Crystal Fractal Comics coverage from Wizard World Toronto

During Wizard World’s Toronto Comic Con on April 14 and 15, I attended the event as an exhibitor with Crystal Fractal Comics. This was my first experience on the other side of the table, as it were, and definitely differed from my experiences both as media and as a fan. Although I spent much of the event encouraging fans to give the Crystal Fractals books a try, Derrek Lennox, CFC founder/publisher, and I ended up giving a number of interviews to small press. We’re still waiting for the rest to be posted, but here is the first of three conducted at Wizard World Toronto. This first one features myself being interviewed by “Rich known as Jack” of Jack and Pookie publishing as we discuss the Crystal Fractal Universe and what we have in store as we continue to build the company. Enjoy!

Comic Book Interviews dot Com

The interview I conducted with Derrek has been posted at www.comicbookinterviews.com.

Here's the direct link.

One Page At A Time Interview...Royal McGraw

This week's interview is with Royal McGraw, writer of feature films, television, graphic novels, and video games. Royal is best known for his work on the DC Comics’ flagship title Detective Comics (Batman) and the Batman: Battle for the Cowl tie-in, Commissioner Gordon #1.



For more information about Royal, please check out his website right here.

Before we begin, just a quick note...this will be the last installment of ONE PAGE AT A TIME for a while. I'll likely pick it up again in the summer or fall. But for now...on with the show!

DC: Did you start reading comics as a kid or was your introduction to the medium later on? Were there any influential creators or stories (comics, prose, movies, etc.) that made an impression on your young brain?

RM: Absolutely. I'm a longtime comics reader. I'm sure he was unhappy about this, but my introduction to comics came via my grandfather and his Christmas present to me, The Smithsonian Book of Comic Book Comics.

It's a grand collection. Among other issues, it contained Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27, Pogo Possum #3, and several wonderful EC Comics war, crime, and humor excerpts.

From there, I moved on to DC and Marvel and Impact! comics. The Impact! titles, especially The Comet and Black Hood, were especially influential, because of both the high quality of the writing and the aggressive pricing strategy that let me (a kid with not much money) buy them.

DC: So, when did you know you wanted to be a creator, and what were the first steps you took to set you on the path?

RM: Like most professional writers I've met, the answer is pretty simple. I've been writing (and also drawing, but badly) for as long as I could hold a pen and work a keyboard.

I wrote and illustrated dozens of stories in elementary and middle school, and I drew well over a thousand comic strips. Some were printed in my school paper, but most are lost to time.

File under crazy but true: I bought my car in high school with money I got from winning essay contests. It wasn't a great car, but still... The power of writing came through for me then, and it continues to do so.

DC: Is there a typical process that you use to create a script for comics? Or is it different each time, depending on the story?



RM: Everything starts with a pitch. I tend to be pretty detailed – I'll admit, sometimes too detailed – so once I have a gig, I know roughly what I'm going to do.

After I land a gig, I'll thumbnail out images and panels to hammer out the visual flow. These thumbnails are an important part of my process, but I usually keep them to myself.

Artists know their own craft better than I do. I'd rather not poison their process with my shoddy attempts at illustration. With rare exceptions, pages have always come back better than I'd hoped.

After I have the basic visual structure, I'll write the dialogue, looking for a strong, verbal hook to open and close. When I have that, I'll go back to my thumbnails. Finally, I'll type it all up and revise, revise, revise.

DC: You've written some of the most iconic characters in all of fiction. What was it like writing Batman and various members of his family?



RM: It was great. I've always loved Batman’s universe, especially the rogues, and I would've killed for a chance to write him. Fortunately, I didn't have to. Unlike Gabriel Byrne in Cool World, I don't think a stretch in prison would help my work come to life.

I'll also note that Batman was my big break. I'd won a number of writing awards before then, gotten an agent, gotten some heat, that sort of thing, but working on Detective Comics was my first real gig.

As such, I felt a tremendous amount of pressure to live up to my own expectations. Did I succeed? Did I fail? Readers can judge for themselves.

I will say that writing for Batman was the single greatest piece of writing instruction I've ever received. You can be a good band in your hometown, but a year on tour makes you professional caliber in any town.

DC: I'm curious about the nuances of working with a big company like DC. Is there more red tape involved in getting a story accepted? Are there various levels of Editorial that have to approve your concepts?

RM: Smaller companies have less total bureaucracy, sure, but that doesn't mean they are any more or less easy to deal with. Or any faster. It all comes down to the people, who you know and how you know them.

There are two things you have to remember when dealing with a comics company. First, the editors take pitches from lots of people, not just you. Be polite and cut to the chase. Second, they have bigger names than you writing for them. If you and somebody big are pitching similar projects, yours will not be the one they select. It's okay. Nothing personal. Just business.

Writing is an endurance sport. It takes endurance to get things written, and it takes endurance to wait for your shot.

DC: When you write for a big company, are you involved in all stages of the process? Do you have input when the pencils come in? Do you get to see the inks and the colors? Do you have a chance to take a look at the letters and make any changes?

RM: I look at letters on the inked pages to make sure everything I'd written translated. At this point, I can amend a line that doesn't work, or I can add an explainer caption to clarify a wonky panel.

When I do independent comics, I letter the pages myself, partly because it's a fun change of pace to turn off my word brain for a while and do graphic design, and partly, because I consider lettering to be the final stage of comics writing.



DC: Any tips on pitching to editors that you've picked up while working at DC?

RM: You should know an editor's property better than he or she does. Comic companies are a big black box. You simply can't know what they are planning to do six months from now, but they do. Your best weapon is to stay in the know and provide some sense of history or marketplace in your conversations.

You should also try to give them something they can sell. If you're a big name or your personal narrative is compelling in some way, it could just be you being placed on the title. Grant Morrison, for instance, needs no introduction. If he's on a book, it'll move copies. If you're not Grant, you need to provide something genius, something they feel they need to publish.

DC: When working with a character like Batman, for example, do you find that you come up with stories by beginning with the character, or by focusing on potential plot ideas? Or is there even a difference in those two things?

RM: For me, there is no difference between plot and character. If you have a plot or character arc that actually works – not one that you think works, but one that actually works – the other will work, too.

That said, I usually start from a narrative hook, a big idea designed to draw a reader in, and then I work out the cool, end-of-issue twist. From there, I fill out the middle with riffs on theme.



DC: Do you have any thoughts on the difference between writing shorter versus longer stories?

RM: Personally, I've never felt there was much difference between doing a shorter story and a longer story. Both require you to put together a beginning, a middle, and an end, and wrap it all up with some sort of dramatic synthesis.

The exception comes in super-short works – those tend to function more like individual scenes. Scenes still have all the elements I listed above, but you don't have to worry about any grander continuity. However, you still need to hit hard, and it can be tricky to throw a punch in a confined space.

DC: Does research play a big role in your writing? What form does research usually take for you?

RM: It depends on the project. There's an old adage about writing what you know. When I'm doing that, I don't need to do much research, and I feel pretty free to have fun.

When I don't know something, or I don't have a take that riffs on what I do know, that's when research comes in. It's never as free, but it can be cool – especially if you can latch onto a big idea.

That said, some writers are funny, some nail action or drama... I'd list research as my ace in the hole. Both of my parents were college professors, and somehow because of them, I'm really good at cramming and synthesizing data and then turning it into something dramatic.

DC: Do you have a set schedule for writing? Or is it more of a day-by-day thing?

RM: For the last year, I've been working for Electronic Arts as a game writer. This has kept my schedule pretty locked to the standard 9 to 6 plus whatever else I'm doing on the side. I do miss seeing movies at noon on a weekday, though.

That said, if I was writing on my own, I'd be keeping similar hours or (more likely) much worse.

DC: How do you deal with writer's block?

RM: It never really comes up, or at least, not in an unmanageable way. I've generally got a few projects in the works, and one of them will always need attention.

If I do hit an impasse on something due immediately – which generally doesn't occur –I'll write other scenes around the trouble spot. Then later, I'll think about the issue while at the gym or in the shower.

DC: Do you have any advice for creators, specifically writers in this case, who'd like to break into comics?

RM: It's a long, hard road, and the rewards are few – at least, at first. The most important thing is that you feel compelled to do the work. If so, you are 90% of the way there. Why? Because you'll be writing anyway, no matter what anyone says. Sooner or later, somebody will say yes to you.

Think about it this way: if you hate the idea of spending one third of your life typing, one third of your life fishing for more opportunities to type, and one third trying to sleep while knowing you have more typing to do, writing is not for you. Quite literally, anything else will make you happier.

Also, I've met a bunch of really talented writers and artists that couldn't handle the stress of an arts career. It's no sin: at some point, you need to find a life that works for you.

DC: You've written for many different media (screenplays, video games, comic books, TV, etc.). Do you have a favorite?

RM: There are some differences in execution and attack, but no, I don't love one final media over the other. My media is words on paper, and through that, I hope to inspire cool work in others.

That said, I do have a preference for serialized entertainment because I love being able to riff on whatever topic inspires me today.

DC: Are certain types of stories...or certain types of characters...or certain types of scenes...best suited to one medium over another? For example, when you're brainstorming, do you ever come up with ideas that you know will work best in comics rather than film?

RM: No. I don't think core ideas are tethered to any medium. However, there are storytelling methods that favor a particular final media.

For instance, when I'm writing a comic, I try to tell a story on two fronts, using both captions and scenework to harmonious (or ironic) advantage. I wouldn't do this in other media because I don't have captions to work with.

DC: Have you ever had a scene (in any medium) that was a problem for you to crack? One that kept you up at night? What process did you use to go about breaking through?

