NYCC '13: Interview about The Fifth Beatle

While at New York Comic Con, I had the distinct honor of sitting down with writer Vivek J. Tiwary and artist Andrew C. Robinson to talk about their upcoming graphic novel, The Fifth Beatle.  The Fifth Beatle recounts the life of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, showing not just his successes with The Beatles but his struggles with his life in England, where homosexuality was illegal at the time. I was lucky enough to have read the book before meeting with them (it comes out on Nov. 19th), so I was already bubbling over with questions.

Tiwary has been actually working on The Fifth Beatle for over 6 years but his education of Epstein's life started over 21 years ago. He was particularly inspired by Epstein's life because of everything he had to overcome, i.e. being gay and Jewish in the 1960's was particularly hard.  Robinson was also excited to see an end to the project, since he has been painting it for over four years. They both almost seem like they don't believe their work has been accomplished. As Tiwary put it, most Beatles projects don't see fruition so this is a huge deal.

NYCC '13: Chat with Georges Jeanty about the Whedonverse

At New York Comic Con, I got a chance to chat briefly with Whedonverse artist Georges Jeanty. And I mean briefly chat. It was exactly 4 min 50 seconds. I timed it. He did confirm some details for me about the upcoming Serenity comics. I also quickly questioned him about any upcoming involvement with Buffy.

Ok, I bulleted all the details for a quick read. Just remember, 

This post is SPOILER-FILLED so if you are allergic to spoilers, go read another tasty article on [insertgeekhere].

David Selby Talks About Being the Top Cop in Gotham

Last week, I was lucky enough to attend the premiere of DC's The Dark Knight Returns: Part 1. While on the red carpet (totally fun experience, btw).  I had the sincere pleasure to interview David Selby, who is the voice of Commissioner Jim Gordon.

On the off chance you don't know, Selby is known best for creating iconic roles in television. We all know him best as Quentin Collins from Dark Shadows or Richard Channing from Falcon Crest. With a history like that, I had to ask him what it was like to step into a role already portrayed by so many. Selby did his best to avoid any previous incarnations of Gordon. He failed though when it came to Gary Oldman. No matter what, Selby couldn't get Oldman's picture out of his head. Even months after filming, seeing Oldman in Tinker was enough to rattle Selby.

Talking Aliens, Trek and Salad with Colorist Kate Finnegan

By ladyvader99

Kate Finnegan is a robust, gorgeous 26-year-old ex-RN who currently makes her living as a colorist for Big Dog Ink and Azurek Studios. This Irish beauty hails from Pennsylvania and has a love for Batman that is unrivaled! Her interests include Batman, comics, Star Wars, Batman, Game of Thrones, Photoshopping herself onto men and her ideal mate must possess a strong physical build, resistance to most diseases, sharp eyesight, acute hearing, knowledge of wilderness survival, martial arts, and firearms/other weaponry.

L: Kate, I’m going to start off by saying you are my female soul mate. How does that make you feel?
KF: It makes me feel like a unicorn farted in my chest and then sang me a love song.

L: Hahaha, that is hilarious to picture! Here we go, question #1: if you were a Star Trek [or Star Wars] character, which one would it be and why?
KF: For Star Trek, I would be Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. ENTERPRISE because I would be bald, smooth, and sexy. Plus, I could run around telling people to “make it so.” For Star Wars, I’ve been told I’m like a female Han Solo even thought I don’t smuggle things on a regular basis. If I got to choose, I’d pick Chewie because then I would never have to shave my legs again and my lush pelt would be a thing of beauty!

Quickie-view with Daniel Johnston

While I was at MoCCA Fest, juggling my volunteer duties with wandering the floor, I got exactly two minutes with Daniel Johnston, creator of Space Ducks, at the Boom! Studios booth.  If you can't place the name, then just think really famous indie rock musician.  Squeeee!

My first question was to learn about how his comic came to be.  The way he tells it, his sister encouraged him to come up with a cartoon character. Since he loves to draw ducks, Space Ducks just came to mind.  Over the next few days, Daniel did the drawing and his brother printed it up.

Interview with Peter Bagge, creator of Reset

Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics

I had a chance to chat with Peter Bagge about his upcoming series, Reset.  You may recognize Peter from his work on Apocalypse Nerd.  The book blurb from the Dark Horse Comics press release really explains Reset best:  "If you could relive major events in your life, would you take a stab at making things better—and would your best attempts only make things worse? Or would you use your second chance to put your most twisted, perverted fantasies in motion? These are questions washed-up actor and comedian Guy Krause asks himself after he signs up to be the main research subject for a virtual-reality experiment."   Doesn't that sound awesome?  Just wait until you see what Peter Bagge had to say about it!

