Everywhere Logo (by Andrew Wendel)

The latest installment in my ongoing effort to cover the creators of ACT-I-VATE continues this week with my interview of writer Chris Miskiewicz regarding Everywhere. Everywhere is an anthology series with a unique foundation that is discussed in our opening question. My thanks to Miskiewicz for the interview.

Tim O’Shea: In a few words, could you tell our readers the premise of The Everywhere Anthology?

Chris Miskiewicz: You wake up to find that millions of a single species have appeared EVERYWHERE around the world at the same time. It’s basically The Twilight Zone meets an Animal Disaster B-Movie Feature where each episode features a different animal disaster drawn by a different artist.

O’Shea: What motivated you to initially develop Everywhere, and how did it land at ACT-I-VATE?

Miskiewicz: The Everywhere Anthology came from a drunken conversation with artist Andrew Wendel who co-created the concept with me.

We were pitching a period piece to Vertigo Comics that was reference heavy and he got burnt out on drawing 1920’s Manhattan. So, we were at a bar and he said something about wanting to draw “some crazy shit.” “Like what?”  I asked. “Like anything. Like a Plague of Animals running everywhere through the world.”

We starting laughing about it and by the end of the week I had four episodes scripted. It was just too much fun to write these random non-related disaster tales as opposed to the longer fiction I was doing.

Once I had finished the first few scripts I shot them over to Dean Haspiel to get his opinion. He read them and came back immediately with a phone call saying, “This is an ACT-I-VATE comic.”

I met with Dean and Mike Cavallaro to talk about how we’d do it, and then I formally pitched the series a few months later with several finished episodes and it was approved.

O’Shea: Is this your first writing for comics?

Miskiewicz: Yes. Everywhere is my first published comic. (Even though my desk is overflowing with scripts.)

O’Shea: Are you a full-time writer or do you have a day job?

Miskiewicz: I’m a full time writer with a day job. I work as an Actor. I recently finished episode 4 on the new season of HBO’s “Bored to Death” and had a small part in “Please Be Normal” directed by Haik Kocharian, staring Sam Waterston. I tend to call myself a Wr-Actor as a joke. Writer/Actor…sometimes it’s funny.

O’Shea: How vastly different is this effort than your other creative writing pursuits?

Miskiewicz: It’s short content meant for the web, so there’s a quickness to the pacing of an episode that took a bit to get used to. It’s a Horror-Parody so there’s a fine line between it being completely silly, or total action. I’ve written a novel and several screenplays, but this series is probably the closest thing I’ve done to television writing, and by that I mean the quick beats.

O’Shea: Can you break down the collaborative effort when you did the installment with photocomix creator Seth Kushner? Was it vastly different than the collaborative process in the other Everywhere installments?

Miskiewicz: Working with Seth Kushner was an absolute pleasure. Seth’s known about the project since the very beginning and was a huge help in getting me in touch with a number of artists he knew from his GraphicNYC interviews.

As far as the nuts and bolts went, it was the same as every other episode. We agreed on the shots, who we’d cast, and the locations. Basically, everything an artist would do in breakdowns/roughs, but with people. I’ve worked in film in different capacities since college and this episode was just like putting any shoot together. Once it was shot the rest was on Seth, and I think he rocked it.

I truly feel that Seth Kushner is pushing the boundaries of what you can do with photocomix. I’d even dare to say that Seth is currently the pioneer of that field. We hit it off really well and are in pre-production on another photocomix project.

O’Shea: Dean Haspiel serves as editor on Everywhere, how has he helped to improve the stories with his editorial input?

Miskiewicz: Dean has edited four or five of the episodes so far, and each time he does the episode comes out better than I could have hoped. Beyond being an artist/writer/content maker, he’s got a natural talent for editing a piece and shaving it down to a clear point. I’m lucky to have his oversight on this project.

O’Shea: With the Worms chapter, when the pipe unloads worms on one of the characters, it made me laugh out loud–right before the horror aspect kicked in. Had you hoped to go for a comedic note to throw the reader off, or did I misread that scene?

Miskiewicz: Nope. You got it right. Like I said, there’s a tongue in cheek aspect to the whole anthology and Worms Everywhere was hysterical to make. Rick and I had about twenty emails going back and forth about how we’d do that story. Then Dean got involved and there was about twenty more.

Worms was the most collaborative effort for the series so far. We had three endings when Rick came back with a, “Got it! Starting now!” reply. A day or two passed and I emailed him “Which ending are you going with?” he replied, “Moo Hoo Ha Ha.” So, I had no idea.

Then, he emailed me the story a page at a time, just to kill me. Just to make me bust while waiting to see which ending he went with.

Rick Parker is a total gentleman, and it was a pleasure to work with him. I’d jump at the chance to do so again.

O’Shea: Some of the installments are in full color, while others in black and white. Do you defer to the artist’s preference on if it is color or b&w or do you make the decision partially based on what mood you are hoping to establish with your story?

Miskiewicz: A little of both. I have an idea in mind, and then I speak with everyone to see if what they’re thinking is what I’m thinking. The script usually changes a bit after they do their roughs, and then we figure out what will work best thematically to set the tone. In the end they’re drawing it so I tend to defer to whatever is easiest and most exciting for them to do.