RM: My toughest scenes are always scenes of exposition. You're not really a writer until you've written a scene where somebody explains something boring and expositive thirty times, trying to get it to be exciting and non-expositive.

There's an impossible balance that has to be struck in a scene like that – be informative and also be entertaining – and it never ceases to challenge. I've done it right before, and I'll do it right again, but it's hard work every time.

DC: Do you have any upcoming projects (again, in any medium) that you'd like to promote?

RM: Sure, I've taken over as "showrunner" on Cause of Death for Electronics Arts. Cause of Death is an interactive detective thriller, and it is available in the iPhone App store in both paid (ad free) and free (ad supported) versions. I can promise that the next few volumes will go to some interesting places.



I've also got a few other projects in the works, some getting off the ground, others about to drop, but I'm not at liberty to discuss any of them until we get closer to final release.

DC: Thanks so much for your time Royal. Your insights into writing and the industry are much appreciated.

RM: Thanks for having me! I hope I helped.


A big "thank you" to Derrek Lennox and Crystal Fractal Comics, who hosted these interviews for me. Check out their website right here: www.crystalfractals.com.

One Page At A Time Interview...Pj Perez

This week's interview is with Pj Perez...writer, artist, publisher and editor (along with musician, journalist and no doubt, a lot of other cool things too!). PJ is based in Las Vegas, and you can check him out on the web right here:

http://www.bleedingneon.com/

and

www.popgoestheicon.com



DC: The earliest memories I have of reading comics are Peanuts, Richie Rich, and some tattered old Brave and Bolds. After that I started to gravitate to DC Digests, which I still think are an amazing way to get cheap reprints out there. Then I started to get a bit more fanboyish and collect specific titles and creator runs. How about you...were you into comics as a kid? Any memories of your earliest issues or titles?

Pj: I've been reading comics for as long as I can remember. The very first actual comic books I distinctively recall reading were two different titles, both featuring Superman: One was a comic DC produced for Radio Shack, featuring the TRS-80 Whiz Kids, I believe. It might have co-starred Wonder Woman, as well. The other was an issue of DC Comics Presents, though I don't remember the specifics. All of this was around 1980 or '81, I'd guess.

Like you, after that I gravitated to specific titles, becoming a HUGE Marvel Zombie at an early age, probably about the time Secret Wars came out. There was this used book store around the corner from my townhouse in Panorama City, Calif. that sold old comic books for 25 or 50 cents each. They just had shelves packed with boxes stuffed full of unbagged, variable condition comics. The store smelled musty, like a good used book store should. I still have the copy of Marvel Tales reprinting a Spider-Man vs. the Kingpin story I bought there.

From there, I moved up to buying pre-packed comics at toy stores, and then drug stores/newsstands, and then full-on comic book stores by the time I hit my pre-teens.

DC: Did you have any interest in humour comics like Mad or Cracked? Did comic strips (dailies in the newspaper or collected editions) make an impact on you?

Pj: Oh, heck yes. I was a Cracked fiend. I liked Mad too, but Cracked felt a bit more contemporary. Plus, it had John Severin doing art, who's one of my all-time favorite artists. My mom used to take me to lunch every week and she'd buy me a new issue of Cracked. For a while, I wanted to pitch story ideas to Cracked, but, well, never did.

As for comic strips, you have no idea. I've loved every form of sequential art, but comic strips actually have a special place for me. Like most kids (or, I guess most kids), I grew up ravaging the Sunday comics section out of my parents' paper, but I would also get the daily paper for two things: the comics page, and the stock reports (don't ask). I bought collections as well, everything from Garfield and Heathcliff to Bloom County and Doonesbury. Heck, I just got the Calvin & Hobbes treasury for some holiday a few years ago.

In my collection of homemade comics from my childhood, I have a bunch of newspaper comic strip-format stuff I made, from funny animals to superheroes. That was the neat thing about newspaper comic pages to me -- you could go from absurdist humor to wrought drama. There was something for everyone. Anyway, I actually developed a strip to pitch to the Philadelphia Inquirer when I was 13 or 14. I don't remember what it was, but I remember working on it and thinking it might be worthy. Not sure if I ever did submit it. A few years later, I had an even crazier idea: Adapting the TV soap opera "Days of our Lives" as an action-oriented comic strip.

Yes, I know that sounds ridiculous

DC: Good point about the multiple genres available in "the funnies". I always thought that it was strange that comic books were looked down on by adults (when I was a kid...I know it's different now) but comic strips in the newspapers were generally well respected. There's not that much of a difference at the core except for the delivery method. I wonder if the various genres in the newspaper is what appealed to adults, as opposed to the superheroes on the spinner rack.

(Not sure if there's a question there Pj, just enjoying the discussion...)

Pj: Well, the comic strips come disguised in an already "adult"-geared medium (the newspaper), so maybe that's the thing. It's just another section you hit between the crossword puzzle and the sports page.

DC: Who were the writers (in any medium) and artists that made/make the biggest impression on you (in your youth and now)?

Pj: Ah, the old "who are your influences" question, eh? I don't really think I can horn in on specific influences, especially when it comes to writing. I mean, I learned how to tell stories by reading comics & books and by watching movies & TV, so technically, ALL of the writers behind all those things made an impression on me.

Now when it comes to art, this is a little more specific. I spent years trying to ape John Byrne, John Romita, Jr., David Mazzucchelli, John Buscema, Frank Miller and Jack Kirby. Especially the first two in that list. Especially, in my younger years, Byrne. It took me a while to come around to Kirby, but he's probably overtaken anyone else in terms of setting the bar for visual comic storytelling. No news there, right?

DC: How did your love of comics feed into your desire to tell stories? Do you think your appreciation of the medium helped to light your creative spark?

Pj: Hmm. I honestly don't remember a time when I wasn't telling stories. I had a really active imagination as a kid. My artistic talents were encouraged at a very early age (recovering hippie parents), and I've been able to read since I was a toddler, so I've been communicating through words or pictures since before I can recall.

I guess comics honed that, in one direction. It merged my love for writing and drawing, and from ages 9 to about 15, I created HUNDREDS of homemade comics (including those comic strips I mentioned earlier), starting off with rough, one-page ditties featuring my favorite Marvel characters, and eventually turning into an entire line of comics averaging about 12 pages. A month. No kidding, I was writing and drawing probably eight to 10 monthly titles of that length by the time I hit high school, all intertwined in one "universe" of stories.

But I also loved journalism (though surely I didn't know the term at the time), and started multiple homegrown publications throughout my youth, starting with a photocopied, hand-distributed school newspaper in junior high, all the way through self-publishing a 'zine in my late teens. I guess I got bit early by all of my creative interests!

DC: I'd like to talk about process, a topic that I'm really interested in...When I was first starting out, I would always be looking for that winning formula that would allow me to come up with a perfect script. I soon realized it doesn't exist and every writer does things differently, and every story is arrived at via a different process.

Having said all that...is there a "typical" way that you come up with a completed script? And how does the process change for you when you're working on a story that you're going to draw yourself versus one that's for another artist?

Pj: As you figured, there is no "typical" process. It all depends on the venue, the creator situation, etc.

For example, with The Utopian, which was a webcomic I did as a one-man show, I started with a loose plot featuring tent-pole moments that needed to be reached, but in the process of filling in the paths to those moments, things would change and shift around the arc of the story. I rarely wrote full scripts, instead outlining general emotions and actions in thumbnail sketches, and then writing full dialog after the artwork was finished (Marvel method, I guess).

That's usually the way I'll work when it's just me. General plot, thumbnail layouts, art and then script. Or at least layouts and then script and finally, art.

When I'm writing for other artists, I basically use the same method -- I'm a very visual person and have trouble pacing a story without drawing it out. So I'll write an overall plot synopsis, again, noting the tent-pole moments of the story. Then I'll do thumbnails to break the story down into pages and panels. Then I'll write the script from that, basing the descriptions of the panels on my breakdowns. That's what the artist gets, plus any character designs and thumbnails as needed. Usually, after the art actually gets done, the dialog might change a bit, of course.

DC: What's your elevator pitch for The Utopian?



Pj: Elevator pitch, eh? "Kick-Ass meets V for Vendetta."

Actually, that's not it, but that's what a comic shop owner recently called it. I do have a standard line that I use at appearances, something to the effect of "It's the story of a disillusioned teenager trying to change the system but finding himself changed instead -- dramatically."

Problem is, that doesn't say much specifically about the Utopian, and because of the nature of its unexpected twists and turns, it's hard to say more without giving it all away.

DC: Continuing with The Utopian...can you describe your process for arriving at the character and the story? Now...that naturally feeds into another discussion about the core of this story...is the focus on the character or the plot? In your mind, is there a big distinction between those two things?

Pj: Well, the Utopian had its/his birth with the less-gracious name of "P-Man." "P-Man" was one of a batch of those homemade comics I mentioned earlier. It was not the first or last to feature a character who was basically my avatar. I think I created it when I was 14 or 15, and I was hyper-aware of having to make changes in my own life. I was -- and I know this will come as a TOTAL shock -- kind of a nerd for most of my life through freshman year of high school. I was your standard, non-athletic, unpopular comic book geek (I suppose now comic geeks are much cooler). People knew me only because I was also a smart-ass (which earned me "best sense of humor" in my 6th grade yearbook) and I could draw stuff. But between my freshman and sophomore years, my family moved (back) to Las Vegas from the suburban quiet of Eastern Pennsylvania, and I took that as an opportunity to reinvent myself. Bleached my hair. Got contact lenses. Bought a new wardrobe. Changed my name. (You didn't think "PJ" was my birth name, right?)

