Saturday, February 25, 2012

So you want a career in comics?


     You may want to consider a different career. It is not for people that simply want to dabble in it or want to get into it on a whim. It takes some serious sacrifice, balancing life, and most times another career, with trying to do something that they truly love. They are not getting rich at it by any means, and are into it for the love of the medium. Since joining Twitter I have had the fortune of getting to know several of these people who love comics, and are taking their careers into their own hands. I get kind of a chance to see behind the curtain so to speak, and see the hard work that goes into making the comics that arrive in your hot little hands at the local comic shop.

     Two such people are writer Brian Apodaca and Artist Benny Jordan, the creative team behind the comic Zombie Outlaw. You may recall that I reviewed issue number one on this blog back in October of last week. Well the intrepid creative team is getting ready to release issue number two of the series and came out with an Ashcan issue with a preview of issue number two. The Ashcan picks up from the end of issue number one with the kids from Irvine State University having just met the Zombie Outlaw himself and coming out on the losing side. The art is still the cartoony style of issue one, but the panels are more well organized and the flow is better than the first issue. This shows a growth by Benny and his art style. The back cover of the Ashcan also features are really nice looking alternate cover of issue number two by Mark Alvarado. Here it is here.



     I had the opportunity to aske Brian and Benny some questions about the delay between issues one and two, and also what they had been up to in the mean time. It turns out that there were some major life changes for both of them, and more on the way. They have also been busy on the convention scene trying to get word out about Zombie Outlaw. Here is the interview. Thanks to both of them for their time.


Hey guys,
Thanks for sending me the Ashcan and cards. I figured I would ask some questions. 

Brian: Thanks for taking the time to ask us some questions, Brett.    I'm not sure if Benny e-mailed you back, but I'll try best to give the answers that I feel are valid. 


Geeki Happenings: So it will be almost a year between issues one and two. I know there have been additions to the family and life issues. Have you been working on other things in the meantime? 

Brian: In the past year, Benny has gotten married and had a daughter.   I have worked a lot of hours, not as many as my fiance, but quite a bit, and traveled to Cancun for a Wedding.    Also,  I just mentioned my fiance, so - yes - I also got engaged.   I'm currently working on getting a block of rooms at a Hampton Inn in Paso Robles.   So if anyone knows anyone, give me a holler!   But yeah, we've both been quite busy.   The main thing, though, is we're doing this currently for the love of comics - and we would, of course like that to evolve into getting paid for it - at which point the issues will come flying at you FAST and FURIOUS!


Benny: I have done one other comic between issue 1 of Zombie Outlaw and this next issue. It was a comic for Scattered Comics Studios called Shadow Hunters. It was a completely different style for me. A bit more Anime as opposed to the cartoony style of Z.O. I am currently doing concepts for the next issue of that in between my work on Zombie Outlaw and adjusting to life with my new daughter.


Geek Happenings: When issue number two comes out, are you guys going to be getting on a more normal distribution schedule?
 


Brian: If issue #2 is a HUGE success, rocketing us to comics' superstardom, then issue #3 will come out shortly thereafter.   If not, it will be another year or two before issue #3 hits.  

Hopefully, the first scenario will play out!  :)


Benny:  Regarding a more normal distribution schedule...well, as I said, I have a new child in my life now, so nothing is normal at the moment. Though I am going to try.



Geek Happenings: I saw that you guys did the Comikaze Expo last year. How was that experience?  Any plans on doing more cons this year?

Brian: We enjoyed immensely the Comikaze Expo in Los Angeles this past year!  It was the FIRST EVER Comikaze Expo, and we really enjoyed being a part of it.  I spent the better part of a year hyping the Comikaze Expo on twitter preceding the actual event, so it was gratifying for me personally to experience it and to realize that I was correct in supporting it.   Regina Carpinelli, the CEO of Comikaze Expo, is a true professional, and her whole staff was nothing but helpful!   We really hope to be there next year, with the 2nd issue of ZOMBIE OUTLAW hot off the presses and ready to share with the public.    Maybe we can even do a panel!    Anyone interested in the Comikaze Expo in Los Angeles should check out their website,http://www.comikazeexpo.com !and follow them on Twitter:  @ComikazeExpo       Very cool people!


