IN THE TUB …. WITH SHELDON VELLA

LANGUAGE WARNING: SOME AUSTRALIAN MAY BE USED IN THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE

Welcome dear readers to one of the more popular regular features on this old blog. Today we have a rather impromptu session with a creative force who claims to be the artist and writer behind Zuda hit Supertron, one Sheldon Vella. As you might know Sheldon is an anarchist, a master of disguise and a slippery customer so I’m not entirely convinced that the naked man trussed up in my empty bath tub is the real deal. He was caught breaking and entering by Satan and Ripper my trusty hounds. He managed to knock himself out in the process and now he is at my mercy … and you know what that can be like.

HFF FOO SHAFFER FRR KFFWUHWNNS, NNGU, *shllp* BFF FSS SST FF FFUSS FMM OVV HVV A BUFF UN M-MUFF. *shhllllp*

Recovering consciousness at last I see. Let’s remove that ball gag.

GURKKOFF KOFF URRG…fwoof, excuse me. I said that I’d hate to shatter your confidence, Ringo, but this isn’t the first time I’ve had a ball in my mouth. Nostalgia aside, thanks for having me, boss.

So Sheldon (as it may be proved later), it’s nice to have you here. Perhaps you’d like to discuss among other things your current Zuda project Supertron, unless you have anywhere else to be? Muwhahahaha!

Not at all. I’d of only gagged and handcuffed myself naked in an empty bath tub anyways. Fire away, Sir.

So, we’ll start with the easy questions first. Supertron. What the fuck is that all about?

Hahaha an extremely common question. In a nutshell, it’s just like every coming of age story that’s ever been told: It’s about boys becoming men, both literally and figuratively. The way our ideals and desires transform with time, like wanting the new Mario bros cartridge, to wanting to feel the inside of a girl, from wanting flames on your push bike, to wanting a new exhaust on your car. But, as many of us might have experienced, there are countless outside forces that influence and change what we want as we grow up. In the case of Supertron, it’s Mombot.

There are, it seems, some rather well disguised auto-biographical elements lurking beneath the surface of Supertron. Any comment? Tell me about your Mom-bot?

For the record, my mother is nothing short of a saint. Her low attention span might have caught my hand in the car door, or my dick in the zipper when I was a younger lad, but injuries aside, she’s the greatest lady in the world. If anyone has NEVER questioned what I wanted to do with my life, it’s her, and Sheldon loves his mother very very much.

But yes, there is a strong biographical presence in Supertron. Things like finding porno mags under the bridge, belonging to a ‘gang’, and having an overly effeminate dude friend were all very real happenings in my life. As well, characters like the Freezy Beats, Huggie Beefoven and Joeybot are all based on people I know or have known.

Supertron is pretty much my first solo-written effort, and i found that writing from an over exaggerated side of myself is a great source of material. Supertron is the faux-arrogance, Spinbot is the rampant-insecurity, Lizzy is the benevolent good guy and secret desire to suck penis, and it is all these sides/personalities that are competing against each other to win the favour of the ULTIMATE outside influence through male development: the female. Being able to brag to your friends with, “Hey! Smell my finger!!” can be such a priority through puberty that you’ll do anything and be anyone to get it. We grow up hearing that all females want is a ‘real man’, so then we, as boys, are forced to figure out what a ‘real man’ actually is. And I guess in a bigger nutshell, that’s what Supertron is all about.

Come clean with us Sheldon. Are you making this up as you go along? It seems less likely by the page, but I still have a sneaking suspicion.

Absolutely not.

Maybe a little.

Ok yes. But only for the first 60 pages. Haha ‘only’. I had no delusions of winning the Zuda contest and needing to come up with more story. But 88 pages in, and here we are.

The first season and the overall arc was stuck firmly in my head, but work on other gigs and my constant lack of organisation forced me to draw first and write later, hence the sporadic and sometimes clunkiness of the first season. So in answer to your question, The IDEA of season 1 was always there, but a script or plan of any kind never existed.

Season 2, on the other hand, completely professional. I’ve had the chapters plotted out and most of the script written long before I start drawing, and it’s been a much more enjoyable experience. The more Supertron I draw, the better I see myself getting. In every sense of the phrase, Supertron really is a coming of age book.

What made you pitch this to Zuda? Was is a first choice or did you have other options in mind?

The cash. I couldn’t be more shameless admitting that. Supertron was already a published story in the Image anthology PopGun. But I was in Seattle, sleeping on a couch that wasn’t mine, scrounging for work, and running out of money, and artistic integrity was the last thing my rumbling tummy cared about. One recycled comic later, and shazam, I’m in the January comp. As I mentioned before, actually WINNING the bloody thing never crossed my mind, and I was actually stuck in an airport in Fiji when I found out I had a chance.

Any words of advice to future Zuda contestants? Lessons learned from your own battle to win?

Yeah, PLEASE STOP EMAILING ME ASKING HOW TO WIN THE FUCKING THING. PLEASE. The reason I won, is that the benevolent and amazingly generous people I don’t deserve to call my friends did nearly ALL the work for me. Whether it be their love for Supertron, for me, or their incessant hatred for all things AH-NEE-MAY (sorry johnno) it was their humbling dedication to see me win is what put me on top. In no way did my piss weak marketing help decide my victory, I owe it all to my friends.

You want to know how to win? Ask Adam Atherton. Lily of the Valley. Look it up, kids.

Despite the rock’n’roll personality cult trappings you must have a pretty decent work ethic deeply ingrained. That kinda thing is not easy to come by for most ordinary mortals. Where does your drive come from?