"P-Man" was my way of dealing with being a nobody -- in the story, the fictional PJ Perez is also a relative nobody, but when he dons his hat and coat, people take notice. So much so that the football star tries (unsuccessfully) to emulate him. Even at that tender age, I was aware that my "uncool" was not just a personal feeling, but a symptom of a larger institutional inequality -- the same caste system that seems to exist in every level of school I've ever attended.

At some point in that story, much like in the middle of the Utopian saga, fictional me undergoes this intense near-death experience and comes out the other side armed with weird mystical powers. But that was for real in the context of the story, and actually played into this magical mythology I had built from an earlier PJ-avatar character, and ... we're getting off topic here.



Somewhere down the line, maybe a year or two later, from a very different perspective in my life (having been tainted by sex, drugs, cars, girls, violence, etc.), I reworked the story about to where it is today -- a teenager so frustrated by the system and the bullshit around him, he decides to use his own anonymity to do something about it, to attempt to force a "Utopian" world. And ... here we are, 18 years later.

One more thing: Where it concerns the Utopian, the character IS the plot. Almost the entire story is told from James' perspective, and that's because we're just along for the ride inside his mind and life. Everything is colored through his perception. One of my readers wrote to me to presume that James is the "unreliable narrator," and that even stuff in the story that seemed to happen "for real" didn't.

DC: Can you give an example of a particularly difficult scene that you had to write? ... One that was keeping you up at night? And what strategies did you use to break through?

Pj: I can tell you that I struggled with how to get from point A to point B with The Utopian. I knew what happened to a certain dramatic point, and I knew how I wanted it to end, but I had no idea how to connect the two. It certainly didn't keep me up at night, but for weeks I kept scribbling down ideas for scenes, but still no reasonable plot conclusion. As usual, the solution came to me while in the bathroom.

I don't want to gross out anyone, but most of my "ah-ha!" moments when it comes to storytelling happen in the john. Or brushing my teeth. You know, quiet time. ;)

DC: You're publishing, editing, and contributing to an anthology, Omega Comics Presents. Personally, I'm a big fan of anthologies. I love to get a variety of voices and art styles in one package. However, every time I read any articles about them, they all seem to make the point that they're a hard sell in the marketplace. What's your take on anthologies, from each one of your perspectives (publisher, editor and creator)?



Pj: It's funny: when comic books first started being published, they were all anthologies. It wasn't until particular characters became very popular that they would star in "feature-length" stories.

But I get why anthologies are a hard sell. For the most part, especially in the indie market, they're a hodge-podge of untested, unfamiliar material. This brings up a point I think is important: to me, there are two kinds of comic book readers. One is a fan of the medium, and it's capacity for storytelling beyond books or movies. They will take a chance on new things, because they love good stories being told.
The other type of reader is the fanboy. I don't mean to be patronizing, but these are the people who buy every issue tied into Blackest Night because they're conditioned to, the people who bitch on forums and refuse to read anything else other than the core titles featuring their favorite characters. Unfortunately, these people are the rule, not the exception -- though I think that is changing as, to be honest, that generation of fanboys ages and makes room for a new type of reader. Who knows what they'll be like?

To be honest, the anthologies I've published have not done well. Diamond hasn't picked them up. They haven't sold well at conventions or really even online sales. That's partially my fault for being too democratic with my editorial process. The stories -- and I think all of them have been quality, otherwise I would have never published them -- have been too different in style, genre, pacing. We're going to try something different this year. Something more like one-shots with backups. More focused, more robust. We'll see.

DC: How did Tales From The Boneyard come together, and was the process of putting it together different from the way you put Omega Comics Presents together? Are there plans for a second volume?



Pj: Tales from the Boneyard was very purpose-driven: To create an anthology by Vegas creators to benefit a Vegas institution (in this case, the Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival). Unlike Omega Comics Presents, a general call for submissions was not put out. I hand-picked the talent featured in the book from the great pool of folks we have here in Sin City. And because all the stories had to be based around the same theme, there was much tighter editorial control.

We had a great response (both financially and critically) to TFTBY, but I'm not sure I'm ready to do another anthology on that order in 2011. Other forthcoming projects are already sucking up my time.

DC: You've got extensive experience in music and journalism in addtion to your work in comics. Perhaps a bit of background is necessary before you get to my actual question, but basically...what I'm wondering is...Do these various forms of creative output all feed into each other for you, or do you keep them compartmentalized?

Pj: Every aspect of my life blends together when it comes to complementary skill sets. As early as my teens playing in bands, my skills as an illustrator came in handy for designing album and flier art. My journalistic skills play into writing web content and press releases. My editorial experience obviously allows me to be very hands-on in many aspects of publishing comics. And all of this stuff actually comes together for making comics themselves. I often liken the indie comic industry to the indie music industry, and with good reason: They're both struggling against a larger (failing) corporate machine, and both trying to stay one step ahead of the changes in media consumption formats and habits.

DC: Is writer's block an issue for you? If so, any strategies or suggestions for how to combat it?

Pj: I don't know if writer's block is as much an issue as schedule block for me. Between constantly changing hats, from editor to publisher to writer to illustrator to webmaster to drummer to housekeeper to boyfriend, the only real block to getting writing done is my own constant need for multitasking.

DC: Do you try to keep a regular schedule for writing? Or do you just fit it in whenever and wherever you can?

Pj: This is actually an issue I've been trying to get a handle on. I'm full of ideas. I come up with new ideas for comics or TV shows or movies or songs every day. But I'm bad at execution, at sitting down and hammering out the nitty-gritty details. What I've been trying to force myself to do is stop taking on so many projects and focusing on just one or two per month (as much as possible). So yes, ongoing I have my band, I have Pop! Goes the Icon business, etc., but this month I'm finishing a screenplay. And next month I'm drawing a comic. And the month after, I'm writing a novel. It rarely works out that way, but if I give it a go, at least I can say I tried.

DC: Do you have any advice for creators who are trying to make a name for themselves and break into comics?

Pj: Let me just say that when I have figured out that particular conundrum, I'll get back to you. :)

DC: Do you have any upcoming projects that you'd like to promote?

Pj: I've been doing a lot of planning and writing, comics-wise, not as much production -- at least nothing the general public will see. I don't know when this will run, but my latest work is the concluding chapter of "Omega," the action-espionage serial that's been running in the anthology I edit, Omega Comics Presents. That drops early in April. Oh, and hey, I think there's a Dino Caruso joint in there too. But seriously, I think this chapter is the best drawn one yet, which is good and bad, because it makes the others look miserable by comparison.

DC: Thank you so much for your time PJ. It was a pleasure chatting with you!

Pj: Thanks Dino!!



As always, thanks to Derrek Lennox and Crystal Fractal Comics for hosting this interview. Check 'em out at: www.crystalfractals.com!

One Page At A Time Interview...Skipper Martin

This week's interview is with Skipper Martin, writer and creator of Bizarre New World.



DC: Have you been a lifelong comic book fan, or is it something you came to later on?

SM: The very first comic I remember reading was a "Back To The Future" book. I hated it. Despised it is more like it. I wasn't aware or cared about the cartoon show it was based on, I wanted a continuation of the movies! That was my first taste into the unique world of comics. I hated that particular comic, but was in love with the idea I could get something in that little book I couldn't get anywhere else. When Superman died I got my first taste of a compelling story I really COULDN'T get anywhere else! I was a teenager at the time, but there was something really magical about this medium that most people I knew weren't reading. It felt almost like a private club you shared with others who 'got it.' I began to read a bit more while the whole Superman dying and returning thing played out, there was good stuff too be found for sure. Soon I was hooked on the "Knightfall" saga over in the Batman books, and my interest was really starting to take hold. I enjoyed the books, but deep down never took them as seriously as novels or movies - my idea of what 'real' stories were.

One day I was in the store I frequented and asked the owner for something really great to try out, not your usual superhero tights and capes stuff. He handed me "Grendel: War Child." Now this was tapping a vein! That book destroyed my concept of comic books. It was intense, original, engrossing, and one of the coolest things I'd ever laid eyes on. Now I was hungry to try more of THIS kind of jazz! In another store I asked a friend of mine Craig Stone what was worth looking at and he handed me the Garth Ennis penned "Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits." That of course led to "Preacher." One of the single best stories written in any medium.

I look back on all the comics I've read, and those early favorites still stand on top of the heap. Another book I can't say enough about is David Lapham's "Stray Bullets." That book was a jaw dropper. Powerful storytelling in a stripped down package. He also drew one of my favorite single issue books of all time - "Plasm #0". I know that book gets a lot of flack, but that first issue is one of my very favorite reads to this day. I love originality. Anyone can tell f*@king vampire, zombie, dude in a cape tale. Sometimes it feels like everyone has! That book was something totally unique. That's what I'm always on the lookout for.

DC: I totally agree with you about Preacher. That book has made a huge impact on me, and to this day, I continue to regard it as a milestone in comics and storytelling. That's actually a pretty nice segue there for my next question, which is...have you always been interested in writing and telling stories? And how has your "day job" (which is a tremendously cool one!) affected you as a writer/storyteller?