O’Shea: Can you talk about some of the folks you’ve already worked with on Everywhere (and what qualities you appreciated about their art)?

Miskiewicz: Andrew Wendel has been there since the inception. I’m a huge fan of his art. Andrew has an eye for detail that’s just amazing.

Rick Parker, always a gentleman, had me busting up every time he sent a page.

Bobby Timony did Bunnies Everywhere. I like Bobby a great deal and always dug his artwork in “Night Owls.” We joked about doing an episode for a few months and eventually chose bunnies because he owns a gigantic bunny. (Really. It’s the size of a dog.) Once we agreed on the script Bobby had it finished in two or three weeks. The guy is a pro. Since then we’ve been goofing off on a Frankenstein idea.

O’Shea: Can you talk about some of the future chapters that are on the horizon and what readers can look forward to reading?

Miskiewicz: Okay, in no particular order:

People Everywhere by Nick Abadzis is going to add a wonderful tone to the series. I think people will like People a lot. (That’s a random sentence)

And Nick’s a friend of mine, so, its just cool to finally be working with him.

Kittens Everywhere, by Maurice Fontenot might be the funniest episode of the series. Maurice is currently known for Ghost Pimp. Kittens stars the real life British rock band, Big Linda on their way through London during a Kitten apocalypse. I personally know the members of Big Linda, contacted them about it, and got the okay to use their logo/likeness. Maurice just finished inking the episode. It’s just amazing.

Butterflies Everywhere

Butterflies Everywhere is beautiful. It’s just beautiful work by newcomer Kate Mc’Elroy, who had a back up story in Vertigo’s Fables 100. I feel like she’s really going to stand out when this goes live.

Alligators Everywhere by Chris Sinderson is also going to be a blast. It’s set in Vegas with a great Rat Pack flashback scene.

Whales Everywhere by Ashley Quigg is our next episode, and it’s got a great indie feel to it.

And I’m very excited about Bats Everywhere by Dennis Calero. It’s a great military story with lots of action twists, and millions of BATS!

Dennis just started and I can’t wait to see what he does.

O’Shea: Are you hoping to publish Everywhere as a collection at some point, or are you content with the online audience you have garnered with the stories?

Miskiewicz: I’d love to see this in print. I know what’s coming, and it’s going to make a great anthology book once it’s all together. I suppose there could be a digital download as well, but that’s still a bit away.

Overall I’ve been pleased and surprised by the attention the series is getting. My inbox has been exploding when a new episode goes up. It’s been a really positive experience.

O’Shea: Creatively what’s on the horizon for you?

Miskiewicz: I have a pretty full plate at the moment between upcoming film projects and creator owned properties that I’m developing for comics. I’ve also just finished my first novel, Allergy Season and am getting ready for everything that comes with trying to find a publisher.

I’m co-writing/producing a live action web series called, Secret Identity alongside Director Christopher Piazza, and Comedian Zachariah Durr.

And then a second web-series entitled “The Adventures of Shakespeare & Watson, Detectives of Mystery” staring theatre actor David Blatt and myself as Shakespeare & Watson.

And then I’ve written the screenplay for a science fiction photo-comic graphic novel with Seth Kushner entitled “Complex.” Seth, Dean Haspiel and I are the writers on it. It’s a very ambitious project. We’ve begun casting actors and pre-planning the shoot. When it’s shot Seth is going to go crazy warping thousands of images into a 140-page book.

And after these things, well, just a hell of a lot more typing.

Panels for Primates

As often as possible here at the blog, I like to cover the creators and projects at ACT-I-VATE. This week, I focus upon Panels for Primates, which is “a charity anthology for the Primate Rescue Center, featuring an eclectic mix of primate stories by both well-known and up-and-coming creators”.  While the stories are free (like all of ACT-I-VATE webcomics), readers are encouraged to donate what they can to the Primate Rescue Center, making sure to credit the donations to Panels for Primates. To learn more about the ongoing project, I email interviewed the project’s editor, Troy Wilson. Be sure to visit ACT-I-VATE today, as Panels for Primates is updated every Wednesday. My thanks to Wilson for his time.

Tim O’Shea: You launched the project with a story by writer Stuart Moore and artist Rick Geary. How did you score those two unique creators for the first story?

Troy Wilson: Pretty simple. I just asked. Initially, I had Rick paired with a different creator entirely, but that person had to bow out, due to a) other commitments, and b) the fact that he just didn’t feel he was coming up with anything worthy of Rick. So then I asked Stuart if he wanted to work with Rick, and I asked Rick if he wanted to work with Stuart – and they both jumped at the chance. It’s a bit of an odd pairing, really, but the results are fantastic. They bounce off each other quite nicely.

O’Shea: When former editor John Schlim Jr began this project, it was a very different beast. Has he had chance to see what you’ve developed it into? And if so, what does he think of it?

Wilson: Well, it’s very important to note that without John, this project simply wouldn’t exist. Period. He initiated the whole thing. Way back in 2007, he recruited a number of lesser-known creators, myself included, to contribute to a 20-page pamphlet of monkey comics for kids.