I’ve had a real working class upbringing. And getting into comics was no single effort. I had a lot of support from parents and industry friends alike, and I feel like I’d be a bratty little shit if I didn’t work my arse off to prove I deserve such a cushy job.

I like a good steak, and I move around alot, so I’m working three separate comic jobs to keep myself out of the red. It’s certainly something I can’t do forever, but seeing as this is only my second ‘professional’ year, I think it’s important to work the hardest now and prove my dedication to the craft, embed my name in the heads of the right people, and slowly find a place in the industry.
That, and the thought of working construction or retail again makes me want to cry.

Comics, Sheldon. Is that your destination or just a diversion? Are you a died-in-the-wool comicbook geek? Supertron seems less a comic, more a work of graphic design, art even. Where do you see yourself fitting in? Are you after the art, the recognition or the money? Don’t say the the chicks OK?

Comics are definitely going to be my home for as long as they will have me. I’ve had a couple of pieces in a few gallery shows back home with varying success, I’ve always wanted to be a tattoo artist, and blame it on the upbringing, but I’ve had the itch to customize bikes and cars. Whether I actually pursue those careers or exercise the urge through comics, your guess is as good as mine. Either way, I’m always going to have stories to tell.

As for fitting in, I have no idea. I always loved reading comics, but I don’t get around to it as often as I’d like, hence as much as I might try, my comics might look a little ‘off’. If I’m in this for anything, it’s definitely artistic improvement. Anyone who gets into comics for the money is retarded hahaha. Although the notice you get can’t be beaten.

Speaking personally there are a great many Zuda strips I’m quite happy to enjoy as they are. That is online and in the format I first saw them, but Supertron cries out for a print edition. I’m hoping for a format that reveals those clever little details and I’m not sure that even the full screen option does that. I’ve not got a 21 incher you’ll be surprised to learn. What are your feelings on print versus web, since you have found print already with Popgun.

The one advantage I see to having stuff online is that the colours are just how I made them. Otherwise, web vs print, who really gives a shit? They’re the exact same medium displayed in two different ways. If the story is good enough, people will read it no matter what format it’s in. Whoever wants to make a real debate about it, I think they’re wasting their time.

Am not! Is there one other project as close to your heart as Supertron that you’d like people to see and to take notice of?

I’m currently doing a monthly that started out online with Coheed and Cambria fame, Claudio Sanchez, and his leggy fiancé Chondra Echert. They’re not only creative as hell, but downright awesome people. It’s called KillAudio and will hit shelves in October this year. Check it out here: www.kill-audio.com. As well, I’m working on a porno comic that will probably end up in the illustrious Penthouse Australia, along with some other seedy stick mags. And being a big fan of pornography, and beating off in general, that is definitely close to my heart.

Too much information. Final question. Are you really that romantic or just another sexist pig?

I believe in holding the door for a lady, putting my jacket in the mud lest her shoes get all dirty and at least saying ‘please’ before I jam my dick in her butt.

Question. Answered.

Thanks for that Shelly baby. I think I’ve decided it is really you after all. Let’s just pop the gag back in and we’ll let my new butler Wayne decide what’s to be DONE with you. Wayne has a few ideas I know and we’re a long way from civilisation. I don’t think he wants you to do sketches either. Brr!

Gidday Wayne. Oh, and don’t forget to read SupertRFF EFFREBFFY!

Join me next month dear readers (if you dare) for another interview … in the tub!

Wayne – clean up when you’ve finished – and try to follow Sheldon’s example by at least saying please!

IN THE TUB … WITH STEVE STEINER

Except we’re not actually in the tub this week! Welcome to the sedate surroundings and calming atmosphere of the drawing room at Perridge House and it’s time for an informal chat over port and cigars with serial Zuda entrant Steve Steiner. Now Steve is one of the Zuda old guard, has been around from the beginning of the Zudaverse, and he just won’t stop entering the competition, so someone was going to have to interview him sometime.

Good evening Steve and thanks for joining me. You are currently colourist on The Hammer but I’d like to begin by taking you back to the beginning. What first sparked your interest in Zuda and what had you been doing comics-wise up to that point? And your first entry, Everyone Laughs at the Crocodile Man – what were your expectations at the time for that strip and how do you feel about it now. Seems a long time ago.

Thanks for having me Mike. I suspect we’re out here because Gabe Ostley plunged your plumbing up. I was really looking forward to showing off my new merkin. It’s genuine horse hair.

Hmm. If only it were that pleasant! But go on …

I had been making a MAD magazine inspired mini-comic for about 4 years. After 32 issues, I decided I wanted to see if I could actually have some success with a strip about one character. Webcomics seemed a natural place to try and get my foot in the door.

I was pretty much just Googling webcomics to find a place that might be a good fit to host Croc Man when I came across Zuda. It was still a couple months from going live but I kept tabs on it. After seeing the first month I was pretty much convinced they were more interested in more mainstream comic genres like super heroes and what not. But that second month had a lot of diversity and, after I saw Avaste Ye make it into the competition with their stick figure style, I saw they were pretty open to all kinds of comics. So I figured I had nothing to lose.

Honestly, I expected I’d win. But now I’m so relieved I didn’t. I just wasn’t ready. I’ve improved my abilities so much since then I can hardly look at Croc Man anymore! The art is me trying to make a comic the way I thought a comic should be made. Not the way most natural for me to make a comic.

Your follow up strip, Colonel MacTagart, didn’t do so well gaining the coveted 10th place. On reflection it’s one of my favourites. How did it feel coming in last? I so rarely interview people who know what that is like!

Well, since I don’t have the distinction of being the ONLY 4 time Zuda competitor anymore, I can still cling to my record of having a comic occupy every rank at some point!