Interview with Cole Haddon, creator of The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde

I had the awesome chance to chat with Cole Haddon, the brains behind The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde from Dark Horse Comics.  This was particularly fun, as I am a huge fan of this story.  On top of that, Cole is just a hysterical guy.  If you want to find out, make sure you follow Cole Haddon on twitter!

Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics

IGH: We all may recognize Thomas Ayde, the inspector in The Invisible Man, as the hero in this story.  With this story as the prequel of sorts for The Invisible Man, will the Adye we see in that case be the same man from the original tale?

CH: First off, good catch. Most people fail to make the connection between my Inspector Adye and H.G. Wells’s The Invisible Man. I’ve often said The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde is his “secret origin,” and so, to answer your question, yes, the intention has always been that Adye would become the hero of that novel…or, rather, my interpretation of it.

IGH: We watch Ayde begin to understand the world around him, through his education and corruption by Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.  Ultimately, do you think he finds a sort of peace?

CH: I think Adye has a long road ahead of him. He’s identified himself as a person of very specific beliefs his entire life, and, by the end of The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde, that’s all been taken away from him. He’s rudderless, but also full of cautious optimism that maybe, just maybe his re-education by Hyde has prepared him for the monstrous world that’s been opened up to him. So, yes, I think he does find a sort of peace…that won’t last.

IGH: In your afterword, you mention that Adye's betrayal of Hyde is forgiven because he makes up his own mind.  I felt that Adye never betrayed Hyde, instead he just proved that he learned from him.  In looking back, do you still feel that Adye betrays Hyde?  

CH: I think that Adye betrayed his friendship with Hyde, but fulfilled his responsibility as a human being according to Hyde’s code of ethics. It’s the great irony of the story, as far as I’m concerned. Hyde’s ethics are much more solid and humanistic (despite his homicidal “madness”) than any of the “good, upstanding” characters we meet in the comic book.

NYCC '11: Brian Wood & Becky Cloonan talk about Conan

With all the awesome contained at NYCC, this one was at the top. I got to speak with the brand new Conan team mere hours after they were announced. That's right, I got to chat with Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan. Thanks again to the team at Dark Horse for giving me this chance!


With such a great team taking over this classic book, how did they both get involved in this project? Dark Horse approached Wood first, because they were looking to change up the series' feeling. He actually thought that Cloonan wouldn't be available to join the book, but her name kept coming up as the perfect fit. Eventually, she came on board.


These two have been working together for a long time. Wood and Cloonan clicked right away, from their very first project in 2001. Since then, their relationship hasn't changed one bit. As Wood put it, they have a lot of trust with each other.  Side note: They actually finished each others sentence at one point during this answer. Definitely a top-notch team.

NYCC '11: Interview with Dark Horse Editor Scott Allie

The Whedonverse is very precious to me. It kept me sane as a teenager, and Buffy: Season 8 was my gateway drug into comics. So when the chance to talk to Whedonverse editor Scott Allie, I lost my cool and went total fangirl. Luckily, I got myself together before I met him at NY Comic Con.


I was desperate to talk with him about Buffy, so I immediately asked about what challenges he wants to see Buffy take on in Season 9. He responded that she needs to figure out what the next stage of her life will be. As he puts it, "Her life was on this trajectory that was kinda up, up, up, up and now all that's behind her. She just has to be a girl living a life in San Francisco, and it's like the epic scope of that part of her life is behind her, and she just has to figure out how to move forward."


Then I asked him about the pressures of dealing with such dedicated fans. As he puts it, there are many differences between each fan groups. Even the Whedon subgroups are radically different. Then he gave me a great quote....

NYCC '11: Robot Chicken Press Hour with Matt Senreich

One of the big perks of being press at NYCC is getting invited to press hours. Basically, it's a bunch of press (really fans) in a room with a really awesome person. We get to raise our hands and answer questions, just like in the movies!  I was able to attend the Robot Chicken Press Hour with Matt Senreich. Seth Green wasn't able to attend, which was probably for the best. I probably would have gone way too fangirl, since you all can see how much I love him.

For the record, Matt Senreich is a funny, side-splitting hilarous guy, so I sucked at note-taking.  Here are my top highlights from the press conversation.  

What Makes a Great Volunteer?

I recently shared a few ways to help my fellow geeks afford comic cons.  One of my moolah-saving suggestions was volunteering at events.  Personally, I have volunteered and managed volunteers at a lot of different events over the past few years.  In that time, I have worked with some really dedicated, caring people that believe in the event they are working.  If you want to volunteer, make sure that you are committing fully because the effort will be worth it. 