I don't think I consciously ever saw myself as a writer, even when I started doing it. My storytelling is ultimately the byproduct of watching too many television shows, movies, and a healthy dose of book reading. I noticed probably in my teens that when I told anecdotes I naturally built in beats. I wouldn't just regurgitate the bullet points, but build to highs and lows instinctually. When the time came to try to write something, it felt very natural to put myself behind someone else's eyeballs and see what they saw, feel what they felt, and imagine how I / they would react to something. I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I would just keep finding obstacles, and creative ways to deal with those obstacles. I consider writing that first issue of Bizarre New World one of my very first attempts at storytelling. It was daunting as hell, but I believed so passionately in my ideas that I just refused to doubt I wasn't qualified to even attempt it.

As for your second question about my "day job," for those who don't know I'm a colorist at Universal Studios. That means I color television shows and feature films. I don't 'color' in the sense of a comic book colorist, meaning I don't take a black and white image and make color where there isn't any. I take the color that was captured in the camera and enhance or manipulate what's already there. All shows and movies get 'color correction,' and that's the part of the process I'm involved in. Sadly, I have to admit I don't believe it's really affected me in the slightest in regards to storytelling. I find what I do for a living mostly mechanical. Yes, it can be creative to a certain extent, but as much as I enjoy my work, and feel very fortunate to be doing it, I think the only real answer to your question that applies is that it made me seriously want another outlet to truly explore my creative side. The only other influence it may have is how I perceive color and evaluate it. I bring a different sensibility to how I want things to look in a very general sense. It doesn't make my opinion 'right' or 'more correct,' just a different and possibly unique point of view. Or more likely I'm totally full of cow patties and fooling myself. Take your pick.

DC: When you wrote that first issue of Bizarre New World, did you have a plan in mind for an eventual finished product? For example, did you know for sure that you wanted it to be a comic? Were you planning on pitching it to a variety of companies? Or was it more of a personal project?



SM: I hatched the idea in 1999. For 5 years I sweated it out not knowing if I could tell such a large canvas tale. I really didn't know what I COULD do with it. Even if I wrote the greatest screenplay, could it ever actually get produced? I thought it could make a great comic, but I didn't know if that was really the path for it. I sought out some advice from a friend of mine named Blair Marnell who worked on a comic news column called "All The Rage." He thought it would make a great comic and led me to an old chum of mine - artist Tone Rodriguez. Tone thought I was a dreamer who wouldn't actually take his advice, but gave me advice he did. He suggested first getting my story together. I was hoping to find someone to collaborate with, but he thought I should really try to do it on my own. I chickened out and asked a friend to help me kick around ideas - music video director Lex Halaby. Lex didn't give me my story, but cleverly steered me towards finding it myself. Then luck struck and the whole tale popped into my head. I banged it out in a couple of weeks and by late October 2005 I had a basic outline for the entire core series that has changed very little to this day. I showed it to Tone, well…told it to him verbally while he was sketching is what really happened. What he was sketching was a loose interpretation of my main character Paul based on what I said he kind of looked like, a sort of alternate version of me. Now I had a real mental image to hang on to and really hit the ground running. I followed more of his advice he thought I'd ignore and found artist Christopher Provencher on Digital Webbing. Tone introduced me to Wes Dzioba who was at the time coloring his book U.T.F. - Undead Task Force, and presto I had an art team in place. No publisher, no clue, no problem, just start pushing the snowball down the hill and see what she turns in to. So I wrote issue one knowing it was in fact a comic with 22 page beats I needed to hit with cliffhangers and so on. I had no clue on how to pitch it to companies, so I had no plan there. When the art starting coming together so well I decided to use Image Comics submission guidelines for my pitch package. Tone and Will Wilson put me in front of Ape Entertainment, and the rest is history, In retrospect, it was very foolish of me to not shop the book around. Even if Ape was the perfect place for the book, I should've shopped it to see what all my options really were. The book turned out to be much stronger than I ever imagined,

It will always be a very personal project for me, and not because of the cameos or inspirations from my life. Bizarre New World is the ultimate expression of something that is totally and completely my own idea. It could be loved or hated, praised or ignored, but in the end it's a tale I wanted to see told that I hadn't seen before. I was willing to empty my bank account because I believed (and still do) that I was telling a unique tale worth telling. Time will tell if others agree with me, but come hook or crook I'm finishing what I started. And that in itself will be all the vindication I need.

DC: So, what was (and is) your process for scripting? Do you do thumbnails, write full script, plots, etc? And how has your process evolved since you first started out?

Oh man, my scripts are pathetic! Hackery from the desk of Klaus Von Hackenstein! Seeing what other comic writers do with their scripts makes me ill even thinking about it. My opinion on comic scripting is a bit, well, terrible, but it works for me. I tried doing it the 'right' way, I really did. Chris was the first artist I wrote a script for, and I tried the whole panel / page breakdown thing, and he kindly asked me "Do you really need to do that? I'd rather break it down myself." I was ridiculously relieved, and more importantly it answered a burning question that really bothers me to this day. How could a writer, ANY writer be arrogant enough to tell an artist how to tell a visual story? Arrogant is a very strong word, and I understand that if a writer feels they know exactly what works best on a page, so be it. But if a writer's strength is really that strong visually, then why aren't they artists? Other writers blush at how I feel about this, but seriously, don't tell me you can't draw a stick figure for beans, but somehow know better than a trained artist how something should be done visually. It makes no sense to me. Now if you're working with a green artist, fair enough, but if you're working with someone you trust, it feels like pure arrogance to tell that person how to draw something. Am I being a jerk with my answer? Probably. If an artist wants my input, I'm happy to give it, but by allowing the artist to figure out the visual beats, it forces the artistically minded (and trained) person on the team to deal with getting the tale across the best way possible. The credit is given to the penciler, as it damn well should be. My book does not say "Pencils by Christopher Provencher (with direction and layout suggestions by Skipper Martin." He gets the credit for the visuals, I get credit for creating the characters, story, plot, dialog, whatever. I believe the only real reason a person should be writing a script that way is if you don't know who the artist is going to be. If your writing a script blindly, than it's perfectly understandable you'd want to be as clear as possible about your intentions. I've heard the reasoning some writers have for heavily detailed scripts is exactly this. Who knows, you could get a terrible artist totally misinterpret your tale. I get that, I really do. But if you're actually working with someone on a project, I'll always elect to keep my scripts simple with plenty of areas for the artist to inject their own interpretation of what is the very best way to make that story leap off the page and lick the reader's face like a deranged puppy hopped up on a six pack of Red Bull.

How has my scripting evolved since I started? I'm sure all of my artists will agree -not much at all. My 'nom de plume' may (and probably should) be Klaus Von Hackenstein, but you can call me Hack for short.

DC: Despite the fantastic premise, Bizarre New World is actually a very personal story. In the world you created, where Paul (your main character) can fly...was it a challenge to keep the narrative rooted and tell an emotional story that you and your readers can make a genuine connection to?



SM: I think that's the only kind of tale I'm equipped to tell. I've since learned when I've tried writing other material, or been asked to write something outside of my comfort zone, the only way I can make it work is by finding some way to connect to it emotionally. I'm very much my own audience. In fact I think of myself more of an audience member than writer. I literally put on a play in my head and throw up on my stage what I want to see. If I can create a connection emotionally that makes me care about what I see up there, then it becomes something I can relate to, care about, and transcribe for the reader what it is in fact I see on that stage. Only when I care does it ever work for me. It's almost a built in blind spot. If I find myself writing a scene that's boring me to tears, or in some way is incredibly difficult to see in my head, the most common problem is the scene sucks! It's like my bread crumbs leading home are suddenly invisible. Try as I might I just cannot see which way to go. This is usually the alarm bell that tells me I'm writing something I cannot relate to, and therefore the audience won't relate to. If I don't care, how can I expect the audience to care?

The most challenging aspect of writing a tale like this is? Three things spring to mind.

One:
I didn't think I could tell a tale with such a large canvas. My character is really only the first to fly. The entire world soon follows him into the air! My story was always about exploring a flying human world, but it all starts with one normal schlub. How the hell can I tell a story that effects the WORLD when I've never left the USA, and barely ever traveled out of my own home state?!?

Two:
Researching all the many aspects of human flight and how the world might deal with it.

Three:
Finding just the right balance of information to lack of information. The only way this tale works for me and keeps it real / tangible is to give enough information about the mechanics of human's flying without over selling it and killing the magic of it all. Human flight is absurd and patently ridiculous - so says the writer of the book! I needed to make it something that felt actually possible, but avoided veering off into silly. I think the choice to keep humanity fragile helped this a lot. Flying doesn't make one super-powered, and being just as fragile as we are now forces the characters to deal with the very real consequences of abusing the gift of flight.

I was also scared to death that I couldn't see around my own corners. Was there something that I was doing that was preventing the reader from getting into the tale? Where were MY blind spots? I realized later that flying is something all humans want to do naturally. It's why we so commonly dream of flying, we all want to do it! So since we've all fantasized about it, I'm literally just giving the audience what they already want. Therefore it's incredibly easy for the audience to go along with this simple (if ridiculous) notion because we've all imagined ourselves doing it! I'm the pusher in a crack house! "Hey, anyone want some of what I got?!?"

DC: The Bizarre New World webcomics are an exciting development for your characters and universe. How does writing short stories differ from crafting longer ones? And since you're working with other writers and artists...is it a challenge to suddenly start wearing an "editor's hat" in addition to your usual responsibilities?