Being in 10th only bothered me for about 2 days. After that I had a blast. I still wasn’t ready for the top spot. So I credit that loss for helping me more than I ever realized. It got me serious. Before I was making comics. After that month I concentrated on the craft of comics. Plus it helped me to relax a little and have fun with the whole Zuda experience.

Next up was Middle-Aged Monster and I was ga-ga for that one. It did better, but still no win, and it brought to mind the idea that no humour strip could ever win the competition. Your thoughts on Middle-Aged Monster and humour strips in general, Steve?

With my third try I finally felt confident I had put together a good 8 pages. MAM had a chance to win but I couldn’t figure out the marketing angle. But all in all, I consider MAM a success and if I ever get the time, I’ll be bringing it back somewhere. I was really excited people seemed to like one of my comics for once!

Someday a humor (forgive my New World spelling) strip will win Zuda. It’ll either be exceptionally well done or done by a creator with a established fan base to take the win. But from experience, humor strips have a hard time going up against more serious Zuda entrants. I’ve thought long and hard for almost a year how to craft a successful humor strip for Zuda and come up with this.

1). The strip has to be funny. Easier said then done! I’m not all that funny and I try to compensate by cramming as many jokes in as I can, hoping one lands. I figure you have 8 pages to make an impression and the reader HAS to laugh more than once to have a shot of being memorable. And since I have no idea what the vast majority of the audience will think is funny – I try to throw everything I can at them. At the very least I try to be entertaining. The last thing I want is for someone to think my comic is boring.

2). Be yourself. The Zuda audience is VERY perceptive and well read comic wise. They will know in an instant if you are copying another comic’s humor too much. I try like heck to not be cliche. I hope that after people read my comic, they think I have a different perspective or vision. The second to last thing I want people to think is they’ve read my comic done by someone else, or, even worse, read it done better by someone else.

3). Practice. Practice. Practice. I’m one of those people that can’t learn much out of a book or by observing. The only way I can get anywhere is doing. There was a period in my life when I used to draw at least one comic strip (from 1 to 25 panels) about something that happened to me in my day. I produced thousands of these crappy comics – only interesting to myself. But after doing it for a while I began to think in terms of comics in my everyday conversations. I’d have a conversation with someone and one of us would say something witty as a punchline. Or I’d even see movies broken down into a comic strip action. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a beautiful example. So much of that movie could be easily broken up into a 4 panel adventure strip they had to have planned it that way.

4). Know the audience. It’s Zuda and most of the audience seems to prefer their humor in a more narrative form as opposed to a single panel gag. I think this makes it near impossible for an unknown gag strip or comic strip creator to win a contract from Zuda through the competition.

This is counter intuitive to what I presume is the majority of a humor strip’s readership. Most casual comic readers aren’t willing to invest the time to read 8 pages. They don’t read Batman or Graphic Novels, but they do have some free time at work or they got bored with all the porn on the internet. They’re more willing to invest the time to read a single panel or 4 panel strip. Bridging that gap between the Zuda audience and the casual audience to create a pleasing compromise is one of my main goals.

Sorry folks… It looks like I just channeled Rob Berry here!

Valid points. Now that you’ve cracked a Zuda contract as one member of ‘Team’ Hammer. Can you tell me something about what you bring to this strip? Have you learned anything from the experience of being in a team?

Hopefully I add an even greater dynamic element to Gabe and Rob’s art. By the time I got involved in the project, most of the planning was already down. I was digitally handed the inked files and told “Make the Bunny Pink. Everything else is up to you.” I’ve learned so much from working with Sam, Gabe, and Rob. Especially how to color FASTER!

I know you’ve a lot more up your sleeve. I’ve had a look, heh! Anything you can share with the readers or will they have to wait?

Sadly, you’re all going to have wait. Rest assured though – I’ve been busy. At the moment I’m taking a breather but have been toying with WW II comic tentatively calling “Operation Dumbass.” It’s kind of like the Dirty Dozen except instead of being criminals, they’re all complete morons sent on a suicide mission behind enemy lines.

By my reckoning that’s three strips to come at least!!! Can’t wait. One of the most surprising and pleasant things, to my mind at least, about your abilities as a cartoonist is that you seem to bring something new along with you every time you compete. The style is always subtly altered to suit the story. Is that a conscious decision or are you just trying to present the story in the best light.

I learned a while ago that even when I change up my technique or medium, my work still looks like me. I always thought it was a weakness I could only draw one way. I envy people who have a realistic style, a painterly style, a cartoony style, etc., but Zuda presented me with a great chance to experiment with vector art and digital painting. Plus I figured I’d have a better shot of getting in the competition if my art didn’t look exactly the same every comic. Lately I’ve been experimenting with a new technique using sculpted figures as models with vector backgrounds.

I have to say that your cartooning is a favourite of mine, but you’ve written all your previous work yourself as well. Your style supports that too, so is that where you want to be – doing for it all for yourself or does collaboration hold any interest for you in future?

At the moment I’m so busy I’ve turned down a couple scripts. In general, I’m really reluctant to go out on a limb and try to draw someone else’s vision. There’s always a fear of letting the team down. Also, the thought of having to draw from an established script terrifies me. Shocking, I know! The thought of having to be locked into anything is something I avoid. My working process is extremely loose. I basically just jot dialog in boxes on scrap paper. I figure out the pacing – how many little boxes I need to get on the page and that’s as much planning as I do. A lot of the action is in my head, thanks in large part to the comic strips above I used to draw every day. Sometimes this method slows me down trying to figure out the details. But all of my favorite bits come out of this spontaneity. Like the bit with President Peckman in MAM. That was all added in afterwards. Of course, as Peter Timony pointed out to me, if I win a contract I’m going to have to get my act together and be more organized!

