediately. Cut!

One Question Interview #3: Jarrett Williams

2010-10-06T22:15:00.005+01:00

Starring in one of the our most fun interviews this year, Super Pro K.O.! creator Jarrett Williams powerslammed our socks off with talk of everything from turn-buckles to Toriyama in May. Now, the fellow whom we like to call "the most electrifying man in sports cartooning" returns to the Avoid the Future arena for an encore. With the second volume of SPKO in the pipeline, we invited him back for one more wrestling-based question.

For those of you new to Williams' work, he's somewhat of a Saint amongst comic interviewers, in that he produces original art for every article. Even though he only signed on for a single question this time, he's made no exception, and has donated the awesome piece seen above. What a guy!

If Jarrett Williams was to put down his cartoonist's tools and step into the professional wrestling ring, what would his gimmick, outfit, and signature move be?

"All right, Mean Gene! I’ve got two gimmicks that I’ve actually thought about. In terms of the wrestler role, I’d be the silent assassin with a slight attitude problem. I’m talking Randy Orton “Legend Killer” tendencies mixed with Booker T swagger. I‘d have white boots and gloves. Probably black and white tassels on my arms and boots (because tassels are cool. Ultimate Warrior knew that. And even John Morrison’s boot tassels are a modern take. They remind me of the hats the Buckingham Palace Guards where, that same sort of material). I’d have a HUGE afro and probably a custom jacket I threw into the crowd every night (so I’d probably lose about $300 on a custom jacket each night too). So I’d be dead broke…..hmmmm. Yeah, scrap the jacket for Wristbands. Fans like wristbands! Signature Move: the DDT maybe even a Tornado DDT. It’s classic.

I think I would have alot more fun as a Manager though. I’d totally be the young kid in the back of the locker room “fan-boying” out on all the wrestlers. I’d carry their bags, wear their shirts, say their catch phrases, and even hold signs hyping them to ring. I’d be in that role for a year and a half or two. All the while, I’d be talking about my “friend” that I’d think would be a great addition to the roster. I ‘d go around trying to hand my “friend’s” demo tape and resume to all of these wrestler’s I’d pretty much followed around all year. And everyone would turn their nose up in the air to me and just ask me to carry their stuff. Then one day, I’d come out during a Championship Match doing my usual thing. Then, when the Match is coming to an end, I’d cost the current “face” Champion his match and become the ultimate heel manager for a new debuting Monster-Heel Heavyweight wrestler. You know, the “friend” I had been trying to break into the company all along. I’d talk mad smack about how I was smarter than everyone in the back and the fans. I’d let them all know that guy I was currently managing was the legitness (and yeah, I know that’s not a word, but it would be perfect in the Wrestling Lexicon) Then, I’d pretty much be doing the same things as before though I’d think I was on some whole other wave length above everyone else. Basically, I’d have the “naïve fanboy to annoying a-hole” gimmick. Signature Move: DDT to an Apple metal laptop case I’d carry everywhere as a heel.

I really should’ve saved that last idea for Super Pro. Damn."

Legitness incarnate, readers' should head over to Jarrett's official website where they can read his currently-on-hiatus Lunar Boy target="_blank" strip, as well as blog posts from the man himself. We absolutely recommend his recent post detailing his process on a piece of mind-blowing custom art, and when you're done with that, feel free to check o target="_blank"ut our review of Super Pro K.O.! Volume One and our aforementioned full-length interview from May. Can you dig it, Sucka?

One Question Interview #2: Box Brown

2010-10-05T21:07:00.007+01:00

Next up with a one question interview is Box Brown, creator of the recently-concluded Bellen! and the guy behind the print-turned-web religion-focused Everything Dies.

Since we interviewed him last, he's pushed Everything Dies to the forefront of his work, publishing complete stories on-line as well as the good ol' fashioned way. With the fourth print issue of the comic just released, containing an exclusive full-length story featuring his Heart of Stonework characters, it seemed like the perfect time to ask about the sub-series.

Heart of Stonework stories are slightly different from the rest of Everything Dies, in that you allow yourself to create straight fiction. What do you see as the function of these stories within the series?