As you say, it’s a very different beast now. More pages. Digital. For charity. Primates in general instead of monkeys in particular. Not strictly all-ages anymore. Etc, etc. But all those differences were either in place or under discussion when John had to leave, so the project’s present form certainly isn’t a shock to him. Awhile back, he was been kind enough to tell me that he was impressed with what I had done. Plus, the story that he’d written many moons ago for that proposed 20-page pamphlet was among the first that I posted (“Banana Cream Pie Fever”).

O’Shea: When readers are inspired to donate to the Primate Rescue Center, how important is it to note (via a comment at the end of the donation process) that it’s a Panels for Primates donation?

Wilson: This is huge. MASSIVE. If readers don’t label their donations as Panels for Primates donations, then the creators who have so generously contributed to this project won’t get any credit for raising the money.

So please, please, please label those donations, folks. Specifically type in the words “Panels for Primates”. The creators aren’t getting paid for this, so they should at least get credit for the dollars they help raise.

And while we’re on the subject of donations, I should also mention that the PayPal option on the Primate Rescue Center website is a great way to go for people who want to donate smaller amounts. And you don’t have to draw from a PayPal account to use this option; you can hit the PayPal button and still use your credit card.

O’Shea: A major creator recently turned in a script to you. Any chance you can share who that is?

Wilson: Nope, not yet. Big, though. A dream come true.

O’Shea: Also, how pleased are you to have a worldwide cast of creators to choose from–coming from Canada, Israel, Britain, and Mexico, as well as Germany and Indonesia?

Wilson: Being Canadian myself, I’m particularly proud of the rather large Canuck contingent. Beyond that, I’ve gotta say that the phrase “global effort” has a really nice ring to it.

O’Shea: How was it that you were able to get JAMES VINING to participate? I found his input of interest, considering in his bio “He wrote and drew First in Space (Oni Press), the story of Ham, one of the chimpanzees trained by the Air Force for the Mercury Program.”

Wilson: Yeah, I saw that and thought he’d be a natural fit. I did approach other creators known for their primate material, but James was the only one who said yes. And I’m certainly very glad that he did.

O’Shea: How much editing is involved with a project like this? Can you walk me through the editing process for something like DAVID PETERSEN’s unique installment? How did Petersen come to be involved?

Wilson: My approach has been to bring the right people on board and then, as much as possible, to stay the heck out of their way. When a piece is firing on all cylinders, I have no need whatsoever to get in there and suggest some inane change just to put my stamp on it. And given that these creators are doing the pieces free of charge, I’m even less likely to ask for alterations than I would normally be. Mind you, there have been a couple of cases where the creators and I spent more time going back and forth on certain details, resulting in what we all seem to agree are some great changes. But most often, I have no changes at all.

In David’s case, I spotted a typo or two, asked him to omit a word or two, and asked him to change the title from “Great Monkeys in History” to “Great Primates in History” (because not all of his characters are technically monkeys). And that’s it. He gave us a black-and-white option and a tinted option; I went with the tinted.

And how did David get involved? At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I asked, and he said yes. Most of the people involved are people that I approached directly. A far lesser number are involved because they answered a call for submissions from John (initially) or myself (later). One lesser-known-but-really-talented guy did approach me out of the blue at the end of last year about doing something, but that’s a rarity.

It goes without saying that I’ve been very impressed by the excellent work these creators have been turning in, but I’ve also been super-impressed by their generosity. Some of them came on board during the most harrowing moments of economic meltdown (and heck, the US economy is still in the tank). It’s tough enough to make a living as a creative person under normal conditions, and you’ve got these folks working for free on a project that isn’t their own during some very bad economic times. It speaks to the worthiness of the cause, but it also speaks to the worthiness of these individuals.

O’Shea: Some of the contributions are in black and white, while others are full color. Do you try to mix it up/alternate between when color and b&w installments are run?

Wilson: I do try to space out the color ones, but I’ve already run color stories back-to-back, and will probably do so again at some point. There are all kinds of factors at play regarding what I run and when – the profile of the creators, length, tone, subject matter, what’s ready and what’s not, and so on.

O’Shea: Have you had discussions with publishers about a potential collection being published?

Wilson: I would love it if a publisher put this out as a print collection. And if your readers feel the same, they should tell publishers exactly that. But right now my focus is to work like crazy to make Panels for Primates as successful as I can in the form that it’s in and at the home that it’s got. ACT-I-VATE is a great place to be, and I’m thrilled to be running Panels for Primates in such august company – and during the site’s fifth anniversary, to boot.

O’Shea: Have there been certain installments that really surprised you more than others (in terms of the creators approach or in some other element)?

Wilson: “Undercover Chimp” by Fred Van Lente and Colleen Coover. I’m sure that anyone who reads this story will have no trouble at all figuring out which elements surprised me. It’s a great piece. It’s also a great example of exactly why I run the disclaimer about our stories not necessarily reflecting the views of the Primate Rescue Center.

In fact, the Primate Rescue Center deserves an enormous amount of credit for trusting enough in that disclaimer firewall to give us such a wide berth with regards to content. Our anthology wouldn’t be nearly as eclectic if they’d been inclined to micro-manage the process. Of course, they’d have every right to micro-manage it; I’m just glad that they’re not.