Perhaps you could tell us about how you came to do what you do. Why cartooning? And your influences – who do you look to as a touchstone in this field not only today but in the past also.

I’ve often wondered that myself. I reckon I just have these ideas I need to get out and express. I think at my core I’m a performer or have some need for attention from the world at large. Since I can’t sing or dance or even like to be in front of large crowds, this in my only way to get a taste of the limelight.

Nicholas Gurewitch of Perry Bible Fellowship is, to me, at the top of the heap in terms of a humor webcomic. I’ve studied his comic quite a bit. I also enjoy Pedro Camargo and Ulises Farinas’s work on ACT-I-VATE.com. Influence wise, I love Arnold Roth, Edward Sorrel, Ronald Searle, Cliff Sterrett, Saul Steinberg, Jules Feiffer, Windsor McCay, and Edward Steig. MAD magazine is a tremendous influence. Former Zuda competitor, Gary Epting, has inspired some of the newer mixed media compositing stuff I’ve been doing. Gary – Zuda needs another comic from you!

As Smokey and the Miracles sang “I Second That Emotion”. I said you were a cartoonist but is that how you see yourself? Most everyone else seems to be in this for the comics. Comics/cartoons, same difference?

In art school people began calling me a cartoonist as opposed to an illustrator. It never really bothered me because I always considered the two to be the same in many ways. I never saw a difference between comics and cartoons until I got on Zuda. To me it’s all the same medium and we shouldn’t prop up barriers. It’s like peeing in the sand to mark off your little territories. It even bothers me when people say ‘Graphic Novel’. I know – I know – We need to say that so bookstores can stock comics, or comics can ‘grow up’ and be considered okay for mainstream adults to read … but they’re still comics to me!

Well that’s all we’ve got time for today. Thanks for the chat Steve – it has been most illuminating. I look forward to seeing all your new experiments go live on Zuda at some point soon. Now it’s getting late and I’ve another guest to attend to. You know the way out. Don’t worry about Satan and Ripper, they’ve got your smell on their approved list. Later man!

You’re a good boy Satan! Yes you are!

*Grrr!*

IN THE TUB … WITH SAM LITTLE

Here we are again and to tell the truth this is a bit of a squeeze.  I’ll have to ask Sam Little if he’s not from Norway originally and if the name Little is not some kinda joke! Anyhoos, Sam Little it is. He of Zuda daily The Hammer, his ex-Zuda entry and very own Untrue Tales and probably a load of other stuff he’s not telling us about. Welcome to my tub Sam.

Postively chuffed to be here, old boy! Why, I… Jeez Laweez, guv. Do you actually ever change the water in this thing? I detect the distinct reek of Ostley. The pink bubbles are a nice touch though.

Read the rest of sam’s interview after the break … but for those of a nervous disposition I haven’t actually edited out any of Sam’s somewhat colourful language so you have been warned.

IN THE TUB WITH … DANIEL GOVAR

Here we are once again for my regular dip in the murky waters of a Zuda creator’s psyche. This time out we’ll be finding out what makes Azure creator Daniel Govar tick. We’ve abandoned my tiny bathroom and come out to the hot-tub on the terrace of Perridge House – well, it is June!

First of all welcome Daniel and thanks for taking time away from the drawing board to speak with me.

Thanks for having me! *lights up cigar and sips a top-shelf margarita*

Cough! Ahem. As always before these interviews I just quickly check back to the actual strip in case I’ve been missing anything and … oh my, have I been missing something! You’ve certainly kicked up the story a notch! Read Azure now if like me you’ve looking in the wrong direction! Interspersed throughout the interview a few screen grabs from Daniel’s computer showing the progression of a single panel – digital artists take note.

Let me start by saying Daniel that you’ve avoided my early worries by completely avoiding any unpleasant associations with other water-themed stories and clichés, so congratulations on that. Azure seems totally your own world. Were you aware at all of how easy it may have been to fall into the obvious?

That’s good to hear, and thanks muchly. Yes, to an extent. If you are referring to some of the more mainstream water-themed comics that are out there, I read some Namor back when John Byrne was doing them – sort of a 90’s reboot to the hero, but I’ve read little else with water-borne heroes/heroines. In any case there are no Atlanteans or gill breathers so to speak. He he.

So can you tell us something about the story you are telling in Azure. Is it a personal story? Is it about the girl? Or the world she inhabits? It strikes me there is a tension not only between the humans and their watery environment but also the technical equipment on display. What takes precedence?

Good question. This is something I keep having to remind myself as I put the pages together. It’s easy to fall into the trap of getting too wrapped up in just the illustration. It’s about the girl, Emelie, and her struggle in this changed world. We begin by following her through a day in her life, to set the tone and give a taste of the style of the storytelling and artwork. From there things move into some of her back-story and we get to see some of her strengths and weaknesses as the story really picks up it’s pace. Technology plays a big role in today’s world and in the future world of Azure.

Can you tell us something about your background? The work and the sketches on the blog suggest ‘Production Design’ of some sort. The technical elements of Azure seem very well worked out as well as the professional finishes to colouring and backgrounds.

My background is all over the place. I have done dozens of book covers over the years, only a few of which are probably still in print. I’ve done and still do concept design for video games. I’ve done animation, 2D and 3D, and am currently the Creative Director at a media firm outside of Washington D.C.  I first got into digital media while in college – I have a degree in Imaging and Digital Art, and my first job was creating educational software for children. I was an artist at first and quickly moved to directing projects and programming one or two as well. We did some fun stuff – my two favorites were a project on Ancient Greece and another on Astronomy. I left there to freelance for a number of years – mostly for the SciFi Channel, and eventually came to work for one of my larger clients whose business was growing fast.