"You know, I don't know totally. In many way, Everything Dies wouldn't exist without Heart of Stonework. They started as a newspaper style strip based on Zen Koans and Peanuts and are still available online. When I was drawing those I don't even think I identified as an Atheist yet. I was studying Zen Buddhism and Peanuts and it seemed like a perfect fit. I didn't come back to HOS until a few years later and I thought those characters had some promise. The Heart of Stonework stories in Everything Dies originally were still based on Zen Koans or Buddhist stories but have since become a world of their own. Now I think of the monks as living in their own alternative universe. I can use them as a vessel to express my own ideas on religion in general without having to stay strict to the rigid guidelines of any particular religion. I love those characters though. If there were ever to be an Everything Dies spin-off it would be Heart of Stonework. I could see them getting their own book one day. "

We certainly hope they do! A big "thank you" goes to Box for returning to speak to us. If you haven't already checked out the highly-popular recently-launched Everything Dies website, we demand that you do so now. Then, whilst you're there, we demand that you buy all the print issues. For the love of God, get to it!

One Question Interview #1: Kolbeinn Karlsson

2010-10-04T09:04:00.004+01:00

This month, we'll will be posting one single-question interview a day with some of the best and the brightest from within the comics industry. First up is mighty Scandinavian scribe-artist Kolbeinn Karlsson, creator of The Troll King and many other weird and wonderful comics that will turn your brain inside out. We're big fans of his work here, and invited him back to answer a question that we felt was worthy of such an imaginative, world-building creator.

If time and money were no object, what would your dream project be?

"My dream project would be like a massive Disneyland type enviroment, where every single detail would be designed by yours truly. When doing comics, it always takes time for me, since I always construct an environment where the events taking place would make any sort of sense. After the enviroment is done, the story and events sort of unfold by themselves. Right now, I am working on a small-scale version of a similar thing: I am doing an full-room installation of one of the scenes from The Troll King, complete with actors and props, plus a dance performance. The whole thing is very lovely, but if the Swedish government would offer me a lot of land the size of a small town, no one would be happier than me."

Don't forget to check out our full-length interview with Kolbeinn, from February 2010, and, of course, Kolbeinn's awesome blog.

The Best Comics Are Still to be Made: an Interview with Tommi Musturi (Part Two)

2010-09-30T16:48:00.012+01:00

Seven year-old Tommi Musturi, by seven year-old Tommi Musturi.

Whilst it may seem irreverent to some, Tommi Musturi is a creator who believes in the yet-untapped potentials of the comic form. As illustrated by the quote that we chose to head this interview with, his firm belief is that, given that the comic form, as we know it, is still very young, it is still developing. This perspective can be seen in Tommi's own work, which, whilst rooted in his own influences from comic history past and present, is very much personal in terms of the creative impetus behind it.

Below you will find the concluding part of our interview with the man himself, featuring more talk about his views on comic books, his time creating graphics and print art within 1980s/1990s demoscene culture, how zines led him towards cartooning, and much more. Any interview that include talk Commodore 64s and R. Crumb have got to be worthwhile, right? Click here to read part one.

What attracts you to comics?

There are three things I've always mentioned: the first is the fact that comics are relatively easy to produce - you just need paper and something to draw with. It's only you who decides what happens on paper. This makes comics quite a pure way to express yourself as there's no one else to influence the work, not even money (at least in Finland). Ideally, you can do what you want. If you do it well, the result will be something unique. Of course this can be seen from the opposite, also; in the end you're responsible for everything. That should be taken as an adventure though.

The second thing that attracts me is the history of comics. It's still a very young art form and you can see it developing all the time. I like to experiment in my work and that's what we've also been doing with our anthology Glömp and, more recent publication, Kuti, a comic tabloid. In both of these we've been trying to "build bridges" towards other ways of expression that are close to comics: visual poetry and narrative images, for example.

In addition to that, the history of comics is quite short and the fact that it's been mostly part of popular culture also makes it interesting. It's relatively easy for people to grab a comic and start to read it, which would never happen with a book of new experimental poetry. So, I feel that comics are quite a fine way to actually get your thoughts spread to people. When I'm doing works like Samuel, I've even taken away the words, which makes it accessible for even more people. Just to mention there's an organization called World Comics in Finland that's been using comics to teach about AIDS around the world, for people without a common language.