SM: I think the answer to the first part of your question (long vs. short) depends on the specifics. In my case I really only wanted to include tales that stood by themselves as complete miniature stories. I may not have perfectly succeeded with that lofty goal, but I did try. Forcing myself and the other writers to make each and every tale have "THE END" as a necessary ingredient doesn't let any of us off the hook. We all have to present characters with a conflict, and somehow resolve that conflict, but in a very limited space. Short fiction is very much its own art. Getting the reader to give a damn in that short a space it trick all by itself. There are a few instances where stories continue elsewhere, but it's rare in my collection. Not having the most experience as a writer myself, I can only say that for me I find the exercise very very fun. I don't have to worry about big lofty complicated structures and sweeping character arcs. I've got to stay tightly focused on getting every nuance in there that matters, and only the ones that matter. There's no time to dilly-dally! I probably enjoy short work more than long. If done correctly, it's very difficult to ever get stale because you're done writing it so quickly. At least that's how it is for me.

As for working with other artists and writers, that's rewarding in a very different way. I finally get to be the audience of my own tale! If BNW was ever on the stands by someone else, I'd be the first to pick it up. It's the kind of tale I enjoy. So now I get to be the audience, and actually help creators shape their tales. I really enjoy watching a tale bloom. Some scripts were incredibly tight needing nothing but a thumbs up from me. Other tales took a bit more work to help the writer find their best story beats and exploit them, but there's definitely something in every tale that resonates for me, otherwise I wouldn't have let it in. Is it a challenge to wear an editor's hat? The crappiest part of the gig is criticizing other artist's work. I'm no fan of criticizing. We as artists and writers spill our blood on the page, and I take no pleasure in telling someone it just isn't working. Fortunately, the talented people I've gotten to work with haven't given me a lot of opportunity to complain. I consider myself very lucky for that.

DC: We touched on the importance of the main character (who also happens to have a job mastering film at a studio)...but what interests me a lot is whether writers (you, in this case) begin their creative process by outlining the plot, or by creating their main characters? Or...is there even a distinction between those two processes? Can one actually occur without the other?

SM: BNW was very much my training wheel exercise. I got very lucky in that I stumbled onto this main character mostly by accident. I definitely plotted first having no idea who the characters might be. I still plot that way, but I no longer keep my head so deep in the sand when I'm plotting. It wasn't until I was writing the sequel to the original BNW mini-series called "Population Explosion" that I learned my first real lesson in character. No matter how great I thought my plot was, or how amazing the backdrop of the entire human race lifting off seemed to be, none of it mattered unless I cared about someone. My main character became the anchor that drives my tale, not just some cardboard one note placeholder that has crazy events driving him to keep my plot going. Again, it comes back to caring about what's happening. Once I found something that made me care, wonder, worry, laugh, it pretty much wrote itself. Now I spend much more time crafting my characters to really fit into the tales I write. Is the process the same in regards to crafting characters and plot? For me it basically is. My general rule of thumb still applies. If I've seen it before, I do my best to keep working at it until I've found something that makes it new and fresh.

As for your question about plot and character needing each other, you can certainly make compelling fiction with plot based tales. Arthur C. Clarke is one of my very favorite writers, but I don't really read him for deep character studies. He blows my mind with the incredible yarns he spins. Other writers like Stephen King can keep a woman handcuffed to a bed for most of a 332 page tale like "Gerald's Game" and still be thoroughly engrossing. There's exceptions to every rule I guess.



DC: Can you think of an example of a particularly hard scene to write or "mentally compose"? Were there any story points that were keeping you awake at night? How did you solve the problem?

SM: Hard to write scenes? Anything I can't relate to can certainly be a challenge, but a specific example of a hard scene that I had a very hard time getting straight was in "Population Explosion." During the chaos of the human race learning it can fly and lifting off, my main character Paul is desperately trying to get to Arizona to save his son. With all the madness in the air, I put Paul on the ground riding his motorcycle as he tries to navigate through it all. It was a real pain to write because I had him dealing with what was on the road in front of him while he was listening to the radio hearing about all the world's calamities. I was trying to show the worldwide insanity at the same time keeping the tale anchored to my main character. It was a hell of a juggle making if flow smoothly without confusion.

How do I break through a problem scene? I think I do the same thing all writers do - panic. I sweat it out and never let it leave my thoughts for days on end. The answer always comes to me in the shower, or while driving, never when I'm actually sitting there working the problem. Writers are nuts! The sad thing is the pain we cause is totally self-inflicted. We drive ourselves to the padded room, sign ourselves in, calmly try out the straight jacket for just the proper fit, and casually walk into the funny room willingly.

DC: You've had the opportunity to translate your story into motion pictures. How did that come about, and what was the process like for you?

SM: In my case, I think I barely qualify to be asked this question. I was approached at my very first convention (Wizard World Los Angeles) about the possibility of turning my little book into a feature film. Yes, it felt great. Yes, the possibilities exploded in my mind. But really, what happened to me was incredibly common and should be seen for what it was - a rather typical experience that rarely leads to anything substantial. It's a lottery ticket, a long odds lottery ticket, and not nearly the incredible pot o' gold we creators imagine. Unfortunately, the returns for someone like me aren't nearly what any of us might expect. Hollywood mines comics for ideas, the don't necessarily want to pay all that much for them. Oh sure, they're more than happy to take your ideas, hire someone else to 'adapt' them, and pay THAT person six figures for the honor of simply reworking your blood sweat and tears. You on the other hand, the simpleton who came up with all the ideas, characters, situations, motivations, and plot twists? The little person who also did all the test marketing to see if it has commercial viability in the marketplace, and even put up the cash to finance the handy to pass around pitch package (that be what we call in the biz a "comic book")...you know, that person?? Yeah, they really don't give a damn all that much about that guy. So I decided to insert myself into the process by adapting my comic into a screenplay all by my little lonesome. If anyone ever comes knocking to adapt my little book o' ideas, they'll now have to deal with the schlub who already adapted it into a screenplay, as well as registered it with the WGA, thank you very much. Who might that troublesome little prick be? The same prick who created the pitch package.

As for adapting my book into a screenplay, that was a wonderful exercise I think all comic book writers should take a crack at. Screenwriting is very much its own animal, and forcing yourself to think like a screenwriter really helps you understand what Hollywood is looking for, and also helps pinpoint specific weaknesses in your material before they ever even know your name. You won't have to worry about what some slick agent is going to say your "intellectual property" needs to be viable as a screenplay. If you've done your homework on how to write a screenplay, and actually put in the effort to create one, you'll already know! And even if your screenplay stinks up the room, it'll give you a better understanding of how your concept might work in another medium, while teaching you the writer to flex a new set of muscles. It's really win, win. Not to mention you've attached yourself as screenwriter to your own comic. If anyone seriously comes knocking to translate your book, they'll have to deal with you in a very different way. Does it hurt your chances to get your comic book adapted? Possibly. Do I still stick by my advice? Damn right I do.

DC: What's the current status of the adaptations you're working on (only if I'm allowed to ask that)?

SM: My screenplay for Bizarre New World is in the hands of producer Paul J. Alessi who has high hopes for it. The big question is always funding, so it's the usual wait and see. Anything can happen, but if nothing does, I did my very best with it. And I can live with that.

DC: Do you have any advice for writers (or artists, for that matter) who are trying to break into comics and establish a name for themselves?

SM: For writers, nothing beats a damn good story, but I firmly believe originality is the key. Anyone can tell the same old vampire, zombie, cape yarn. You try telling that tale right when you're just starting out and you're competing with every other similar story ever written! Who's going to remember the writer who penned the seven millionth superhero spandex opus? But tell a tale nobody's ever seen before and you've got the best chance to stand out! People pass around the good stuff. Don't follow others, make others chase you! The success will come on its own.

Artists? Not being an artist myself, I can only offer the obvious advice from my own narrow point of view:

QUIT WASTING YOUR TIME ON THE INTERNET READING THIS ARTICLE AND GET BACK TO CREATIN'!

Oh wait, that's good advice for the writers too!

DC: Do you have any projects coming up that you'd like to promote?

SM: Right this second I'm hammering away at more "Bizarre New World," but I can now also officially announce I'm heading back to the old west again with my buddy Michael Woods. He was nice enough to let me into volume one of his killer anthology "Outlaw Territory" that came out a couple of years ago with a tale called "The More Things Change." Volume three is in production now and I just turned in my script for it with the catchy little title "The More They Stay Insane."

DC: Skipper, it's been a true pleasure chatting with you about the process of creating comics. Thanks so much for your time!

SM: Been a pleasure over here as well! Many thanks Dino!




For more information about Bizarre New World, and lots of wonderful sample pages and creator bios...please visit: www.bizarrenewworld.com

Big thanks, as always, to Derrek Lennox and Crystal Fractal Comics for hosting this column. Please check them out at: www.crystalfractals.com

One Page At A Time Interview...Howard Wong

This week's interview is with Howard Wong...Howard was nominated for a Joe Shuster award for his work on After the Cape (Shadowline/Image Comics). After The Cape received the Image Comics’ Spotlight and Gem of the Month in Previews. It sold out at the distributor level and has been reviewed by Entertainment Weekly.



DC: When I was a kid I read a lot of Peanuts, Superman, Batman, and Richie Rich...tons of fun and a great introduction to the medium. Later on though, I encountered some comics that made a genuine emotional impression on me. I'm thinking specifically of the Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans run and Camelot 3000. JLA 200 also knocked my socks off. Are there any creators, titles or specific issues that impressed or inspired you as a young comics reader?

HW: No one I knew read comics, so my earliest introduction was actually through good old Scholastic when I was in grade school. I ordered a Tarzan over sized graphic novel (if memory serves me). It told his origin story. I still have it somewhere in my parents' basement. The art and story really connected with me.