We just did the LA Zinefest on February 19th, and that was a blast!    We had a booth alongside Sean Stepanoff, who puts out GRISTLE magazine, among other books!

He's a very talented creator, whom we hope to see at future venues.    Check out his stuff on etsy:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/GristlePublications

Finally, we'll be at the Wonder-Con in Anaheim, and that's coming up in March!   We're looking forward to that.  

Anyone interested in attending should check out the Comic-Con website, http://www.comic-con.org  


Benny: Yes, Comikaze was great. We did a lot better than had anticipated. It was a lot of fun and we made some great contacts. We will be at Wondercon this year as it is being held in Anaheim, literally a couple blocks away from my home. And as to any other conventions, Brian is the one who sets those up. He just tells me where to be. It works out well for me that way. I don't have to concentrate on anything but the art.


Geek Happenings: I see that the cartoony art style is still in effect for issue number two. As I mentioned in the review of issue number one it is definitely a lot different feel than more serious zombie comics such as the walking dead. It is almost like an all ages zombie comic. Was this something that you guys had planned or did it just come out that way?
 

Brian: I don't think we really heavily planned it as an all-ages book, and there are definitely some things in there that most kids will not probably understand or appreciate, either for generational reasons, or perhaps because the humor level is not up the standards of some children.    To call some of our humor childish would be an insult to children!  It's a mixed bag, really, although I guess you could say the outlook or worldview is definitely child-like.    But there are certain totems and symbols or iconography sprinkled throughout the first two issues that people under 30 might have trouble appreciating.  

Benny: Yes the artwork is still very cartoony. I'm really not sure how we came to have it that way, so I suppose it just happened. And it works great with Brian's sense of humor. This issue has some slight differences from the last. I view the first issue of Zombie Outlaw as being out "pilot" issue. After many great reviews and critiques I decided to make some changes in the way some of the characters look. Not huge changes, but just enough that is flows better for me as the artist and hopefully for the reader. I'm also concentrating on better backgrounds and panel usage. The first issue was lacking in that department.


Geek Happenings: The cover for issue number two in the back of the ashcan is definitely a different style and feel. Who did it? Is that going to be an alternate cover, because on the cards it shows a cover by Benny. 

Brian: Benny's cover will be the OFFICIAL cover to the 2nd issue.   We have several amazing artists who've contributed alternate covers or pin-ups for issue #2.    Not sure at this point if we will use any of them for ALTERNATE or VARIANT covers, but most of the pin-ups we've received from the many talented artists who've done THEIR takes on our characters WILL be in a pin-up section at the back of issue #2!     Mark Alvarado, by the way, is the artist you're referring to at the back of the Ashcan/Preview for issue #2 which we premiered at Comikaze Expo a few months back.   Mark's a great artist, and has some projects of his own in the works, but yeah - his stuff is great and we were really happy to get him to do HIS version of our characters.    A very cool image!

Benny: Regarding the "alternate cover" on the back of the ashcan issue: I'm not quite shure if that will be used as a cover or not somewhere down the line. We decided to use a different piece for the cover of the ashcan so that when the second issue is actually released it will still feel "fresh". I put a lot of work into the second cover. we got some good responces for the first, but I, as the artist, feel it didn't have the impact that I really wanted. the second issue cover is something that I'm pretty proud of, and I hope others will be just as excited about it.

Here is Benny's cover for issue number two




 
Well thanks again for the time fellas. Feel free to include anything you want to be promoted or any appearances.




Check out Benny's page at Deviantart:    BPJILLUSTRATION.DAPORTFOLIO.COM/



Issue #1 of ZOMBIE OUTLAW is on sale at comixpress:    http://www.comixpress.com



Check out the main Zombie Outlaw website, as well as our facebook page!  



Anyone interested in getting in touch with the writer, Brian, can find him on Twitter:   www.twitter.com/capn_midnight