The third thing that attracts me is in creating an image and story itself. It's sort of magical thing to see that something gets born in front of you. I never really get bored with it. It's an enlightening experience; I'm creating world of my own.

Walking with Samuel, from sketchpad to final work (2009)

Before your comic work, you were a respected demoscene contributor, creating computer graphics and cover art for floppy disks. How did this experience inform you as a creator?

I've drawn a lot since I was 9 years old, so that’s already 25+ years in total, quite a long time. I think it could be divided into three quite different periods: the demoscene, mail art culture and comics.

I started to really study drawing with a computer. My friends and I formed our first demo group at age of 9. My friend did the programming and my other friend and I the graphics. Later, there were some people who made the music. This was somewhere in 1985 and with the Commodore 64 that almost every boy in the school at that time had. Back then, drawing with computer meant creating an image pixel by pixel with a joystick. There were lots of limitations with colours etc. and also with the software used - it may sound weird, but we didn't really have any idea that such action as "undo" would become reality someday. Anyway, it took lots of time and patience but also taught me many tricks on how images actually are constructed. Later on, we started also draw special covers for the floppy discs that were used in those days; these covers were made for our group but also for many others similar to us around Europe. That was time before internet but we had been in contact with other groups through snail mail and BBS'.

I can say now that this demoscene period was, for me, mostly technical practice. Thematically the images I made were just what a teenage boy would usually draw : skulls, dragons, half-naked women, skateboards and some more skulls. I think I drew around 300 bitmap fonts back then, around 200 images and around 50 disc covers. I used some of these images to make a fun release entitled Death to Most a couple of years ago. I think I'll do another one when I have time. There's a big archive of material, actually. I'd still like to make more for the demoscene, with the old machines from the 1980s. Got big pile of them back home. They appear somehow pretty human to me these days.

Death to Most - between 1986-1992 (published in 2008)

After I had started to draw the disc covers on paper, I got more and more into drawing also without computer. As I had been in contact with lots of people from abroad already, swapping demos and cracks, I also started to trade music tapes with some of the contacts. Through that I got some fanzines, which lead to me and a friend from the demoscene group starting one of our own. We were 15 years old and Sickness was the name of it. It was about music, splatter movies and trash culture. In the end we made five issues that were sold in the school, through mail or at gigs. We wrote about all kinds of metal (death, thrash, black), grindcore, later about punk and more experimental stuff that I was heading towards. For this fanzine I drew a lot of illustrations, and soon this activity seemed more important than the work I had been doing for demoscene.

As we were trading our fanzine with others like us, I got lots of zines and started sending drawings to those too. This kind of lead to a period when I was mostly drawing just single images, some record covers etc. I even did some tattoo flash that I sent to American magazines, who published some and I got paid for my art for the first time. Anyway, this period resulted in few hundred drawings that are mostly very detailed but not yet thematically that interesting. However, I really got into drawing in those days, and at the age of 17 decided to apply for an art school instead of university where I had planned to study maths.

Guess it was sort of a disappointment for my parents as they'd wished me to become an engineer or something. Also, my dad's brother worked as a fine artist, but it wasn't really seen as "real job" that you could make your living with. I came from a labouring family and it was time of the 90s depression, so it was kind of important thing for them. I understand that now.

Anyway, the third period I already briefly described. Going to art school is the reason I'm making comics these days. I met some people who had already made lots of comics and, in all, we had maybe ten people that wanted to try it out. First we started a small weekly (!) magazine called Buli. The name actually changed every time. Anyway, it was A6 size, just 16-32 pages each issue. We sold it cheaply to buy ourselves booze, actually; later we started to use the money to buy other comics at festivals to make a small library for the school. When we left the school we had already got one meter of books there, which we were proud of. We managed to make 50 issues of this small zine; it was sort of a playground, not only comics but also illustration. The pace got slower towards the end and I think it took three years to do those 50 issues actually. Anyway, it was sort of group effort that later developed into Glömp and Pole anthologies that both has origin in the Lybecker art school in the northern part of Finland. Ten issues and 12 years later Glömp is now over and it's time to make something new again.

The cover of the Musturi-edited GlömpX (2009)

Do you feel there are certain technical or thematic aspects that unify your work?