O’Shea: Anything you’d like to discuss that I have neglected?

Wilson: Well, I’d like to thank the Panels for Primate creators, the ACT-I-VATE crew, the Primate Rescue Center, the readers, the donators, the commenters, the word-spreaders, the supporters (technical, moral, and otherwise), and whoever else I may have missed.

I’d also like to thank the many publishers that are going to approach me the second after this interview gets posted about taking on a print edition of Panels for Primates.

And, of course, I’d like to thank you, Tim. It’s been a blast.

CulturePOP

It’s quite likely that you’ve seen the work of Seth Kushner, even if you don’t read CulturePOP, his series for ACT-I-VATE with Photocomix Profiles of Real-Life Characters. As noted in his ACT-I-VATE bio: “Seth Kushner’s photography work has appeared in such magazines as The New York Times Magazine, BusinessWeek, Newsweek, Time, L’Uomo Vogue, and in galleries around the world. His book, The Brooklynites, (powerHouse Books, 2007) was considered ‘a terrific coffee table photo/interview book’ by The New York Times. Aside from living out his dream of writing a graphic novel based on his Schmucky past, he is working on Leaping Tall Buildings, a book profiling NYC cartoonists. Seth also co-created and co-edits the comics journalism website, GRAPHIC NYC and directs videos, including the “promo-mentary” film, (co-directed by Carlos Molina) The ACT-I-VATE Experience. Seth was born, bred and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife Terra, his son, Jackson, and way too many comics.” I love the range of topics/people that Kushner covers in CulturePOP–and I’m glad we got a chance to discuss the project.

Tim O’Shea: How do you go about selecting your subjects for CulturePOP?

Seth Kushner: My subjects have come from many places. Some are folks I’ve photographed previously (Gymnast Olga Karmansky,  Super Sucklord, Lisa Natoli) and relished the opportunity to explore them deeper, as this format allows for. Others were suggestions from co-curator, promoter and sometime editor Jeff Newelt (Douglas Rushkoff,  Carlos ‘Mare 139’ Rodriguez, Jonny Wilson of Eclectic Method, etc.) who is great at connecting interesting and creative folks. Dean Haspiel, who has been my editor on every piece, also suggested a few subjects (Jen Ferguson, Jennie Fisk,  and upcoming subjects Tim Hall and Cynthia Von Buhler). Finally, there are people I’ve been aware of and wanted to work with. (Rachel Kramer Bussel, Caits Meissner etc.).

O’Shea: When selecting a subject, do you have to respect or appreciate their craft to consider covering them, or does that even enter into the equation?

Kushner: Choosing subjects to cover is a very personal thing. Because of the huge amount of time I put into every piece, I really have to be excited and interested by each subject. People give me good subject suggestions all the time, and I politely reject them for reasons that are purely my own. It’s difficult for me to even explain why I think someone would make a great CulturePOP subject. It’s something I have to feel.

O’Shea: On average, how many photoshoots are involved for one installment of CulturePOP?

Kushner: On average, there is one photshoot for each subject. The “session” usually consists of a recorded interview and shoot, lasting around four hours in total. Of course, that’s after our initial conversations about concept and before my transcribing, retouching and constructing the actual piece. Each finished piece takes days to complete.

There have been instances when more than one shoot has been needed. Douglas Rushkoff,  for example started with a shoot in Times Square as a means of illustrating corporatism, but when I started putting the piece together, it became obvious that I needed more. Dean suggested I also shoot Doug up in Westchester, where he lives, in order to get a contrast to the city images.

The Cynthia Von Buhler piece I’m currently working on will consist of at least two shoots, but probably more. It’s going to be a huge one, and very different.

O’Shea: Do you go into a shoot knowing what kind of shots you want to take for the sake of your narrative, or is it a more organic process?

Kushner: I go into each session with a concept in mind, which is based upon my homework on the particular subject, plus conversations between the subject and me. But, it’s all fairly lose allowing for on-the-spot inspiration.

O’Shea: How do you layout an installment, and is there ever anyone you ask “Hey look at this scene, does that work for you?” Or do you prefer to just trust your own trained eye/sense of layout?

Kushner: I’ve studied comics form independently for my whole life, but when it came to sitting down and making them, it’s a whole different thing. Dean has been my mentor. I always construct the piece on my own and then send to him for feedback. In the beginning, Dean would have a ton of suggestions, all on the money, but now he has very few. That makes me proud, because I must be getting better and more confident.

Working on the layout is probably my favorite part of the process, even more than the actual shoot. I love figuring out how to best convey the narrative and I get to use my sense of design and story and am able to cull from all of my influences. It where I feel I get to be the most creative….and, I get to make comics!

Jennie Fiske

O’Shea: Speaking of layout, how challenging is it place the text boxes in such a way that allows the narrative to flow, while at the same time not obscuring parts of the photo you want featured? As frequent collaborator Christopher Irving noted in the first installment: “I feel you’ve gotten a very strong hand on the LETTERING aspect, breaking it up into the right visual and narrative beats to draw the eye and pull the reader along.”

