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.

Art by Dean Haspiel (script by Stan Lee!)

So, a few months back, when I interviewed Troy Wilson about Panels for Primates, he talked about a big name creator having recently turned in a script. He would not tell me the person’s name, but merely said, the person was  ”Big, though. A dream come true.” I had no idea that by big, he meant Stan “The Man” Lee. And to see that pal of the blog, Dean Haspiel got to work with Stan on this charity effort was equally delightful. The new installment, featuring Lee and Haspiel launched today. Go. Read. Consider donating to Primate Rescue Center (and make sure to mention Panels for Primates).

Here’s some additional info to consider when checking out the story: “Other prominent contributors [to Panels for Primates] include Fred Van Lente (Cowboys & Aliens), Mike Carey (The Unwritten), Rick Geary (Treasury of Victorian Murder series), Stuart Moore (Namor: The First Mutant), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Colleen Coover (Gingerbread Girl), Faith Erin Hicks (Zombies Calling), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), and Roger Stern (The Death and Life of Superman). In all, 56 generous creators from seven countries have donated 127 pages of all-new material for the cause.”

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)

Dean Haspiel

Writer/artist/storyteller of many mediums Dean Haspiel is easily the busiest creator I know. I relish any chance I get to interview him. As always, we had multiple projects to discuss, some of which are allowing him to flex his writing muscles increasingly more (with work like his first prose novel, Post-Disaster Adventure Chronicles), much to his delight. Haspiel is welcome to share his great level of candor any time he can spare a moment, as he always is an easy (and enjoyable)  interview subject for me. Just to create a level of suspense, I chose not to ask who the nude centerfold is the upcoming DEAN HASPIEL: The Early Years.

Tim O’Shea: Would you agree that to a certain extent, in addition to being a collaborator with long-time family friend and CUBA: MY Revolution author Inverna Lockpez, that you were almost a pseudo-therapist for her. What I mean is, this is clearly a painful story for her to tell and by sharing it with you and getting in on paper/published, there’s some level of catharsis.

Dean Haspiel: Besides the possibility of providing entertainment value, art is therapy with the hope that the brave act of artistic expression yields emotional catharsis. I think CUBA: MY REVOLUTION was a major purge for Inverna Lockpez; a way for her to scrutinize and understand what happened to her years ago. And, in fictionalizing and sharing her story, I think it can allow for her to let go of some of her real pain. Whenever I artistically scrutinize the horrors and beauty of the truth, my goal is to entertain yet disperse the results upon others so that the many can share the burden of the one. Some things are just too difficult to handle on your own.

O’Shea: How long has POST-DISASTER ADVENTURE CHRONICLES been rolling around in your head and how did it work it’s way to Tim Hall’s Undie Press? Was it a story idea you once considered for comics but realized it would work more effectively as prose?

Post-Disaster Adventure Chronicle

Haspiel: Post-Disaster Adventure Chronicles is a self-imposed writing exercise I started three-years ago during a summer in the Catskill mountains. I woke up every morning and typed for an hour. I had just read Warren Ellis’ novel, CROOKED LITTLE VEIN, and enjoyed his format of rapid-fire, albeit, intense chapters and I decided each chapter of my project would end in a cliffhanger. And, because I was writing a serialized yet undetermined story, I wanted to keep the narrative pace fresh and alive. Soon, the story became about the day money stopped and how that impacts people. A modern day apocalypse. Every time I revisited the story I would pick up where I left off. Kind of like a narrative corpse only I was challenging myself. This kind of writing worked well for me in my BILLY DOGMA comix for ACT-I-VATE, where I drew weekly episodes not knowing where the story was going next. After writing a bunch of chapters, the summer was over and I put my book in a drawer. It wasn’t until author, Tim Hall, invited me to Undie Press that I dusted off the experiment and will continue to play my self-imposed writing game — in public. I met Tim during the heyday of The NY Hangover, an east village literary newspaper that published my very first BILLY DOGMA comix in the mid-90s. There was a grassroots nature to the newspaper that inspired me to spark ACT-I-VATE, a decade later.