Despite my experience, I went to someone that works with geek volunteers for a living to tell you how to be the best con volunteer possible. I got to email the person with all of the answers, Kristin Heise, the Community Manager of ReedPOP.  She manages all of the volunteers for some of the biggest geek gatherings in the country, including New York Comic Con.

What are the driving factors for someone to volunteer?

I am sure the factor(s) vary by person, but below are a couple reasons I have heard more than once from a volunteer use as their primary motivation:

 ·To give back to the community they love. The positive energy at any well-run show is infectious, and we usually attract individuals who want to contribute and promote that sort of atmosphere at New York Comic Con. Ironically, by gathering a group of passionate individuals together to support a common goal, they in-turn create their OWN niche community of fellow crew and staff members—a welcome bonus to hard work!

· The volunteer program lets fans 'peek behind the curtain'. It's a great way for recent graduates and professionals alike to gain more experience while they observe key aspects of event planning and execution.

Do volunteers need to have any specials 
skills?

Besides impeccable hygiene and never-ending enthusiasm? Nope! (Author's note: Impeccable hygiene is also a must for every attendee.)

However, we do ask volunteer applicants to tell us about their skills and interests so we can assign them to an area in which they feel comfortable and excited to help.

What are the top characteristics you want in a volunteer?

The typical laundry list that makes any person awesome: proactive, resourceful, patient, friendly, understanding, engaging and, above all else, willing to help.

What are some of the things that volunteers never expect to do, good or bad?

ReedPOP staff members always balance working hard with having fun. Likewise, we encourage volunteers to not only enjoy the convention on down-time, but to OWN their role. In other words: Laggards need not apply!  (Author's note: I totally agree!  Nothing is worse than having to cover for another volunteer!)

How early should someone try to volunteer to make sure that they get in?

We released the application mid-May and will begin accepting volunteers on a rolling admissions basis beginning the end of June through September 16. However, we may fill up slots before September, so the best rule of thumb is to submit an application as early as possible.

A final note is the time WHEN one signs up matters less than WHAT they can bring to the table as a potential volunteer. We aim to recruit helpful, great people to run a fantastic event for our fans—if that sounds like you, give the program a shot!

If volunteering still sounds like a fun idea to you (it really is), then start applying now!

  
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Interview with Lush Comics Founder Justin Mound

One of the publishers I chatted with at MoCCA Fest was Justin Mound of Lush Comics. I actually sought him out just because I think his company is doing some amazing things for the indie comics world. I got to sit down (and email) with Justin about Lush.

In 20 words or less, What is Lush Comics?

Lush Comics is a self-publishing platform for artists and publishers of digital comics and graphic novels. Phew! Under 20.

How did Lush Comics start? Where did you get the name Lush?

I left my full-time job and decided to start my own business. The iPad was picking up steam, the subway was filled with people reading their Kindles, and I noticed that comics were being largely left out of all of the self-publishing options that writers had. I told my good friend Jeff Lewis that I wanted to make apps out of his comics, he thought it was a great idea, and it grew from there. The name "lush", well, I had a day that I brainstormed names. It bubbled up to the surface of my brain as a synonym for vibrant and alive, which I thought was fitting for great comics storytelling. And, I just liked the sound of it.

Do you cater to a particular comic genre?

Nope, not at all. On purpose. As a self-publishing platform, and not a traditional publisher of a particular genre, we don't curate content. We live in a time in which there are tools for anyone to publish any media they create, which I believe is a very good thing. Lush Comics is one of those tools. Anyone, from any skill level can choose to put their stuff out there, find their fans, and their niche.

When will the Lush app be available?

The iPhone app should be out in two weeks from now, and the iPad by June 1st. I'll let you know.

What do you have upcoming for Lush fans? Any new artists?

A bunch of new artists. One of the ones I am super excited about is Justin Rivers and Courtney Zell, Creators of The Wonder City. Theirs was originally a featured Kickstarter project that they recently brought to print. They rose $5,500 and it looks great. They recently were looking for a way to publish digitally, and decided to go with Lush. I'm pretty excited about that.

What is your favorite part of the indie comic scene?

The people. I think there is a public perception of comic artists as being shy and awkward. My experience has been the exact opposite. All of the artists I have interacted with have been smart, witty, and really cool people that I feel lucky to be able to meet and learn from. And the art, there is some great art out there.

To learn more about Lush Comics, check out their website here. If you decide to publish through Lush, let us know!

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