What comes to technical aspect, I think I've always been interested in very detailed works and narrative images - sort of images that you can go into and wander around, finding new characters and making up new stories inside your head This comes from my childhood also; I used to read lots of comics back then and my favourites were Italian comic Cocco Bill by Jacovitti and East German comic The Digedags by Hannes Hegen. These both contain lots of details in the drawing and the stories are long enough to have many twists here and there. Cocco Bill I really like still, but The Digedags seems pretty poor now. I think I partly liked it because no one else of my friends' had really read it - as it was from DDR [German Democratic Republic] and the period was still the 80s and was only sold through a club called "Friends of the Soviet Union" that my parents' belonged to. That was actually the only comic they sold if I can recall. So, I enjoyed this comic sold by the communists, a comic that told stories of the Wild West in States, in search of the "American Dream".

Thematically, my work has been more coherent only after the year 2000. I'm interested in "the big questions" of life and humanity. Meanwhile, I've gotten interested in expressing and experimenting with comic form. Also, as I said, I'm fascinated in "the magic of image", to be able to create something completely new, to create illusions. I think my comics are pretty much mixture of these things.

One of the things that I found most interesting about your interview with 8 Bit Today was your explanation of how working with the C64 contributed to your sense of “building” an image. What else influences your visual process?

Well, the basic influence that pushes me to do something is just ordinary life around me: nature, people, society; the more ordinary the better. I'm also working as part of the comic art collective Kutikuti that's based in Helsinki. Being surrounded by other people creating is also inspiring. A year ago I moved to Tampere which is about two hours by train from Helsinki. I go to our studio less often now, and, of course, I miss it. It's more difficult to go through the struggles that making a comic always includes alone.

Apart from this, I'm inspired by literature, mainly. My girlfriend is a poet and we both buy and get too many books - too many really to be able to read everything. We need a bigger flat soon again. After this June there have been around two-hundred new arrivals already - a two meter pile.

While drawing I listen to music, it's been always like that. Not really anything specifically, there's good stuff in every genre. Maybe it's bit experimental mostly, from noisy guitars to free jazz and Jandek. On the other hand I really like artists like John Fahey and JJ Niles, Os Mutantes and psychedelia etc. Mix it all together, that's the best way. When I sketch, I go to a cafe or bar, and been doing that daily for a long time.

An example of Tommi's colouring process, as originally seen on Musturi's blog.

What are your favourite comic books of all time?

That's a difficult question. I don't like to rank anything. There is good stuff and bad stuff, mediocre is the worst. To be honest, there aren't so many good comics made if you compare with other arts. I think the best comics are still to be made. At the moment there are interesting artists doing very good books. I really like most of what Ruppert & Mulot have done and the two books from Olivier Schrauwen are just mind-blowing. C.F.'s Powr Mastrs is very good, I just hope he manages to get to the final issue. Gary Panter is always good. All these four we've published here in Finland also. I also like a lot Yuichi Yokoyama's work. Swedish Joakim Pirinen is really good and inspired me a lot when I started, it's still good. From the older ones I bow to Edward Gorey, McCay and Crumb, of course. That stuff never gets old.

As told, I'm working in Finland at Kutikuti studio which, in my honest opinion, gathers many good artists together. Amanda Vähämäki and Aapo Rapi are very good both and you can expect a lot from them. Aapo's Meti (that's just now about to be released in French) is one of the best comic books I've read. 70s Finnish artist Kalervo Palsa (who died during 80s) combined heartbreaking stories with very explicit material. Matti Hagelberg is always good and so is Jyrki Nissinen, a guy a bit younger than me that hasn't really been translated so much into other languages. We'll try to get him to MoCCA next spring so you'll see...

As said earlier, comics are a young art form with a short history, still taking steps forward. I hope to read better comics in the future, if the future still contains comics. I hope so, but I can see the margins struggling everywhere. Well, it's not only comics, all the margins are getting smaller, while mainstream is turning into something I call "the collective mind".

LINKS

Tommi's blog
Our review of Walking with Samuel
Buy Walking with Samuel and any or all of Tommi's books from Boing Being
Buy The First Book of Hope and The Second Book of Hope from Bries