Kushner: That was very nice of Chris to say! I find the process works best when I don’t think of my photos as “precious art” but instead as tools for conveying a narrative. That means text must be placed strategically on my images in order to lead the viewer’s eye around the page, and it has to work in conjuncture with the images to tell the story.

Lettering was something I was very nervous about in the beginning because I understood it’s a very particular art, and often an invisible one, when done well. Dean was very helpful to me in figuring out how to best place the text boxes and now, while I’m certainly no Todd Klein, I’m feeling good about my ability to add the text elements to these pieces.

O’Shea: How intimidating was it try to convey poetry in photography, as you did with the Caits Meissner installment?

Kushner: It wasn’t very intimidating. Caits Meissner’s  piece was the second one I worked on, so I probably didn’t know enough back then to be intimidated! Caits was someone I’ve know for a while and I’ve always wanted to work on something with her. She was one of the first subjects I thought of for CulturePOP. The poem was written by a friend of her family’s and meant a lot to her, so I put a lot of thought into how I would juxtapose images of Caits with the poem. I worked on a detailed shot list, broken down by paragraph and we discussed and planned together. Caits is an amazingly creative person, so we had a very good synergy. It’s still one of my favorites.

O’Shea: What have been some of the more logistically complicated photo shoots you’ve pursued in this project? Do you ever have subjects that initially express interest in being featured, but then freeze up when the actual shooting gets under way? Given that you are documenting creative people, do you ever let them weigh in on how they would like to be documented for the story, or do you feel that impedes too much on your creative process?

Kushner: I very much appreciate when the subject wants to be involved to the point where they’re a collaborator. For example, I recently worked with writer Tim Hall on his profile, which will post sometime in January. I transcribed Tim’s interview and sent it to him to edit. Tim’s a great writer, so what I received back was a whole new piece which was heads and tails better than the original and had perfect beats and a narrative thread which had the whole piece working in a way I never expected. I was thrilled.

O’Shea: Have any of your subjects been inspired to create a unique piece inspired by being the focus of your camera?

Kushner: The one I’m currently working on with artist Cynthia Von Buhler will be a unique one in the series because Cynthia has taken the opportunity with this profile to delve into a story about her fascinating family history. There will be parts of the narrative that will “flashback” to her grandparents during the 1920s and for those sections, she is building small dollhouse sets and characters for me to photograph. This one is a true collaboration and I’m very excited to be working with such a creative person and to be bringing a new element into the series.

O’Shea: Can you talk about how the Douglas Rushkoff installment came about? Would you agree in that the collection of unique tales you have that this one was one of the most unique?

Kushner: I’m not sure the Rushkoff  piece is the “most unique.” I think they all differ from one to the other, and they all share similarities. Rushkoff’s is certainly the longest! But, I can see why you might find it different. Unlike most of the ones I’ve worked on, it’s not a personal story, but instead it’s a sort of ‘Rushkoff 101.’ I think Doug’s a brilliant guy and his theories are important and I wanted to present them in a new way. It was somewhat daunting because I believe them to be so important. The recorded interview lasted 25 minutes (Doug talks fast and passionately) and once transcribed, it was over 2200 words. The average CulturePOP has about 400 words of text. It was huge! I took a stab at editing it, but every thought seemed to lead into something else and nothing seemed extraneous. I sent it to Dean who helped to break it down into beats, but he also couldn’t find much to omit. Then Jeff did a pass and he was able to tighten it slightly. Finally, I sent it off to Doug, and he did a great job of tightening and clarifying. That was the version I laid out into the photocomix.

People have responded very favorably to the piece and it’s by far the most viewed of all the ones I’ve done.

O’Shea: Am I mistaken, or have all the installments been in color? Has there ever been a temptation to do one in black and white? For me, I was wondering given how you capitalized upon iconic imagery and the contrast of darks and lights in the Lisa Natoli installment?

Kushner: There hasn’t been a black and white one yet, but there could be one upcoming. Or, at least one with black and white elements. Actually, the on one designer John D’Aponte’s  history of family mustaches utilizes sepia tone in parts.

As I begin to explore different types of narrative threads, I’ve been experimenting with different “treatments” to differentiate from “real world” parts. For example, the next installment to go up, on comedian/musician Reggie Watts is about how he “riffs,” how he turns real-life situations into improve routines. So, for the parts in the story where he does his riffs, I have the imagery turn very psychedelic to symbolize and illustrate this ability, this ‘superpower’ he has.

I plan to experiment more in future installments.

For the one on aerialist Lisa Natoli, I really wanted to make the parts of her performing very theatrical and beautiful and graceful. A lot of thought went into the layout in order to bring out those elements.

Rachel Kramer-Bussel

O’Shea: How challenging was it to pull off the story within the story for Rachel Kramer-Bussel‘s Bound. You not only have the dual narrative element, but you had to pull off a story dealing with eroticism/bondage in a manner that did not get too graphic, while still being sexually charged to some extent?

Kushner: I’ve very much wanted to explore fictional photocomix narratives. CulturePOP has been profiles of real people, and as much fun and as challenging as it’s been creating these, I want to begin creating photocomix using actors and sets and shooting them like movies. I was looking for a subject who would allow me to experiment within the confines of this series and I knew a writer would be perfect. So I approached Rachel Kramer Bussel about allowing me to illustrate one of her shorts stories from her new collection. Rachel writes very visually, so it was perfect.