When I first began to develop Azure and figure out the style I wanted to use, I wanted it to have a real hand-drawn feel but with some of the concept design techniques peppered throughout. After winning the competition and beginning the pages the only way I could keep up and retain the quality level I wanted in the artwork, was to move to an all digital approach. By Page 20 the work is all digital, as I slowly phased out panel by panel the use of traditional media.

Can you tell us a little about your process. Do you thumbnail the whole thing? Do you draw first and write over? Do you work from a script? What kind of reference material do you use? Give us an idea if you can of how a page comes together.

My process now is pretty much illustrated in a video that is currently up on my blog.  It’s about 2.5 min long. In general I start off by outlining the key events in the script and fleshing it out first. Once the script has been written and re-written, and elements have been carved out that are unnecessary, I begin to make thumbnails of all the pages. Trying to see the angles that work and those that don’t; shaping each page’s composition. Once that is finished I begin to gather reference material that I may or may not have previously had. I have a pretty extensive reference library that I’ve built up over the years, and I will go on locations to find good textures and samples to use in my work. Baltimore has some really nice run down warehouse and shipyard districts which a few ninja skills will grant you access to. My girlfriend has also been generous enough to pose for certain awkward angles, and I am in the comic quite a few times – generally as some bloke getting killed. That guy that gets skewered with the tattoo on his forearm – yeah – that’s me. Tat and all. I like to draw from life if at all possible.

After making loose gestural figures I refine and refine until I get linework I like and then do rudimentary shading – keeping things more or less contours. Once those are laid down, I will add fill colors on the layer underneath and begin painting on layers above and below. In the video I exported frames in photoshop so you could see the layers on the right as I add them and adjust their layer modes for varying effects. I use a LOT of layers. My backgrounds and skys are generally one layer which I treat as digital paintings. I will also build rooms out of textures I’ve adjusted, and then laid layers over to marry the look of other pages. In some of the pages that should be live when this interview goes online, I even threw in some 3D elements. To keep the feel of the rest of the comic, the textures on the 3D objects I treated as paintings first then wrapped them around spheres and added cloud layers (thinking of the earth image right now).

In general I try to use a fair number of digital tools to illustrate things in Azure, and hope it doesn’t come off as a ransom note of styles. Given my druthers, I would go back and redo certain panels of the first 8 pages to keep the look even more consistent.

Azure is one of those strips where you get to do absolutely everything. Is this a conscious choice? Have you or do you ever feel the need to work with anyone else. Comics can be a folk art, so is there ever a time when you thought about handing any part of it over? Like the lettering, the dialogue, or some other part of the process?

This was a conscious choice, at least for Azure. I have never done a full comic before. I’ve illustrated all manner of things but never really created a full comic online or otherwise. This was kind of a dare to push myself to do something outside of my usual realm. I do and am working with some others and I would gladly hand over the writing chores to someone else. Probably not the penciling or colouring… perhaps the inking… I dunno, I really enjoyed working with Rob Berry on the crossover Azure-The Hammer pin-up. That was a lot of fun and actually came together pretty quickly. I did a base image and rob inked and water colored the piece, then I took it into photoshop and did some layering adjustments and tinting to give it an extra touch. It was quite satisfying.

I am discussing another comic project with someone now (he being the writer/myself being the illustrator – but a real collaboration in the concept), and have gotten quite a few offers to work on other things with people. It’s pretty flattering. I think people can work faster if they pool their talents, but the key word there is talent. No one wants to hand off coloring to someone who has no understanding of lighting. Lettering I would gladly give over. Anyone that has no respect for lettering, should try to do it themselves. Talk about a real art form. In my day job I appreciate and have to give feedback on typography all the time; I should have looked more into the nuances of comic lettering prior to entering the competition.

Has anything about the story changed along the way (apart from the name) since you first thought about submitting? Have the Zuda editors made any suggestions or given you any pointers about how the story of Azure might play out over the initial sixty screens?

Well the name of course (grr). Aside from that very little save little touches in dialogue and just noting that certain plot lines needed to wrap by the 60 page mark. The Zuda editors have really let this be my own bag.

Anything you can tease us with for the big ending? Still just under twenty screens to come (in the first part at least) so plenty of room to develop those sub-plots. I have a feeling you’ve got a lot more to tell us!

Hrm… I am terrible at this as I tend to give away things horribly. I can say that folks should really use that full screen mode and the zoom slider on the Zuda browser. It played a big part in my deciding to submit to Zuda. It seems to get some criticism, but it delivers a better looking page than any other browser that I’ve seen. Those little built in nuance tools I am surprised creators don’t play off of more.

Are you a comics fan? Or are you coming at Zuda from a different angle. From an interest in film maybe?

Definitely a comics fan. My interests are all over, though. I read and/or listen to a ridiculous amount of books. I love movies. I love games. I am definitely a media whore. Comics I collected pretty heavily right up until about 10 years ago. I kind of stopped for a while as it became too tough to keep up with books and my favorites seem to be ending (Sandman, etc). I followed creatives more than the comics themselves.

Now the name change. I was a big fan of the name Cerulean, but you had to go with Azure. Was Turquoise ever an option?

Haha – I love Cerulean as well. I honestly thought it was in the bag and did a name check when I first had the idea. By the time the copyrighting came to be, the name had already been taken, and by a Tokyo Pop comic no less! It was probably the last thing I expected to happen. Turquoise… um nope. There were a few others… I think Cobalt was in the running at one time. It just wasn’t feminine enough.

Once more a big thank you Daniel for sparing us the time. He’s a busy guy … but that’s no surprise!

Thank you! Now I need another margarita!