After that, it was the corner store and spinner racks. I knew about Richie Rich and Archie, but they didn't connect with me. Instead, it took a few years more when I rode my bike with friends and did our weekly pilgrimage to ye ol' corner shop. This was my first introduction to the Marvel and DC Comics, such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, X-Men. I still didn't really read them at that point. More like flip though them as fast as we could before the shop owner gave us the evil eye. My money went to Slurpees and chips back then.

It wasn't until Image Comics came around when I was in high school (yes, I'm a late bloomer) that I started collecting and never looked back.

DC: What was it about those Image books that appealed to you?

HW: Being that I started late in comics, I was new to the whole concept of it all. Ongoing series, mini series, graphic novels, etc. These were somewhat foreign to me, so through a friend that was a comic book reader because of his dad, I picked up the basics. What I was missing is the true love of why someone would pick up an issue month after month. Image Comics opened this door for me. Being a new company then, it had new characters that were fresh out of the gate. So I picked up WildC.A.T.s first and the rest became a bad habit. I guess it's sort of like soap operas, if you will. You get enthralled with the story and characters to a point that you just wanted to know what happened to them issue after issue. Image Comics also showed me that comics don't need to be about superheroes. Spawn, for example, showed that what other companies would treat as a villain (for the most part) was the (anti)hero, or The Maxx’s dream landscape with a story that had no tights of capes. I also have to say that the production quality with the paper, colour, and printing made an impact as well. Was I caught up with the flashiness? I wouldn't say no, but I didn't go after all those nutty covers -- well, OK…maybe I went after some of them.

DC: Did your interest in collecting and reading comics ignite a creative spark for you? Or had you always been interested in telling stories?

HW: I always had an interest in telling stories. Most people loathed English classes in high school, while some of my electives were creative writing and drama. I always liked telling stories, which lead me to writing stories, skits, newspaper articles, acting, stage directing and co-directing a theatre club to name a few things.

Writing comics did start at high school all thanks to Prisoners of Gravity (I miss that show so much), but it wasn't until I got married that I really dug my teeth into scripting comics. Figuratively speaking, I had a box of ideas that was loaded with unfulfilled stories just waiting for me. So I started with those and kept at it for one reason or another.

Reading comics obviously affected my love for this story telling medium. It showed me what kind of potential you can achieve in 22 pages.

DC: So, in your early days of writing stories (specifically comics, but we can generalize too), did you use any books or resources to help you with formatting or structure? Or did you just "go for it"?

HW: The Internet has a slew of material, but you really need to sort through it to see what works for you. Be it plot style or full script, you may only dig one format over the other or perhaps like both. It’s best to know them both in case you're asked to write in a certain format.

Sample scripts are a good way to see how the written word turns to art. Writers should understand that when you pass your script to an artist, you have to trust them with the art direction. After all, comics are a collaborative effort--well, unless you're the writer and artist of course.

As for books, these are the ones that I found most useful and not just as a newcomer either. You always find new things when you go over these books.

Will Eisner's Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative
Will Eisner's Comic's Sequential and Art
Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
Scott McCloud's' Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets Comics
Dennis O'Neil's The DC's Guide to Writing Comics

DC: What was your initial approach to writing comics scripts...Did you simply do it for practice, or were you actively trying to self-publish or pitch work to publishers?

HW: I did research online and grabbed books from the library on comic book scripting. I wrote mainly for myself to see if it was something I would like. Before that, I wrote skits and plays while in university. As I talked with people online and found artists that wanted to work with me, I decided to give it go. Not to self-publish or to pitch, but more to see if the process is something I would enjoy. After I met Marco (Rudy) I think it became clear that we had something to show, which is what I did and lucky for us that became our first published work…After the Cape.

DC: I'm very interested in the writing process and how writers approach the job. Do you have a "typical" method for creating a script? Do you outline? Do you thumbnail the whole story?

HW: I generally write out the plot, break it down into smaller chunks and build scenes that drive from one plot point to the next. Sometimes my margins are bursting with things. Then I go and break each scene into pages and then script from there. I usually thumbnail before scripting so I have an idea of how the images will flow, and how scenes will transition. These are done on scrap paper.

DC: I noticed in your credits that you've worked on several shorter anthology stories. What's different about the way you approach a short story versus the way you tackle something longer?

HW: For shorter stories you need to establish characters, the conflict and resolution within a few pages. I rely on common recognized visuals, which allows the reader to understand what's going on and focus on the story I'm telling. It's easier with established characters, but with original ones you just need to find ways in conveying who and what your story is about in a simple digestible manner. Think of commercials and charades.

DC: You've written a four issue mini-series for Crystal Fractal Comics called Redorik. What can you tell us about the project, without venturing off into spoiler country?



HW: I was approached by Derrek Lennox about writing a superhero origin story. After discussing the take he wanted on the characters, everything was in place, and I created a story which added to the vast universe that he mapped out.

It boiled down to answering this question…what kind of superhero would come out of a path that was jaded through a tragedy brought on by greed, sex and desire? Add to that if you were losing your mind to the darkness.

I wanted to explore what happens when you believe that you are doing good, no matter how twisted you become to achieve your goals. So it was almost like writing a villain more than an anti-hero, something that I felt would be challenging with a new hero that was new to the game.



DC: After The Cape Volume 1, is a dark tale of an all-too-human hero who who spirals into "the dark side". What was it about this story and this character that compelled you to write it?

HW: My wife. No, seriously it is. We were talking about why I like superheroes, amongst the other genres of comics I read. She comes from a Manga and Manwha background where people get hurt, die, etc., which isn't typical with mainstream superhero stories. From there I started to build an idea of grounding a superhero to the real world and seeing what challenges he would face from there.

Exploring characters by putting them in all-too-common situations is something that I gravitate towards. When I write these kinds of stories I tend to ask myself many “what if” questions, which turn into other stories at times. Do they all end up being dark tales? No, I wouldn't say that. They end where I feel they would naturally end.



DC: After The Cape Volume 2 continued the story of Ethan Falls, as his plummet continued. What made you want to return to the story and the character? And also, as a writer working on a sequel...is there pressure to try and top what you did previously?

HW: I found it an opportunity to further push the character study of Ethan's crumbling world. Think of it as going back to a place you went for a vacation. You never really have enough time to see or experience it all, so this was my chance to look at and experience other aspects of Ethan's life.

Though the first series sold out at the distribution level and was nominated for a Joe Shuster Award, I didn't feel compelled to top myself for that reason. I strive to write better than the last time I wrote anything, and that goes daily for me. It helps me get back to hammering on a keyboard with a goal. I don't want to end up formulaic with the way I write, so this helps with that.



DC: On a surface level, it appears that there's a similarity in the general themes of Redorik and After The Cape. Does that comparison hold once you start to dig deeper?

HW: Ethan became a hero with a strong belief that he could help the city be a better place, but when he had to live in it--that all crumbled away like his life. Redorik is different in several ways…it explores the reasons why he became a hero and how that drove him into darkness and ultimately madness. Redorik is a different take on the superhero origin, which I hope brings a new light to how one can steer away from the traditional formula.

DC: Is "writer's block" an issue for you? If so, how do you deal with it?

HW: It happens like so many other things when you write something, but I figured a way around it for myself. It’s a double edged sword of a solution really. I have a bunch of ideas that I bounce to and from if writer's block pops up. That usually helps me get back to what I was working on.

DC: Do you have any advice for comic book creators, specifically writers, who'd like to break in to the industry?

HW: Use a crowbar and a hammer. If that doesn't work for you...

After you finished writing the story you want to tell, and you’ve found your partners in crime (penciller, inker, colorist and letterer), figure out which path you want to take to get the story published.

Before sending in a pitch, know which publisher puts out books that are similar to your story. Read their submission requirements and do follow them. Make sure you have that done and send it to them by the method they expect, which is usually explained in their submission requirements.

Don't do a blanket-pitch-send-out. Imagine how many pitches a publisher gets daily (which is usually more than you can imagine). Wasting their time in reading something they don't publish won't do you any good.

Submission requirements are usually a list of minimum benchmarks for you to hit. If you want to show more, why not? If you haven't been published by other means (Web, self-publishing, etc), you have to show your professionalism and ability to delivers the goods.

Bottom line, publishing is a business and you should treat it as such. As much as they love publishing good stories, they would like to publish good stories that sell. If you feel that I'm saying to sell out, I'm not. What I'm saying is that you have to show why your story should be published beyond it being a good story.

"It's a good story that appeals to [insert market(s) here]."

It shows that you have put thought not only into making a good story, but also the readers/market that it will appeal to. Some submission guidelines actually ask you this question point blank.

If a publisher digs your idea and wants changes you don't want to compromise for whatever reason, you have the choice of saying “no thank you” and moving on to another, or self-publishing. Bone, Cerberus, Strangers in Paradise…any of those titles ring a bell?

DC: You have a very impressive sketch book. How did you start it? Do you have any favourite sketches among the many you've collected over the years? Any interesting tales to tell about the many talented hands that have worked on that book?

HW: I think I started it back in 2007 or 2008…I was signing at Paradise Comics for FCBD and got the artists that where there to give me a doodle. So the first three sketches were from, Francis Manapul, Nick Postic, Agnes Garbowska. I never ask for a particular sketch unless the artist wants it. I’d rather them draw something they dig. I think it shows with what has been added over the years.

Each has a story, so I like them all to be honest. Though I have to give some Canucking love to Ty Templeton for sketching Commander Rick for me.

DC: Do you have any upcoming projects you'd like to let us know about?