Rachel gave me ‘Bound,’ an edgy bondage story. I read it and knew immediately I would be able to do an adaptation. I started by breaking her story down into a proper comics script. Taking the narrator/main character’s internal monologue and breaking them into the beats which would go into the text boxes, and removing all description from the text and turning it into direction for me to cull the visuals.

In adapting the story to a comics script, I created my own edit, different from Rachel’s story, but hopefully keeping the spirit of it. Also, this was an edgy, sexual story and while her descriptions of the situations worked in prose form, I knew a straight visual retelling would come across as pornography. So I quickly decided to be somewhat obscure in what I would show. I would keep it to close-ups, reflections and angles that would all allow for the viewer to use his imagination.

Next, I had to cast to production with two “actors” to pose as the characters. I showed my shooting script to a couple of friends and they were game and trusted me to not go overboard with the sexuality and objectify them.

I did the actual production as a “green screen” shoot, basically. All of the Vegas environments came from my own back catalogue of images, and were merged afterwards.

It was a large undertaking, but I’m really proud of how it turned out and it was a good experiment for me. I will be moving more in this direction very soon.

Rachel was great, because she gave me complete free reign with her material, which she provided me, trusted me and didn’t interfere at all, and loved what I did. A perfect collaborator!

O’Shea: What creative satisfaction do you get out of CulturePOP that you don’t gain in your other photographic venues/pursuits?

Kushner: In my freelance career shooting personalities for magazines I almost always have to end up with one singular photo, which will represent a person. I stared thinking that wasn’t enough. I wanted show show more aspects of a person. With CulturePOP, the “portrait” is just a small part of it.

CulturePOP was designed to allow me to experiment with photos and comics form, and to work with and profile people who inspire and fascinate me. Yes, its completely self-indulgent, but I hope viewing these sort of visual, narrative poems will be interesting and entertaining for others as well.

O’Shea: Is there anything you’d like to discuss that I neglected to ask?

Kushner: I think the terms “photocomix” or “fumetti” are somewhat loaded terms for many people. There seems to be a long history here in the US of bady done comics with photos. I remember Vertigo putting out some OGNs done with heavily manipulated photos a while back and, while interesting, I don’t think they worked particularily well for readers. I’m looking to do it differently and (hopefully) more successfully.

I was talking with Kim Deitch recently and he said he used to collect “photo novellas” imported by Hearst from Italy back in the the early 80′s. They were soap style stories but had consistantly strong writing. He also told me both Fellini and Sophia Loren got their start in fumetti. I had no idea. He was very encouraging and said he always thought there was untapped potential in fumetti and very much liked what I was doing.

Also, someone asked me why I was doing this on ACT-I-VATE, and not trying to bring the idea somewhere else, perhaps a venue which paid. It was a good question and I think I had a good answer. Because by posting these on ACT-I-VATE, a webcomix portal, I’m stating very clearly that what I’m doing is COMICS. It’s not photo collage with words or any other possible description. It’s comics. By definition, comics are words and pictures which go together sequentially to tell a story. No one ever said the pictures had to be drawn. Yes, traditionally, drawn images seem to work best, but that doesn’t mean the medium is not open to experimentation with other forms of imagry, like photographic.

Of course, it’s also a honor and a bit of a validation to share a platform with the likes of great creators like Dean Haspiel, Mike Cavallaro, Nick Bertozzi, Simon Fraser, Tim Hamilton, Michel Fiffe and the rest. Their work, and their encouragement and support of my work, has made a huge impact on me. It feels great to be a part of the group and to be making comics.

KingCon II

Coming up November 6 and 7 (plus special events the evenings of November 4 & 5), the Brooklyn Lyceum (located at 227 4th Ave at President) will host the KingCon II, an independent comic, animation and illustration convention. The cost will be $7 day/$10 weekend (kids: $3 day/$5 weekend). To get the scoop on the con, I recently email interviewed the con’s co-director Regan Jay Fishman. Also the Lyceum’s program director Eric Richmond was kind enough to chime in with in-depth details about the special panels on Thursday (November 4).  My thanks to Fishman and Richmond for their time.

Tim O’Shea: This is the second year of King Con, expanded from two to four days. As noted in the comments section of the Beat’s coverage of the announcement, the venue will be warmer this year. What other improvements or changes (adding an Artist Alley, for example) have you made based on feedback from last year’s attendees?

Regan Jaye Fishman: We have added an Artist Alley! We have also removed some risers to make for more room downstairs, Made the panels fifty minutes instead of a full hour to allow for changeover time, signings will be in the mezzanine instead of upstairs and the con has been extended by 30 minutes each day so that panels aren’t STARTING the SECOND people walk in the door.
Also, I will not be sporting a constant expression of abject terror.

O’Shea: You co-directed last year’s KingCon with Mike Zagari, but this year you’ll be co-directing with Daily Cross Hatch’s Brian Heater, in what ways do you think Heater’s contributions influenced the con’s planning so far?