Sorry! You’ve run out of credit. Haven’t we all???

IN THE TUB WITH … CAANAN GRALL

Hello and welcome to the second of my “In the Tub” interviews – this time with Caanan Grall the creator of Zuda hit Celadore now well into it’s second season. Catch up with it now right now – links above and below – no excuses. Belated congrats on the second season and welcome to my tub Caanan. Sorry there’s no plasma screen this time, David Gallaher knocked it off the wall getting out of tub after my last interview. Big ass bastard!

CG: It’s okay. We’ll cuddle up to the iPod and go blind from eyestrain. S’cool.

Now then, down to business. Are you Australian or not? Canadian? American? What is it? Can’t make your mind up? Only kidding. It’s a long held traditional national past-time shared by Brits and Aussies to take the piss outta one another before being friendly. Seriously where are you based?

CG: Didn’t take long to get into the whinging did it, pommy. ;o) I am indeed Australian, but I am living in Toronto. I aim to make it my home because I love snow. And Degrassi. Also, Australia is running out of water fast. Seriously, people laugh at climate change, and the ‘inconvenient truth’ but damn, we’ve been living with it in Australia for the last 7 – 8 years. Farms are dying off. Animals are dying off. The 6km (3.7 miles) circumference lake in my home town of Ballarat is completely dried up. That’s a BIG lake! They had to re-home the swans and the ducks and the solitary goose! … So I sought greener pastures, as it were.

Do you know that Foz character who the won the last contest? I mean Australia’s not that big is it?

CG: No I don’t. I didn’t know Sheldon was Australian either til I met him, and we’re from the same city. When I meet people at conventions they always offer up some Australian comicker’s name they know and maybe 50% of the time I know who they’re talking about. Yeah, Australia’s pretty small. The comic scene even smaller.

Now Celadore. All going according to plan? I seem to remember that despite winning many moons ago you came in for some unfavourable (and unwarranted) Buffy comparisons. How did you feel about that then and has it influenced where you’ve gone with Celadore?

CG: No. It is not going according to plan. Not at all! I had a very specific plan in mind for a three chapter arc (formed back before I didn’t even know I’d get a second go at it) and it was a very finite story. The third part took place 12 years later with Eve all grown up, and the new Cel (Jason) married, with kids, living a normal life (with a winery named Celadore – ha! She is a viticulturist, after all). Anyway, some very dark things happened (mostly to Sam – poor Sam) and Kwanza got back to me with some great editorial suggestions on keeping it lighter, and less melodramatic. I got totally on board with that, and everything changed. This second chapter is still the main story I intended with some details changed, mostly the ending, but it’s in a better place now, (thanks to Kwanza kick-starting the better half of my unused brain), and if I get to do part 3, you’ll really see it go into some nutty, fun, territory.

Now, the Buffy comparisons? When I was coming up with the story idea and the world to play in, Buffy never even entered my mind – I never watched it – but when people started pointing out the Buffy thing, I didn’t mind. It’s just a comparison. Who cares? Plus, I knew the whole story and had way more information about what I was doing than everyone else, so it never fazed me. When people came out and accused me of basically watching Buffy and thinking I could do it better myself? THAT I took issue with. Draw all the comparisons you like, but don’t accuse me of plagiarism. Thanks.

It seems to me that the interplay between your characters is almost as important to you as the story. There’s a lot of conversational back ‘n’ forth going on. Is that a story plan or are you just enjoying yourself?

CG: Oh, I’m definitely enjoying myself. The thing is, I don’t like captions – narrative, or interior monologue, whichever – unless they tell you something you can’t get across in a natural way. Or a simpler way. Conversation, or visual detail. You should never, say, have a caption stating it’s night time if you can just colour the sky black, for example.

I’m also an observer. I’m one of those people who kinda sits back and listens more than talks just because I love the timbre of my own waffling. Anyone observing conversations knows people talk mostly in short, sharp sentences. Not ALL the time, of course, but mostly. So, I write like that. I have long sentences when I need to, like people do in real life, but I like to keep it mostly quick. I like to think using this conversational tone draws people in to the story. Lets people figure out who these characters are on their own. I also think it maintains an air of uncertainty. The more people are drawn in watching these scenes unfold, the easier it is to catch them off guard. They even catch me off guard. I have a story plan, but the conversations, to me, are malleable, and they almost always change from the script. The characters really do write it for me. It’s a cliche, but it’s true.

Your main characters are children and even most of the adults are young adults it’s seems (despite signs of immortality). What’s the attraction of writing about kids adventures over, say more adult ones?

CG: Well, Wax is physically 25. When he was made that was practically at the end of the average human lifespan. It’s also not his original body, but I’m just getting way off topic now.

When I discovered comics, I was a kid. Started reading old Disney and Archie comics, and Asterix, when I was 6. So I want to produce stuff that the next generation of kids can discover. Comics today, I think, are being written more and more for 20 – 30 year olds. I never see kids in the comic shops I go to. NEVER. I see them when I go up to the internet cafe on the corner with my USB stick to print stuff out, playing network games. I get that comics have become more adult as they’ve tried to gain a little more respect in the wider world, but if we don’t start trying to draw those kids out of their back-breaking, spine-melting swivel chairs and into the comic shops soon, who’s gonna be reading them in 20 years time? Ah, I dunno. It’s a bigger issue than just me, but I’d like to think I’m helping a little by staying in family friendly fare. Not that family friendly means dumbing things down. You’ll win more kids over by not treating them like idiots. Kids are smarter than we are. Smarter than I am, anyway.

Where did you learn how to draw this well? It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan and that for me you’re the biggest ‘find’ on Zuda so far. Like a natural. And I was impressed by that very first thing I saw, before Celadore. Maybe you posted it on the message board or something. I can’t quite remember. But where does the skill come from? Is this studied or just freaky super-natural?