HW: I've been working on freelance projects as of late. I wrote a comic and the English film script version of a live action CGI film for Jidou Studios (an award winning animation studio from Hong Kong). While this was happening, Hope: Hero Initiative (a charity anthology benefiting Hero's Initiative from Ronin Studios) was released. I contributed a story titled Song of the Little Blackbird (Hope: The Hero Initiative - Diamond Order Code DEC101038). Currently, I'm working on a project with Three Zero, which is a toy company from Hong Kong that does OEM figures, as well as figures from Ashley Wood's art through 3A. I can't say much about this except that I'm having way too much fun to call it work. I can't wait to finish that up so I can talk about it.

DC: Howard, thank you so much for your time...it's great to get a look behind the curtain to see how writers put their projects together.

HW: No worries. Thanks for taking your time and listening to me drivel on about the script monkey life.



You can follow along with Howard's latest news at the following site: http://howard-wong.blogspot.com/

For more information about Redorik, and other projects from Crystal Fractal Comics...please check here: www.crystalfractals.com

One Page At A Time Interview...Shawn Richter

This week's interview is with Shawn Ricther, artist on projects such as: Drive, A Trip To Rundberg, Against The Wall, and the upcoming Legends Of The Sunset People.



DC: So, what's the connection between your interest in comics and your love of creating art? Are the two intertwined or did they evolve separately?

SR: As far back as I can remember, I just loved drawing. Of course, I was influenced by comics at a very early age... when my dad wanted to help me learn to read, he bought me comics. I remember going to a sidewalk sale and the local book store had these Star Trek record comics, where the comic (with a Neal Adams cover!) told the story they had on the record. So there was an added audio option that you could read along with. I also read superhero comics, of course, the ones I remember being Superman and Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man.

I was also a reader of Arak the Son of Thunder. One of the earliest "comics" I drew was a submission to the letters page for Arak, for which I received a nice rejection letter.





So, I guess the short answer is I loved those stories, just really absorbed them or became involved in them and that probably spurred on my artistic sensibilities. I know I drew other things around that time, but the comics stuff is pretty indelibly imprinted on my memory.

DC: Were there any particular creators or stories that you placed up on a pedestal as a young comics fan?

SR: In terms of stories, probably not. As far as creators, I know I loved John Buscema from an early age, as well as Mike Zeck and John Byrne. I loved Tony Dezuniga and Alfredo Alcala and I started collecting the Savage Sword of Conan before I was in my teens. I'd say I was drawn more towards genre than any particular single story. I was HUGE into Fantasy and Sci-Fi as a kid, reading books like the Lord of the Rings around age 11 and later getting into Asimov and Heinlein. I really dug on the animated hobbit, Nausicaa and the valley of the Wind and played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons (and I was constantly drawing armour and character designs for our campaigns). Later in life I became aware of other artists, like Norman Rockwell and J.C. Leyendecker and in my later teens I started getting into art and composition in a more serious, analytical way. I went through an Alex Ross phase in my early 20s (and I still do love his work - a modern master) and later Bryan Hitch (based on my admiration of Alan Davis, I suspect) but currently I think I'm trending more toward the chiaroscuro type artists, like Darwyn Cooke, Mike Mignola or Chris Samnee. The stuff those guys with light and shadow and limited line work blows my mind. i'd love to find a nice synthesis of all of that, the dynamics of a Buscema or Zeck, with the fine line of a Ross or Hitch blended with the mastery of lighting... that would be the ultimate. I'm still a work in progress however.

DC: What steps did you take in your efforts to make a name for yourself as a comic book artist?

SR: Ha! Every new project I do, I always think "well, this is gonna be my big break!", but of course the reality is, you have to do comics for the love. It's a really tough pill to swallow, but most people who start making comics aren't even going to become internet famous, so you just have to find stories that you want to tell and tell them. That doesn't mean you can't connect to an audience, but just don't expect it to be a large audience or a paying audience. But that's ok, because half of the fun is just making the comics, and only the other half is seeing how people react to them!

Of course, that doesn't mean I haven't stopped trying to make a name for myself (although I've recently changed my name from Richter to Richison, after I got married, and my wife and I combined our names!). I still send out samples occasionally and I try to be active on the 'net, via message boards and twitter and such. But I think the way you're doing it is still the best way - just put out as much work as you possibly can. I'm a little more slack in that area than I should be - not that I'm particularly slow, but with the passion projects (read: non-paying work!) I get easily distracted. The other stumbling block I find is that I prefer long form comics - I'm currently involved in a 150 page OGN, which I'm writing, pencilling, inking, lettering and designing myself - the only outside help is a colourist (and hopefully some other sets of eyes for proofreading/editorial assistance), so that's a job that will pretty well keep me off the publishing radar for the better part of two years. Who knows? Maybe it'll be my big break! ;)

DC: Speaking of long-form comics, you've done a few (DRIVE, A TRIP TO RUNDBERG, AGAINST THE WALL, and the in-progress LEGEND OF THE SUNSET PEOPLE). What is it about them that appeals to you?

SR: Well, to be honest, the first couple just came that way. For DRIVE, my understanding is that Nate (Southard, the writer of DRIVE and A TRIP TO RUNDBERG) originally conceived it as a screenplay, but couldn't sell it. So he thought, it's a great story, I love comics, let's make a graphic novel. When he first approached me for it, he'd seen my work on a website called penciljack.com and I think there was one image in particular that appealed to him that prompted him to contact me. At that point I had never been paid to make comics, so I just took him up on his offer. DRIVE was meant to be a three issue mini at first, but I took so long drawing it that they ended up just waiting and making it a full length graphic novel. Then when RUNDBERG came around, it was just a matter of staying in touch with him. So then, my rate went up a bit, not too much, but enough that it allowed me to quit my minimum wage job and work on the book full-time, which got it out a lot faster.





As you'll probably recall from AGAINST THE WALL, the progress was slower, but I was stricken with a move right in the middle, so what did it eventually take, 8, 9 months? It was awhile anyway. Back to the question, I think the main appeal about doing a long form piece is the complete story aspect. You can do this thing, and whether it gets mainstream distribution or not, at the end, you have this fully formed story that you can show to people. And of course, if you're getting a paycheque, then you have sustained work for a longer period of time. If the first three issues of your mini-series don't sell, you might not get to see issues four five and six, depending on the publisher. So there's a pragmatic angle as well. You know, it can be somewhat difficult to pull off a long form work, just to put yourself in that world day after day, sometimes, but I suspect that on the whole, it's not that different from working on the same character for 12 issues a year. Perhaps the break between scripts offers the illusion of change?



Also, as far as Legend goes, it's a completely different beast. Number one, I'm writing it as well as drawing it. Number two, it's something that I've been thinking about for over 3 years now, just sort of gestating and now I have to finally do it, to get it out of my system. And number three, there is no pay for me, at least at this stage. So I have to find other ways of paying the bills until the book is out there. Hopefully it'll get a decent reception and I'll be able to make a bit of money or credit off it, but either way, it's a passion project, so it's altogether different, in my head at least.



DC: Is there a typical way for an indie or beginning artist to find gigs? Do you have any advice for artists who are looking to enter the field?

SR: I think there are two answers to that question. The first one is the trite, 'everyone gets into the business differently' and the second one is nearly equally as trite, 'well, here's how I did it'. I'll give you more details on the second one, since that's the one I know best. As I mentioned earlier, I had posted some pages on a website called penciljack and that got the attention of a writer and he offered me a job. That seems easy enough, right? Let's rewind.

I've been interested in comics since I was a kid. I've pretty well always wanted to draw comics. So when I was in high school, I started working on sample pages, which I'm pretty sure I never sent anywhere - of course this was pre-internet, so you had to actually mail out samples! Then when I was in my twenties and I realized that I was not going to be a rockstar, I went to my fall-back career again, comic artist! Yeah, mr. practicality, that's me! Anyway, I started going on the internet around that time, the late 90's/early oughts and I started visiting Wizard World's message boards. And I started posting art. Soon, most of the members from Wizard migrated to Penciljack, so I did too, and I started posting art there. At the time, a buddy of mine had written a comic script and I started drawing it. It was pretty bad, but good enough that it started getting some people's attention, which led me to doing DRIVE for Nate. Of course, I would still send in those submissions - I usually end up doing submissions once a year, but should probably do them more frequently (every 3 months or so, I suspect). Around that time, I started checking out digitalwebbing.com, where they have a "talent search" section. I got a gig for something called "The Book of Jesse" (http://www.bookofjesse.com/home.html) and some other smaller things, and I believe that's where I got the AGAINST THE WALL gig, too, if I'm not mistaken. The internet has proven to be a pretty invaluable tool for getting work I find, but my misses definitely outweigh my hits.

In general, the advice I'd give to someone starting out is: Draw as much as you possibly can. Draw sequentials, learn anatomy and perspective, draw from reference as often as you can find it. Post your work online everyday (or as frequently as you can) on a blog or message boards and go to conventions. Once you have the contact information of some editors, show them your work regularly (they won't give you contact info if they don't think you're ready or don't have potential). Get published, even if you have to do so for free, initially. Use every tool at your disposal, including instructional books, videos, magazines, the internet, drawing clubs, local art instruction, whatever, just draw, draw, draw, draw, draw, draw! Go to kinko's and make photocopy pamphlets of your sequential stories to give away at the local comic store, or supermarket, make a webcomic. Use any and all of these methods to get your name out there and keep at it until A) you can make a living at it or B) you die. It's just that simple.

DC: This is a question geared toward stories that aren't written by you...I'm curious about process ...once you receive a script, what steps do you take to turn it into a page of sequentials?