Fishman: Mike Zagari was a great help to us last year, and he had fantastic panel ideas, many of which explored the how-tos of comic creation and publication, and dealt extensivley with digital media. Mr. Heater’s panels explore many of the different genres of Comic writing and illustration and his deep connection to the independent comics community helps cement the mission of KingCon, which is to give the independents, especially the Brooklyn-based ones, their much deserved spotlight.

O’Shea: The show has been expanded to four days, partially to facilitate panels. Can you talk about the panels  that King Con will host?

Fishman: This year’s Panel Programming includes:

• A Spotlight on Chris Claremont, legendary x-men writer, moderated by Fred Van Lente
• Graphic NYC Presents… a conversation with celebrated New York artist Kyle Baker (Plastic Man, The Bakers, Nat Turner)
• Zuda: What Happened? a retrospective look at the three-year life of a web-based comic
• Understanding Israel: A Spotlight on Sarah Glidden, author of the graphic novel How to understand Israel in 60 days or less
• The Daily Cross Hatch Presents: The Cross Hatch Podcast Live featuring a streamed conversation with Julia Wertz, Robert Sikoryak and Lisa Hanawalt
• The Funny Pages: Comedy in Comics featuring Lisa Hanawalt, Bob Fingerman, Michael Kuperman, Neil Swaab and Emily White
• Hips, Lips, and Pencil Tips: The Sexual Female as Feminist Focal Point a conversation with female artists Paige Pumphrey, Laura Lee Gullidge, Jennifer Hayden and Molly Crabapple, moderated by Rachel Kramer Bussel
• Kids’ Stuff: Making Comics for All Ages featuring Nick Abadzis, Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman and Colleen AF Venable
• King Con Presents: Carousel, featuring R. Sikoryak, Emily Flake, Michael Kuperman, and more
• Pulp to the Future: the past, present and future of pulp comics with Adam L Garcia, Ed Catto, Mark Halegua, Derrick Fergusen, Chris Kalb
• Bored to Death — Jonathan Ames and Dean Haspiel (moderator Jeff Newelt) will discuss the HBO series written by Ames. The character “Ray” played by Zach Galifianakis is loosely-based on Dean who draws all the comic art for the show. Special sneak preview screening of clips from the Comic-Con themed episode that was shot here at the Lyceum in May.
• Plus Opening Party / Live Comix Reading with Dean Haspiel, Paul Pope, Jeff Newelt, Jen Ferguson, Seth Kushner, and Joe Infurnari. DJ Pulphope (Paul Pope), DJ CrossHatch (Brian Heater) + Bands til midnite!

Also, Rick Parker, a legendary cartoonist and parody artist will lead a live drawing workshop, and Papercutz publishing will give a reading of their latest Smurfs title, complete with face painting and Smurfy giveaways.

O’Shea: There’s also two panels on Thursday night. Eric can you delve into those?

Eric Richmond: [The first panel is] The Death of Print Journalism: The needs of the many

Well, it has been nigh on two years since the print industry collapsed as we know it.

Papers closed (San Jose, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco).

Papers gone on-line only (Ann Arbor News).

Papers went to a few days a week (Detroit Free Press).

People leaving papers to form various on-line entities.

Freelancers banding together to feed the declining newspaper and the rising on-line sphere.

Small papers who carved out an on-line presence and were gobbled up by the very same publications that were collapsing of their own dead weight.

Papers went into bankruptcy.

Unions busted.

Why??? Because it was time.

The whole industry had been propped up for decades by being in a growth market and by an artificial scarcity of distribution. And whomever controlled distribution got rich… filthy rich. The internet killed both of those. Dollars were no longer growing as people could actually figure out better which half of their marketing dollars was well spent. And scarcity of distribution is a thing of the past as anybody can once again be a news and information source. Access to news and information is instant and the tools are ubiquitous. It is the best of times(for those shut out by the old way) and the worst of times (for those left out in the game of newspaper musical chairs).

Greater overall advertising dollars may be on the horizon but it will be spread much more evenly against an exponentially larger number of sources. Pay by the impression. Pay by the click. Pay by the sale. Little drips and drabs of monitored ad dollars will add up to a larger pie. But no one will ever own those markets in remotely the same way again. More players. Fewer dollars per player.

Does it level out such that more people can either make a living or cover their costs?

In some ways it is back to the 1700s or square one except that it is now nearly impossible to corner any market. Do something well? There are recent unemployed college grads by the thousands sleeping on couches in their parent’s basement in places like Philadelphia who will do it for cheaper (free) and they WILL drive you out of business unless you stay one step ahead and NEVER rest on your laurels. Think Google. Once they got a leg up they have pushed innovation and pushed many initiatives that normally and ad-machine wouldn’t bother to do except for to be involved in information means to be a shark… swim …. or die.

Those that do not rest on their laurels will pass through this test. Others will not.

How does this affect comics?

Sort-of like how Napster altered music. It is every artist for himself. Sort of….

Find out Thursday, November 4th @ 7PM.

O’Shea: The second panel to be also held on Thursday (at 9 PM), what can you tell me about it?

Richmond: [The second panel is] The Wants of the Few: Atlantic Yards, Comics and the Changing Face of Brooklyn

Was it the right place?

Was it the right time?

Was it the right process?