CG: I taught myself. I started by copying Disney characters, Archie, Looney Tunes, etc. My room used to be plastered with large cutout Disney characters I did in colour pencil myself, and my dad even has a lined writing pad of paper FILLED with Hanna Barbera characters I did when I was 10 or so. After that, I moved on to copying Erik Larsen, Jim Lee, etc. and then, when I was 14, I decided never to copy anything again and my art went from Awesome! to Awful and I learned all over again. From scratch. Now, I draw everything from my head. I absorb as much visual information as I can, and only draw on reference when absolutely necessary. I did life drawing. Studied animation books. Anatomy books. And when I got good again, I strived to get simpler. To eliminate as many superfluous lines from my art as possible.

The first thing you saw was probably one of my 24 hour comics. I wish I was healthy enough to keep doing those, they’re so much fun, but I think those days are behind me.

Are you a determined loner, a singular writer/artist/colourist/letterer, or do you see a point where you’d be happy to collaborate? It seems like you’ve got the chops to do pretty much anything and everything yourself, but how do you see that panning out in future? Is there anyone on Zuda that you think “shit I wish I could do that”?

CG: They say Australian actors can do it all. Sing, dance, and play an instrument as well as act because it’s a small industry and they’ve got to be versatile. Well, Australian comickers are similar. We have a VERY small industry in Oz, so if you’re really serious about making it, it’s much easier to rely on yourself than anyone else.

I’m definitely up for collaboration though. On the right projects. I actually had something in the pipeline (5 pages were drawn) with another Zude, but when Celadore was renewed I had to shelve it. I really hope we get to see it again one day. I couldn’t continue it on the side as I did a different art style on it, and to do that and Cel at the same time created a kind of schism in my brain and both projects would have suffered.

I’d love to transition one day to just writing. My spine has suffered a lot at the drawing board, so health-wise, it may even be essential one day. There are a lot of artists on Zuda whose stuff I love. Ellis. Sheldon. Adam Atherton. The Timonys. Amy Pearson. That tenacious Steiner fella. I could go ON. I have the Celadore origin story all plotted out and if I couldn’t do it myself, I’d love to get Amy on it. Her art would fit the story like a glove.

Putting the work on Celadore aside what do you look to for inspiration? And that’s just a general question, not specifically about comics. It could be movies or books or even (god forbid) music.

CG: I look to anything that’s a well told story. Movies. TV. Comics. Books. Music (I’m a lyrics man). I devour creative stuff like mad. The actual things that inspire me to create my own stuff is when I read non-fiction articles. Mostly scientific stuff. New advances. Mysteries. Conspiracies. I love all this stuff that fuels the imagination. When you read about a new breakthrough, or a new product, all of a sudden you have a TON of new stories you could create revolving around these things.

So last question. Got any surprises lined up for Celadore or yourself? What does the future hold?

CG: I honestly have no idea. I don’t know if there’ll be a part 3, and if there is, it’ll probably be the last. I have a TON of stories, but it’s uncertain to me what Zuda’s long term plans are. Failing more Celadore, I will be back with another idea. Most likely the collaboration I started, and probably something else too. I continue to write down gags for my squirrel comic strip but never get to draw them, and I have another kid idea I’m itching to do revolving around the betterment of the planet. ;o) I just want to tell stories and comics are the most immediate way to do so.

I won’t give anything away about Celadore, except to say if you’re wondering where the action is, I drew it today. Two pages of near-dialogue-free craziness. And it’ll only get crazier from there.

Thanks Caanan. Now if I can just give you some advice. Don’t let any of those other dicks talk over you at the next Zuda panel. Stand up for yourself. Hehe!

CG: I was only a figurehead anyway. Not entirely sure what I was representing though.

Well that’s it from me and Caanan. We’re going to dry off and head down to the beach and maybe save some chicks from drowning – something manly anyway. See you all next month for another interview In the Tub with … !!!

CG: I think you should video interview the Timony twins entirely in mime.

I think you should stick to Celadore

IN THE TUB WITH … DAVID GALLAHER

Hi everybody and welcome to my new featurette “In the Tub with …” and today I’m very happy to be sharing a bath tub with David Gallaher of the Zuda webcomic smash hit HIGH MOON which has recently started it’s third season.

You can catch up with previous episodes on Zuda and take note of news and events over at The High Moon Rises blog.

Welcome to my tub David. I hope the water’s hot enough for you.

DG: The water’s fine. A little dirty, but plenty warm. Seriously, how often do you Brits bathe?

Not often enough. Also joining us via live satellite feed from his own bath tub is HIGH MOON’s artist extraordinaire Steve Ellis. We can see Steve on my 104 inch plasma screen I had installed in the bathroom just last weekend. Welcome Steve. I’m going to be directing my questions at David because I always like to keep my eye on the guy I’m bathing with, but feel free to chip in with your own thoughts at any time.

SE: Will do.

So, David congratulations on scoring your third season with Zuda.Without giving anything away what can you promise us for season three?

DG: Compelled to help Young Raven, Conroy finds himself in the Badlands of South Dakota during the Winter of 1890.

SE: At this point in HIGH MOON, I feel like we are hitting our stride, Conroy is developing as a character with his first real “mission” and we get to learn more about Tristan Macgregor and some of the original Mac’s background as well.

DG: Each season of HIGH MOON has focused on a different seasonal period – and this one is no different. Thematically, this will be a cold and bitter winter for everyone involved.

I think it’s safe to assume that not everyone who wins at Zuda will automatically get a second bite at the cherry. Was there ever any doubt about a second season or even a third and did you find yourself having to work to get another go at it?