O’Shea: How has STREET CODE weathered the transition from Zuda to DC Digital, do you feel like ultimately you’re reaching a larger audience with the new platform?

Haspiel: Only time will tell if my semi-autobiographical effort makes the digital grade. My goal is to get STREET CODE collected into print so I can go on a signing tour and read some of my New York City stories abroad, but I have to respect that new delivery methods are currently at play and that STREET CODE is surfing the wave of a massive paradigm shift in modern comics distribution.

O’Shea: In the new season of BORED TO DEATH, you are drawing the art “done by” Ray Hueston (Zack Galifianakis’ character)–does the writing team come to you to draw certain pieces, or are you allowed to draw whatever you want and they make it work for their needs?

Haspiel: Jonathan Ames writes every drawing I create for BORED TO DEATH. Sometimes I make a suggestion when Jonathan tasks me but that makes for good collaboration. A lot of preparation goes into the show’s narrative and is tightly weaved before a single frame is shot. However, I design the gag humor to be understood within seconds because of the limited screen time my art gets.

O’Shea: DEAN HASPIEL: The Early Years is set to be released in October, how many hours did Chris Irving end up interviewing you for the book?

Haspiel: Over four years ago, Chris Irving crashed my home and interviewed me for a couple of days for an aborted effort at Two Morrows Publications. A couple of years later, Chris launched Graphic NYC online with photographer, Seth Kushner, and we revisited the content he had culled and sat down for an update so as to flesh out the revamped book for Desperado/IDW. Chris devised a brilliant way to transition the essay-written interview in conjunction with my early art and comics work as one seamless experience. There are some original pieces in the 240pp tome, including thoughts and memories from my friends and peers, and a nude centerfold.

O’Shea: How did you and Irving decide what of your early work to include in the book? Was it hard to track down some of the early work for inclusion?

Haspiel: I own all my original art, so tracking down the comics weren’t hard. I cringe at most of my early work and that’s why we subtitled the book, “The Early Years,” to act as an apology of sorts. And, even though the book covers current events, my early works is the era we largely discuss. The book is equally a retrospective and introspection. An entertaining document for comix historians.

O’Shea: People seem really enthused about your upcoming WOODGOD story for STRANGE TALES (which you describe as your Marvel Two-in-One homage). Not to be greedy but I’d love to see your take on Wundarr, were there other Marvel Two-in -One characters you would have tried to work into the story or was WOODGOD always the focus? Hell, now that I think of it (and remembering my own affinity for Marvel Two-in -One, do you miss the days where a Thing adventure was partially framed around a poker game?

Strange Tales: Woodgood & Thing Play Stickball

Haspiel: Next to FF, MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE was my favorite comic series growing up and I would love to pioneer a relaunch if Marvel was ever interested. As for writing WOODGOD into my homage, I was looking for a character who had the latitude to befit an idea I already had and Woodgod was perfect. I tend to be attracted to tragic monsters and I wanted to bring a certain sense of macabre honor to Marvel’s worst idea ever.

Spider-Girl backup tale

O’Shea: Did Paul Tobin give you some fun nuances to work with in the back-up tale for Spider-Girl 1 (coming out November 10)? You think Marvel editors will block you from using Ben Grimm again any time soon after he’s appeared in two of your most recent Marvel assignments?

Haspiel: Paul Tobin wrote an early Spider-Girl story for me to draw as the back-up feature to SPIDER-GIRL #1. It features a very young Anya before she became Spider-Girl and her first visit with superheroes, featuring The Fantastic Four, before Sue Storm married Reed Richards. I get to draw the “lumpy” Thing before his signature hard-rock look came into fashion. Back when Jack Kirby was still drawing science fiction, Twilite Zone-esque, romance monster comics and making the transition to developing Marvel Comics’ “House of Ideas” with Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, et al.

O’Shea: The September 15 book signing as well as a performance by Jen Ferguson’s band, COWS LIKE SHRIMP–How hard was it to arrange the two events on the same day? What other signings/events do you have lined up in the near to long term?