Atlantic Yards continues to fulfill the major media expectation of Brooklyn as a backwater where the people don’t matter.

Laws that seem pretty clear are ignored.

Captains of industry (well real estate) rule the day.

The common man is marginalized so that they an tear down middle class housing to build rich person housing while promising that they “might” throw a bit of affordable housing out there. All at the promise of more tax revenue that is clearly a bald-faced lie.

Judges make rulings that only seem appropriate if you believe everyone is already in the bag since the rulings grasp at any straw to not actually deal with the issues at hand.

Kind of make comics irrelevant if the actions of the leaders and monitors of gotham are already that much of a caricature.

And, lastly, where is the urban grit and spit in your eye that propelled comics to a position of status anyways? Will everything look like a cheap glass tower that charges ore for less?

Maybe the comic industry should start the pullout from an urban psyche if that urban core is just like Des Moines.

O’Shea: Is King Con partially aimed at focusing on local talent that might get unintentionally marginalized at larger shows like NYCC?

Fishman: Yes yes yes!! That was the literal mission statement of the first one and something I have steadfastly worked to keep correct.

I really admire the guy who saves up all year to go to SanDiego and NYCC just to be there, even as a relatively small fish in a massive pond. I want KingCon to be the the place where those folks get to feel the MOST love, the BIGGEST welcome, because they are the heart and soul of the industry. Fifty, sixty years ago stuff like Action Comics started with the same spirit. Sure people will always want the glossy mainstream stuff and the blockbuster movies it often becomes, but those who truly love Comics as an art form live for the storytelling, the heart, the touch of human hands, as it were, that can only be found in talent pools like the one be have thriving here in Brooklyn.

O’Shea: How did you settle upon selecting Chris Claremont as one of the main guests. Who are some of the guests from last year that you’re glad to see returning for 2010?

Fishman: The first comics I ever read in my natural-born life, were the X-men classics repros of the Dark Phoenix saga, purely on accident because I was like 11 and I thought the flaming lady with no irises looked cool. I was hooked for life. I cried, I told my mother I wanted fire-hair, I started wearing alot of turtlenecks. I didn’t think in a million years I could get him, but I thought, “well Its my Show! How am I NOT inviting the man basically responsible for me reading comics in the first place! Absurdity!” I mean…there was no harm in trying. Lo and behold, he’s local, he’s really nice (as is his family) and all he asked of me was real, full-sugar CocaCola (which, after, WEEKS of pleading with the management, he’s getting)

…urrrm, Jeff Newelt, Brian Wood and Dean Haspiel were (and are) instrumental in pushing the con forward, and yet again their participation has proved invaluable. Jonathan Ames, of course, is always a pleasure to have, pants or no. I am super excited about Bob Fingerman, even though he never seems to understand why, and Rick Parker manages to make me laugh like a drain everytime he shows up in my Facebook feed…
….Tim Hamilton, Simon Fraser, Mike Cavallaro, Cliff Chiang, Paigey Pumphrey…Kalman Spiegel….Josh Adams, Robert Pollack, Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier, Bobby and Peter Timony… all wonderful people, and good friends to both myself and the Con…

OH! and OF COURSE Mike Zagari, and Matt Manning, both of whom, besides being uber-talented, knew me long before a comic-con was even a glint in my eye, (and every article of clothing I owned was pepto-bismol pink,) (ps both Matt and one of my other tablers, JT Yost, had babies this year so big congrats to that!!)

O’Shea: What inspired the development of the King Con Drawbridge Sketchbook Competition?

Fishman: Nate Schreiber had the idea, and we discussed it over drinks and a shameful amount of fried chicken after one of Dean’s signings. I was absolutley enamored of the concept. I feel like its such a natural extension of what Drawbridge is AND such a wonderful way to make folks feel excited and part of something. I kind of love the idea of art reaching out to art with no heirarchy, no ego, everyone’s got a shot. If I had to pick one thing I want this con to be about for the entirety of its lifespan, its the ‘analog file share’ of creations and ideas, and I was blown away last year by some of the art made on the spot by attendees. This borough is bursting at the seams with really gifted folks. I feel so lucky to get to spend any time at all in their presence.

O’Shea: For exhibitors, is there still space available?

Fishman: VERY VERY limited, but if you have something awesome, email Regan@brooklynlyceum.com, I’ll see what I can do.

O’Shea: Is there anything you’d like to discuss that I neglected to ask you about?

Fishman: What I’d like for dinner, and where babies come from? The answer to A: always tacos, the answer to B:…is best left to another interview.

KING CON II PEOPLE Nov 6 &7, (with accessory events Thursday and Friday evening 4th & 5th)

And starting this week, they will start posting new strips on Wednesday and Sunday. I will typically feature the Sunday edition here at my blog and link back to the previous week’s Wednesday edition. At least that’s my plan for now.

Biscuits & Bellyrubs 13 (October 24)

Meanwhile here’s a link to the October 24 edition.

Biscuits & Bellyrubs 12 (October 17)

As explained at the Facebook page, this week’s installment “is based on the feline philosophy of cat artist extraordinaire Louis Wain.”

Biscuits & Bellyrubs #7 (September 12)

To quote Trodglen: “First of three part epic! To be continued next week…”