DG: Kwanza told me he saw HIGH MOON as a trilogy. Steve and I worked with that notion in mind.

What I liked about the transition from the first season to the second and possibly even to the third is that you seem to enjoy burning your bridges. Was the death of Macgregor at the end of the first arc always part of the plan?

DG: It wasn’t always part of the plan, but it became part of the plan pretty early on – as early as November of 07. So, yes.

SE: When David first revealed his plans for Mac I was totally surprised. Especially since I’d spent so much time designing Mac.

DG: Yeah, poor Steve. He designs all of these cool characters – and I ruin them. But, yeah … way back, on page 14 of the first season, we had tried to indicate that there was a longer game plan. Steve and I wanted to incorporate many aspects of the Macgregor legacy into a tale of redemption. Remember, Conroy is still technically a wanted man. Taking over Mac’s identity to evade the law, while still trying to make up for his crimes, brings with it a whole new set of problems.

When HIGH MOON started you could sum up the whole strip in the phrase ‘Cowboys vs. Werewolves’ which is a great short term tag line. You opened that out over the course of the first season to include vampires and blew it apart in the second season with the Golem, the racial aspect, the steam punk Tristan, etc. Why was that and was it always part of the plan?

DG: A slight correction. I promised no vampires in HIGH MOON. I’ve already been over that territory with my work on VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE. The critters in the first chapter of HIGH MOON were more like were-bats.

SE: And, we never plan to do anything “traditional.” Our stories tend to flow naturally from our late night bull sessions. David keeps me on my toes though; he likes to surprise me when I see the final script.

DG: Yup, I like to keep Steve guessing too.  As a writer, I always like to build on something familiar, then mass around with it a lot. The ‘high concept’ of HIGH MOON gets the reader in the door, and our job as creators is to get them to stay with what we believe to be a compelling narrative.

I don’t think there’s anyone out there who could knock the work that Steve has put into this project, but I can’t help wondering if anything has changed over the year or so that you have been working together. Steve I notice you don’t wimp out on any of the ‘difficult’ things you might be asked to visualize. I was most impressed by your Wild West locomotive early in season two. Is this getting any easier for you?

SE: Not really. Since I have so much personally invested in HIGH MOON, I think it pushes me to create the best work I can. I like the challenge of pulling off a complex scene.

DG: What’s great about working with Steve is that we challenge each other. And, he continually knocks it out of the park.

Zuda fans like myself might not look any further than HIGH MOON but do you have any other work out there that Zuda readers might have missed. Give us something on what either of you might have done before. I’m sure this isn’t your first shot.

DG: My very first published comics work was an 8 page short story in the Annex crime anthology back in 1999. It was a noble experiment. A couple of years later, Moonstone Books approached me and I wrote Johnny Dollar, the story of the man with an action-packed expense account, based on the American radio program. There’s a whole lot about that story that I love. After that, I did a story for Moonstone Monsters, Vampire: the Masquerade and a short story for More Fund Comics.

SE: Well, ‘back in the day’ I did some work for Marvel and DC, as well as a few others, but it’s my old personal work I like most. Namely, The Silencers (Moonstone books/Image Comics) and Tranquility, both co-created with writer and old friend, Fred Van Lente.

There is a third member of your team, one Scott O Brown. What has Scott brought to HIGH MOON?

DG: I had known Scott for years through his work at Cyberosia. As publisher of that company, he ushered in some amazing talent. As I was looking for a letterer, I discovered that Scott himself has a production background and I convinced him to join us. And, his hard work has made a tremendous difference on this series.

As far as I can see both of you are putting out quality product that you should be justly proud of. How do you both feel about the medium of webcomics? Webcomics might be a lot of things but generally respected as an art form they are not. A lot of people are happy to see this as a free-for-all. Does that devalue what you and Steve are doing.

DG: I don’t think so.

SE: I think it’s similar to the Indy craze in the eighties. The web is where a lot of comics are going and the cream will rise to the top.

DG: Exactly. It’s the perfect test-market for new ideas.

SE: Right, and I think we’re seeing the birth of a new “golden age” of comics. Having comics this accessible both as a medium for creators and readers, means creators and readers can experiment without the cost, both in price and in paper.

DG: Precisely. There’s a reason they call it ‘The World Wide Web.’ With digital distribution, every person on the planet is a member of our potential audience.

Zuda has had it’s critics (and still does) as it ‘muscles in’ on a community that’s over ten years old and that possibly feels threatened by the mighty corporate power that is Zuda/DC/Time/Warner. Are you aware of the players in the wider landscape of webcomics and how do you see Zuda fitting in with the existing structure or lack thereof?

DG: Dean Haspiel and I were discussing something very similar to this a few weeks ago during the New York Comic Con. Some folks might consider Zuda or the other webcomic groups (like Act-I-Vate, Transmission X, or Amalgamated Artists) to be like little cliques, but I see us more as neighboring tribes. What is good for them – is good for webcomics – and good for us. And, what is good for us, is good for them.

Zuda plans to put HIGH MOON into print. Do you think that that will bring you greater respect in the comic book community, something that a webcomic on its own perhaps cannot? Paper or screen, which is best?

SE: I don’t feel like there’s been any disrespect from traditional comics. But I think paper is significantly different experience. Paper comics will become the “premium” product, made for collectors and lovers of books.

DG: Books don’t require batteries, but you can’t surf the web on them either.

Well someone has pulled the plug quite literally on this interview. So, as the water drains away to reveal a fine HIGH TIDE mark, all that remains is to say thanks to you both. Now get out of my tub!

Who’ll be next “In the Tub with…”, maybe you!