SR: Well, first I read it maybe a couple of times, just to get a feel for what's happening. I think it's good to get an overall impression of what you're working with before you start. Then I usually start thinking about what the characters look like. If it's a main character, I'll start with some sketches, just to warm up - I like to photo reference using actors, or if one of my friends has a look that might suit the story, that's even better - I can get them to pose for me. Of course, not many of my friends look like a superhero, but, for supporting roles I've used people I know in the past. So I do that for all the main characters, what do they look like, how do they stand, what sort of clothes do they wear, etc. If it's a character that is only going to be on one or two pages, then I might just draw them on the fly, but yeah, I like to do some character design as much as I can.

Once I get past that part, I start thumbnailing the pages. I just take some, split it in half and draw loose boxes and stick figures to indicate who is in what panel, and how big they are in the panel, if there are any props there, that sort of thing. Then I do the reference, I'll try to find pictures on google that look like the locations - I really hate to try to make things up, I don't have that kind of imagination. Let's just say I'm no Wally Wood. Now, as a rule I don't light box that stuff, I try to draw it freehand. I think that if you lightbox it, it really shows. What I might do, if it's a really complex panel, is just trace out the outlines of things, so I know what the proportions are going to be. But then I still like to go back and draw it in by hand, I think it just gives it a little more life. So at this point, I'm working right on the page. So I rule out my panel borders, and because I work in blue pencil, I don't worry about being too clean - my pages are tremendously messy, but I don't have to erase too much, so it's fine. Then I do the figures, then the backgrounds and props and things.

Once the pencils are done, (and although my pencils tend to be messy they are also tight, in a weird dichotomy), I'll ink the page. I tend to work top left to bottom right and I used to do the panel borders in Photoshop, but more recently have started doing them on the page with a technical pen. That's for two reasons, 1) I like how the finished page looks better now (the more I actually do on the page, the nicer the final page looks) and 2) It allows me to be more creative with my panel designs. Anyway, I started doing the panel borders in photoshop to make them cleaner, but I think my hand work has gotten a little better, so there you go. At any rate, Then I hit the figures and other organic stuff (clothes, plants, animals, etc) with a brush. I use the Windsor & Newton Series 7 #3, because it keeps a great point. Then I go through and do all the machined stuff, man-made, technical stuff with a tech pen - I'll use different sizes to indicate depth, but I like the dead line to indicate non-natural or man-made items. Then I scan in the page to photoshop, remove the blue line colour and save the file according to the publishers specs. And that is it! (off to the letterer or colourist!)

DC: With "Legend Of The Sunset People", you're adding 'writer' to your resume. How does the process of creation change when you're the one writing the script? That is...are you actually writing a script for yourself, or are you using a method of your own devising?

SR: Yeah, I'm writing a full script. I'm starting out at the outline/rough stage and then once that's polished enough, I'm going to write it out, page by page ad panel by panel. Only once that is finished and edited and checked for whatever it needs to be checked for (like does it make sense? Does it hang together? Is it a good and interesting story?) will I move on to sitting down and drawing the thing. which is why there is no art (Well, that's not exactly true - there are two pages so far: Page one and Page five, which is about as much as I want to commit to drawing before I have a finished script!). That actually made it a bit of a hard sell when I ran my “Indie Go Go” campaign, since it was like, hey here's an idea I have, but I can't show you any progress, because it's all just at the script stage and I really wasn't very comfortable with showing that off without it being finished.) As you may imagine, I am a very slow writer, since I've never done it before. It's all about confidence, right? And as I haven't done it before, I'm a little short on that. But it's getting better, the more I do it...

DC: What was your inspiration for taking on Legends of the Sunset People?



SR:A few years ago I moved to Northern Ontario and I was looking for a new project to work on. The town I moved to has a small paper and it was suggested to me that I do something with a local flavour, to be published in the paper... I discovered that the town has a legend associated with it; there was allegedly a historical battle that took place across the bay from the town beach. As I started researching the story I got more and more intrigued with all the myths and legends of the area, which are predominently aboriginal stories and I started weaving a narrative out of them, in my head. I let that gestate for three years or so (never ended up putting it in the paper) and last year, after i finished up some other obligations I had, I started to take the plunge and began writing it all down.

DC: What role does research play in your construction of scenes? How specific do you like to get with cars, guns, clothing, etc?

SR: I tend to find, the longer I do this, the more research I do, the better the art looks. I haven't gotten to the point of hiring actors and building or buying props (well, not for every panel!) but I probably would if I had the money. Google is a tremendous help - I don't know how people drew comics before it! If I can, I pick a model of car or gun or what have you, or I go through catalogues (I have a few extra Ikea and Sears catalogue lying aorund) and I pick things I like the look of and use that as inspiration. I'm more consistent with it with guns and cars, etc. but I'm working at using reference for fashion more and more.

DC: Personally, I'm having a hard time coming to terms with the "Digital Revolution" in comics. I guess I'm a traditionalist at heart. But the quality of the E Readers is improving so quickly, that it's only a matter of time before digital becomes commonplace. Who knows, it may have already happened by the time this interview goes public. I know there will always be a place for floppies and trades that we hold in our hands, but the future's coming quickly. So...as a creator and a fan...what are your thoughts on paperless comics?

SR: I love digital! Love it. I think it's the wave of the future and it will revolutionize the industry, if the industry lets it. Here's an analogy. I was watching TV today and this Ford commercial came on and my wife said, "What was that?" She was talking about the song on the commercial. So I googled it and sure enough I found the answer, the song was by a group named Derby and I found the video on YouTube in like, 5 seconds. So now I can go to iTunes and download that song, but even if i don't, I will talk to you and tell you about this band that reminds me of the Sam Roberts band and you'll go and check them out. And that is the power of this digital age we live in. I don't have to watch Muchmusic and hope this band comes along and go to the store and buy their album. It's all about access. Now what if we can do that with comics? The potential is there.

I honestly think that copyright is dead. And I don't think we should really care about it. Traditionally, copyright only protects the corporations, not the artists. Take radiohead. They don't need a label, they just put their music online and people give them nearly the same amount of money as they would have gotten from selling the record in stores, but with a greatly reduced overhead. the only question that remains is, how do you reach people? Well, you have to get creative. That was one of the reasons I wanted to do the indiegogo.com thing. I wanted an excuse to post non-stop about this project. Now everyone I know knows I'm doing this book and I haven't even finished the script. And then it's going to go online, and if I can, in the local paper as a weekly strip. If I can get some other papers too, I'd love to do it, who wouldn't want a free story to run each week? But it works for me, I don't need the money from it, right now, I just want to create a buzz.

Like you say, Trades and floppies aren't going away. Maybe the DM will die, or the market for print will diminish, but there will always be an element who want the tangible product in their hands. Right now, that's still the majority, but there are silent masses who read comics on the web and love it. They own iPads and Kindles and they are hungry for product. I see two markets. It reminds me of Larry Young talking about marketing Astronauts in Trouble. He said he did it as a miniseries, then the trade and then the hardback and then the annotated collection and then at conventions in a six-pack of the floppies. You know, because different people like different things. One person wants the serial and another want the collection. Now add the digital version and you've got another, huge, mostly untapped market out there that will read your books, if the price is right.

DC: You've worked in a wide range of genres thus far in your career - everything from horror to drama to action/thrillers...what other types of stories would you like to work on at some point?

SR: Well, of course Superheroes, not only for the paycheque, but also because I grew up reading them and I haven't done a cool hard sci-fi story yet, along the lines of Star Trek. I'd also LOVE to do something fantasy, ala Lord of the Rings. I really wanted to draw the Raymond Feist Magician series, because I was a HUGE fan of it growing up. I wonder if anyone has done an adaptation of the Shanarra series? We could be the first ;)!

DC: I'm a big fan of Bloom County, Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes. I've always viewed the four panel strip as a second cousin, twice removed to the comic book. Same basic medium, but such a difference in the pacing as well as the general acceptance level among the general public. Are there any strips that you followed way-back-when, or any that you follow today?

SR: Like everyone, I was a huge fan of Calvin and Hobbes... and I did read a lot of those 3 panel strips when I was a kid, like Hagar the Horrible or the Wizard of ID. Today, I'm more online... I like Butternutsquash, PVP, Penny Arcade, Girls with Slingshots, the Abominable Charles Christopher to name a few. I think that even though there are fewer and fewer 3 panel gag a day strips in newspapers, they will survive forever online.

DC: I've had the pleasure of hanging out with you a couple of times at cons, and one thing I've noticed is that you're very social and outgoing with attendees. What's your view on the importance of attending conventions? Any notable "con experiences"?

SR: I love the convention scene. I think the con experience is invaluable, not only in terms of networking and getting to know people who you otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity to hang out with, but also just in a sense of charging up your creative batteries. There's nothing like having a shared experience of love of comics and pop culture with 100,000 other people to make you want to make comics. On the other hand, they still tend to be exhausting, with the noise level and the sensory overload and the walking and carrying your goodies around. And of course, they aren't cheap unless you have a local one that doesn't cost hotel, food and transportation... but in the end the benefits far outweigh any negatives.

DC: Shawn, thank you so much for your time and insightful answers. I'll make sure to check in regularly at www.wonderealm.com for updates on "Legend of the Sunset People" and any other projects you're working on!

SR: No problem. I really enjoyed our little chat. Anytime you want to talk, just give me a shout! And thanks for this opportunity to let people get to know me a little more. It's great to be able to reach people I haven't had a chance to connect with and hopefully some of your readers will like what I have to share with them!



Check out Shawn's website at www.wonderealm.com.
For a detailed look at Legend Of The Sunset People, look here: http://www.indiegogo.com/Legend-of-the-Sunset-People