Haspiel: My Midtown Comics book signing for CUBA: MY REVOLUTION, and Jen Ferguson’s band, COWS LIKE SHRIMP, playing the same night as her birthday was just a mere coincidence. So, I did what I do best and employed our social networking platforms to help arrange and promote all three events. We had a great night of comix, cake, and music, that got friends and fans hanging out and wearing animal hats made from balloons by a guy who lives in Red Hook.

If you’ve read my interviews in comics over the years, you know I have a hell of a lot of respect for Dean Haspiel. And not surprisingly, as a frequent collaborator and friend of Pekar’s, his appreciation is a damn fine read. Kudos to LA Times’ Geoff Boucher for getting Haspiel to write the piece.

I love Haspiel’s closing line, which I quote here:

“I can’t wait to see what Harvey Pekar and Edward Hopper cook up but, fingers crossed, I won’t be able to find out for a good while longer.”

Damn straight, Dean. Thanks for sharing, sir.

Dean is a founding member of DEEP6 Studios in Gowanus, Brooklyn.”

I have had the good fortune to interview Haspiel in the past. And, over the years, I’ve seen Haspiel’s popularity substantially grow (as well it should) . As I already stressed, he’s a busy man–and always highly in demand on various fronts. So, when I contacted him recently for an email interview, I was grateful for any time he could spare. I could honestly get a one-question interview with Haspiel and be happy. Fortunately, he spared the time to answer three questions. And we covered a lot of ground with those three questions.

Tim O’Shea: How many days were there where you found yourself working on The Alcoholic at one point in the day and then jumping into some completely opposite project like Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever?

Dean Haspiel: Like a true creator and hungry freelancer, I juggle various projects during the day. Sometimes it gets hectic and I’ll be drawing a story for four year olds in the early part of the day while laying out a comic for 30-year olds the latter half of the day. Often, I’ll be writing one comic while drawing another. It keeps my plates spinning while making the work alive and fresh and, sometimes, they curiously inform each other. When I took a hiatus from BILLY DOGMA to focus on THE ALCOHOLIC with only MO & JO to balance me out, I was afraid my work would become stale. Luckily, there was enough insanity mixed with domesticity in Jonathan Ames’ script for THE ALCOHOLIC, that I never fell into that hack hole. Plus, I was learning how to manage a 4-color palette when I came to digitally color MO & JO, during that time. I may be a 20-year veteran [my first professional comic, THE VERDICT, was published in 1987] but I learn something new about making comix, everyday.

O’Shea: How much do you think your work with Act-i-vate has helped raise your profile in the comics industry?

Haspiel: Putting out BILLY DOGMA, my weekly webcomic at ACT-I-VATE, raises my profile immensely. Not only has ACT-I-VATE become synonymous with free daily webcomix but it’s become a critically acclaimed destination hub for great comix despite the digital format. Just last week an editor at Marvel contacted and hired me to write and draw an 8pp FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER vs WEREWOLF BY NIGHT story based on the style I flex in BILLY DOGMA. As much as I work hard for ACT-I-VATE, ACT-I-VATE works hard for me. By making your sensibility available online, you’re self-promoting 24/7. Couple that with STREET CODE, my bi-weekly webcomic at Zuda, and NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR, the bi-weekly webcomic anthology I edit for SMITH Magazine, and my current print works with THE ALCOHOLIC for Vertigo, and MO & JO for Toon Books, and you can’t get rid of me.

O’Shea: How did the gig editing Smith magazine’s Next-Door Neighbor webcomix come about?

Haspiel: Sometimes an idea smashes you in the head and you think to yourself, “Of course, it’s been done.” Then you try to confirm that it has been done on Google and you discover, “It hasn’t been done — yet.” NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR was a no-brainer. We all have next-door neighbors and we all have next-door neighbor stories. I liked Anthony Lappe and Dan Goldman’s balls-to-the-wall, SHOOTING WAR, and Josh Neufeld’s unprecedented, A.D. – NEW ORLEANS AFTER THE DELUGE. Both were bi-weekly webcomix and I liked what Larry Smith and Jeff Newelt were doing for comix at SMITH Magazine. One email later and I was editing a new webcomix anthology for SMITH. So far, eleven original stories have aired every two-weeks with some of the best works by great writers and cartoonists, and we plan to end NDN sometime March 2009.